‘Albertans chose Canada’: Carney hails vote to reject referendum

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed Alberta’s decisive rejection of a move towards independence, saying the province had chosen national unity at a time of mounting pressure from Washington. "On October 19, Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Above all, Albertans chose Canada," Carney said in a statement on Tuesday. With more than one million votes counted, 77 per cent backed remaining in Canada, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. Monday’s vote was not a direct ballot on independence. A win for the separatists would instead have set the western province on a path towards a binding referendum on leaving Canada.