The co-founder and chair of the Alberta Prosperity Project says provincial independence would transform Canada in necessary ways that other constitutional and legislative attempts never would."Reclaiming sovereignty...[is] the noble pursuit of self-determination, of pursuing the goals and aspirations that you want for yourself and your family. It's the pursuit of freedom and prosperity, and freedom from being over-governed, over-regulated and over-taxed," Modry said.At We Unify's Reclaiming Canada Conference in Calgary on Saturday, Modry claimed that he Alberta Prosperity Project's growing membership already numbers twice as much as all political parties combined and boasts 20,000 volunteers.The doctor called out the increasing taxation levels in Alberta as it remains within Canada."In 1910 the average tax rate in Alberta was 6%, in 1950 it was 18%, in 2010 it was 33%, and today, according to the Fraser Institute, the average tax rate in Canada now is 43%," Modry explained.The physician framed this taxation as a direct assault on individual freedom. "The more and more that you are regulated and the more and more that you are taxed, the less control that you have over pursuing the future that you want," he argued.."Within a couple of years of becoming a sovereign country," Modry claimed, "there would be no federal regulation. Everything that you buy would be tax-free."The doctor portrayed Alberta as subservient since its inception in 1905."We have functioned as a colony to serve the interests of the East, and we continue to be pillaged and plundered for our wealth and to have values and cultural issues shut down our throat that don't align with those Judeo-Christian values that were foundational for the development of Western civilization," Modry said.The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act is too limited in its scope and is too ineffective, according to Modry. As proof, he pointed to "some 18 lawsuits against the federal government because of federal overreach." He said recent decades have shown that constitutional reform is nearly impossible, but a successful independence vote would force changes."If you want to save Canada," he argues, "you need to save Alberta and perhaps Saskatchewan as well.""The only way that we could ever open and change the constitution and fix the corruption that is occurring is if Alberta or Quebec or some region in Canada becomes sovereign to break the system." The movement's ultimate goal is a referendum, potentially in 2026..On Sept. 11, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon met with Modry, and fellow APP leaders Mitch Sylvestre and Jeffrey Rath in Calgary. Their Quebec counterpart said he would support Alberta independence and would be willing to forego equalization payements to achieve their own. The APP leaders also agreed to recognize Quebec independence if it was endorsed in a referendum."Many of the same irritants that Quebec has of the federal government are the same kind of irritants that we have here," Modry said, alleged federal corruption being one of them.Modry believes they are closer to success than many might imagine. "We have a lot of thoughts and information that leads us to come to that conclusion," he stated cryptically.Modry is a Stanford University trained heart surgeon with over 30 years of expertise in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, critical care and immunology. He started and directed Western Canada's heart and lung transplantation program.
