Image source, Getty Images

Albertans have voted with an overwhelming majority to remain part of Canada. While the final votes are still being counted, preliminary results show a victory the remain camp.

But independence wasn't the only issue on the ballot, and Albertans will be watching closely to see how results will pan out on a range of issues like introducing voter ID and restricting immigration.

Here's a round-up of our coverage:

• People in Alberta appear to have rejected the option for referendum on independence, as initial results show about three-quarters voted to remain in Canada
• This is a "great day for Canada", Prime Minister Mark Carney said this morning. The Alberta-born PM added that voters chose “unity ... to take care of each other" and “to move forward together with purpose”.
• Canada’s Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also celebrated the results. “The promise of Canada is worth fighting for,” he said on social media

• But the separatist movement "isn't stopping" vows its leader Jeffrey Rath, telling the BBC he sees Monday's vote as just a "first step" full of "valuable lessons" on the path towards eventual independence
• While Ari Lewis, leader of the left-leaning NDP party, told reporters he was "heartened" by the results, he warned that Alberta's Premier Danielle Smith has "let the genie out of the bottle" on separatism
• Meanwhile, Smith called it a vote for "a stronger Alberta in a united Canada", and she's set to make a public speech later on Tuesday
• Yet independence wasn't the only issue on the ballot - with voters also deciding on a range of issues from introducing voter ID to restricting immigration. Early results suggest most votes were in favour of the provincial government's suggested policies
• Monday's ballot wasn't an official independence referendum, rather a chance to declare whether or not they were in favour of a referendum being held in future. Smith has told CDC, a Canadian news outlet, that if the majority votes to remain, another separation referendum won't happen anytime soon

So, what's next for Alberta's separatist movement? They might seek to challenge Smith's leadership in Alberta. Read more here: Huge setback for Alberta's separatist movement after decisive defeat

And with that, we're closing our live coverage of the Alberta referendum, but you can stay across the latest updates in our main news story.

What does this defeat mean for Alberta's separatist movement?published at 16:32 BST

16:32 BST

Nadine Yousif and Jessica Murphy

It was a decisive result in a referendum that could have strained the bonds of national unity.

But preliminary results show that more than two-thirds of Alberta voters sent a clear message that they want to remain in Canada.

It's possible that once the final tally is counted, the rejection by a comfortable majority of voters to pursue separation through a binding referendum could halt Alberta's separatist sentiment in its tracks.

This would push the idea that had been discussed quietly for decades back into the political fringes.

For leaders of the Alberta separatist movement, while the result was expected given the polling, it was still disappointing after more than a year of campaigning and pushing for a vote on separation.

Continue reading: Huge setback for Alberta's separatist movement after decisive defeat

Over 75% of voters in Alberta chose to remain in Canada, the latest projected results from Elections Alberta, external show.

A resounding 1,407,592 chose to stay in Canada and 456,588 voted for a referendum, with ballots still being counted.

On the remaining nine questions, early results suggest a narrow vote in favour of the Alberta government's suggested policies, but final results remain pending. Only on one question, question 8, has the public voted no.

Question 8 asks whether the Alberta government should move to amend the Canadian constitution, allowing the province to opt out of federal programs like health care.

Image source, Reuters

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says today is a “great day” for Canada after Alberta seemingly voted to reject a move towards independence from Ottawa.

The Alberta-born PM says voters chose “unity ... to take care of each other" and “to move forward together with purpose”.

Speaking as votes continue to be counted, Carney thanks those who campaigned on both sides of the argument and “above all, Albertans for turning out in numbers, participating in the democratic process”.

He adds he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith this morning and the pair shared a “good conversation on a series of issues” including the recent fire at Base Wainwright that killed four members of the Canadian military.

Carney says his government recognises it needs to "take back control" of immigration - which is a key concern of Albertans.

He adds it is now the responsibility of the provinces and the federal government to work together to "find solutions that work for Canadians".

Image source, Getty Images

"I'm truly heartened that Albertans voted in a landslide to remain in Canada," Avi Lewis, leader of the left-leaning NDP, says at a morning news conference.

He says it represents a "clear rejection of the politics of division", adding that Albertans have shown that "we don't fix our problems by turning on each other, we fix them by coming together".

But he warns that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has "let the genie out of the bottle" on separatism in the province.

Lewis, who is the new leader of the federal party, which currently has five seats in the House of Commons, also criticised Smith for some of the other questions put to voters yesterday, in particular on immigration.

Those, he says in French, are "divisive in the extreme".

Their framing blames immigrants for strains placed on social services, he says.

As a reminder, beyond the separation issue, Albertans voted on nine other questions: five on immigration, four on the Canadian constitution.

Early results show narrow support for most, though the results could still change as votes are counted.

Rebecka Pieder
US reporter

Image source, Reuters

The independence question is just one of 10 issues Albertans voted on yesterday.

As part of the referendum, they were asked to answer 10 separate questions, each printed on its own numbered, colour-coded ballot. Each ballot was then placed in its corresponding ballot box.

The first nine questions required a “yes” or “no” answer. Five dealt with immigration, while the other four focused on the Canadian constitution.

Among other things, voters were asked whether they supported giving Alberta’s provincial government greater authority to restrict immigration to the province, limit access to certain social services and introduce legislation that requires certain additional forms of identification to vote.

The tenth ballot was the only question which did not call for a “yes” or “no” answer.

Instead, voters chose between two options:

• Option A: Remain in Canada
• Option B: Begin the legal process to hold a binding referendum on Alberta’s independence

As the count continues and projected results indicate an overwhelming majority of Albertans voted to remain in Canada, we’re watching for reactions from federal and provincial leaders.

• NDP Leader Avi Lewis is scheduled to hold a news conference at 09:30 ET (14:30 GMT) to respond to the referendum results.
• We’re also watching for comments from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who may speak before heading into a cabinet meeting at 10:30 ET.
• Conservative Leader and Alberta MP Pierre Poilievre is also expected to hold a news conference later today, where he will likely comment on the results.
• Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith said she will address Albertans live at 20:45 ET. She is expected to discuss the results of all referendum questions for which results are available, as well as what comes next for the province.

We’ll bring you the latest developments here on this page and in our broader coverage. Stay with us for updates.

Image source, Reuters

Canada’s Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has taken to social media to celebrate the projected decision by Albertans to reject independence.

He says the province has “decisively voted for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada”.

“The promise of Canada is worth fighting for,” he adds.

Writing on X, the Alberta-born politician says focus must now turn to making homes more affordable, streets safer and reducing immigration.

Image source, Reuters

Alberta's leader, Premier Danielle Smith, announced in May that the question on whether the province should have independence from Canada would be put to voters, though she herself supports a unified Canada.

It followed a growing separatist sentiment in the oil-rich province in recent years, with separatist organisers holding town halls across the province to gauge interest from the public.

They then launched a citizen-led petition to separate earlier this year, which garnered more than 300,000 signatures.

But their petition was quashed by an Alberta court. Organisers had failed to consult indigenous First Nations communities whose land would be affected should the province become an independent state, a judge ruled.

Meanwhile, another group collected over 400,000 signatures for an anti-separation petition called Forever Canadian, led by former deputy premier of Alberta, Thomas Lukaszuk.

Despite expressing her own opposition to Alberta leaving Canada, Smith said she was “deeply troubled” by the court's decision to override the will of hundreds of thousands of Canadians.

The referendum, she said, would be better than “kicking the can down the road" on a "very emotional and important debate".

Mark Carney told Albertans to 'vote like Canada depends on it'published at 13:03 BST

13:03 BST

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

“Vote like Canada depends on it,” Prime Minister Mark Carney declared before Albertans cast their ballots.

It does.

Canada’s wealthiest province, with most of its proven oil reserves, plays a pivotal role in Ottawa’s drive to survive a punishing trade war with the US by diversifying trade, and strengthening its economy.

Notice the emphasis in Carney’s first statement on the vote, while results were still being counted – “they chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other”.

Image source, Getty Images

Carney’s ambitious building plans already include a proposed pipeline to the Pacific coast, which opens opportunities for Alberta’s oil to reach Asian markets – a move that also addressed Calgary’s long-standing grievance that its economy was being stifled by federal policies including environmental regulations.

In his statement, Carney – the former United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance – highlighted “unleashing our full potential as a global energy superpower with Alberta as its core”.

He knows Canada’s nine other provinces and three territories, with issues of their own, will be watching his next steps closely.

Image source, Getty Images

Election officials in Alberta have a mammoth task on their hands counting millions of ballot papers manually, but this is nothing new.

It dates back to 2024, when electronic tabulators were banned after an incident which saw local Conservative Miranda Rosin stand up to make a victory speech for an election she hadn't actually won.

The confusion was down to the fact that ballots cast in advance and counted by machine had not yet been added to the overall tally. Once they were, the results tipped the balance in left-wing candidate Sarah Elmeligi's favour and she was announced the winner.

Months later, it was decided that all voting papers in the province would be counted manually - including provincial and federal elections.

This latest vote will take up to 48 hours to count, according to Elections Alberta - the province's independent election authority. It says each voting station has a total of eight people counting ballots, at a rate of about 400 ballots per hour.

Image source, Reuters

Political leaders from across Canada have been reacting to projections which indicate that Albertans have voted to reject moving forward with a binding independence referendum.

Premier of Ontario Doug Ford says Alberta has “overwhelmingly chosen a stronger, more prosperous future for their province”.

He calls for Canada to deliver on its commitments to Alberta and to unleash "the prosperity that will protect the future of Canadians from coast to coast" in a post on X.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says a “strong united Canada” is what Canadians want. “We may argue, but we stick together”, he adds.

Earlier, we heard from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith who hailed voters for choosing a “stronger Alberta in a united Canada”.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Abertans made a clear choice of "unity, to build together, and to take care of each other".

In Alberta, votes are being counted to see if the province will undertake a legally binding referendum on separation from Canada.

It's approaching 04:30 (06:30 EST/11:30 BST) in Alberta's capital, Edmonton, so here's a quick rundown of where we are:

• There have been just over 70% of voting locations have reported
• For question 10 - should Alberta remain a province of Canada? - 1,300, 707 have voted for Option 1: Alberta should remain a province in Canada
• 414,591 have voted for Option 2: The government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada
• So far, over 1.7 million votes have been cast

As a reminder, preliminary results will be announced today, with the official results coming on Thursday.

Albertans likely to reject independence, but separatists declare victory of their ownpublished at 10:38 BST

10:38 BST

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

Although votes are still being counted, it seems clear the remain in Canada camp has won a resounding victory.

But the separatist camp is declaring a victory of its own.

“We’ve started something and we are not going to stop,” is still their rallying cry.

They’ve gone from a fringe movement to being on the ballot and will continue to argue that their demands can only be met if Alberta is independent.

Even Albertans who told me they would vote to remain say they can’t continue to subsidise the rest of Canada with their oil wealth, without their own grievances including immigration and provincial powers being addressed.

Alberta is not alone on that. The rising cost of living and a housing crisis are biting across this country.

Canada confronts the same economic and social problems facing nations the world over – but it’s also in a trade war with the US, its biggest partner, which, if not resolved, will keep intensifying that pain.

Image source, Getty Images

As we wait for the preliminary results, here's a quick breakdown of the votes counted so far, as of the early hours of Tuesday.

According to Alberta officials, there have been more than 5.5 million valid votes cast across the 10 questions.

• 57% of vote has been reported - these are split into votes cast on election day, advance voting, mobile and special ballot votes
• Election day counts for 27.9% of the total vote, with over 1.4 million total votes counted so far
• Advance votes make up 59.62% of the vote so far, with 3.1 million valid votes
• 1.75% of the vote was made by mobile, where there have been 94,357 valid votes
• And special ballot votes make up 10.64% of the vote - 573,777

For context: Election day voters may only vote at their assigned voting place on election day, while advance voting took place between Tuesday and Saturday for those who could not attend their assigned voting place on election day. Electors who are unable to vote in person may vote by mail by applying for a special ballot.

Image source, Reuters

As we have been reporting, Albertans have been voting on ten issues.

This includes a vote on whether they want a legally binding referendum on gaining independence from Canada, along with questions on immigration to Alberta, access to social services and voter ID.

According to Alberta officials, there have been more than 5.5 million valid votes cast across the 10 questions.

As detailed below, early results indicated around a quarter of voters wanted an independence referendum, while three-quarters did not.

These figures are regularly updating, and could change as the count goes on.

It is now 02:15 local time (04:15 EST/09:15 BST), here's a look at what the early results have been indicating as of the last half hour:

• Referendum: Should Alberta remain a province of Canada? Option one (remain) 1,107,558, option 2 346,261

• Do you support the government of Alberta taking increased control of immigration? Yes, 405,648, no 299,946
• Do you support a law saying only Canadian citizens being eligible for certain social services? Yes 399, 675, No 267,770
• Do you support a law saying all people with non permanent legal immigration have to have lived in Alberta for at least a year before qualifying for province funded social support programs? Yes 282,373, No 210,102
• Do you support the government of Alberta charging those with non-permanent immigration status in the province for use of health and eucation systems? Yes 223,342, No 168,873
• Do you support introducing voter ID for Alberta elections? Yes 202,367, No 130, 494
• Do you support the Alberta government working with other provinces to make amendments to the Canadian constitution? Yes, 141, 296, No 137,697
• Do you support the Alberta government in working with other willing provinces to amend Canada's constitution to abolish the unelected federal senate? Yes 120,311, No, 106, 538
• Do you support the Alberta government working with other provinces to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs? Yes 117,128, No, 123,052
• Do you support the Alberta government working with other willing provinces to amend the constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference? Yes 119,149, No 116,141

As a reminder, we will get the preliminary results on if there will be a legally binding referendum on Albertan independence later today, but the official results will not be known until Thursday.

Image source, Reuters

If you’re just joining us, here’s what you might have missed:

• It’s just after 02:00 in Alberta and voters have rejected a proposal to begin the sepatation process from Canada, early projections suggest

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Albertans have made "a clear choice" to reject a referendum on independence and “above all…chose Canada”
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, meanwhile, says she is pleased with the initial results and praises voters for choosing a “stronger Alberta in a united Canada” on X

• One of the leaders of the separatist movement in the province, Jeffrey Rath, remains defiant and tells the BBC "we have a long way to go" before the full picture is known of how Albertans voted
• When asked whether his movement would push to keep holding votes on independence until it got the result it wanted, Rath responds: "Why not?"
• As a reminder, the question on leaving Canada is just one of 10 issues Albertans have been voting on

Early results are continuing to come in.

Those for and against Alberta's independence from Canada have been gathering to watch the results come in together.

Here are some of the latest pictures:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

One of the leaders of the Alberta separatist movement has struck a defiant tone, vowing that "our movement isn't stopping and we're continuing to move forward".

The results so far are only projections and "we have a long way to go" before the full picture is known of how Albertans voted on Monday, cautions Jeffrey Rath, a lawyer based in Calgary.

Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, Rath says he sees Monday's vote as a "first step" which has taught the movement some "valuable lessons".

He predicts that hundreds of thousands of fellow residents of the province backed independence, and insists that "the math and the economics" all add up on his side of the argument.

Challenged on whether his movement would push to keep holding votes on independence until it got the result it wanted, he responds: "Why not?"

Image source, Reuters

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is very pleased that initial results show "widespread support for remaining in Canada."

"Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada," she writes in a post on X.

The United Conservative Party leader thanks "Albertans who took time to vote on these critically important referendum questions", before saying she will make an address on Tuesday evening on the results and where the province goes next.