EDMONTON — Sen. Paula Simons claims Albertans need to get their “elbows up” and fight against Alberta independence ahead of the October referendum. "The narrative that we are exporting to the rest of Canada is that the whole province is mad," said Simons in an interview with Energi Media posted on Friday. "Well, the whole province is mad about a variety of different things, but most of us do not want to separate.".A born-and-raised Edmontonian, Simons said that while there are legitimate grievances in Alberta over underrepresentation and poor federal support in areas, the problems are not new, but the push to solve them by leaving Canada is. According to Simons, the vast majority of Albertans do not want an independent Alberta, and they need to step up to counter the message dictated by a vocal minority. "There are all kinds of things that legitimately drive us crackers in this province, but the but to pretend that separatism is any kind of solution to those problems is woefully naive," Simons said. "What we need to do is get our elbows up and, you know, 'giver,' as we say in this country.""We need to giver and fight for what is legitimately ours, and to make the case to the rest of Canada that we're not a bunch of whiny crybabies, that we're an economic engine of this country, that we deserve respect.".The senator also took issue with the anti-immigration sentiment pushed by some Albertans frustrated with Canada's "open border" policies under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.According to Simons, this anti-immigration sentiment and calls for a mass deportation of illegal immigrants stem from cultures in states like Arizona, Texas, and California that have made some Albertans believe there is a problem in Alberta that does not exist."We are imagining problems because so many people get all of their news from Fox, get all of their news from right-wing social media sites, YouTube channels, and so people don't even see the Alberta and the Canada that is before them because they are inhabiting an American social media bubble," Simons said. .Smith has targeted federal immigration for several months, and in February she blamed Alberta’s $9.4 billion deficit on poor policies under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that flooded Alberta with temporary immigrants and overloaded its social services. "The Alberta I know, and love, is a bold, brave, open place," Simons said. "It's not just about tolerance, which is like barely putting up with someone. It's about welcoming diversity and embracing diversity.""It's what Peter Lougheed, of blessed memory, used to call ‘unity in diversity.’ What I don't recognize is the line that we are being given about what it is to be an Albertan, because I'm an Albertan and I don't recognize myself in that depiction." Albertans will vote on 10 questions in October, including five related to immigration and more provincial control, and Simons said eligible voters need to vote on every question, not just the independence one. "People need to put this behind us, and then we need to move forward and say, ‘Okay, look, what do we need from Canada? What do we need to position Alberta as the Western hub for this country?” Simons said.
