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5 min readAlberta Votes to Stay, Markets Jittery, and Holiday Travel Gets Pricier
Alberta voted overwhelmingly to remain in Canada, with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projecting that more than three-quarters of voters backed staying in the country. The result avoided what Prime Minister Mark Carney had described as a political crisis Canada "could ill afford" while engaged in a trade war with the United States. The referendum came at an unusual time for a province to consider separation — during a period of strained national unity partly because of President Trump, who has levied tariffs on Canadian goods and threatened to make Canada the 51st state.
What the Alberta Vote Means for Carney's Economic Plans
The outcome was not unexpected — polls had predicted it — but the stakes were high. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce surveyed its members in June, and nearly half of those who responded said they would consider relocating to another province if voters chose to pursue a second binding referendum on independence. That brought back memories of Quebec's independence debates, which triggered an exodus of corporate head offices from Montreal, then Canada's financial capital, to Toronto.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:33) **Top Stories Preview** - Luke Vargas teases the day's headlines: Alberta's referendum result, Japan's Mars mission, and a record-cost holiday travel season.
- 2 (01:11) **Alberta Votes Overwhelmingly to Stay in Canada** - Results from a historic referendum show over three-quarters of voters rejected a path toward independence, averting a major political crisis for Prime Minister Mark Carney during a trade war with the U.S.
- 3 (05:10) **Trump Confirms Interest in Putin-Proposed Summit** - The President says he is interested in a meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping next month, while also calling for Ukraine's President Zelensky to be replaced as the country's top negotiator.
- 4 (05:47) **Vance Withholds Support for Netanyahu, Breaking with Trump** - Vice President JD Vance says his focus is on American candidates and refuses to endorse the Israeli Prime Minister ahead of next week's elections.
- 5 (06:20) **Japan Launches Mission to Mars Moon Phobos** - Three decades after a failed attempt, JAXA's new H3 rocket has blasted off with a rover designed to scout the mysterious Martian moon and return samples to Earth.
- 6 (07:17) **Markets: AI Jitters and Rising Oil Prices** - Shares in South Korean data center startup Elise tumbled 33% on debut, dragging down tech stocks globally, while oil prices top $110 a barrel due to increased attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf.
- 7 (08:43) **Midterms and the State of Americans' Finances** - With two weeks until the midterms and affordability as the core issue, reporter Terrell Wright analyzes how President Trump's second term has impacted the average wallet.
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Show Notes
A.M. Edition for Oct. 20. Albertans have voted to remain in Canada, avoiding a political crisis amidst the U.S. trade war. WSJ’s Canada correspondent Amanda Coletta explains what the results mean for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan for growth. Plus, Japan launches a spacecraft to explore Mars’s moons, as the country looks to carve out a role in the lucrative commercial space market. And just two weeks away from the midterms, WSJ’s Terell Wright details five ways Americans' finances have changed under President Trump. Luke Vargas hosts.
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