// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Alberta heads to polls to decide whether to hold vote on separation from Canada
WATCH: The father and son on opposite sides of Alberta’s separation referendum
People in the province of Alberta head to the polls on Monday to decide whether to hold a referendum at a later date on separating from Canada.
The vote was called earlier this year by the leader of the province, Danielle Smith, after a grassroots group gathered about 300,000 signatures on a petition that asked for a binding referendum on separation.
Many of those who support separation say the oil-rich province's economic growth has been stifled by the environmental policies of Canada's central government in Ottawa.
But those who want Alberta to remain part of Canada - who include Prime Minister Mark Carney - have called for the country to show unity in the face of external pressures.
Polls have suggested that the majority of Albertans would vote to remain in Canada, though the pre-vote debate alone has proven divisive.
Another group collected signatures for its own petition that opposed separation, which was signed by more than 400,000 people. The province's population is about five million people.
If Albertans do vote on Monday to move ahead with a binding referendum, that could happen as soon as 2027, Smith has said.
Smith's decision to allow Monday's vote came in spite of the fact that a court blocked the pro-separation petition, saying it failed to consult indigenous First Nations whose land would be affected if the province separated from Canada.
Following the judge's ruling, First Nations groups have branded Smith's decision to allow the voting process to play out as "undemocratic" and "authoritarian".