Independence Process Vote Takes Place in Canada's Alberta Province

Voters in Canada's Alberta province, home to the majority of the country's oil reserves, are heading to the polls to decide whether to start a process that could lead to independence. While not a direct independence referendum, the vote tests whether the province will continue to remain in Canada or initiate the legal process toward separation.

Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province are casting ballots on Monday to initiate the legal process leading to a future independence referendum. Although Monday's vote is not a direct independence referendum, it involves the decision of whether the province will continue to remain a province or take legal steps toward separation.

Ahead of Monday's referendum, more than 1.35 million Alberta residents, representing 43 percent of voters, cast their early or special ballots. Results are expected to be announced after polls close at 8 p.m. local time.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Albertans to cast a decisive vote in favor of unity. Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, while opposing separation, called the referendum under pressure from separatist activists.

Assessment: The vote coincides with a period when Canadians are rallying around national unity in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and threats to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, testing national unity in the country.