Alberta Votes Monday on Path Toward a Separation Referendum as Advance Turnout Surges
EDMONTON — Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta go to the polls on Monday, October 19, in a province-wide referendum on 10 questions. The most closely watched, Question 10, asks whether the provincial government should begin a legal process that could lead to a binding referendum on separating from Canada. Monday's vote is not itself binding, but it is seen as a key test of separatist sentiment. Polling stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Advance voting drew a strong response. Elections Alberta figures show close to 175,000 people voted on the first day of advance polls, and the agency expects overall turnout of 80 to 85 percent.
Polling puts the 'stay in Canada' side ahead. A Leger survey conducted October 2–4 found 70 percent of respondents favoured staying in Canada and 22 percent supported starting the separation-referendum process; the Writ tracker, updated October 17, put the figures at 68 percent to 26 percent.
In the final stretch, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a last appeal for unity. Premier Danielle Smith said she would vote to stay and that she would not approve a second referendum if the stay side wins. Mitch Sylvestre of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project told AFP he would be surprised if support for launching the process came in below 40 percent. GSM reported the ballot questions and polling background on October 17; results are expected on Monday evening.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加拿大艾伯塔省议会大楼（Edmonton）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。The Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, Canada. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
