People in Alberta have voted overwhelmingly to stay in Canada, rejecting a proposal to pursue separation through a binding referendum.

With most votes counted, more than two-thirds of voters in the province had chosen to remain part of the country rather than pushing for independence, according to Elections Alberta, external.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that "it's a great result for Canada" and he is "thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity".

The vote was called earlier this year by the province's leader, Danielle Smith, in response to a public petition. Smith herself opposed the separatist push but said the public will for a vote was undeniable.

She welcomed the initial results, commenting: "Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada."

Smith said she would address Albertans later on Tuesday on the path forward for the province.

In making the case for independence from Canada, many of the separatists said the oil-rich province's economic growth had been stifled by the environmental policies of Canada's central government in Ottawa.

But those who opposed a breakup – including Carney – called for Canada to present a united front in the face of external pressures, including an ongoing trade war with the United States.

Speaking to reporters as he walked into a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday, Carney said he had spoken to Smith that morning and discussed "moving forward in the spirit of cooperative federalism, including on issues of immigration, other common priorities".

But at a pro-separatist watch party in Edmonton, the hum of upbeat chatter quickly quieted as those present saw the projected results.

After overnight vote projections were published by Canadian broadcaster CBC and others, the mood soured. The watch party attended by the BBC packed up quickly, and people went home.

One of the separatist leaders, Jeffrey Rath, struck a defiant tone, however, vowing that "our movement isn't stopping and we're continuing to move forward".

Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, Rath, a lawyer based in Calgary, said he saw Monday's vote as a "first step" which had taught the movement some "valuable lessons".

Asked whether his movement would push to keep holding votes on independence until it got the result it wanted, he responded "why not?", and insisted that "the math and the economics" all added up on his side of the argument.

Smith called the vote in response to a grassroots group gathering about 300,000 signatures on a petition that asked for a binding referendum on separation.

The petition was blocked by a judge, saying it failed to consult indigenous First Nations people – however, Smith opted to go ahead with the ballot.

Another group collected signatures for its own petition that opposed separation, which was signed by more than 400,000 people.

The key question on Monday's voting paper asked: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?"

Smith said before the vote that if voters chose the first option, a referendum on separation would not be held – at least, not while she was in power.

Despite the projected results, the conversation around Albertan sovereignty is not over.

Separatists leaders have indicated that they plan to push Smith out of power within her United Conservative Party, in the hope of installing a leader who is more sympathetic to their cause.

Another separatist leader, Mitch Sylvestre, told the BBC on polling day that "a lot of work will have to be done" to curb the appetite for independence if his side did lose.

Canada has grappled with challenges to its unity before. The province of Quebec held two referendums on independence, in 1980 and 1995. Both were unsuccessful, but Alberta separatists believe Quebec used the threat of independence to gain significant political leverage over Canada's central government.

Although responses to the referendum question were tallied first, there were nine other non-binding questions on Monday's ballot paper.

Five of these dealt with immigration, while the other four focused on the Canadian constitution.

Early results suggest that most will pass, including proposals for the province to take increased control over immigration levels.