A commentor on the Shotgun;
Did my duty today and paid my $10 for my Separation Party of Alberta membership. I had to do it online b/c all of the phone lines to their headquarters were busy, busy all day. (whoo hoo)
Also, noticed on the Rutherford show this morning Separatist calls outnumbered confederation calls 17:1
What do they say? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me; fool me thrice, I’m really getting steamed; fool me a fourth time, I’m not taking it anymore.
Sure, people are blowing off steam. But today a provincial Tory backbencher defected to the separatist Alberta Alliance Party after accusing Premier Ralph Klein of ruining Stephen Harper’s federal election chances.
In and of itself, not earthshattering. The defector was already critical of Klein and facing the dissolution of his seat through boundary changes.
But, it’s not going to go away. I once asked a friend in Calgary – a 70’ish grandmother, not particularly politically motivated – what it would take for her to support separatism. Her answer – “A ballot”
Stay tuned. I think Paul Martin has a big, big problem on his hands. The things he must do demonstrate he is serious about western alienation – pull out from Kyoto, kill the gun registry, mend fences with the US – are precisely those things that are going to trigger the NDP and his own left-wingers to pull the plug on his government. If Martin is going to diffuse Western anger, he’s going to have to broker a serious deal with the Conservatives – not the NDP.
Please. The last thing the country needs is *another* proivnce that’s as whiny as Quebec.
There’s nothing Paul Martin can do to diffuse my anger. I’ve seen the measure of the man and he’s empty inside. Nothing that passes his lips can be considered the truth. He’s dead to me.
Scott, at least Alberta will be whiny for the right reasons. You won’t hear any complaints about white women not having enough babies or Jews screwing up the vote coming from OUR side of the country.
Let’s draw a distinction between a separatist movement based on common sense and one based on hatred and bigotry.
Hi Kate, I enjoy your site from way down here in Texas (believe it or not).
Every once in a while we hear the faint rumblings that there are people in Alberta who might like to think about a new and different kind of relationship with the United States. The word statehood comes up occasionally.
Very gradually, America is becoming more tuned in to these voices. And to tell you the truth, when we think of Alberta having a closer relationship with the United States, we kind of like it.
The difference between Quebec and Alberta is that we don’t have to whine. We would be leaving from a position of strength. Debt free, not dependent on the rest of Canada to support us, financially sound. We dont need Canada, Canada needs us. Quebec however is the opposite, in debt up to its ears and dependent on the ROC for financial support. (transfer payments)
Most of us dont like the idea of separation but the threat of it will give us some leverage with Ottawa. If they thought in Ottawa that the gravy train of Alberta was pulling out, they would soon change their arrogant tune.
I’m not a separatist – yet.
But I’m this || close. Ontario, Quebec and to an extent, BC have the luxury of slagging the US to earn cheap votes. And when they do so, they undermine our economic interests in the west more than any other.
It’s pretty easy to prattle on about developing overseas markets when you have a port. The only way we can deliver our resource based economy to international customers outside the US is through other provinces.
If push comes to shove, and it’s looking east or looking south for our future – my advice to Ontario and Quebec – don’t force us to choose.
The west can get an elected senate, dramatic tax reductions and end trade disputes in softwood lumber, wheat tarriffs and unrestricted access to 300 million beef eating customers overnight.
Trading in premiers for governers may not be too high a price to pay.
Ha, ha
Cry-baby neocons make me laugh.
Paul Wells has the low down on this bogus “Western Alienation”:
New West
Alberta: Paul Martin’s Liberals drew one point more in the popular vote than Chr�tien’s in 2000, two points less than in 1997 and three points less than in 1993.
British Columbia: The Grits polled 28% in 1993 and 2000, 29% in 1997 and 2004. So in the province with the most bitterly divided Liberal party in Canada, one gang kicked out another gang to produce a nearly-identical result. Tout �a pour �a?
Saskatchewan: Chr�tien drew 32%, 24% and 21% in his three elections; Martin drew 27% last night.
Manitoba: Liberal vote had been falling, from 45% in 1993 to 33% in 2000. Under Martin, it rose to 39% in 2004.
UPDATE: Phone-in shows and online forums are abuzz with word that this is, dammit, the laaaaaaaast straw, and Alberta will finally secede.
Enjoy the humour of the situation: There’s a province where the Liberal vote went up and where Liberal MPs held their own.
And there’s a province where the Liberal vote went down and where a large number of Liberal MPs were beaten by Conservatives.
The place where Liberals held their own, of course, is Alberta. The place where Liberals posted losses, of course, is Ontario.
It is reassuring to note that Alberta separatists are no brighter than their cousins in Quebec.
After the Canadian electorate voted overwhemingly for left-of-centre parties, both in terms of seats and popular votes, hubris would probably best characterize your declarations on what Canadians should do.
Rosetowner, I’m hardly a neo-con. I’m pro choice, cool with gay marriage, and George Bush creeps me out. If someone like me has gone separatist then there’s probably a lot of others who feel the same way.
Tell you what, there’s no need to join the USA, just hive off.
And I’s grab BC (You’ll need the port capacity, but if the southern population bugs you, just take the northern bit and build your own) Sask, Yukon, and maybe even Manitoba on the way out. You’ll need the room/buffer for the central Canadian refugees desperate to flee. 🙂
Oh, and if central Canada gets shirty, remember that the Germans and Brit’s probably store more combat equipment for exercises in the west than the CAF in the eastern bits has altogether. Maybe you can borrow the Montana or Utah ANG for an afternoon if the Cold Lake CF-18 guys defect back.
Ok, I’m joking.
A little.
You did a good job of enumerating some of the commercial and political benefits of statehood, but you left out something. Appreciation.
Not just appreciation for what you bring to the table (a lot), but appreciation for who and what you are.
As you know, we get a whole lot of this “redneck”, “cowboy”, stuff down here in Texas as you do.
But look who sits in the White House. Ottawa would probably call him “an inebriated lout with oil stains on his jeans”. However, in the USA we call him Mr. President.
In the American West, we have an appreciation for the sensibility, industry, and culture of the Canadian West, probably more than Ottawa.