Albertans vote to begin a process could lead to independence

Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province were deciding on Monday whether to begin a process that could lead to independence, testing national unity as Canadians rally against US President Donald Trump's trade war and threats to claim Canada as the 51st US state.

Alberta, home to most of Canada's proven oil reserves - the fourth largest in the world - will decide whether to remain a province or begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.

Monday's vote is not a direct referendum on independence.

More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43% of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots ahead of Monday's referendum, an unusually high level of early participation that underscores the intense interest in the province's future.

Alberta is Canada's oil heartland and cowboy country, a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada.

The vote comes as Alberta reels from a grass fire that suddenly shifted into a military training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, killing four service members and injuring 39, including 19 critically.