Lessons from Quebec’s autonomy
Value of Alberta conference discusses fighting the status quo
CALGARY — Alberta autonomy and separatism were the focus for many who attended a conference in Calgary on the province’s future hosted by Alberta Proud, Buffalo Project and Canadians for Democracy and Prosperity.
About 700 attendees at the Saturday event, titled The Value of Alberta, packed a room in the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary to hear speeches and panels on topics such as the legalities of Wexit, the value of Alberta to Canada and the “raw deal” Alberta is facing.
The morning presentations centred on the economy, with talks by prominent Alberta economist Jack Mintz and former conservative politicians Joe Oliver and Ted Morton.
“If Alberta wants to change the status quo, we have to stop barking and start biting,” said Morton to media following his presentation. “My takeaway is that if Quebec (was) treated how Alberta was treated, they would have separated long ago. If Albertans had the opportunity to re-negotiate our position in the Confederation, we would never agree to the status quo.”
He and others drew comparisons between Alberta and Quebec because of their shared separatist sentiment by some residents and positioned the eastern province as a model for Alberta, considering Quebec has more autonomy on a federal level.
Morton said the “bite” doesn’t mean separatism but making steps towards autonomy by implementing some of the ideas being discussed by the province’s “fair deal” panel, like establishing a formalized provincial constitution, withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan and forming a provincial police force.
“Separation is never that easy to contemplate but on the other hand, I think if there is a real existential threat to the province that could bury the province, then at that point Alberta would not have a choice.”
Topics like separatism, climate-change denial and antiTrudeau sentiment received loud applause from the audience. However, Becca Polak, spokesperson for Alberta Proud, a third-party election advertiser registered with Elections Alberta, said the conference was not intended to promote a position on separatism.
“I can’t speak for everybody in that room. I can’t speak for what everybody wants, but people want to talk about (separatism). People want to know their options. People are still hurting a lot in Alberta. They want to know what we can do,” she said, adding the advocacy group’s thousands of followers have diverse opinions on the future of Alberta.
Afternoon presentations included a keynote speech by media baron Conrad Black, who focused on the effect of climate policy on Alberta’s economy, a presentation about Alberta’s struggle to “fit” into the country and where to go next by author Randy Royer, and a panel discussion on the reality of separatism and its impact on Alberta.
Mintz mirrored his thoughts and said Quebec has done a good job in advocating for itself and that Alberta should take note. He also said he is not in favour of separatism and that it should only be a valid proposal if Alberta’s back is “against the wall.”
“You get a lot of different press reports about the interest in separation. I’m not really sure where the people of Alberta sit on this issue. I think there is a huge amount of frustration right now and they’re worried about the future,” said Mintz.
“I hope the biggest takeaway is that there is some type of action,” said Polak, who previously ran for a United Conservative Party nomination. “We want Ottawa to listen. We want our provincial government to listen and hear that there are viable options for Albertans.”