Unofficial referendum results suggest Albertans favour remaining in Canada while supporting greater provincial control over immigration and proof-of-citizenship requirements for provincial elections.
Elections Alberta’s unofficial results show nearly 19.6 million valid votes were cast across the 10 referendum questions. The count was 98 per cent complete as of 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, according to the agency.
The proposal to keep Alberta in Canada received 1,545,665 votes, compared with 517,358 votes for beginning the constitutional process required to hold a binding referendum on separation.
The question drew 2,063,023 valid votes, with about 75 per cent favouring remaining in Canada.
Voters also backed all five questions dealing with immigration policy and voting eligibility.
The strongest support among those questions was for requiring proof of citizenship to vote in Alberta provincial elections. The proposal received 1,173,583 yes votes and 848,708 no votes.
A proposal to expand Alberta’s control over immigration, reduce immigration to what proponents described as more sustainable levels and prioritize economic migration and jobs for Albertans received 1,118,695 yes votes and 921,195 no votes, according to unofficial results.
Voters also backed a proposal to restrict access to provincially funded health care, education and social services to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with an immigration status approved by Alberta. The question received 1,058,178 yes votes and 955,638 no votes.
A proposal requiring people with non-permanent legal immigration status to live in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for provincially funded social support programs received 1,078,039 yes votes and 951,424 no votes.
A separate question proposed reasonable fees or premiums for people with non-permanent immigration status and their families to use health-care and education services. It received 1,051,838 yes votes and 972,515 no votes.
Proposals to shift constitutional powers from Ottawa to the provinces received a less consistent response.
Unofficial results show more voters opposed than supported a proposal to give provincial governments the power to select judges for the provincial Court of King’s Bench and appeal courts. The question received 897,962 yes votes and 1,051,540 no votes.
More voters also opposed abolishing the unelected federal Senate than supported the measure. The proposal received 931,215 no votes and 905,850 yes votes.
Voters also opposed two other proposals to expand provincial powers, according to the preliminary count.
A plan to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs in areas such as health care, education and social services without losing associated federal funding received 808,073 yes votes and 984,705 no votes.
A proposal to give provincial laws priority over conflicting federal laws in areas of provincial or shared constitutional jurisdiction received 837,773 yes votes and 910,836 no votes.
Advance voting accounted for 8,109,310 votes, or 41.54 per cent of the total. Election Day voting contributed 6,864,556 votes, or 35.17 per cent, followed by special ballots at 4,351,590, roughly 22.29 per cent and mobile voting at 195,334, about one per cent.
