Advance voting in Alberta's separation referendum began on Tuesday at about 310 polling stations and continues through Saturday, according to Global News, The Globe and Mail and CBC. The vote itself is on Monday, October 19. CBC's explainer describes the question as whether Alberta should remain part of Canada or whether the legal process required for separation discussions should begin, with another referendum to follow. Former premiers Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney appeared together to argue for staying. Mr. Kenney also said the United Conservative Party must choose its federalist roots and expel separatists after the vote. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will attend Forever Canadian rallies in Calgary on Thursday and Edmonton on Friday. We saw no new poll in the reports we read.
A yes result would not end Alberta's membership in Canada, but it would start a process with no modern precedent and put trade, pensions and federal lands on the table. The cross-party appearance of two rivals shows how seriously both camps take the turnout question.
If you live in Alberta, advance voting is open until Saturday; check Elections Alberta for your station. Elsewhere in Canada, expect the result to move political and financial news next week, and to be read closely in Quebec.
Federalists say the question is narrow but the stakes are not, and that a strong show of unity across party lines is the best answer to the separatist campaign.
Separatists say the vote is a legitimate way to open a conversation with Ottawa. We did not see a separatist spokesperson quoted in the reports we read for this edition.
Read the wording before reading the result: a yes would begin a legal and political process, not a departure. The numbers to watch are advance-vote turnout, which Elections Alberta will report, and the margin on Monday. Mr. Carney's two rallies this week will show how hard Ottawa thinks the vote is.
CBC · Global News · The Globe and Mail · CTV News · Castanet · Radio-Canada · Le Journal de Montréal · La Presse (Oct. 13-14).
Alberta votes early as former rivals Notley and Kenney share a stage. Carney will rally in Calgary and EdmontonAlberta votes early as former rivals Notley and Kenney share a stage. Carney will rally in Calgary and Edmonton
Advance polls opened Tuesday at about 310 stations for the October 19 separation referendum, with early voting through Saturday. The prime minister has accepted invitations to two Forever Canadian rallies.
Albertans began voting early on Tuesday in the referendum on whether the province should stay in Canada. About 310 advance polling stations opened across Alberta, according to Global News, The Globe and Mail and CBC, and advance voting runs for five days, through Saturday, ahead of the vote itself on Monday, October 19. The ballot is narrower than the headlines suggest. As CBC's explainer lays out, voters are asked whether Alberta should remain part of Canada or whether the legal process required for separation discussions should begin, with another referendum still to come. A vote for the second option would open a negotiation; it would not take Alberta out of Canada overnight. Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi urged people to vote as the first stations opened, The Globe and Mail reported. The most unusual scene of the day was political. Rachel Notley, the former NDP premier, shared a stage with her longtime opponent Jason Kenney, the former United Conservative premier, to make the case for staying, CBC, The Globe and Mail and Global News reported. Mr. Kenney also said, according to CTV News, Global News and Castanet, that the United Conservative Party must choose its federalist roots and expel separatists once the vote is over, a pointed message to the governing party led by Premier Danielle Smith.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who grew up in Alberta, called Canada "worth fighting for" in his Thanksgiving message, Global News reported. On Tuesday evening he said he had accepted invitations to two Forever Canadian rallies, in Calgary on Thursday and in Edmonton on Friday, CBC reported, and Global News and Castanet carried the same announcement. Forever Canadian is the campaign urging Albertans to vote to remain. Smaller disputes show how closely the machinery is being watched. CBC reported that Elections Alberta told registered third-party advertisers they cannot appoint scrutineers, the observers who watch voting and counting, and that campaigners on both the federalist and separatist sides objected; we saw this only in CBC. CBC also carried a Brexit scholar, Ian Cooper, who after attending a separatist meeting saw parallels with Britain's exit from the European Union, and Radio-Canada noted that, unlike in Quebec, Alberta's separatist movement has no political party of its own. The Globe and Mail published an analysis of the risk of a mass exodus from Alberta if it went independent, which is one outlet's argument, not a forecast. In Quebec, where Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is preparing to lead a Parti Québécois government, La Presse called the Alberta debate strange, and The Globe and Mail reported that Quebec businesses are bracing for a renewed sovereignty debate. We saw no new poll in the reports we read, so we make no prediction. After Monday, the numbers that matter are turnout and the margin: Mr. Kenney has himself warned in recent days that a low turnout could favour separatists.