It has been a week since Premier Danielle Smith declared “I support a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.” 

On January 2, Elections Alberta approved the Alberta Prosperity Project’s petition for ‘a Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence.’ If they can obtain 177,732 signatures, it will trigger a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada and become an independent state. 

A new Angus Reid poll suggests that most Albertans aren’t buying into the separatist agenda. 57% of the respondents stated they would definitely vote to stay in Canada; only 8% would definitely vote to separate. If you add in the people who are leaning one way or the other, these numbers change to 65% vs 29%.

Some of the top arguments in favour of remaining in Canada were:

• ‘I am a Canadian first and foremost.’
• ‘An independent Alberta would be economically unstable.’ 
• ‘My own financial prospects’ would be negatively affected by separation. 

Three quarters of those who preferred to remain Canadian said they would leave the province if Alberta separates.

Mitch Sylvestre, the Alberta Prosperity Project leader who filed the application, was most likely correct when told the CBC that meeting the threshold to trigger a referendum is ‘in the bag.’

“People are fed up with what they feel is happening in Ottawa and how they’re treating Alberta. They seem to have chosen the fact that this is their only option.”

He claims that if Alberta separates: residents will double their income by eliminating all income taxes; The province will become an economic and cultural powerhouse; They will triple Indigenous funding.

Premier Smith suggests Canadian political leaders need to take Alberta’s separatist movement seriously. 

“I’ve taken it seriously. That’s why I’ve taken the steps I have.That’s why I’ve tried to work with the Prime Minister and why I’ve encouraged him to move very quickly on what I’ve identified as hot spots for Albertans.”

She claimed the Federal government did some terrible things during the ten years Justin Trudeau was the Prime Minister. Signing an MOU with Mark Carney doesn’t erase them.  

So what did the Trudeau government allegedly do wrong?

• The Northern Gateway pipeline was turned down and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was delayed.
• Many Albertans felt the carbon tax placed an unfair burden on their fossil fuel industry.
• Albertans pay more than ‘their fair share’ in provincial equalization payments.  

There is also a perception that Ottawa is biased against Alberta’s Conservative values. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre declared he is opposed to separation, but Alberta has a right to feel frustrated.

Jeffrey Rath, an Albertan separatist leader who went to the recent Conservative convention, said the movement will continue regardless of whether the Liberals or Conservatives govern Canada. 

Cory Hogan, the Liberal MP for Calgary Confederation, responded, “We can’t be distracted by these grievance politics and by giving these winks to these movements that are fundamentally damaging and of no benefit,”

54% of the respondents to Angus Reid’s poll disapprove of the way Premier Danielle Smith has handled Alberta’s separatist issue. 44% approve of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach.

One of the more enlightening questions on the Angus Reid poll was where are people getting their information. 71% of those who prefered to stay in Canada used mainstream media sources. The majority of separatists relied on alternate media sources or conversations with friends. 

Links of Interest:

• Unity or Separation: Quebec, Alberta & Canada’s future: In Alberta, a divided right dampens the sovereignty spark – Angus Reid
• The Value of Freedom – Alberta Prosperity Plan
• Articles about, or mentioning, separatism in Alberta
• Articles about, or mentioning, the MOU with Alberta
• Articles about, or mentioning, Mark Carney

Top image credit: Screenshot from The Value of Freedom

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

• Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – cortescurrents-daily+subscribe@cortes.groups.io
• Weekly Digest cortescurrents – cortescurrents-weekly+subscribe@cortes.groups.io