CALGARY—Well, that was a referendum that could’ve been a Twitter poll. What a waste of $130-million on results that shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

At the time of this writing, which is 2:30 a.m. MT on Oct. 20, CBC News has reported that 76 per cent of Albertan voters (1,160,343) voted to stay in Canada, while 24 per cent (365,620) want to proceed to a real referendum, since this one was the predecessor to a vote on holding a binding referendum. These numbers are the results of Question 10, which asked, “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

Let’s review how we got here. Jason Kenney, in his 2019 bid to oust then-NDP premier Rachel Notley, courted the separatists into his newly amalgamated United Conservative Party (UCP). He succeeded in the ousting, but at a cost of the country. Eventually, the separatists turned on him as they are turning on Danielle Smith. Kenney, himself, was ousted, stepping down after a less-than-glowing showing in a 2022 leadership review.

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