Канадын Альберта мужид болсон санал хураалтаар оршин суугчид улс орноосоо тусгаарлах үйл явцыг эхлүүлэх саналыг эрс эсэргүүцсэн байна.
Канадын үндэсний өргөн нэвтрүүлгийн CBC телевизийн урьдчилсан мэдээгээр, санал өгсөн иргэдийн 76 хувь нь Канадын бүрэлдэхүүнд үлдэхийг дэмжсэн бол ердөө 23 хувь нь тусгаар тогтнох үйл явцыг эхлүүлэх талд саналаа өгчээ. Даваа гарагт болсон санал хураалтын үеэр 1400 орчим санал авах байрны 100 орчимд нь техникийн саатал гарч, дүн гаргах ажиллагаа хоёр цагаар хойшилсон ч эцсийн дүндээ нэгдмэл байдлыг дэмжсэн хүчний ялалтаар өндөрлөсөн байна.
Ерөнхий сайд Марк Карни болон бусад улс төрийн удирдагчид санал хураалтын өмнө иргэдийг Канад улсын нэгдмэл байдлыг хадгалахыг уриалж байв. Марк Карни тусгаар тогтнолын төлөө санал өгөх нь эдийн засгийн тодорхойгүй байдал болон олон жилийн турш үргэлжлэх хүндрэлийг дагуулна хэмээн анхааруулсан бол Консерватив намын тэргүүн Пьер Пуальевр Канад улс бол зөвхөн засгийн газар биш, харин түүх, соёл, үнэт зүйлсийн нэгдэл гэдгийг онцолжээ.
Альберта мужийн Ерөнхий сайд Даниел Смит өөрийн биеэр Канадын бүрэлдэхүүнд үлдэхийн төлөө санал өгнө гэдгээ мэдэгдсэн ч намын гишүүддээ ижил байр суурь баримтлахыг шаардаагүй байна. Хэдийгээр тусгаар тогтнолыг дэмжигч бүлгүүд энэхүү үр дүнгийн дараа ч үйл ажиллагаагаа үргэлжлүүлнэ гэдгээ илэрхийлсэн боловч мужийн улс төрийн хүрээнд нэгдмэл байдлыг эрхэмлэх хандлага давамгайлсаар байна.
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Voters in Canada’s Alberta have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin a process toward independence, the national broadcaster CBC has projected, delivering a victory for the prime minister, Mark Carney, and supporters of Canadian unity.
With more than 1m votes counted early on Tuesday, about 76% supported remaining in Canada, compared with 23% who backed beginning a process that could lead to separation. About a third of ballots had been counted.
Even though the vote was not explicitly about independence – a point that frustrated separatists – the ballot question nonetheless exposed divisions in Alberta’s politics and raised questions about the durability of national unity.
Delays at roughly 100 of the 1,400 at polling stations across the province pushed results back by more than two hours, but shortly after polls closed on Monday evening the results suggested a decisive win for those looking to remain in Canada.
The separation question – whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote – was one of 10 put to Albertans on Monday. The others covered issues including immigration, healthcare, education and the province’s constitutional powers. Elections Alberta said the remaining results could take days to count.
In the days leading up to the vote, provincial leaders and federal politicians crisscrossed the province to make the case for a unified country.
Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, warned against a vote from residents of the oil-rich province simply looking to “send a message” to the federal government.
“A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians,” he told an energetic crowd last week.
The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, whose parliamentary seat is in the province, told a crowd of supporters that Albertans were not “quitters”.
“To those people who are thinking about taking out their frustration on the current government by voting for separation in the referendum, I say this: Canada is more than a government,” he said. “It is a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise.”
Data from Elections Alberta indicated roughly 43% of eligible voters – or 1.3 million Albertans – had already cast ballots before Monday’s vote through advance voting and mail-in ballots. That figure pointed to a potentially higher turnout than the province’s last referendum in 2021.
The Alberta premier, Danielle Smith, said publicly that she would vote to remain in Canada but that she would not require elected members of her party to do the same.
Her tenure as leader of the United Conservative party is due in large part to separatists within the party who ousted her predecessor, Jason Kenney. In recent months, Smith has tried to placate both the separatists and federalists in the party, in a province where a majority is not interested in secession.
The referendum has also become a political liability for Smith’s party, which has seen popular support tumble in recent months, including the loss of a one-time conservative stronghold in a byelection.
Still, members of the separatist movement told the Guardian they would continue their push for independence.
In an interview before the results, the Calgary mayor, Jeromy Farkas, a staunch opponent of the independence movement, said the city’s “best future is here, as a Canadian city,” amid fears that uncertainty could lead to capital flight.
“I am Canadian because I’m Canadian, not in a transactional way and regardless of the flavour of prime minister,” Farkas said. “And I’m going to continue to make the case for how our future is strongest together, because no result will permanently put this to bed. “The separatist movement sees this as a long-term project.”
