Pro-independence advocates speak at Alberta and the West Assembly

Pro-independence speakers had their opportunity to voice their opinions on the second day of the Alberta and the West virtual assembly.The assembly, co-chaired by Preston Manning, the founder of the Reform Party and former Leader of the Opposition, and Gordon Campbell, the former premier of British Columbia, is meant to give Albertans and Western Canadians a platform to discuss and debate the future of the region.On the first day of the assembly, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith argued in favour of remaining a part of Canada but getting more provincial autonomy from the federal government, a position she has maintained from the beginning of the debate.On the second day the assembly heard presentations from pro-independence speakers, including Queen's University professor Bruce Pardy and Alberta-based lawyer Keith Wilson.Pardy was the first speaker, and his argument was based around the idea that to fundamentally change Canada for the better, a massive political disruption, like Alberta voting for separation, is necessary.."In Alberta and Canada governments run things," Pardy stated, "and in 2026, in my opinion, Canada is broken... because governments run things, and they cannot be stopped."He continued, stating that the way to "save" Canada is to "take it apart."Pardy made allusion to the American revolution, noting that the American rebellion against the Crown and Canada's decision to remain separate from that revolution epitomize the Canadian aversion to taking risks to preserve liberty."Canada has become a managerial society; it is planned, directed, progressive, and socialist," he said, saying that Canada has become a country based around the maximizing of government control."There is one way that Canada could be saved, Alberta might, just might, be able to save Canada, and that is by leaving it," Pardy said."To save the country, Alberta must leave the country."He added that only with the advent of this hypothetical "political earthquake" could Canada be saved, and Alberta passing an independence referendum could well be that earthquake needed to fundamentally reshape the country. Pardy finished his presentation by saying Albertans shoud "pass a referendum, disrupt the country, start a cascade, create an existential crisis, provoke consternation and discontent, let the dominoes fall.".After Pardy, lawyer Keith Wilson took to the microphone and spoke about his vision of a potential independent Alberta. Wilson primarily focused on arguing against federalist voices who say that the transition to an independent Alberta would be far too costly for any of the potential economic or political upside.He stressed the leverage that a hypothetically independent Alberta would have, not only with the rest of Canada but with the United States as well."Alberta is an energy superpower," Wilson stated. "The Americans, and the world, desperately need what Alberta has."He also brought up that the idea that Ontario and Quebec would engage in economic coercion against a hypothetical independent Alberta as a form of punishment is "ridiculous.""They (Ontario and Quebec) need to trade with us more. For the rest of Canada's economy, Alberta, and Albertans, and our businesses, purchase over $90 billion a year in goods and services."Wilson's other main point was that the political representation that Alberta currently has will always be dwarfed by the voting power of the East, so the only way to truly control Alberta's future is to change who has the final say in the affairs of Alberta. .The two speakers touched on two different aspects of the independence argument. Pardy's presentation was much more focused on the current state of Canada and how massive political change is needed to change what he called a "broken country."Wilson's presentation broke down what the transition to an independent Alberta would look like and his assertion that fear-mongering about potential what-ifs from the federalist camp is not painting a fair picture of what the reality of an independent Alberta would actually look like.Both speeches touched on two different aspects of the ongoing debate, a fact that will likely please co-chair Preston Manning, who has consistently said he hoped this forum would provide Albertans with a plethora of perspectives ahead of the referendum.Despite the assertion from both men that any change will have to be decided by and pushed onwards by the people, according to the latest polls, support for independence still only sits at around 27%.On October 19 Albertans will go to the polls to cast their vote on nine different questions, with the most notable one being the aforementioned vote on a binding referendum about Albertan independence.

Pro-independence advocates speak at Alberta and the West Assembly

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