EDMONTON — Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Alberta independence advocate and lawyer Keith Wilson, and retired family lawyer and professor Marie Gordon gathered at the University of Alberta on Friday for a discussion to help students understand what could happen after Alberta's referendum. The trio of panellists were joined by CBC Radio host Tara McCarther, who led them through a discussion about all ten questions on Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum. .The question of Alberta independence was a focal point, with Wilson the only panellist advocating that voters support a future binding referendum, while Kenney and Gordon warned about the dangers of prolonging the debate. Kenney said many investors are currently curious and asking what is going on with the Alberta independence movement, but if Albertans vote to pursue a binding referendum, it will send a message to businesses and scare them away, similar to what happened with prior Quebec votes. Wilson said businesses did not leave Quebec because of the sovereignty debate. They left because of incoming French language laws. He added that Quebec's industries, like auto manufacturing, could pick up and leave, but you can't walk away from Alberta's oil reserves. Kenney responded that you can't take away the reserves, but you can withhold coastal access needed to export them. To this, Wilson said the federalist arguments against Alberta independence are motivated by fear and the assumption that everything stops if Albertans vote to leave Canada, but it will not. .The Alberta independence debate has loomed over Alberta for months, and Gordon expressed concern that years of litigation and difficult conversations will come from the referendum, even if most Albertans want to remain in Canada.Wilson argued that, even if you do not support Alberta independence, you should vote in favour of a future referendum to keep giving Alberta leverage within the confederation. Gordon compared this to trying to stop a runaway train. Wilson pushed against the runaway train analogy, and said option two would trigger adult discussions with Ottawa that would otherwise be unavailable, after which Albertans could look at their options and decide whether they want to remain in Canada. .The discussion also touched on the other referendum questions, particularly regarding immigration.Wilson said he sees the nine referendum questions as a "political gimmick," but added that they will not affect real change in Canada and the constitution without the leverage that option two provides. Gordon expressed concerns about these questions, and said they are targeting immigrants and blaming them for Alberta’s educational and health care struggles. She also spoke to the international students and said she "can't stand" the idea of them having to pay $1,900 for healthcare. Kenney pushed back against some of the concerns raised by Gordon and said there is a reasonable expectation that temporary residents can provide for themselves and not be a burden on society. He did have concerns about the complexity of the questions, which even he struggled to understand, despite having served as federal immigration minister. Kenney said he intends to study each question individually, rather than viewing them as a set. .The discussion closed with remarks about how Albertans move forward after the referendum. To which Gordon said she wants to "get away from toxic political conversations" that divide Albertans and move forward with a positive and amazing Canada. Kenney spoke about the fear of low voter turnout and the "send Ottawa a message" narrative empowering the Alberta independence movement to 20-30% support in the referendum and making it a "credible mainstream idea" that will never stop in Alberta. Wilson closed by counselling individuals to be cautious about looking to "end the separatists," because the same thing would not be said about a political party that only receives 5% of the vote in an election. "Those of us who believe that a better future for you and my kids and my grandkids is in redefining our relationship with Ottawa, we have a legal constitutional pathway," said Wilson. "We have reasonable expectations. We have honourable goals, whether you disagree with them or not."
