Albertans soundly vote to stay in Canada. Many are asking why they had to vote in the first place

Unofficial results from the Alberta independence referendum indicate a resounding victory for the remain side .

Three in four voters chose to stay in Canada.

The 50-point margin is the largest of its kind in similar secession referendums.

Most questions with answers this clear are never asked in the first place.

The results of similar secession referendums. (Jared Wesley) , CC BY How did a vote that captured so much attention around the world end in such a lopsided result? Blown out at the polls, what lies ahead for the separatist movement in Alberta? To understand this, we need to appreciate the power of far-right populism in the province.

The role of far-right populism Separatists constitute a far-right populist movement in Alberta — a loose network of anti-establishment, anti-pluralist factions that have more in common with the MAGA movement in the United States than they do with secessionist movements elsewhere in the world.

Far-right populism is a worldview that divides society into virtuous people, on one hand, and dangerous outsiders on the other.

The outsiders threaten ordinary folks’ ways of life and livelihoods from above (corrupt and distant elites) and beyond (immigrants, globalists).

In this mindset, liberal democratic institutions are rigged against the public interest and must be weakened, captured or eliminated.

In short, far-right populism sees the true will of the people distorted or thwarted by strangers who control “the system.” In Alberta separatist circles, the main villains are federal government operatives — and the federal system itself — along with immigrant outsiders .

In their view, after more than a decade of sending members of Parliament to sit on the opposition benches to watch idly while Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government ran roughshod over the province, most Alberta separatists have given up hope of the Conservative Party forming a national government.

To them, becoming an independent country was the only way to undo legislative changes they view as threatening Alberta’s economy and culture — increased immigration, environmental regulations, brakes on oil and gas production, progressive social programs, wealth redistribution out of the province.

Read more: Albertans disapprove of Donald Trump — and his brand is weakening separatism, too Unpopular in Alberta While western alienation is deeply rooted in Alberta’s political DNA , the separatist solution has been unpopular for generations.

Separatist parties have only ever elected one member to the provincial legislature (a brief stint following a byelection in 1982).