Supporters of Alberta remaining part of Canada overwhelmingly lead in referendum
A total of 10 questions were put to the plebiscite, but the main one was formulated as follows: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta initiate a legal procedure to withdraw from Canada?"
Preliminary results, after counting more than a million ballots (slightly over three million voters are eligible to vote), also show a significant lead for supporters of the idea to remain part of Canada, writes CBC.ca.
It has been counted so far that 76.6% of voters (955 thousand people) voted for Alberta to remain part of Canada, while 23.4% (292 thousand) expressed support for holding a referendum on leaving Canada. Moreover, in large cities, support for the idea of remaining part of Canada is much higher.
Alberta is Canada's main oil and gas producing province, accounting for about 80% of the country's oil production. Crude oil is the main article of Canadian export: last year it brought in 142 billion Canadian dollars (100 billion US dollars).
Located in western Canada, Alberta is landlocked, and most of its oil is exported to refineries in the United States.
Proponents of independence complain that the province gives too much money to the central government and receives too little in return. They point out that Alberta ranks fourth in the world in terms of oil reserves, after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
However, opponents of independence, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, argue that in the event of separation from Canada, the province would have to spend between 50 and 170 billion Canadian dollars (35-120 billion US dollars) annually on creating a new state during the first five years.
An independent Alberta would have to establish all government institutions – from a tax service to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, develop and adopt its own constitution, build its own judicial system, and also share federal property with Canada, including national parks and military bases. In addition, as opponents of separation warn, Alberta would have to assume a proportional share of Canada's national debt.
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Як яны мусяць працаваць у краі, дзе палова насельніцтва - нашчадкі эмігрантаў пачатку 20 ст., а другая - эмігранты пачатку 21 ст.