The vote was not a direct choice on independence. Approval would have started a process that could lead to a second referendum on leaving Canada. Its defeat is a win for Prime Minister Mark Carney and other supporters of national unity, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and comments about making Canada the 51st state have heightened tensions across the country.

More than 1.35 million Albertans — 43% of eligible voters — cast advance or special ballots. Results were delayed after late openings led more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours Monday.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum under pressure from separatists within her United Conservative Party, though she opposes independence. She pointed to polling that put support for separation at 22% and said even that level was too high. Before the recent separatist push, parties advocating independence typically drew only 1% or 2% of the vote, former Premier Jason Kenney said.

The province is a conservative stronghold with deep resentment toward the federal government, particularly over how Alberta’s interests and resources are treated. But that discontent has not historically translated into broad support for leaving Canada. Anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped organize activists who later joined the separatist movement, Kenney said.

That frustration remained evident among voters. Dustin Degenhardt, who voted in Wainwright, said Alberta had been treated like a colony. Taylor MacIsaac, also in Wainwright, said she supported separation, citing her conservative views and rural Alberta upbringing.

Other voters questioned the timing and cost of the process. Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, argued that money spent on a referendum about whether to hold another referendum could have gone to health care. With Trump threatening Canada, he said, the country should be coming together rather than fighting internally.

Carney urged Albertans to deliver a decisive vote for unity at a rally in Edmonton on Friday. “Vote like Canada’s future depends on it because it does,” he told supporters. Jake Graham, 35, of Calgary, said he hoped a clear result would quiet calls for separation for a while.

Separatist advocates said the movement would continue despite the proposal’s apparent defeat. Jeff Rath, a prominent supporter, has said he wants Smith removed as leader of the governing party and suggested it could split, potentially giving rise to a new pro-independence party.

The vote leaves Alberta within Canada but does not resolve the political grievances that fueled the referendum campaign. The result’s margin, however, rejects the immediate push to begin a formal process toward separation.