Alberta business leaders back Canada, warn against independence 'lunacy'

CALGARY — Alberta business leaders have pushed back against the independence movement, warning it could create investment uncertainty and undermine efforts to build major energy infrastructure projects.Speaking at an energy conference in Calgary on Wednesday, three high-ranking members of Alberta’s business community said independence would damage investor confidence going forward, making it harder to approve projects such as pipelines.Gitane De Silva, founder and president of GDStrategic, said she believed Alberta should remain in Canada and described independence rhetoric as “lunacy.”“If you think it's hard to build a pipeline through British Columbia when it's part of this country, imagine when it's a different country,” De Silva told the audience at the third annual Energy Connections Canada conference.“I don't think it matters that we have a resource that the world wants, which I know is an argument I hear from the separatists but capital is fungible, and it'll go where they have the greatest certainty of getting to yes.”.Nenshi claims Smith will use Lukaszuk's petition to appease Alberta independence supporters .She also criticized suggestions Alberta could join the United States — something many independence leaders have said is not on the table — arguing Alberta would lose more influence, not gain it.“We as Albertans should understand that we would never be a state," she said. "We would be a territory like Puerto Rico or Guam, and if you think you have zero rights now in terms of your conversations with Ottawa, you just wait until Washington D.C. is making all of the decisions without any consultation.”De Silva acknowledged the frustrations many Albertans have with Ottawa, but added she believes the current energy deal that was recently signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith presents an opportunity to improve relations between the provincial and federal governments.Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce also echoed De Silva’s concerns, arguing Alberta is "creating our own uncertainty” at a time when global instability is already making investment decisions more difficult due to continually shifting geopolitical winds.“When we know that we need to attract that investment in order to build the infrastructure that we're looking for, it is imperative from a business standpoint that this conversation gets shut down,” Yedlin said.“We've had ten tough years, but we have to move on. The signals in Ottawa are different. It's very easy to be negative. It's much harder to be optimistic and forward-looking, and that's what we need to do.”.MACLEOD: Danielle Smith’s federalist fantasy is collapsing — Alberta is ready for independence.Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, added there is a “sum total of zero things that will get better in terms of the challenges and struggles that we face by separating.”He did, however, caution that dismissing the movement outright was also not the right approach going forward.Legge added many Albertans — particularly in rural communities — feel alienated by Ottawa’s policies and referenced his participation in Premier Danielle Smith’s Alberta Next panel last summer, which toured communities across the province to hear concerns from residents.“Albertans are very frustrated,” he said.“They've felt it through a variety of things like job losses and limited opportunities in their communities.”While Legge admitted there are legitimate concerns about fairness within Confederation, citing Senate representation and equalization payments as examples of issues that continue to fuel Western alienation, he reiterated Alberta must continue being part of Canada.“There do need to be some changes on certain aspects that will address the fairness and functioning of Confederation," he said. "But at its core, at the root of the question, Alberta absolutely should remain in Canada."

Alberta business leaders back Canada, warn against independence 'lunacy'

Related Stories

Alberta First Nations rip Carney and threaten not to participate in indigenous consultations

Carney says Alberta belongs in Canada as pipeline talks continue

MORGAN: Canada doesn’t need a ‘Sovereign Wealth Fund’ — it needs to stop scaring away investors

MACLEOD: Why a ‘Yes’ vote for Alberta Independence isn't radical — it's the only fiscally responsible choice left