A slim majority of West Country voters favoured holding a second binding referendum on separation, according to the final count from Elections Alberta.

The agency says it has completed 100 per cent of its ballot counts, including all voting locations in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre.

On Question 10, which asked whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or hold a binding vote on separation, 12,687 voters, or 51 per cent, in the riding favoured a second referendum, while 12,220 voted to stay in Canada.

By comparison, 1,552,251 Albertans, or 74.9 per cent, voted to remain in confederation.

MLA Jason Nixon says that while Albertans have given the government a clear mandate to advocate for a strong Alberta within a united Canada, the voices in his home riding cannot be ignored.

“[The result] does not take away from the large amount of people within our community who voted to send a message to Ottawa to express some of the concerns they have,” he says. “Those concerns are valid — Alberta’s government has heard it.”

Nixon assures voters who are unhappy with Ottawa that the Alberta government will continue to pursue priorities such as the West Coast Pipeline and removing barriers to energy development.

The finance minister also struck an optimistic tone ahead of the United Conservative Party’s AGM at the end of November, with an election year approaching.

Although roughly one-quarter of Alberta voters supported holding a referendum on separation, Nixon says the UCP supporters he speaks with believe the government’s top priority should instead be developing an agenda that appeals to the majority of Albertans.

He predicts strong support for Premier Danielle Smith at the Nov. 27 AGM in Calgary, as well as for implementing the mandate from the referendum, including the results of Question 10.

Final count shows strong local support for “the nine”

While about 51 per cent of voters in the riding supported the referendum option on Question 10, the other nine questions, which dealt with immigration and the constitution, also received strong local support.

Nixon says his biggest takeaway from the referendum is that rural Alberta, in particular, wants the government to fight for the best deal possible, while Albertans overall want that work to be done within a united Canada.

With the referendum results in hand, Nixon says working with Ottawa on immigration reform will be a particular focus.

The results remain unofficial, with Elections Alberta expected to release the official results Thursday.

Question 1: Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration to reduce it to more sustainable levels, prioritize economic migration and give Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 19,492 (78.5 per cent)
• No: 5,332 (21.5 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 57.0 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 1,129,353 (54.9 per cent)
• No: 928,742 (45.1 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 9.7 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 23.6 percentage points higher.

Question 2: Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status to be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 19,073 (76.6 per cent)
• No: 5,832 (23.4 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 53.2 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 1,073,104 (52.6 per cent)
• No: 968,595 (47.4 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 5.1 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 24.0 percentage points higher.

Question 3: Do you support requiring individuals with non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for provincially funded social support programs?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 18,906 (76.7 per cent)
• No: 5,760 (23.3 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 53.4 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 1,093,848 (53.2 per cent)
• No: 964,279 (46.8 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 6.3 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 23.5 percentage points higher.

Question 4: Do you support charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their families’ use of the health-care and education systems?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 18,551 (75.9 per cent)
• No: 5,879 (24.1 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 51.8 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 1,068,086 (51.9 per cent)
• No: 988,474 (48.1 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 3.9 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 24.0 percentage points higher.

Question 5: Do you support requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 20,148 (81.5 per cent)
• No: 4,570 (18.5 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 63.0 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 1,200,993 (58.1 per cent)
• No: 866,555 (41.9 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 16.2 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 23.4 percentage points higher.

Question 6: Do you support Alberta working with other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution so provincial governments, rather than the federal government, select justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and appeal courts?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 19,075 (74.5 per cent)
• No: 6,514 (25.5 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 49.1 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 933,877 (45.3 per cent)
• No: 1,129,419 (54.7 per cent)
• Differential: No led by 9.5 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 29.3 percentage points higher.

Question 7: Do you support Alberta working with other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 18,124 (73.9 per cent)
• No: 6,385 (26.1 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 47.9 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 970,544 (47.3 per cent)
• No: 1,080,588 (52.7 per cent)
• Differential: No led by 5.4 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 26.6 percentage points higher.

Question 8: Do you support Alberta working with other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction, such as health care, education and social services, without losing the associated federal funding for use in their own social programs?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 17,036 (69.3 per cent)
• No: 7,537 (30.7 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 38.7 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 869,617 (42.3 per cent)
• No: 1,184,625 (57.7 per cent)
• Differential: No led by 15.3 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 27.0 percentage points higher.

Question 9: Do you support Alberta working with other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving provincial laws in areas of provincial or shared constitutional jurisdiction priority over conflicting federal laws?

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre

• Yes: 17,790 (72.5 per cent)
• No: 6,755 (27.5 per cent)
• Differential: Yes led by 45.0 percentage points.

Alberta

• Yes: 913,370 (44.5 per cent)
• No: 1,139,057 (55.5 per cent)
• Differential: No led by 11.0 percentage points.
• Riding compared with Alberta: The riding’s Yes share was 28.0 percentage points higher.