Alberta referendum results: Albertans vote to stay in Canada, pass five immigration questions and reject four constitutional ones
The short answer: Albertans chose to stay in Canada. In the Oct. 19, 2026 referendum, 74.9 percent of valid votes on Question 10 backed remaining a province, according to Elections Alberta's official results released Oct. 29. All five immigration questions passed narrowly, all four constitutional questions failed, and turnout on Question 10 was 70.4 percent.
Official results are in. About three in four valid votes on Question 10 backed remaining a province of Canada, and turnout was 70.4 percent.
How the left and right covered it
Left-leaning coverage
- CBC News (lean left): Smith scores slim majority on immigration questions, Albertans reject constitutional changes
Treats the immigration results as a slim mandate, quoting a political scientist who says the close margins are not the mandate Smith wanted, and notes the constitutional questions all failed. - Toronto Star (lean left): Alberta referendum results: clear verdict to stay in Canada
Leads on a clear verdict to stay and Smith slamming the door on another separation vote, then on separatist anger at Smith and federalist groups disputing her immigration mandate.
Right-leaning coverage
- National Post (lean right): Alberta poised to reject separating from Canada in historic referendum
Frames the result as a rejection of separatism while stressing that about one in four voted in a way sympathetic to it, and roots the vote in long-running Western grievance with Ottawa. - Western Standard (right): Smith shelves constitutional reforms after Albertans reject referendum proposals
Interview-led: Smith tells the publisher she reads the defeat of the four constitutional questions as a message not to spend time on them, while keeping equalization on her agenda.
Common ground
- About three in four valid votes on Question 10 favoured remaining in Canada.
- The immigration questions passed by narrower margins, and the constitutional questions failed.
- Smith has said she won't hold another separation referendum while she is premier.
Updated Oct. 29, 2026, with Elections Alberta's official results, which replace the unofficial counts this story carried before. No outcome changed.
Albertans voted on Oct. 19 to stay in Canada. On Question 10, 1,556,316 valid votes (74.95 percent) chose Option 1, that Alberta should remain a province of Canada, and 520,233 (25.05 percent) chose Option 2, to begin the legal process toward a binding separation referendum, according to Elections Alberta's official results, announced Oct. 29. Turnout on Question 10 was 70.4 percent of 3,148,205 eligible electors, up from 60.5 percent in the 2023 provincial election. The vote was non-binding, and Option 2 would not itself have taken Alberta out of Canada.
What are the results for all 10 questions?
These are Elections Alberta's official yes and no counts and percentages of valid votes, from its Oct. 29 release.
| Question | Topic (summary) | Yes | No | Yes share of valid votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | More provincial control over immigration | 1,127,729 | 927,783 | 54.86% |
| 2 | Limit provincial programs to citizens, permanent residents and Alberta-approved status | 1,078,681 | 977,384 | 52.46% |
| 3 | 12-month residency before social supports for non-permanent residents | 1,096,546 | 967,754 | 53.12% |
| 4 | Fee or premium for non-permanent residents' health care and education | 1,067,383 | 994,065 | 51.78% |
| 5 | Proof of citizenship to vote provincially | 1,200,838 | 867,525 | 58.06% |
| 6 | Provinces select superior court judges | 933,310 | 1,124,131 | 45.36% |
| 7 | Abolish the Senate | 971,837 | 1,083,780 | 47.28% |
| 8 | Opt out of federal programs without losing funding | 873,059 | 1,183,982 | 42.44% |
| 9 | Provincial laws take priority in provincial or shared areas | 908,729 | 1,148,744 | 44.17% |
| 10 | Remain (Option 1) vs. begin separation process (Option 2) | 1,556,316 (Remain) | 520,233 (Option 2) | 74.95% Remain |
Topic labels are our short summaries. The full official wording is on Elections Alberta's referendum page.
Are these results official?
Yes. Elections Alberta announced the official results on Oct. 29, after returning offices reviewed the unofficial count. The official totals differ slightly from the unofficial count this story reported earlier (Remain had 1,552,251 votes in the unofficial count and 1,556,316 in the official one), but no question changed outcome. Questions 5 and 10 had the highest turnout, 70.4 percent, the agency said. Across all 10 questions, 22,120,141 votes were cast, including declined and rejected ballots.
Why did the count take almost a week?
The regulation calls for the unofficial count within 48 hours. In an Oct. 24 update, Elections Alberta said some voting places used one set of ballot boxes for several voting areas, against instructions, so staff had to separate ballots by hand where they could. Where they couldn't, results for the whole location are reported in a single voting area. The agency said all ballots are included either way, and its official results list 14 locations reported this way. CBC reported that the count was finished on Saturday night, Oct. 24, and that Elections Alberta hand-counted 20,574,612 ballots across the 10 questions.
What has the premier said?
Premier Danielle Smith, who backed remaining in Canada, said in an Oct. 20 televised address that she would not hold another referendum on separation, the Toronto Star reported. On the immigration questions, she said she would "proceed with caution," CBC reported. She told the Western Standard that she doesn't believe Albertans want her to spend time on constitutional changes that "may or may not go anywhere," but that she still wants to pursue equalization.
How did each side react?
Mitch Sylvestre, the separatist leader whose petition helped start the process, told the Star that Smith had "made a choice" and might "have to suffer the consequences." Thomas Lukaszuk of Forever Canadian said on referendum night that "it is also important not to forget about the 23 per cent," citing early numbers, the National Post reported. Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that "above all, Albertans chose Canada," the Star reported. On the immigration questions, Avnish Nanda of Our Alberta Advantage told the Star the result is not "as clear a mandate" as Smith may suggest.
Sources
- Elections Alberta, Referendum Official Results news release, Oct. 29
- Elections Alberta, 2026 Referendum official results by electoral division
- Elections Alberta, 2026 Referendum unofficial results
- Elections Alberta, referendum unofficial count update, Oct. 24
- Elections Alberta, 2026 referendum information and results timeline
- CBC News, immigration and constitutional questions, Oct. 25
- Toronto Star, results recap
- National Post, Alberta poised to reject separating from Canada
- Western Standard, Smith shelves constitutional reforms, Oct. 23
Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.
Claim-level evidence
- Official results (Oct 29): Q10 Remain 1,556,316 (74.95%), Option 2 520,233 (25.05%); 2,216,505 total votes cast on Q10; 3,148,205 eligible electors; turnout 70.4% on Q5 and Q10 (60.5% in the 2023 general election); 22,120,141 total votes cast across questions; 14 locations reported at voting-place level. source 1 · source 2
- Official yes shares: Q1 54.86, Q2 52.46, Q3 53.12, Q4 51.78, Q5 58.06 (passed); Q6 45.36, Q7 47.28, Q8 42.44, Q9 44.17 (failed). source 1
- Earlier completed unofficial count, Q10: Remain 1,552,251; Referendum 519,235; total 2,071,486 (74.9% / 25.1%). All 5,536 voting areas/locations reporting; 20,574,612 valid votes across the 10 questions. source 1
- Q1-Q5 passed (54.9, 52.6, 53.1, 51.9, 58.1 percent yes); Q6-Q9 failed (45.3, 47.3, 42.3, 44.5 percent yes), computed from Elections Alberta yes/no counts. source 1 · source 2
- Count was delayed past the 48-hour target by procedural errors (one set of ballot boxes used for several voting areas); completed Saturday night, Oct 24; official results Oct 29 at 10 a.m. source 1 · source 2 · source 3
- Smith said in an Oct 20 televised address she will not hold another separation referendum while premier; separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre warned she might suffer the consequences. source 1
- Smith told the Western Standard she won't spend her government's time on the four defeated constitutional questions but will keep pursuing equalization. source 1
Get the next update by email
The day's biggest stories from every side, with the sources linked. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer a feed reader? The RSS feed has every new story.