Alberta will hold a referendum on whether the province should remain part of Canada or hold a second binding vote on secession, marking the first significant test of the country's unity in decades, UNN reports, citing the BBC.
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The announcement by regional Premier Danielle Smith on Thursday came after a citizens' petition calling for secession gathered more than 300,000 signatures earlier this year, while a separate petition advocating for Alberta to remain gathered more than 400,000.
A restless independence movement is growing in the oil-rich province, rooted in a long-standing sense that Alberta is ignored by decision-makers in Ottawa, the publication writes.
Nevertheless, public opinion polls show that a majority of Albertans would vote against secession.
The regional Premier stated that the provincial referendum is scheduled for October 19.
In a televised address, Smith said the question to be put to Albertans this fall will be: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta begin the legal process provided for in the Constitution of Canada to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should secede from Canada?"
The Premier stated that she herself would vote for Alberta to remain part of Canada.
"That is how I would vote regarding secession in a provincial referendum," she said, adding that "this is also the position of my government and my caucus."
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