Alberta has voted to remain in Canada.

With about 86 percent of polls counted in the unofficial tally, 75.3 percent of votes counted on Question 10 were to remain a province of Canada, and 24.7 percent were to start the legal process toward a binding referendum on separation. That is a margin of more than 960,000 votes, and a decisive result.

Pierre Poilievre said ahead of the result that he hoped for a strong result for Canada, and then for work to begin healing the divisions. On these numbers, he got that strong result.

A message to separatists

Many separatists share real grievances with Ottawa. Those grievances have not gone away, and this result does not make them wrong.

But the result does speak for itself. Even allowing that some Albertans voted on the other questions to send Ottawa a message rather than because they wanted independence itself, only about one quarter supported advancing the process toward a binding separation referendum.

The movement was more energized than ever. Organizing another petition, recruiting another round of volunteers, and winning a future referendum would not be easier next time. It would be harder.

There is also a warning in this result for anyone thinking that removing Danielle Smith through a leadership fight will advance the independence cause. A divided conservative movement is a weaker conservative movement. That division is exactly how the keys to the Premier’s Office end up back with Naheed Nenshi and the NDP.

Albertans remember what happened the last time the NDP governed, from 2015 to 2019, on investment, jobs, taxes and energy policy. No conservative in this province should want to hand that back by fighting each other instead of Ottawa.

The other nine questions

Question 10 was not the whole ballot.

All five immigration and voting questions passed, with support between about 54 and 64 percent. Of the four constitutional questions, three narrowly passed and one, Question 8, narrowly failed.

That matters. Smith argued she needed yes votes on those questions to have a mandate to bargain for greater provincial control over immigration, public services and other areas of provincial jurisdiction. On the unofficial count, she largely got it, even where the margins were close.

Bottom line

Alberta has spoken. Albertans want to remain Canadian. That does not mean accepting the status quo with Ottawa.

The energy that powered the independence movement does not need to disappear. It needs a new direction: greater sovereignty for Alberta, more provincial autonomy, and the respect Alberta deserves within a united Canada.

We can fight Ottawa without fighting each other. And we must keep holding the federal government accountable.

What do you think? Is it time for Alberta’s separatist movement to change direction and fight for a stronger Alberta within Canada?