EDMONTON — Federalism advocate Jason Kenney argued that, despite having rarely done so, the Government of Canada would revoke Albertans' Canadian passports immediately, and would not allow dual citizenship if Alberta were to unilaterally secede from Canada without reaching an exit agreement. "Well, in terms of Slovakia and Czech Republic, it's worth noting that in their separation, you couldn't hold dual citizenship, and that would be the case here in Alberta," said Kenney during a debate on Monday when asked why an independent Alberta would have an adversarily relationship with Canada. "I heard a big cheer for unilateral declaration of independence. The next day, Ottawa cancels your Canadian passport. Good luck getting to the United States. The next day, IATA no longer recognizes international flights out of Alberta. Good luck flying out of Alberta. You think that's wonderful? That's worth cheering, is it?" The comments came during a debate with nationalist Keith Wilson on Alberta independence. He made them in reference to unilateral secession, meaning Alberta would leave Canada without the consent or approval of the federal government or the provinces, a process often obtained through consultations and negotiations over an exit agreement between the two sides. .The Government of Canada has historically been reluctant to revoke Canadian passports that have already been issued and has done so only under extremely rare circumstances. It claims passports can be revoked for reasons including offences related to travel documents, smuggling, trafficking, kidnapping, abduction, sexual offences against children, terrorist activities, violent crimes, crimes against humanity/ war crimes, the Geneva Convention, sharing state secrets, and United Nations sanctions. Then 23-year-old John Maguire is one example after the federal government revoked his passport in 2014 following his travelling to Syria, joining ISIS, and calling for Muslims to execute attacks in Canada. Ernest MacIntosh is another such example of issues related to revoking passports, when he was mistakenly granted a passport while living in India in 1997, despite facing multiple charges for sexual abuse in Nova Scotia. The Canadian passport office attempted to revoke the passport after being notified of the error made when issuing MacIntosh one, but legal challenges regarding the document prevented him from being returned to Canada to face trial until 2007. He was convicted on the charges of sexual abuse in 2010, but the ruling was ultimately overturned due to undue delay in bringing the matter to trial, partially caused by the passport fiasco. .The moderator also asked Kenney to explain why an independent, landlocked country would damage Alberta's economy, citing Switzerland as an example of a landlocked country that thrives economically. Kenney said the driving forces behind the economies are not comparable because Alberta needs to export its resources, and Canada would "shut that down overnight" if Alberta tried to secede unilaterally. "Some people say, 'Don't worry, we'll just build something to the West Coast of the United States.' Have you checked the regulations on shipping heavy oil out of the blue states of Oregon, Washington, and California?" Kenney said. "I'm sorry, not possible." Wilson said Alberta is already under a policy landlock in Canada, and an independent Alberta working with the U.S. is the solution to economic prosperity. "We have the largest economy in the world that we can sell into, that we're culturally aligned with, that wants to see us succeed," said Wilson. "Wants to see us succeed.""Donald Trump has advanced more pipeline projects that benefit Alberta than Mark Carney or the Liberals ever have. Those are the facts. So the real issue is not whether Alberta is landlocked, but why Alberta should stay constrained by policies imposed either from within the province or by Ottawa.
