Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (File Photo/X/@MarkJCarney)

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the rejection of a proposal for Alberta to separate from Canada in early referendum results. He said the people of Alberta had chosen national unity and a shared future with Canada.

Carney said in a post on X on Tuesday that Albertans made a clear decision on 19 October. They chose unity, moving forward together and looking after one another. Above all, he said, Albertans chose Canada.

Celebrations after separation proposal is rejected

According to CBC News, early results showed more than 76 per cent of voters were against the proposal to hold a binding referendum on separation. About 23 per cent voted in favour.

Supporters at the Forever Canadian event celebrated once the projected result emerged. CBC News reported that they chanted slogans, raised their fists and waved flags.

Carney said counting is continuing on the other questions in the referendum. He said the result on separation would let Alberta and the rest of Canada move forward together with fresh resolve.

Carney says Alberta will be central to energy plans

The prime minister also spoke about his government's plans for economic growth. He said the government is working to build new trading partners around the world, speed up big infrastructure projects and expand Canada's energy capacity.

Carney said Alberta's role in this strategy would be central. He said Canada wants to use its full potential to become a global energy superpower.

He said Canada's strength comes from the contribution of all its regions. The country now has a chance to build a better future on shared achievements, he added.

Voters also asked about immigration and government powers

Voters were asked for their views on nine other issues besides separation. According to CBC News, early results showed support for several proposals on immigration control, social services for new migrants and the powers of provincial and federal governments. It is too early to draw final conclusions on these questions.

Early figures showed 57 per cent of voters backed the proposal on immigration control. A total of 55 per cent voted in favour of the question on social services for new migrants. A proposal to set a waiting period before new migrants can use social services received 57.3 per cent support.

In addition, 54.3 per cent of voters supported making temporary residents pay for healthcare. A total of 58.9 per cent voted in favour of making proof of citizenship compulsory for voting.

Questions on appointing judges and abolishing the Senate

On the constitutional questions, early results showed 52.9 per cent of voters supported giving provinces the power to appoint judges. A proposal to abolish Canada's Senate received 51 per cent support.

Another proposal would have allowed Alberta to stay out of some federal programmes and still receive the related funding. It was narrowly trailing in early counts, with 50.9 per cent voting "no", according to CBC News.

However, a proposal to give Alberta's laws priority over federal laws, where they conflict in provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction, received only 47.4 per cent support in early results.

The referendum was held on Monday. Albertans were asked for their views on several political and administrative issues. These included whether the province should remain part of Canada or begin the process of holding a binding vote on separation. The early results showed clear disagreement with the proposal to leave Canada.