Rob Breakenridge: Alberta's search for gratitude
There's no simple explanation for why Canada's richest province also happens to be so disgruntled, but attitudes matter
By: Rob Breakenridge
It’s a quote that by now really needs no further context or explanation: “Have you said ‘Thank you’ once?”
As it happens, Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the ill-fated White House visit by Ukraine’s president and the aggressive admonishment from the U.S. vice-president in what seemed like a rather contrived confrontation.
The strained U.S.-Ukraine relationship is not really a useful parallel or analogy when it comes to explaining the history of tension between Alberta and Ottawa, or why an organized and motivated separatist movement exists. But, arguably, many of the slogans and grievances about disrespect and being taken for granted — plus, the notion that our patience has run out — can be distilled down into that quote.
While J.D. Vance’s outburst came across as petty and smarmy, that’s not necessarily intended to cast similar aspersions on aggrieved Albertans or even separatists more specifically. Mind you, there’s a sufficient level of MAGA-ish ideology amongst hardcore separatists that you could find many who probably applauded the vice president and therefore would not take the comparison as an insult.
The degree to which Alberta is deserving of thanks, or has been disrespectfully denied such gratitude, is not easily quantifiable. Alberta’s outsized contribution to Confederation, on the other hand, is quite easily measured
Alberta is a net contributor to federal coffers (federal taxes collected versus federal expenditures), generally to the tune of about $15 to $20 billion annually. Interestingly, the percentage of federal spending that goes to Alberta matches fairly closely to Alberta’s percentage of the population — roughly 12 per cent. However, the percentage of federal revenue that is derived from Alberta is typically between 15 and 17 per cent.
Alberta’s share of the national GDP is also around 15 per cent, meaning that its per-capita GDP is typically the highest amongst Canadian provinces, usually by a fair margin.
Of course, all of that is a consequence of being a wealthy province and so the upside of that imbalance for Alberta is, well … being wealthy. As such, though, it’s difficult for many Canadians to understand why the province that has thrived the most should also happen to be the most disgruntled.
For one thing, being a wealthy province does not mean that the province’s inhabitants are all wealthy. The perception that we’re viewed as cranky and rich while many Albertans have genuinely struggled through some tough years over the past decade — all the while maintaining that level of contribution to the rest of the country — has not helped the mood here. That it coincided with ill-conceived or unhelpful federal policies only compounded the situation.
An Angus Reid poll from one year ago — before the federal election and before the push for an independence vote really took off — found that Albertans were the least likely to say they felt respected by the rest of the country: only 29 per cent agreed. Conversely, Albertans were the most likely to say they contribute more to the country than they receive — a whopping 81 per cent concurred.
And while it’s an over-simplification to say that a mere “Thank you” would be enough to significantly boost that 29-per-cent figure, it doesn’t necessarily follow that there should always be such an enormous gap between perceived contribution and perceived levels of respect..
Barring some kind of economic cataclysm in Alberta, that contribution will always exist to some degree. But how that contribution is viewed and acknowledged can always change.
For example, Alberta’s net contribution didn’t vanish under Stephen Harper and would still surely exist had Pierre Poilievre won the last election. But we wouldn’t be having this conversation now, just as we didn’t during the Harper decade. Not that those leaders grovelled or pandered, but they would certainly not be accused of taking Alberta for granted.
Interestingly, a new Angus Reid poll illustrates some degree of sympathy for Alberta’s plight. On the question of which province gets a raw deal — that is, they give more than they get — 29 per cent of Canadians identified Alberta. Even 21 per cent of Quebecers agreed that Alberta gets a raw deal (whereas only two per cent of Albertans said the same about Quebec).
Overall, that same Angus Reid poll revealed that 61 per cent of Canadians are either very proud or proud to be Canadian. Additionally, 54 per cent of Canadians say they have a deep emotional attachment to the country. Notably, the Alberta numbers match exactly the national average. Folks in this province haven’t given up on Canada just yet.
But the frustration and impatience implicit in a phrase like “Have you said ‘Thank you’ once?” is reflective of how things have shifted here. It’s not just “we’re taken for granted,” but now also with a dash of “maybe we’ve done this long enough.”
It’s also why there’s suddenly such symbolism and significance wrapped up in the concept of a new pipeline to the west coast. Such a project wouldn’t reduce Alberta’s net contribution to Confederation, nor would it necessarily improve the quality of life of the average Albertan. But it’s important to Alberta, and so it comes down to whether and how much that matters to everyone else.
Maybe we’re placing too much emphasis on provincial borders. For all the talk in Alberta that Central Canada matters most, I’m not sure folks in Thunder Bay or Sudbury would agree. You could chop Ontario up into five or six provinces — or merge the western provinces into one — and it’s unlikely federal politics would look much different. Quebec is perhaps the obvious exception to all of that.
Seats matter, therefore population matters. If we’re going to accuse jurisdictions of having undue sway, it would be more accurate to point a finger at cities (e.g., Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver) than provinces. With population comes clout. It’s an odd coincidence that Alberta has changed its mind on rapid growth at a time when we’d seemingly like more say on how this country is run.
For now, though, we’ll forsake clout for respect. It’s not clear exactly what that looks like, but it’s pretty central to understanding the mood and the moment in Alberta right now.
Rob Breakenridge is a Calgary-based podcaster and writer. He can be found at robbreakenridge.ca and and reached at rob.breakenridge@gmail.com
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I think it is less about needing a thank you and more about being sick of being told F-you. When Alberta wants to expand its industry through more tidewater access, something your article shows to clearly benefit all of Canada through outsized tax contributions, everyone lines up to tell them where to go. From Quebec, to BC to first nations. Kind of ironic that the people who pull the most financially from this country, are also the loudest voices against developing its economy. And for those who disagree that BC is a have not province. Just wait, Eby is working on that...
Thank you for this.
However, I was surprised by your failure to mention the way in which successive Conservative Party politicians have sought to play the populist blame game.
It happens almost all the time, often when the Government of Alberta has been embroiled in a corruption scandal, or has been called out in court rulings, or has deliberately pitted Albertans against other Albertans, as we saw during the manoeuvring that eventually led to last year’s disastrous teachers’ strike.
Decades of propaganda and conditioning, leading to a situation where, even now, people still claim that they were damaged by the NEP, which was ended more than four decades ago.
As an Albertan born and bred, but who now lives elsewhere in Canada, I am repelled by the claims of the separatists—and the perfidy of politicians who, like children playing with fire, encourage their the separatists’ grievances and rage.