Alberta separatists have tended to have a mid-life crisis divorced guy kind of vibe: they feel stuck in the drudge work of a relationship. Things haven't been going well. There's been personal and financial setbacks. They're fantasizing about how much better things would be if they were off on their own. Imagine all the cool, fun stuff they could do if they weren't tied down by the compromises and constraints of their relationship! Instead of being stuck in that same relationship, there could be all kinds of new, hot, exciting relationships with others! They'd have so much more money if they weren't spending it all on this boring stuff!!
What they end up missing is how much their errors and habits have been contributing to the state of the relationship. They've missed the fact that relationships require work to stay healthy and happy. They don't understand that walking away isn't going to be as clean or simple as they think, and there's a lot that they're going to miss when it's gone. Instead of the glorious, awesome, exciting life they imagine, they're more likely to end up watching golf alone in a sad apartment.
I don't think this divorced guy vibe is entirely a coincidence, either: for years, divorced middle-aged men have been getting pulled into right wing populist politics. These guys have gone through a rough divorce, probably had a hard time with the courts with respect to child and spousal support, and feel like the rug got pulled out from under their feet vs. their expectations for what they saw as traditional norms and roles. The right wing populist messaging appeals to that sense of displacement, threat to status, and resentment. I've seen polling indicating that people earning more than $80K per year but have trouble making ends meet are over-represented among populists: that helps explain the appeal of the separatist message that Alberta's financial problems are all about transfer payments and a need to increase oil revenue. I'm curious if polling would show a higher representation of the divorced middle-aged guy as well?
Clinical language or psychological terms are often used delegitimize an opponent's tactics. No surprises there.
Why, someone please tell me. Why do so many Albertans want out? Is it because they've been lied to or gaslit?
Rather than crapping on the separatists, my thoughts are its time to hit the constitutional round table and renegotiate the terms of Canada.
These are still our fellow citizens, but as I I have commented elsewhere, this time the separatists were amateurs. The next time the might well have a solid leader and followers who want out and that's all she wrote.
The author did not offer any solutions. We need to find some ASAP.
Like most other populist movements, it would not have gotten off the ground without social media and the algos, bots, and influencers who put stupid ideas in their heads.
So what was feeding it last time...? None of those tools existed the last several times Alberta expressed discontent with Canada - yet Albertans were just as agitated then.
Ever since Alberta became a province, this discontent with the way Canada works has always seemed to exist at some level, and bubbles up at least once every generation.
Its ALMOST as if Alberta had legitimate complaints, and Canada wasn't doing anything to alleviate them.
I think it was being fed at the time by the speed of social media which was fast but with AI, yikes! Alberta absolutely has legitimate complaints, but let's be realistic, if they are legitimate (for me, they are very very legit) complaints the current structure within confederation guarantees nothing will be done. I think the referendum vote will go Canada's way this time. Heaven help the country if the separatists end their online flame war and find leadership that is not beholden to social conservatives.
Prior to that, the National Energy Program is woven into the fabric of Alberta. It's permanent.
And Western Canada Concept was a rump party with zero influence. I know because I was a member. It was the first political party I ever joined at age 15. WCC was a response to Trudeau absolutely eviscerating Alberta’s economy starting in 1974, then doubling down on the NEP when he got elected again in 1980. Imagine putting tariffs on your own exports. Well you don’t need to imagine it, because Pierre Trudeau did exactly that. Had Twitter existed back then… look out.
I still want to know the plan to get Canada to the table
We will never get an equal voice without voting to leave. As it currently stands, in a non binding referendum, leave is the sane vote. Constitutional reform only comes from getting that pathway opened. The status quo is not Acceptable any longer, and that’s what a stay vote gives us. How are you opening the pathway to a fair voice for AB. That needs a serious answer. I will not be changing my mind until you can give me that answer.
I wouldn’t object to that either, BUT a lot of farmers would.
The imbalance provincially is not nearly as bad as federally, we have 3 more seats in the HoC as Atlantic Canada and double the population. In the Senate we have 6 seats, ATLANTIC Canada has 30 … do you really think 2.5 million people need 30 voices in the senate when our 5 million only has 6. If you really believe that’s acceptable, go ahead and vote to stay, but you’re ensuring Albertan remain second class citizens.
I don’t care about equalization, I don’t care about a pipeline, that’s just a short term bribe, I do care about having a fair voice. I will always care about that.
Do you think Ottawa is thinking about Atlantic Canada more than Alberta, or that Alberta is second class while Atlantic Canada is first class? Would you trade places with Atlantic Canada if you could?
Those are not important questions … either we have true representation by population in the HOC or we don’t. Today we don’t
In a day and age where travel was difficult it might have made sense to have more ridings, today it isn’t and doesn’t. There is literally no reason Atlantic Canada could not be reduced to ½ their seats. PEI should have 2 at most. Balance it out with a triple E senate, where every province is identical. We have a ridiculous number of representatives in Ottawa, we can easily cut that number by 1/3.
A fair voice? The last election saw 3 additional seats in Alberta due to censuscdata that showed an increased population. Are you suggesting that a vote cast in Alberta should carry vastly more weight than one cast in Ontario?
The composition of the senate is a relic from Confederation. The country had a chance to rectify that imbalance with the Charlottetown Accord, but Albertans voted over 60% against it. At least Trudeau made the senate independent of the party that had appointed them.
Sounds like you want to dictate policy issues such as resource development without any pushback from other stakeholders. It is possible to get resource projects built, but consultation is required. That's the consultation that allowed the TMX expansion project to be built. There are LNG export projects coming online because consultations took place.
Alberta doesn't simply get to ignore the constitution and demand powers to fit its own economic agenda.
No I’m suggesting that Atlantic Canada quit being so over represented in both house, in an age where travel was slow, it might have been necessary for smaller ridings, but today PEI needs and should have at most 2 MP’s. And quit grandfathering Quebecs seat count
So the separatists are unsympathetic. They are a useful tool to extract concessions from the federal government while Canada is weak. With wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a faltering energy transition, stagnant economic growth and most important of all, an impending sovereign debt crisis, the Federal government needs Alberta more than ever and should be highly motivated to put out the fire. Opportune timing like less is unlikely to happen again
For me Alberta will decide what it wants to do, as always, as it should be. Might be good. Might not. The status quo is clearly not working. I'm curious, what do you think would have to exist to bring unity to our national disunity?
But Alberta does have an equal voice. Alberta is one of ten provinces. It seems to forget that. I live in Alberta but I have lived in two other provinces. I was transferred here after the 1995 Quebec referendum. I know what happens to a province economically re the drying up of outside investment and mass exodus of people re large scale corporate moves. Quebec lost 358 corporations after the 1995 referendum and 27% of its population. They lost 700 head offices in total between the two separatist referendums. Expect similar re Alberta. If any provinces are hard done by it is the Maritimes, definitely not Alberta.
Western Canada has 24 senators. You cannot compare apples to oranges. You quoted the senators first the Atlantic provinces but not the Western region. You listed only Alberta. I was referring to the Atlantic provinces have a much harder time financially than Alberta. Alberta loves to whine but it is the Canadian Government and Alberta NDP who got the TMX pipeline built. Canadians paid for that pipeline. Alberta has had the highest oil and gas production over the last 5 years hence record revenue received in Alberta Treasury. TMX coming online in May 2023 further increased revenue to Alberta Treasury. Despite that steady flow of higher revenue the inept provincial government declared a $9.6 billion dollar deficit. Stop focusing on Ottawa and focus on the provincial government screwing over each and every Albertan. Theur approach is to try to distract you from their constant failings. Stop falling for the don’t look here, look over there BS. When was the last time the Atlantic provinces received the support Alberta gets annually from Ottawa re oil and gas subsidies. $29.6 billion in oil and gas subsidies in 2024. 2025 numbers not finalized yet. Oil and gas bleed our country dry. They are welfare queens. We Alberta taxpayers are getting screwed over daily by the UCP and oil and gas. UCP plan to shift orphan well and tailing ponds clean up from wealthy US oil and gas companies to Alberta taxpayers. The estimated costs are $320 billion. When oil and gas default on land owner lease fees, it falls to us Alberta taxpayers to cover it. When oil and gas default in their municipal taxes, those costs then fall to Alberta taxpayers. None of this would be going on if the Provincial Government and the AER who UCP own were not so spineless.
I think it was mentioned earlier, but by your logic, rural Alberta is heavily over represented in the Alberta legislature. Don't be whining about too many MPs in PEI if you're willing to overlook that fact.
Start focusing on what your province is doing for you. That is something Albertans seem to ignore daily. The UCP and Smith are robbing us daily to enrich themselves and their donors. The majority of Albertans have zero representation in this province. This impacts us all daily. The severe cuts to universal healthcare, public education, cuts to seniors in care, the disabled, our canadian charter rights, threats re our CPP which we as employees pay into as do our employers and the UCP has no right to any if it, etc. Why are you not discussing that. Why are you concerned with the Senate when right here in this province you have no representation from the Premier or the UCP? That falls directly under your immediate control.
You are so wrong re the oil and gas subsidies. They receive subsidies that no other industry receives. I worked for my entire career with the railway. They try at every turn to be good corporate citizens. They wish they would receive even half the subsidies oil and gas receives and they are Canadian whereas oil and gas are foreign owned and all revenue leaves the province.
Yes TMX should havd been paid for with no tax dollars but no corporation wants to build pipelines so it was required. Smith has no financier for the pipeline. The rate if return is not high enough for an investor as they know it will be a stranded asset before it is even finished. Investors want to profit 10-20 years down the road to invest. Who do you think will pay for Smith’s pipeline? You.
I don't even know how we wandered into this conversation - my comment above was solely about Alberta not having a political voice commiserate with our presence in, and contributions to, Confederation.
But okay, sure...
1) The oil and gas industry does get two tax breaks not available to other industries - one being a tax break for Field Exploration (trying to find MORE of the stuff) which wouldn't be something a railroad would even need, and the other is a tax break and some federal funding to wards Carbon Capture (which is a federal-induced boondoggle at best - but that is a completely other conversation)
2) Your comment "but no one corporation wants to build pipelines" is abjectly false. Even the PM's company (Brookfield) LOVES building pipelines - they just choose to do so ANYWHERE BUT in Canada.
Why do you think that is? Could it possibly be the draconian regulatory environment the Liberals brought in circa 2016....?
3) Companies are literally chomping at the bit to invest in the Canadian oil patch - but to do so, they need the government to drop all this ridiculous overly burdensome regulation and LET them invest and build the infrastructure we so desperately need to get Canada back on a prosperous path.
4) You have no idea who Smith does or does not have lined up to invest in this (still theoretical) pipeline. But even IF the Alberta government decided to build it itself (my guess is that they will NOT), the same set of laws would have to be repealed to make that happen, and Carney - who ran on a platform of building "at speeds not seen in generations" - has done NOTHING to even get started on that process.
5) TransMountain (the original pipeline) was built in just 30 months from concept to actually shipping oil.
THAT was how fast previous generations built stuff.
Carney has (so far) wasted 15 months on waffling about whether or not he WANTS to build.
The MOST optimistic timeline for getting shovels in the ground predicts we will get shovels in the ground on this project a mere 30 months after he made that bold statement that (among other things) got him elected.
So the last generation was capable of taking an idea to fruition in 30 months.
This generation needs 30 months of talking prior to even STARTING to build.
I was born and raised in Quebec. I now live in Ontario. I have never lived in Alberta.
Quebec remains part of Canada because it is well compensated for doing so. Quebecers would leave in a heartbeat if they could find a way to preserve their equalization windfalls after becoming an independent country.
Alberta, on the other hand, pays heavily for the privilege of remaining in Canada. Many Albertans are apparently proud to be supporting their fellow Canadians while their fellow Canadians feel entitled to, not grateful for, this support.
It's an interesting way to run a country. I wonder how long it will last?
I grew up in Toronto and have lived in Alberta for 39 years. We do not pay for the privilege of living in Canada. We pay federal taxes at the same rate as the rest of the country.
Thanks, great article, the playbook they’re using is crystal clear. One more point to add: separatists like to try to use the manipulation that “Canada use to be good, but not anymore, and that a separate Alberta would be a return to the way Canada was”. An obvious manipulation and absurdly they’re also unable to identify exactly when “Canada was good” because they’re trying to appeal to varying generations.
In terms of comments often heard online and in person from separatists this is accurate. There is a big difference between people being critical of the way Canada is being run (everyone has had issues, has issues and always will have issues, this is normal) and those trying to destroy our province and country. Criticism is good, it helps make us better. Pretending to be able to “return to the good old days” by separating is emotional nonsense containing zero substance.
I was very pleased to read this, particularly as it is coming from three obviously accomplished and well-known Albertans.
I do wonder, though, why it has taken so long to hear this--and why we haven't heard this from the supposed leader of the federalist forces in Alberta, Pierre Poilievre?
I would note, as well, that abusive and dismissive rhetoric from pro-separatists on these fora has been rampant. Some of these folks have been as willing as Rath and his cabal to indulge in false narratives WRT Alberta and its place in Canada.
Would be great to see Albertans hold their own shitty provincial leadership to account instead of blaming Canada.
Whatever happened to their sovereign wealth fund? Acting like the tar they sit upon was put there by the sweat of their brow when they’re already the richest per capita province in the federation is pretty effing rich.
You don’t need to renegotiate the terms of confederation. You need serious provincial leadership, not jokers.
The separatists have turned me off. I’m Albertan and a Canadian. What and why is that sooo wrong. Now I’m insulted,and disrespected. They are dishonouring the memory of my grandfather. He fought in WW1 for Canada. Thousands of men and women are serving and have served and died for this country called Canada
I agree strongly that " ..... most Albertans don’t want to leave Canada. They want a better place within it...". Yes!
It's obvious that federal actions have harmed Alberta's prosperity, level of success, and nature, and that central Canadians voted in the party recently responsible for the inequities.
The major question for some who want to stay in Canada is whether finding a better place within Canada is in any way imminent. On the other hand, I think that separatists have not provided answers to the many implementation questions because they have not thought that far. They say they arranged interim financing but they still have no plan. The lack of a plan in itself provides serious caution to those frustrated with the current situation in Canada.
What are Carney's Liberals' real intentions? Carney gets media attention re signing existing trade deals, but where are the changes in Canada. Will the Liberals change the laws and regulations rather than just stop actions like collecting the carbon tax? When a judge whose words indicate already made decisions, does not remove himself from the federal appeal of two previous courts' decisions against the Liberals, what does that say? When central Canadians use the word traitor against separatists - is that the start of elbows up against us?
I'm voting to stay. But I need shovels in the ground, less law and regulation out of Ottawa, a fairer representation in Parliament and particularly the Senate, and less trashing of everything west and separatist, to increase my comfort within Canada. Does central Canada even realize there's an issue?
Do those shovels in the ground include the TMX expansion project which tripled Alberta's export capacity to the west coast?
Does the fairer representation in Ottawa include the 3 additional Alberta MPs in the last election?
As an Albertan, I have no problem trashing the separatist project. It's leadership is in cooperation with a hostile foreign power to break up Canada. There are racist elements in the platform. They refuse to acknowledge the path required for separation. Their actions are already causing economic uncertainty.
You won't get any of those things. Face facts: your choices are secede or suck it up and carry on. You can whine all you want, but my fellow Central Canadians will continue laughing at you. And taking your money. Because you don't have the guts to leave.
The uncertainty caused by the separatist movement will push up borrowing costs. The crushing debt loads carried by Central Canadians, their provincial governments and the federal (aka Laurentian) government will motivate actions to quash separatist sentiment as those will be cheaper than than facing the bond vigilantes.
Triple E Senate, close to equal representation by population in the Commons and an equalization formula that isn't gamed, by for example, leaving foregone hydroelectric revenue as outside fiscal capacity.
I'm sure once the oil runs out, the equalization formula will change to include sunshine and chinooks as unused fiscal capacity
Your articles are great and I very much enjoy reading them. However, the recent concentration of articles dealing with Alberta separation is becoming a bit of a drudgery. Albertans, like Quebecers, are too astute to separate. It isn’t going to happen. It’s an important subject, but it doesn’t need to dominate. There is a lot going on in the world and it would be great to have your opinion about them, too. Keep up the great work!
Metaphors distill complexity. Dumbing down to reach the masses is a tried and true strategy. Unfortunately, it can backfire.
Justin Trudeau played with “matches” for almost a decade. The Liberal Party of Canada and the NDP enabled his careless and divisive rhetoric. Using it and the weaknesses of constitutional representation and party structure to “thread the needle” to electoral victory.
Are the separatists using a similar strategy, absolutely. It is all about “threading the needle” to victory. Using our own institutions against us.
Trudeau and Smith may have started off with the best of intentions but clearly they lost the “plot”. The extreme elements of their parties pulled them off centre. Some would say willingly.
Entryism is a growing concern in the West. Taking over established institutions whose historical goodwill is used to legitimize a significant shift away from mainstream values. An appeal from a recognized authority who no longer represents the mainstream. Using the institution as cover. Constitutional reform is the solution to regional grievances. None of our federal parties seem willing to take it on and so here we are……………again.
Alberta separatists have tended to have a mid-life crisis divorced guy kind of vibe: they feel stuck in the drudge work of a relationship. Things haven't been going well. There's been personal and financial setbacks. They're fantasizing about how much better things would be if they were off on their own. Imagine all the cool, fun stuff they could do if they weren't tied down by the compromises and constraints of their relationship! Instead of being stuck in that same relationship, there could be all kinds of new, hot, exciting relationships with others! They'd have so much more money if they weren't spending it all on this boring stuff!!
What they end up missing is how much their errors and habits have been contributing to the state of the relationship. They've missed the fact that relationships require work to stay healthy and happy. They don't understand that walking away isn't going to be as clean or simple as they think, and there's a lot that they're going to miss when it's gone. Instead of the glorious, awesome, exciting life they imagine, they're more likely to end up watching golf alone in a sad apartment.
I don't think this divorced guy vibe is entirely a coincidence, either: for years, divorced middle-aged men have been getting pulled into right wing populist politics. These guys have gone through a rough divorce, probably had a hard time with the courts with respect to child and spousal support, and feel like the rug got pulled out from under their feet vs. their expectations for what they saw as traditional norms and roles. The right wing populist messaging appeals to that sense of displacement, threat to status, and resentment. I've seen polling indicating that people earning more than $80K per year but have trouble making ends meet are over-represented among populists: that helps explain the appeal of the separatist message that Alberta's financial problems are all about transfer payments and a need to increase oil revenue. I'm curious if polling would show a higher representation of the divorced middle-aged guy as well?
I like this comment... a very interesting way to frame the situation....
Clinical language or psychological terms are often used delegitimize an opponent's tactics. No surprises there.
Why, someone please tell me. Why do so many Albertans want out? Is it because they've been lied to or gaslit?
Rather than crapping on the separatists, my thoughts are its time to hit the constitutional round table and renegotiate the terms of Canada.
These are still our fellow citizens, but as I I have commented elsewhere, this time the separatists were amateurs. The next time the might well have a solid leader and followers who want out and that's all she wrote.
The author did not offer any solutions. We need to find some ASAP.
Like most other populist movements, it would not have gotten off the ground without social media and the algos, bots, and influencers who put stupid ideas in their heads.
So what was feeding it last time...? None of those tools existed the last several times Alberta expressed discontent with Canada - yet Albertans were just as agitated then.
Ever since Alberta became a province, this discontent with the way Canada works has always seemed to exist at some level, and bubbles up at least once every generation.
Its ALMOST as if Alberta had legitimate complaints, and Canada wasn't doing anything to alleviate them.
I think it was being fed at the time by the speed of social media which was fast but with AI, yikes! Alberta absolutely has legitimate complaints, but let's be realistic, if they are legitimate (for me, they are very very legit) complaints the current structure within confederation guarantees nothing will be done. I think the referendum vote will go Canada's way this time. Heaven help the country if the separatists end their online flame war and find leadership that is not beholden to social conservatives.
Prior to that, the National Energy Program is woven into the fabric of Alberta. It's permanent.
I agree with all your comments except the first sentence.
There WAS NO social media in the 80s, nor was there any social media in the several times prior to that when these same issues bubbled up.
What social media existed when Alberta was fighting to get control of the natural resources within it's borders ....in the 1920's...?
And Western Canada Concept was a rump party with zero influence. I know because I was a member. It was the first political party I ever joined at age 15. WCC was a response to Trudeau absolutely eviscerating Alberta’s economy starting in 1974, then doubling down on the NEP when he got elected again in 1980. Imagine putting tariffs on your own exports. Well you don’t need to imagine it, because Pierre Trudeau did exactly that. Had Twitter existed back then… look out.
I sure remember WCC. I sure as hell remember the NEP and the lives it destroyed.
Could be. Technology has certainly sped things up.
I still want to know the plan to get Canada to the table
We will never get an equal voice without voting to leave. As it currently stands, in a non binding referendum, leave is the sane vote. Constitutional reform only comes from getting that pathway opened. The status quo is not Acceptable any longer, and that’s what a stay vote gives us. How are you opening the pathway to a fair voice for AB. That needs a serious answer. I will not be changing my mind until you can give me that answer.
Equality of voice as in pure representation by population to elect MPs?
Sure. As long as we also change Alberta's Electoral Boundaries so we have pure rep by pop here, too.
I wouldn’t object to that either, BUT a lot of farmers would.
The imbalance provincially is not nearly as bad as federally, we have 3 more seats in the HoC as Atlantic Canada and double the population. In the Senate we have 6 seats, ATLANTIC Canada has 30 … do you really think 2.5 million people need 30 voices in the senate when our 5 million only has 6. If you really believe that’s acceptable, go ahead and vote to stay, but you’re ensuring Albertan remain second class citizens.
I don’t care about equalization, I don’t care about a pipeline, that’s just a short term bribe, I do care about having a fair voice. I will always care about that.
Do you think Ottawa is thinking about Atlantic Canada more than Alberta, or that Alberta is second class while Atlantic Canada is first class? Would you trade places with Atlantic Canada if you could?
Those are not important questions … either we have true representation by population in the HOC or we don’t. Today we don’t
In a day and age where travel was difficult it might have made sense to have more ridings, today it isn’t and doesn’t. There is literally no reason Atlantic Canada could not be reduced to ½ their seats. PEI should have 2 at most. Balance it out with a triple E senate, where every province is identical. We have a ridiculous number of representatives in Ottawa, we can easily cut that number by 1/3.
Unfortunately, you can still have gerrymandering with pure rep by pop.
A fair voice? The last election saw 3 additional seats in Alberta due to censuscdata that showed an increased population. Are you suggesting that a vote cast in Alberta should carry vastly more weight than one cast in Ontario?
The composition of the senate is a relic from Confederation. The country had a chance to rectify that imbalance with the Charlottetown Accord, but Albertans voted over 60% against it. At least Trudeau made the senate independent of the party that had appointed them.
Sounds like you want to dictate policy issues such as resource development without any pushback from other stakeholders. It is possible to get resource projects built, but consultation is required. That's the consultation that allowed the TMX expansion project to be built. There are LNG export projects coming online because consultations took place.
Alberta doesn't simply get to ignore the constitution and demand powers to fit its own economic agenda.
Trudeau II made it "seem" like appointments to the Senate were independent. We got a bunch of leftists.
There were several.pueces of legislation that were held up and adjusted by the senate.
No I’m suggesting that Atlantic Canada quit being so over represented in both house, in an age where travel was slow, it might have been necessary for smaller ridings, but today PEI needs and should have at most 2 MP’s. And quit grandfathering Quebecs seat count
So the separatists are unsympathetic. They are a useful tool to extract concessions from the federal government while Canada is weak. With wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a faltering energy transition, stagnant economic growth and most important of all, an impending sovereign debt crisis, the Federal government needs Alberta more than ever and should be highly motivated to put out the fire. Opportune timing like less is unlikely to happen again
For me Alberta will decide what it wants to do, as always, as it should be. Might be good. Might not. The status quo is clearly not working. I'm curious, what do you think would have to exist to bring unity to our national disunity?
But Alberta does have an equal voice. Alberta is one of ten provinces. It seems to forget that. I live in Alberta but I have lived in two other provinces. I was transferred here after the 1995 Quebec referendum. I know what happens to a province economically re the drying up of outside investment and mass exodus of people re large scale corporate moves. Quebec lost 358 corporations after the 1995 referendum and 27% of its population. They lost 700 head offices in total between the two separatist referendums. Expect similar re Alberta. If any provinces are hard done by it is the Maritimes, definitely not Alberta.
Alberta has roughly twice the population as the Maritime provinces combined, but there are 32 Maritime MPs and only 37 Alberta MPs.
Alberta has only 6 Senators, but Atlantic Canada (with HALF the population) has 30.
WHAT "equal voice"....?
Western Canada has 24 senators. You cannot compare apples to oranges. You quoted the senators first the Atlantic provinces but not the Western region. You listed only Alberta. I was referring to the Atlantic provinces have a much harder time financially than Alberta. Alberta loves to whine but it is the Canadian Government and Alberta NDP who got the TMX pipeline built. Canadians paid for that pipeline. Alberta has had the highest oil and gas production over the last 5 years hence record revenue received in Alberta Treasury. TMX coming online in May 2023 further increased revenue to Alberta Treasury. Despite that steady flow of higher revenue the inept provincial government declared a $9.6 billion dollar deficit. Stop focusing on Ottawa and focus on the provincial government screwing over each and every Albertan. Theur approach is to try to distract you from their constant failings. Stop falling for the don’t look here, look over there BS. When was the last time the Atlantic provinces received the support Alberta gets annually from Ottawa re oil and gas subsidies. $29.6 billion in oil and gas subsidies in 2024. 2025 numbers not finalized yet. Oil and gas bleed our country dry. They are welfare queens. We Alberta taxpayers are getting screwed over daily by the UCP and oil and gas. UCP plan to shift orphan well and tailing ponds clean up from wealthy US oil and gas companies to Alberta taxpayers. The estimated costs are $320 billion. When oil and gas default on land owner lease fees, it falls to us Alberta taxpayers to cover it. When oil and gas default in their municipal taxes, those costs then fall to Alberta taxpayers. None of this would be going on if the Provincial Government and the AER who UCP own were not so spineless.
Yes you can, either we have a true representation by population democracy or we don’t. … and right now we don’t.
I think it was mentioned earlier, but by your logic, rural Alberta is heavily over represented in the Alberta legislature. Don't be whining about too many MPs in PEI if you're willing to overlook that fact.
Start focusing on what your province is doing for you. That is something Albertans seem to ignore daily. The UCP and Smith are robbing us daily to enrich themselves and their donors. The majority of Albertans have zero representation in this province. This impacts us all daily. The severe cuts to universal healthcare, public education, cuts to seniors in care, the disabled, our canadian charter rights, threats re our CPP which we as employees pay into as do our employers and the UCP has no right to any if it, etc. Why are you not discussing that. Why are you concerned with the Senate when right here in this province you have no representation from the Premier or the UCP? That falls directly under your immediate control.
Western Canada has 24 Senators, serving 13.5 million people
The Atlantic provinces have 30 Senators, serving 2.6 million people.
The “voices” of these regions are wildly unequal, which was my main point.
The oil and gas industry gets NO subsidies which are unavailable to ALL Canadian companies.
…and PLEASE stop trying to claim TMX is something the Feds did “for” Alberta.
In a serious country, that pipeline would have been built with ZERO taxpayer dollars.
You are so wrong re the oil and gas subsidies. They receive subsidies that no other industry receives. I worked for my entire career with the railway. They try at every turn to be good corporate citizens. They wish they would receive even half the subsidies oil and gas receives and they are Canadian whereas oil and gas are foreign owned and all revenue leaves the province.
Yes TMX should havd been paid for with no tax dollars but no corporation wants to build pipelines so it was required. Smith has no financier for the pipeline. The rate if return is not high enough for an investor as they know it will be a stranded asset before it is even finished. Investors want to profit 10-20 years down the road to invest. Who do you think will pay for Smith’s pipeline? You.
I don't even know how we wandered into this conversation - my comment above was solely about Alberta not having a political voice commiserate with our presence in, and contributions to, Confederation.
But okay, sure...
1) The oil and gas industry does get two tax breaks not available to other industries - one being a tax break for Field Exploration (trying to find MORE of the stuff) which wouldn't be something a railroad would even need, and the other is a tax break and some federal funding to wards Carbon Capture (which is a federal-induced boondoggle at best - but that is a completely other conversation)
2) Your comment "but no one corporation wants to build pipelines" is abjectly false. Even the PM's company (Brookfield) LOVES building pipelines - they just choose to do so ANYWHERE BUT in Canada.
Why do you think that is? Could it possibly be the draconian regulatory environment the Liberals brought in circa 2016....?
3) Companies are literally chomping at the bit to invest in the Canadian oil patch - but to do so, they need the government to drop all this ridiculous overly burdensome regulation and LET them invest and build the infrastructure we so desperately need to get Canada back on a prosperous path.
4) You have no idea who Smith does or does not have lined up to invest in this (still theoretical) pipeline. But even IF the Alberta government decided to build it itself (my guess is that they will NOT), the same set of laws would have to be repealed to make that happen, and Carney - who ran on a platform of building "at speeds not seen in generations" - has done NOTHING to even get started on that process.
5) TransMountain (the original pipeline) was built in just 30 months from concept to actually shipping oil.
THAT was how fast previous generations built stuff.
Carney has (so far) wasted 15 months on waffling about whether or not he WANTS to build.
The MOST optimistic timeline for getting shovels in the ground predicts we will get shovels in the ground on this project a mere 30 months after he made that bold statement that (among other things) got him elected.
So the last generation was capable of taking an idea to fruition in 30 months.
This generation needs 30 months of talking prior to even STARTING to build.
ELI5 what is currently unequal about your voice.
I was born and raised in Quebec. I now live in Ontario. I have never lived in Alberta.
Quebec remains part of Canada because it is well compensated for doing so. Quebecers would leave in a heartbeat if they could find a way to preserve their equalization windfalls after becoming an independent country.
Alberta, on the other hand, pays heavily for the privilege of remaining in Canada. Many Albertans are apparently proud to be supporting their fellow Canadians while their fellow Canadians feel entitled to, not grateful for, this support.
It's an interesting way to run a country. I wonder how long it will last?
I grew up in Toronto and have lived in Alberta for 39 years. We do not pay for the privilege of living in Canada. We pay federal taxes at the same rate as the rest of the country.
And how much do you collect in equalization payments? Eastern Canada hopes that Alberta is filled with people like you.
... and receive more federal spending in return and less federal obstruction
Thanks, great article, the playbook they’re using is crystal clear. One more point to add: separatists like to try to use the manipulation that “Canada use to be good, but not anymore, and that a separate Alberta would be a return to the way Canada was”. An obvious manipulation and absurdly they’re also unable to identify exactly when “Canada was good” because they’re trying to appeal to varying generations.
Are quite certain on this because it isn't just separatists who are displeased with how the country has been run.
In terms of comments often heard online and in person from separatists this is accurate. There is a big difference between people being critical of the way Canada is being run (everyone has had issues, has issues and always will have issues, this is normal) and those trying to destroy our province and country. Criticism is good, it helps make us better. Pretending to be able to “return to the good old days” by separating is emotional nonsense containing zero substance.
I was very pleased to read this, particularly as it is coming from three obviously accomplished and well-known Albertans.
I do wonder, though, why it has taken so long to hear this--and why we haven't heard this from the supposed leader of the federalist forces in Alberta, Pierre Poilievre?
I would note, as well, that abusive and dismissive rhetoric from pro-separatists on these fora has been rampant. Some of these folks have been as willing as Rath and his cabal to indulge in false narratives WRT Alberta and its place in Canada.
I thought he addressed this last week.
"He"?
Would be great to see Albertans hold their own shitty provincial leadership to account instead of blaming Canada.
Whatever happened to their sovereign wealth fund? Acting like the tar they sit upon was put there by the sweat of their brow when they’re already the richest per capita province in the federation is pretty effing rich.
You don’t need to renegotiate the terms of confederation. You need serious provincial leadership, not jokers.
The Heritage Fund is growing, thanks for asking.
How big is YOUR province's savings account...?
The separatists have turned me off. I’m Albertan and a Canadian. What and why is that sooo wrong. Now I’m insulted,and disrespected. They are dishonouring the memory of my grandfather. He fought in WW1 for Canada. Thousands of men and women are serving and have served and died for this country called Canada
I agree strongly that " ..... most Albertans don’t want to leave Canada. They want a better place within it...". Yes!
It's obvious that federal actions have harmed Alberta's prosperity, level of success, and nature, and that central Canadians voted in the party recently responsible for the inequities.
The major question for some who want to stay in Canada is whether finding a better place within Canada is in any way imminent. On the other hand, I think that separatists have not provided answers to the many implementation questions because they have not thought that far. They say they arranged interim financing but they still have no plan. The lack of a plan in itself provides serious caution to those frustrated with the current situation in Canada.
What are Carney's Liberals' real intentions? Carney gets media attention re signing existing trade deals, but where are the changes in Canada. Will the Liberals change the laws and regulations rather than just stop actions like collecting the carbon tax? When a judge whose words indicate already made decisions, does not remove himself from the federal appeal of two previous courts' decisions against the Liberals, what does that say? When central Canadians use the word traitor against separatists - is that the start of elbows up against us?
I'm voting to stay. But I need shovels in the ground, less law and regulation out of Ottawa, a fairer representation in Parliament and particularly the Senate, and less trashing of everything west and separatist, to increase my comfort within Canada. Does central Canada even realize there's an issue?
Do those shovels in the ground include the TMX expansion project which tripled Alberta's export capacity to the west coast?
Does the fairer representation in Ottawa include the 3 additional Alberta MPs in the last election?
As an Albertan, I have no problem trashing the separatist project. It's leadership is in cooperation with a hostile foreign power to break up Canada. There are racist elements in the platform. They refuse to acknowledge the path required for separation. Their actions are already causing economic uncertainty.
You won't get any of those things. Face facts: your choices are secede or suck it up and carry on. You can whine all you want, but my fellow Central Canadians will continue laughing at you. And taking your money. Because you don't have the guts to leave.
The uncertainty caused by the separatist movement will push up borrowing costs. The crushing debt loads carried by Central Canadians, their provincial governments and the federal (aka Laurentian) government will motivate actions to quash separatist sentiment as those will be cheaper than than facing the bond vigilantes.
That's only payment true if the separatists win in October. If they lose, the Laurentians will feel they have no need to bother.
If the Feds don't deliver something tangible by October, the chances of a referendum moving to the next stage go up. This is a game of chicken
I think the feds are betting that empty promises will be sufficient.
I don't think so. The stakes are too high
Really. How many Albertans. How many seats in commons or senate. How much equalization.
Triple E Senate, close to equal representation by population in the Commons and an equalization formula that isn't gamed, by for example, leaving foregone hydroelectric revenue as outside fiscal capacity.
I'm sure once the oil runs out, the equalization formula will change to include sunshine and chinooks as unused fiscal capacity
Well written and spot on. Thank you.
The sad thing for Canada is that Alberta is getting results in getting more attention from Ottawa by threatening separatism.
It's hard to run down a strategy that is working.
Thanks for taking up the torch, Jim.
Good article. Thank you.
Your articles are great and I very much enjoy reading them. However, the recent concentration of articles dealing with Alberta separation is becoming a bit of a drudgery. Albertans, like Quebecers, are too astute to separate. It isn’t going to happen. It’s an important subject, but it doesn’t need to dominate. There is a lot going on in the world and it would be great to have your opinion about them, too. Keep up the great work!
Metaphors distill complexity. Dumbing down to reach the masses is a tried and true strategy. Unfortunately, it can backfire.
Justin Trudeau played with “matches” for almost a decade. The Liberal Party of Canada and the NDP enabled his careless and divisive rhetoric. Using it and the weaknesses of constitutional representation and party structure to “thread the needle” to electoral victory.
Are the separatists using a similar strategy, absolutely. It is all about “threading the needle” to victory. Using our own institutions against us.
Trudeau and Smith may have started off with the best of intentions but clearly they lost the “plot”. The extreme elements of their parties pulled them off centre. Some would say willingly.
Entryism is a growing concern in the West. Taking over established institutions whose historical goodwill is used to legitimize a significant shift away from mainstream values. An appeal from a recognized authority who no longer represents the mainstream. Using the institution as cover. Constitutional reform is the solution to regional grievances. None of our federal parties seem willing to take it on and so here we are……………again.
Long Live Proportional Representation!