Most Albertans want to remain part of Canada, as anxiety about the province’s political direction and the influence of separatist voices remain defining features of the public mood, according to a new Leger poll released Wednesday.
The survey, conducted March 2–4 among 1,001 Alberta residents, found that 70% of Albertans want the province to remain part of Canada, while support for outright independence sits at 17%, and 4% would prefer to join the United States.
Despite the lopsided preference for staying in Confederation, however, 58% of Albertans say they are concerned about separatist movements gaining influence in the province, a figure that has held steady since January.
The divide tracks sharply along partisan lines. UCP voters are far more likely to support independence at 30%, while NDP voters favour remaining part of Canada at 96%. NDP voters also report much greater concern about separatist movements at 80%, compared with 41% of UCP voters.
The findings land amid broader unease about the province’s direction. Leger’s report card shows that 60% of Albertans say the province is on the wrong track, while only 31% believe it is headed in the right direction.
Despite real political tensions in the province, what the poll does confirm, however, is that a strong majority of Albertans still believe their province’s future is best built within Canada, a foundation that, however tested, has not cracked.
The survey used an online panel and carries a margin of error equivalent to ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, for a probability sample of comparable size.
Spencer Fernando
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