Alberta voters reject independence process, with about 75% backing Canada

Alberta voters have rejected a proposal to begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada. PBS NewsHour reports that with four-fifths of votes counted, 75% backed staying in Canada.

Earlier counts were similar. France 24, citing unofficial Elections Alberta results, reported 76% for remaining and close to 24% for starting the process, with more than 1.5 million votes counted. The Guardian, citing a CBC projection, had reported 76% to 23% with about a third of ballots counted.

The New York Times reports that Prime Minister Mark Carney gets much of the credit. It says he won support in the province by pledging a pipeline and campaigning heavily there. BBC News reports Carney called the result "a clear choice" for national unity. France 24 says the result comes as Canada's relations with the United States worsen.

Outlets describe the question differently. CBS News says the vote was not a referendum on independence itself, but a yes would have started a process toward possible separation. Deutsche Welle calls it a legal process. France 24 says it was a plan for a binding independence referendum. CNBC calls it the province's first-ever referendum on separation.

Al Jazeera reports that calls for independence grew last year, with some 300,000 people petitioning officials for a referendum. Deutsche Welle says the movement was driven largely by economic grievances.