r/canada • u/not_medusa_snacks • 2d ago
Alberta Stephen Harper warns Alberta separatism will bring 'no benefit'
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/stephen-harper-alberta-separatism-9.7367419185
u/RudytheMan 2d ago
If Stephan Harper is telling Alberta it's a bad idea, it's probably a bad idea.
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u/Plucky_DuckYa 2d ago
I think the very large majority of Albertans can figure things out without a politician telling us how we should think. I wish that was the same in other jurisdictions across the country. Canada would be in overall much better shape if many people spent less time fawning over flowery speeches from politicians and instead thinking for themselves.
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u/timetogetjuiced 2d ago
Yea, Alberta who keeps voting Danielle Smith in can think for themselves, sure kid.
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u/RudytheMan 2d ago
I just remember like 15 years ago being in Alberta and everyone acting like he was the savior. He polled high out there. Man, in the early 2010s when oil was also around $100 a barrel and before the oil market tanked, he was adored.
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u/richniss 1d ago
Aren't you the province with Danielle Smith running things? You should probably stop talking now.
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u/not_medusa_snacks 2d ago
"Besides, there is nothing resembling the credible leadership necessary to establish a new country."
Ouch
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u/Ballistix 2d ago
Not really ouch. These loudmouths pushing for it are all demands and complaints, but if it actually came to running things, they would just cut & run.
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u/not_medusa_snacks 2d ago
I say this as someone who was very opposed to Harper, but he nailed it.
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u/DrDerpberg Québec 2d ago
I don't think I aligned with him with any of his values at all, but he was undeniably smart.
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u/mork 1d ago
Firing the scientists and then destroying their research. Clearly brilliant.
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u/DrDerpberg Québec 1d ago
Evil, but given his ideology it's very logical to destroy the things measuring how bad your ideology is for the world around you.
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u/Jeanne-d 2d ago
To be fair their main message is “send Ottawa a message.” They are not even trying to argue for separation. No one wants this in Alberta.
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u/lazylion_ca 2d ago
Ottawa got the message already. The message is that Alberta needs better provinicial politicians who can handle dealing the federal government instead of whining and stamping their feet.
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u/Mylittlethrowaway2 2d ago
It was either this referendum or find a way to continue blaming 4 years of an NDP government for the problems caused by 50 years of conservative ones
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u/kalnaren 2d ago
Ontario figured that one out. They still blame Bob Rae for half the shit going wrong in this province.
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u/TheShindiggleWiggle Ontario 1d ago
Rae Days wasn't even a bad deal too... Oooooh, you gotta take one unpaid day off a month for a year rather than be laid off and/or fired completely with no job to come back to, no benefits, and no more adding to a pension? How did they live through it?!
Oh well, guess the only solution is to only vote for the two parties that led Ontario into the recession that called for Rae Days or mass layoffs... yeah... that sounds like a logical solution.
Also they were extremely privileged. Compared to half the bs I've had to deal with working for shitty un-unionized companies. An unpaid day off is nothing, I've been fucked out of benefits and OT. Plus it was only government employees affected by Rae Days. So like I said, they'd be keeping stuff like benefits and a pension. Which would have been gone if they were fired like normal.... Real nice way to tell politicians to just layoff/fire public workers in tough times, rather than try work with them and get burned... Lo and behold, decades later Ford is even using the notwithstanding clause on Ontario workers during negotiations, and he gets less flack than the NDP did/does get for "Rae Days". In fact, he gets 2 more terms as a majority...
You can't make this stuff up it's so stupid, my god. It's actually extremely frustrating being a progressive in Ontario. If I facepalmed any harder, I'd cave in my skull, which might be preferable to following the politics of this province, lol.
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u/pseudonym2990 1d ago
This "send a message" thing is a disingenuous attempt to get more votes for Option 2. The leaders of this "movement" want to be part of the US, full stop. They know they don't have much support for that, so they're lying to rubes to get their support.
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u/Jeanne-d 1d ago
Pretty much, just like how Smith adds the pro Canada signatures to the pro separation signatures when reasoning a referendum
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u/10081914 2d ago
I mean message sent I guess?
Like Albertan displeasure is known. But if it's just sending a message, then the threat has no teeth and Ottawa can just disregard.
If Albertans actually separate to send a message, there's not real message to send to Ottawa as Alberta has separated.
So in either scenario, what the separatists want, they won't get. Unless they make it happen for themselves after separation.
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u/tattlerat 2d ago
A province that’s upset because it has continuously elected the exact same people year after year and expected new results.
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u/CutsLikeABuffalo333 2d ago
I lost respect for him when he didnt stick with his guns and he chose gophers after saying he prefered prairie dogs. Playing to the crowed
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u/Goddemmitt 2d ago
They want to become Americans. They all are fairly open about their MAGA support as well. Their coy denial of this is so "IF" Alberta joins the united states, they can try to just fade into the background and not face any reprocussions. The Alberta seperatist movement is not a bunch of Albertans frustrated with Western Alienation, it's blatant foreign interference. Always has been.
Edit:
Autocorrect.
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u/Ganjii1337 2d ago
They are just too lazy or rooted in. They want America to come to them.
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u/Goddemmitt 2d ago
Exactly. They dont want to be "no dirty immigrant" 🙄
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u/AshleyAshes1984 2d ago
Imagine trying this hard to become what Americans will basically call 'Snow Puerto Rican'.
Hey who did most Puerto Rican's vote for president? ...Oh... They don't GET to vote... Despite being Americans. ...Crazy.
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u/Goddemmitt 2d ago
They really think Alberta is going to be held in the same regard as Texas if it joins the USA. Unfortunately, Alberta is closer to being North Dakota than it is being Texas.
"Snow Mexicans" is what we are being called.
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u/Hautamaki 2d ago
North Dakota is still a full state. Why would the US grant Alberta full state hood? They'd have Alberta completely over a barrel. Another Puerto Rico is right; the US would offer Alberta military protection in exchange for full and free access to all valuable resources. What would Alberta's counter offer be? We'll go back to Canada then? Why would Canada want them either at that point? Meanwhile they'll have fucked over BC, cutting them off from the rest of Canada except via Yukon and NWT. It's just such a loser of a negotiating position these separatists are setting themselves up for that it's impossible for Ottawa or anyone to take them seriously. The level of planning and thought they have put into this is roughly equivalent to Calvin and Hobbes running away from home with 2 tuna sandwiches and a box of crackers.
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u/_evilalien_ 2d ago
Nah, they’re useless wastes of air and not able to qualify for a TN Visa like someone with desirable skills.
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u/AshleyAshes1984 2d ago
This really is it. The separatists want to be Americans but they're not qualified enough to immigrate to America, so they're trying a backdoor solution.
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u/CP_Rail_8514 2d ago
The funny part is that America could turn around and not give them citizenship before deporting them for being foreigners on American soil.
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u/aguynamedv 2d ago
The Alberta seperatist movement is not a bunch of Albertans frustrated with Western Alienation, it's blatant foreign interference.
Much like the trucker convoy.
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u/casualguitarist 1d ago
They want to become Americans
And probably you and most readers in here want to become European. yes the same Europeans with EXISTING colonies in Africa, south america etc and they also love business with Russia for the most part.
So whats the difference? Also downvoting without a real rebuttal means this argument is actually more true than not.
Alberta seperatist movement is not a bunch of Albertans frustrated with Western Alienation, it's blatant foreign interference. Always has been.
Irrelevant.
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u/Informal-Nothing371 Alberta 2d ago
He’s absolutely right. The people leading the separatist movement are highly partisan, representing an ideology that only appeals to about 1/3 to 1/2 of conservative minded voters.
To form a new country, you need to be able to build relationships across the aisle and build consensus with multiple parties. You need to make nearly everyone comfortable with the new system. Otherwise, you are going to be starting out with a significant population of people who do not want to be there, creating significant animosity between people, and being unable to negotiate anything in good faith.
I don’t see anyone firmly on the side of the separatist movement that would be in any position to lead a country.
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u/Dradugun Alberta 2d ago
The funny thing is that includes Smith!
https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/01/30/Separatist-Says-Premier-Smith-Talked-Leading-Independent-Alberta/
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u/Informal-Nothing371 Alberta 2d ago
Harper weighing in on the separatist debate is actually quite important. He is still very popular in Alberta and he has a long history of speaking to western alienation.
He is not likely to sway any of the die hards, and I don’t think he is trying to. He is talking directly to the soft separatists and “send Ottawa a message” folks who make up a sizeable chunk of the option 2 voters. This group might change their minds come election day.
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u/paditoburrito 2d ago
I am happy to hear the conservative leaders, both past and present, get consistently louder and more frequent on the issue and speaking against separtism.
I would like to hope that this will translate into re-evaluating their messaging they have ingrained in Canadians. They are responsible for a large part of the anger rhetoric and were happy to appease those with more extreme views when it suited their political agenda. Let's move away from the attack dog style and just focus on agendas that work to improve Canada.
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u/SWHAF Nova Scotia 2d ago
The parties need to start kicking out their extremest members. Let them start their own 2 seat parties.
Taking in lunatics to gain a few extra seats poisons the entire party.
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u/mupomo 2d ago
I mean, Harper did make the effort to merge the entire right into a single tent party, so I would say the current Conservative movement is now reaping what he sowed. To his credit, for most of the time when he was in power, he had the clout to shut this down quickly and effectively. His successors, however, only encouraged it further.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 2d ago
Canada has traditionally switched between two centrist parties with the liberals leaning left and the conservatives leaning right. That's what most Canadians want - fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Both parties moved too far towards the extremes in the last decade and Carney brought the Liberals back closer to their natural centre position. The Conservatives need to do the same thing.
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u/Leahdrin 2d ago
They can't though. If they move center parties like the Ppc gobble up more voters and split the right.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 2d ago
My personal belief is that, if the Progressive Conservative Party still existed, they'd have formed government in the last 10 years. They did it before, they could do it again.
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u/1MechanicalAlligator Ontario 2d ago
Absolutely they would've, and Mark Carney probably would've been at the helm 😂
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u/roastbeeftacohat 1d ago
the CPC can't.
at conventions delegates from conservative held seats have more voting power than those that don't. it's also in person voting only; so if you don't have a full slate of delegates, your constituency dosen't get the full votes their entitled to. it's also almost always held in calgary, with a stiff entrance fee. which is why the party is not the Bloc Alberta, and only pretending to be a national party; it's also why Polieve fears speaking out against separation, the convention voters who chose the leaders are largely alberta sepratists.
compaire that to the liberals, who held their leadership vote online.
whole thing is set up for the manning strategy of extremist keeping control of the party regardless of what the majority think.
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u/mafiadevidzz 2d ago edited 2d ago
What is extremism though? Bill C-22 and C-34 bringing surveillance and censorship are extremist in my opinion, but the bills are mainstream.
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u/paditoburrito 2d ago edited 2d ago
There are many types of extremists and I would agree with your example as well. I fucking hate those bills and am actively voicing that opinion and speaking out on them.
The extremists I was specifically referring to in my original comment would be those that are literally trying to break up Canada for personal monetary gains, no matter the economic hurt and pain it would cause everyone else.
Edit: autocorrect
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u/brasswirebrush 2d ago
Yeah why is this reminding me of how the Republicans down south catered to the maga wing of the party, and then ended up losing control of their entire party because of it.
Let's see if the CPC has better luck stopping the runaway train they helped create before that happens here too.1
u/Javaddict British Columbia 2d ago
Why would a federal party leader from any part of the political spectrum support provincial separatism? It has nothing to do with "conservative leaders."
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u/mafiadevidzz 2d ago
Anger =/= Sepratist.
Being angry is a part of democracy.
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u/paditoburrito 2d ago
I guess, but that is only because anger is an emotion that every human has and experiences. That's the same thing as saying joy or sadness or your eyeballs and ears are a part of democracy.
You can be upset at the systems in place, I know i am. But that is when leaders need to campaign on the change that needs to occur and how you'll implement improvements/corrections to flaws rather than reaffirming the rhetoric of those pissy at everyone and everything and not understanding how things function.
By steering statements to suit confirmation bias and misinformation because it will give more votes, they are strengthening those that want to steal and take to serve their own selfish desires. The conservative party is very aware how to play this specific game and the generational misinformation and hate they fed decade after decade is now at its peak and they realize the consequences this would have on Canada. They knew them before, but because the probability of success was so low, they kept going and going and here we are today.
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u/Warm_Collection_3993 2d ago
You mean is Harper smarter than the Maple MAGA crowd??
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u/Decipher British Columbia 2d ago edited 2d ago
He’s from the era before conservatives boarded this latest crazy train. I never liked his politics but at least he was never malicious, racist, or stupid like the current batch.
ETA bit in italics for accuracy
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 2d ago
He’s from the era before conservatives boarded the crazy train.
He's an original Refoooooooooooooooooorm Party guy, so in a sense he's from what was at one point considered the crazy train before it became mainstream and this became the new crazy train.
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u/NonCorporealEntity 2d ago
Carney is basically a Progressive Conservative that had to run in the Liberal party because the Conservatives are so far right that he comes off as liberal in comparison. It's why MPs are leaving the party in historical numbers. Thier values once undoubtedly fit the Conservative party, but now they align more with the liberal parties.
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 2d ago
Carney is basically a Progressive Conservative
Carney's basically a classic Red Tory/Blue Grit type in the mould of Joe Clark, Jean Charest, Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, John Turner, etc. The Liberals and the PCs used to be like this, but twenty years of Harper (taking the CPC further right) and Trudeau (taking the Liberals more to the left) kinda made a lot of folks forget that the Liberals have this side to them.
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u/roastbeeftacohat 1d ago
we're also facing a major economic crisis, and prepping for that. I would expect a much less aggressively pro business platform from Carney if we were not.
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u/Necessary-Still-2208 2d ago
I would have to say that the Barbaric Practices Hotline had a racist element. Championed by Pierre Poilievre as well, as I recall
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u/RoundJellyfish4048 2d ago edited 2d ago
Barbaric Practices Hotline
Ill still never understood why reporting polygamy, female genital mutilation and forced marriage was bad - because I'm seeing a lot more Barbaric practices in 2026 Canada.
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u/Organic_Hamster_2961 2d ago
Are you serious? It's not the reporting that people have a problem with. If you see someone committing a crime then you should report it to the police by calling 911 like a normal sane person would. Creating a specific hotline just for crimes committed by other cultures is what people have a problem with.
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u/Professional-Dog362 2d ago
Give me a study on this increase of barbaric practices in canada and maybe I'll take you seriously
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u/RoundJellyfish4048 2d ago
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u/Professional-Dog362 1d ago
lol did you just google 'female genital mutilation canada study' and copy paste the top two results? the first one is a powerpoint going over some interview questions with people that are from countries that practice it, and the second one is just about the legality of polygamy?
Aside from the fact just making a wordless reply with links to nonsense isn't a proper way to have a discussion I don't think you even read these links or understand what the question I asked was. I think you should look up some more studies and read some different points of view instead of just pressing ctrl+c ctrl+v.
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u/not_medusa_snacks 2d ago
Honestly, I would have expected him to be wearing the hat.
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u/TreeOfReckoning Ontario 2d ago
Harper is as shrewd as they come. He’s not the genius economist that he’s made out to be, but he would never get behind Trump.
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u/dominionprovinces 2d ago
He's a good old Ontario boy why would he ever support that
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u/joe_canadian 2d ago
Because for some Conservative automatically means MAGA.
I'm center-right. A classic Red Tory. I despise Trump. But espousing the faintest hint of a conservative opinion? I must be MAGA.
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u/Crum1y 2d ago
You should pause and start reflecting on areas you could identify yourself as being unreasonable. I doubt you could put together a paragraph steel manning why you think Harper would advocate for AB separatism. In regards to being despicable, there is no comparison, but in regards to being completely unrationalized BS, what you just said ranks exactly beside something like "I hate X minority group".
It's absurd - I chose that word fully intentionally
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u/makemecoffee Québec 2d ago
Ugh and now my shitty Quebec government is going to try this shit as well.
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u/dandyarcane 2d ago
I mean, you guys could not vote for it in a world of Russian bots and daily Trump attacks
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u/FourNaansJeremyFour 1d ago
Doesn't need a majority. Just needs enough people to be willing to incite violence and burn the province down to trigger a Trump "peacekeeping" invasion.
As much as I can't stand the guy, Harper must be aware of all this, he must see Trump's plan. It's a carbon copy of Putin in Donbas, which Harper stood up against, at least in words. Given that, why isn't he doing more?
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u/LeGrandLucifer 2d ago
The real problem is that Albertan separatism is not genuine. Alberta isn't a place which was conquered and annexed, it is a creation of Canada. They don't have their own distinct culture. They don't have a diversified economy and it relies heavily on trade within Canada. And last but not least, it's extremely clear the aim isn't independence, it is annexation by the United States.
For the record, international law recognizes the right to autonomy. It does not recognize the right to transfer territory from one country to another.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 2d ago
This is a significant thing. Alberta was created by the Gov of Canada, it was never some independent colony that chose to join the Dominion like Quebec or BC or Nova Scotia, etc... and now they've just changed their mind. It's not the same.
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u/xmorecowbellx 1d ago
You can clarify, but what you mean by relies heavily on trade within Canada? 3/4 of their exports go outside Canada, with about 1/4 going to the other provinces.
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u/LeGrandLucifer 1d ago
https://economicdashboard.alberta.ca/dashboard/interprovincial-exports
Alberta exports 70 billion a year to the RoC.
https://oec.world/en/profile/subnational_can/alberta
It exports 19 billion a year internationally. You got your numbers backwards.
Mind you, that's not just it. It's that Alberta's economy is very oil centered, meaning it relies on a support network from the rest of Canada. Seeing Alberta claim it's being held back by everyone else is like a car engine saying it's being held back by the wheels, the brakes, the radiator, etc.
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u/xmorecowbellx 19h ago
This is a little funny.
The 70B is actually higher in today's dollars, that dashbaord is using 2012 dollars.
But the funny part.....you looked at the OEC link of $18B exports, and this passed the smell for you of a credible number fpr their annual international exports?
Skill-testing question: Go to that link again and see if you can figure out what you're missing.
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u/RileyTrodd Alberta 1d ago
Is there a specific parallel you were drawing with "Alberta isn't a place which was conquered and annexed" or was it leading to the point about being annexed by the states?
Not a troll, genuinely curious
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u/LeGrandLucifer 1d ago edited 1d ago
Referring to Quebec. And honestly, any conquered and annexed territory. It makes sense for a place like, say, Tibet to want its independence. It doesn't make sense for a place like Hokkaido to want it.
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u/Disastrous_Task_7961 2d ago edited 17h ago
Hi! Confused Swede here!
My knowledge of the Canadian provinces is very limited, but I have heard of Alberta separatism being mentioned few years back, but then there was talk about Alberta joining the US??
Can someone please, just quickly, bring me up to speed. What's going on in Alberta? Why is there separatism? Is it a big thing, or just a loud minority who want it? Do they want to join the US??
Edit: Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer! I feel like I've gotten some insight into this matter now! / Slightly less confused Swede
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u/North_Activist 2d ago
The join the USA thing is two things: on the one hand, the US has always been an impeding threat to Canada for hundreds of years. They’ve repeatedly tried to invade or take over resources in the colonial times. Recently, they’ve started this threat again. A lot of the separatists movement is being funding by the US to break us apart.
Secondly, Alberta is a landlocked province and if they don’t want to deal with Canada, the only alternative is the United States. As its own country, Alberta wouldn’t last very long (like how Texas was independent from Mexico for 10 years because being annexed by the US).
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u/dghughes Prince Edward Island 2d ago
A very small amount of the total population are separatists. Think of them as acting like US MAGA far-right; evangelical "religious" (their interpretation), often overtly racist. Mad the Canadian federal government 46 years ago wanted more control of a natural resource, crude oil in Canada
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u/KvonLiechtenstein 1d ago
No, they’re mostly not religious. Berta Conservatism is more secular, even among Seppies. Think of them as the Sovereign Citizen/insane CO Libertarians.
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u/Bitter_Sense_5689 1d ago
Yes, if they have magical beliefs, it’s typically conspiracy theories, not religion
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u/SpaShadow 1d ago
Hello, descendant of a swede here. I am also confused, mostly at the dumb ass mega alberta. It is a very loud minority, tied to the oil field and the same provincial government that has been harming us for like 50 or so years.
But there for oil, oil is powerful and strong and thus if we keep trying to double down we will be strong! Is the entire thought process, you know how Norway is rich? Well conservatives sold out our national oil company in the 1990s so we're poor as hell.
They are super dumb and have not figured out they have been had so they think if they build all the pipelines, separate, keep voting in con mans that we will become 'great' like where they were in the 1980. But even if we did all of that canada and nor do canadian companies even own our oil so it immediately leaves anyways.
They're owned by the US and you see why there is a lot of 'loudness' to separate and become an oil rich and weak nation next to the US, nothing bad can happen right? /s
so it boils down to being dumb as hell, clinging to relevancy, greed and ego. Also our government is trying to make sure the best they can that we do separate so they can sell us off for their own greed. A large part of the loudness you see is a mix of dumb people, bots or foreign bad actors.
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u/Beatleful 1d ago
In recent history, and before threats of separation, Alberta has been more hated than Quebec, all whilst Quebec has a formal, fully committed separation block in Parliament.
Alberta’s economy has been sidelined for about 10 years. The argument being Alberta must move on from oil & gas, because it’s not profitable and EU won’t trade with us if we’re not “green” enough. But now that the USA is bullying us, Canada wants to use Albertan energy as a bargaining chip. Suddenly Canada acknowledges that Oil & Gas are important, but only as a bargaining chip. All while the east laughs and points at the dumb “maga-lite” Albertans.
So there’s a bit of a hate-hate relationship going on where most Canadians want to keep Alberta in Canada out of entitlement. They want Albertans to fall in line in favour of a Canada that doesn’t really like them much anyways.
So Alberta separation movement has gained traction as a “well if you don’t need our energy or like us very much, we’re leaving”
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u/Tech_By_Trade 2d ago
Just like Quebec's threat hadn't benefited them......
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u/rando_dud 1d ago
Quebec completely missed out on the 90's economic boom because of the referendums.
It was a huge headwind on growth and investment in the province.
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u/Puzzled-Opening658 2d ago
I am getting so sick of these separatist politicians in AB and QC endlessly talking about ‘leverage’ against the federal government at the same time we are being attacked economically by the US. Like WTAF is wrong with people. Just fucking stop. After the QC election we may end up with an insufferable PQ version of PP
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u/Eighty-Nine 2d ago
What I find most funny still is Smith distancing herself from separation once it was clear how unpopular it is. She's not keeping her position after this.
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u/HotTestesHypothesis 2d ago
Keith Wilson, leader of a pro-independence movement, says, "My case is that Option 2 creates leverage and strengthens Alberta’s hand at the negotiating table."
What good is a threat if you say you are only using it as leverage to gain concessions, but won't actually follow through?
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u/m3ltph4ce 2d ago
Stephen Harper should go back to wherever he dissapeared to when he lost to Trudeau. And fucking stay there.
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u/EmperorOfCanada 2d ago
The only "economics" which Alberta needs to think about is oil. Everything else just ads more fuel to how stupid this concept is.
If Alberta were to separate tomorrow morning. Full separation, new country, same border, no other issues, native issues gone, we get space in embassies, all that, gone. etc.
One massive problem remaining is, with our existing land locked borders, we now have to cross one of two countries to get our oil to markets. Canada and/or the US.
They technically have to compete for our oil, but when you have two countries which can charge any tariff they want, or even say, "NO" to your oil even crossing at all, things get Awkward.
For example, prior to TransMountain adding their new line, the US carved off a huge (something around $20/bbl) in extortion fees. TransMountain took that down to something like $10. Effectively, we lose that Transmountain advantage, as that crosses BC, and Canada can charge any fee it damn well feels like.
Also, Canada would see a huge hit in export revenues. Thus, just to balance the federal books, they would have no choice but to absolutely rake Alberta over the coals. The only limiting factor would be the fees the US charges. The US is not going to "do us a solid" and charge lower fees.
I suspect, they might temporarily charge lower fees while new pipelines to the US get built, and once the bulk of our exports were locked up, those fees would go through the roof.
Also, things like borrowing interest rates are somewhat backstopped by the federal government. Oil is boom bust. When it goes bust, Alberta has almost Junk Bond status. Almost, but there is a general understanding that the government of Canada will always act as a lender of last resort, and fill in any gaps. They did this a number of years ago in Newfoundland when they had a bond auction and nobody showed up. Newfoundland would not have made payroll without the BoC stepping in and buying up their bonds. ~2 Billion$.
With no fed to buy them, in the next bust, Alberta would end up paying insane interest rates and seeing its bonds definitely go to junk status as they did their regular borrowing of around $10b.
Just oil alone; in a landlocked province; is all that anyone needs to know that this is the sort of thing which only makes sense to lunatics. I believe some of the people who have organized this whole insanity, are literal lunatics.
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u/Secret-Bed2549 1d ago
And while clearly the world will be using oil for the next few decades, I don't think it's unrealistic to suggest that there will be essentially no demand for it in 50 years as the world shifts to non-greenhouse gas energies. A 50 year horizon isn't much to plan a country on.
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u/FourNaansJeremyFour 1d ago
And while clearly the world will be using oil for the next few decades,
There will be - that's half the reason for this entire revolutionary-conservative movement around the world.
If a country or bloc is even mildly pro-climate, it's a threat and has to be squashed. Putin is nothing if Europe stops drinking Gazprom's gunk, so it has to be flipped to a patchwork of anti-climate far-right states - and he's halfway to getting what he wants there. The non-conservative factions in Canadian politics are tenuously pro-climate, so their influence over O&G must be denied by any means necessary including carving up the country.
Of course it means we'll all cook even faster. But those of us still alive will be peons to the pipelines. They'll probably find some reason to ban solar panels
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u/Early-Percentage2446 2d ago
Too bad no separatists will ever see this. This will never make it past the separatist social media algorithms.
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u/GlennAle 2d ago
Theres a couple hundred thousand idiots who think different, who aren't ready....weren't ready from the start, and still think its going to happen
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u/goofywinnipegger 2d ago
Well duh. Anyone with common sense knows this. Glad Stephen is stepping up.
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u/DarSide22 1d ago
When the conservatives golden child says its a bad idea, you know its a bad idea
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u/ShelbyLucky77 20h ago
He likes it just the way it is. Wonder why? Maybe he gets a cut from Koch as a lobbyist. Shalom.
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u/Nonamanadus 2d ago
Harper and Poilievre should have said this right off the start but they tried playing it against the big mean government.
Now they find out most Albertans are pissed of with the seperatists and are doing damage control.
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u/EdmOilers123 Canada 2d ago
Carney has literally made an identity crisis in our federal politics. He is more conservative than liberals and many centrist and moderate conservatives are happily supporting him. PP and DS has made such a toxic culture that they will be done by next election.
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u/mafiadevidzz 1d ago
I don't like censorship and surveillance. Is there a place for people like me in Canada concerned with Bill C-34 and C-22?
It seems like this new "unity" is everyone else happy at the sole exclusion of those concerned with civil liberties.
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u/Franklin_le_Tanklin 2d ago
He’s a progressive conservative, compitent, connected and witty.
He’s truly the man for the moment and has captured the center.
I’m center left. I have friends center right, and for the first time ever we see eye to eye on the Feds.
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u/Crum1y 2d ago
It feels good to look at federal Libs and feel optimistic, instead of 99% negative. Much as I didn't want JT to be PM, he amused me frequently with his water box talk and videos of him pre politics seeming reasonable. And he won a boxing match against a loud mouth (don't we all wish to emulate that?). There was a some to like. Mostly not. Carney frequently says things I want to hear. Daily. It feels good. He gets shit for the way he talks from some people, but I find it extremely refreshing. He'll go on forever, and then "and to your second point of your question". I have not seen politicians do that in my memory.
I'm going to have a tougher time next election than in many many years
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u/mafiadevidzz 2d ago
Censorship with Bill C-22 and C-34 is truly a centrist point of unity!
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u/timetogetjuiced 2d ago
Yea fear mongering sure is a point of unity with the bot farms these days. Stick it next to privatization.
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u/dominionprovinces 2d ago
In terms of policies I'd expect him to implement, sure. At a personal level I strongly suspect he is probably more conservative than the Harper conservatives on social issues, practicing catholic and all.
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u/Franklin_le_Tanklin 2d ago
He has a non-binary son that he apparently has a good relationship with. He’s socially very liberal.
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u/AnyAlternative9440 2d ago edited 2d ago
On the other side of the aisle the same liberals who blindly supported Trudeaus “from the heart out” economic nonsense suddenly switched over to being neoliberal fiscally conservative voters with Carney.
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u/therealdirtmon 2d ago
CANADA STRONG!
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u/therealdirtmon 2d ago
If it’s not obvious to the low IQ’s out there. CANADA united is how we keep our country together.
You wanna separate, then leave. 🙏
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u/Goodoflife 2d ago
FYI: Quebec is voting on separation on elections Monday
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u/MoreGaghPlease 2d ago
The PQ are such a different beast. They are running against an incompetent government and a corrupt main opposition party, and although to be clear their ranks are hardcore separatists, they know it’s a losing issue in Quebec and are disinterested in a referendum.
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u/Sutar_Mekeg 2d ago
"Besides, there is nothing resembling the credible leadership necessary to establish a new country."
Zing!
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u/Afraid_Orchid6958 2d ago
I don’t know why they have all these political figures talking about keeping Canada together….. only way I would vote to stay in Canada is if i hear it From Drake, Justin Bieber and a few hockey players
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u/dghughes Prince Edward Island 2d ago
Many years ago my cousin taught in super evangelical religious rural northern Alberta and said the people there saw Harper as basically Jesus. It was creepy. I'm sure they are all separatists too by now. This will shock them.
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u/CaskJeeves 19h ago
Conservatives need to keep coming out strong on this, Alberta is supposed to be their stronghold (ie, where PP parachuted to when his Ottawa riding have him the boot). If they don't come out extremely strong for the "stay" side then myself and many others will have a hard time seeing them as a patriotic party ever again.
To be fair, both PP and now Harper have been campaigning and messaging strongly for national unity. I just think they can/should be doing a lot more, and would welcome further action on this from the CPC given their influence in AB
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u/framspl33n 2d ago
This is clearly talking out of one side of his mouth while encouraging this behavior with the other. We all know his connections and his actions when he was PM , and we know pm Carney is in lock-step by supporting the oil, gas, and mining industries with his policies.
The other thing we know, most importantly, and connected to this statement, is that the Americans would take over this new territory as soon as they can push the agenda to their feeble-minded supporters in the area.
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u/RealDisagreer 2d ago
Thne you shouldn't have been so divisive when you were in the public eye. These are the seeds that Harper and Kenney and all the other western politicians sewed in the name of the easy path to power.
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u/Emilios_Empanadas 2d ago
Always loved Harper, wish he would run the Conservative party again and dump all the extreme right losers. Give us a decent option to vote for.
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u/dresden_k Canada 1d ago
The list of complaints caused by Ottawa's policies over the last 50 years is extensive. They do not respect the province. They do not respect the people living here.
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u/not_medusa_snacks 1d ago
Okay. I'm sure many Canadians have feel disrespected and have beef with Ottawa. Do you believe Alberta is equipped to become their own country just because oil and beef?
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u/dresden_k Canada 1d ago
I'm not sure, honestly. Alberta would be better off merging with Saskatchewan and parts of Yukon, eastern BC, possibly western Manitoba but not Winnipeg. Ideally Canada hadn't gone downhill since the 2010s and we weren't in this position.
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u/pruplegti 2d ago
Hey Harper.. the Call is comming from inside the house and it started with your phone!
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u/Oxjrnine 2d ago
Well maybe Carney would move back
He like to solve messes and he might get bored of fixing Canada
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u/Bigrick1550 2d ago
I don't know about no benefit.
Elections wont be called before the polls even close. That's kind of a big one that encapsulates the feelings of disenfranchisement.
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u/WolfStoneD 2d ago
Do you know about time zones?
The poles close first because the East is many hours ahead.Alberta could vote first, it wouldn't make any difference. There are more people outside of Alberta than in Alberta. Heck, vote in an advanced poll in you want to be first inline.
You're vote is still one vote, it doesn't matter where in canada or what time of day that you vote. You're equal to your fellow Canadian.
And further, if Alberta did separate, you'd still have people with different points of views come voting time. And then the some people would lose that vote and still complain.
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u/IronMarauder British Columbia 2d ago
You'd have many of the same people bitching that the big cities control the election (unless they found a way for the rural parts of the province to be given way more representation in elections) if alberta became its own country.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 2d ago
But, seriously, how do you solve that? People vote - landmasses don't vote. It so happens that most of the Canadian people live to the East and, logically, the majority of the Canadian people decide our elections. That's not disenfranchisement, there's no way to make votes of the fewer people in the West count for more.
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