Alberta's referendum campaign has reached its final weekend with the polling picture holding steady. The Writ's poll tracker, updated October 17, puts support for remaining in Canada at an average of 68 per cent, against 26 per cent who favour beginning the legal process toward a binding referendum on Alberta independence; with undecideds removed, support for independence is 28 per cent.
The tracker notes the debate is largely one inside the governing party's own coalition: strong majorities for remaining in Canada show up in Calgary and Edmonton, in rural areas, among all age groups and among both men and women — only among UCP voters are opinions split.
Prime Minister Mark Carney spent the campaign's final week in Alberta urging a decisive rejection of separation, telling a pro-unity rally in Calgary that 'the stakes are high' and warning against assuming the outcome is settled. Campaign reporting says more than 450,000 Albertans had already voted through early or mail-in ballots before the final weekend.
Monday's ballot carries ten questions in total, most of them non-binding, covering immigration, access to provincial services, judicial appointments and the division of powers — plus the headline question of whether Alberta remains a province of Canada or the government should commence the constitutional process toward a binding separation referendum.
Advance polls, open since October 13, close today. Referendum day is Monday, October 19, with polls open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain time.
