Alberta Votes Monday. America's Job Is to Stay Out and Keep the Oil Flowing
Albertans vote Oct. 19 on whether to start the process toward a separation referendum, with polls showing "remain" far ahead. Canada supplied about 63% of U.S. crude imports in 2025. In our view, neutrality is the right call, and the 51st-state talk does not help.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 17, 2026 | 6-min read On Monday, Oct. 19, voters in Alberta, Canada's oil heartland, go to the polls in a referendum that includes a question on whether the province should begin the legal process toward a binding vote on leaving Canada [1][2]. Some Americans would love to cheer from the sidelines. In our view, the smarter course is the one America's ambassador has described: stay out of Canada's internal decision, and make sure the oil that keeps American refineries running keeps flowing whatever Albertans decide. Key Takeaways Election Day is Oct. 19, with polls open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; official results are due Oct. 29 [1]. AFP reports the separation question is non-binding and appears alongside nine other questions [3]. Recent polls show "remain" well ahead: 70% in a Léger survey and 66% in an Angus Reid survey [2][4]. Canada supplied 3.91 million barrels a day of the 6.17 million barrels of crude oil America imported in 2025, about 63% [5]. Alberta produced 83.8% of Canada's crude oil and equivalents in 2025, when national output hit a record 5.35 million barrels a day [6]. Here is why this matters. A large share of the crude oil America imports comes from Canada, and most of Canada's oil comes from Alberta [5][6]. That