CTV News Edmonton has reported:

Albertans are voting Monday in a nonbinding referendum that asks whether the province should remain part of Canada or begin the legal process for a binding referendum on separation. It is the first time the oil-rich province has put the question of leaving Canada to voters. Polls have consistently found about 70 per cent of Albertans want to stay in Canada, while roughly one-quarter support an independent Alberta.

The ballot includes 10 questions, each printed on a colour-coded ballot. The separation question is number 10, the last one voters will see. A simple majority in favour of separation could trigger the process to hold a binding referendum. The other nine nonbinding questions address immigration, access to provincial services, including education, social care and health care, and voter identification requirements.

Premier Danielle Smith said in May that it was “time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.” She announced then that the government would add a question on separation. Her decision followed months of campaigning by a small but vocal group of separatists, some of whom had supported Smith’s bid to become premier.

The separatists argue Alberta’s energy wealth subsidizes poorer parts of Canada and that bureaucracy in Ottawa has hindered the provincial economy. Smith said in a video posted to social media on Wednesday that she voted in advance polling for Alberta to remain in Canada.

Polls are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. Monday, or 0200 GMT Tuesday. Elections Alberta says ballots will be counted by hand, with the separation question counted first. Results will be posted on the agency’s website as they come in, and unofficial results are expected within 48 hours after voting ends.

Smith has said she will respect the result and quickly start the process of holding a legally binding referendum if voters support doing so. A vote to begin that process would not mean Alberta would separate immediately. Under the Clarity Act, passed by Parliament in 2000 after Quebec’s 1995 referendum, secession talks can be triggered only by a clear majority, though the act does not define the required threshold.

The act also says a province or territory has no unilateral right to leave Canada. Separation would require a constitutional amendment negotiated by provincial, territorial and federal governments. First Nations groups have objected to the prospect of an independent Alberta, saying their treaties with Canada predate Alberta’s entry into Confederation.

An Alberta court judge ruled in May that the province’s chief electoral officer was wrong to allow separatists to collect signatures requesting a referendum. The judge found the process should have included consultation with Indigenous peoples whose rights might be affected by separation. Alberta has appealed the decision.

Alberta’s vote follows two separation referendums in Quebec, the majority French-speaking province. Quebecers voted to remain in Canada in 1980 and 1995, with the 1995 result decided by the slimmest of margins. The Parti Quebecois won a provincial election earlier this month and has promised to hold a third referendum, but only after U.S. President Donald Trump has left office and if the party has a majority.

The PQ won a minority government on Oct. 5 and will need smaller parties’ support to pass legislation. Canada is a federation of 10 provinces and three territories. The federal government handles matters of national interest, including defence, trade and foreign policy, while provinces and territories have significant authority over medical care, education and land rights.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was largely raised in Alberta, has said “the best place for Alberta is in Canada” and that the country cannot succeed if it is divided. He has campaigned for Alberta to remain in Canada. In a video released on Canadian Thanksgiving, Oct. 12, Carney said national unity is critical as Canada faces threats from abroad, including a trade war with the United States.