Alberta’s separatists have no case for breaking away from Canada
Of all the dumb ideas kicking around the world right now, the dumbest may be making Alberta a separate nation. I am in God’s Country now and it is the luckiest, richest, most privileged place in all of Canada, blessed with low taxes, bountiful resources, thriving cities and a spectacular natural setting.
Yet some Albertans insist it is so hard done by that it must bolt from Confederation and issue passports of its own. A recent poll showed that a quarter of the province’s residents would vote to leave Canada if a referendum were held today. Asked if they are proud to be Canadian, Albertans are less likely than Quebeckers to say yes.
Preston Manning, founder of the Reform Party, says that Westerners are so aggrieved about how they have been treated under the federal Liberals that a vote for Mark Carney on April 28 is “a vote for Western secession – a vote for the breakup of Canada as we know it.” Danielle Smith, Alberta’s Premier, says that Canada faces an “unprecedented national unity crisis” unless the next federal government agrees to a list of Alberta demands. This as Canada faces an unprecedented threat from its powerful neighbour. On Team Canada, Alberta is always the one threatening to take its ball and go home.
Absurd. Most people that threaten to secede do so because they feel they have been oppressed, excluded, thwarted, fleeced or otherwise kept down. Quebec separatists say they need independence to protect the French language and culture. The Scottish National Party wants to free Scotland from the smothering rule of London. Catalan nationalists seek to quit Spain because they feel that, with its distinct history and robust economy, Catalonia deserves to stand on its own.
Those places may not need full independence to achieve their aims, but at least they have an arguable case for being countries in their own right. What is Alberta’s case?
That its voice isn’t heard in the corridors of power? Come on. Stephen Harper, who lived in Alberta, was prime minister for 10 years. Joe Clark, Canada’s 16th prime minister, is from Alberta. The deputy prime minister of Canada under Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, is from Alberta. The longest-serving chief justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin, is from Alberta. Mark Carney grew up in Edmonton.
That it is being robbed of its resource wealth by the rest of Canada? Get serious. The hated National Energy Program ended in 1985, when Ronald Reagan was president of the United States – though some Albertans act as if it happened yesterday. When Alberta worried about how it was going to get its oil to the West Coast for export, Mr. Trudeau bought a pipeline to make it happen.
That it has been held back by the rest of us? Please. Alberta is booming. It is the fastest growing province in Canada. People from all over the country and the world flock there to enjoy the good life.
Alberta has the highest GDP per capita in the country. Alberta has the highest average weekly earnings in the country. Alberta has the lowest government debt per person in the country. Alberta has the lowest business taxes in the country.
It found money in the ground and uses that oil wealth to pay for all the great rec centres, hockey rinks, libraries, hospitals and parks you see out here. That, not any talent for efficiency, is why Albertans pay such low taxes – and no provincial sales tax at all.
The argument for an independent Alberta simply doesn’t add up.
It has all the money and power it needs to thrive without breaking away. Our loose Canadian version of federalism gives it plenty of latitude to do its own thing when it comes to education, health care and many other fields. It can cultivate its rich heritage and thriving arts while staying in the family. It can be distinctly Albertan and thoroughly Canadian all at once.
Gifted article: theglobeandmail.com |
