Former Alberta Opposition leader Brian Jean says it time for Alberta to be treated equally in Confederation or seek independence..But Jean said as angry as Albertans are “they won’t vote for separation until we’ve tried to fix Canada and failed.”.In an opinion piece in Saturday’s Edmonton Journal, Jean wrote the “time has come to force the federal government and the other provinces to the constitutional table..“Premier Jason Kenney is going to a first ministers meeting next week. He should inform the prime minister and the other premiers that the Alberta legislature will be voting on a motion to open constitutional discussions,” wrote Jean..Jean, who lost to Kenney in the UCP leadership race, wrote four things need to happen for Alberta to feel equal..He said the Constitution needs to explicitly require that every province be treated fairly; either the House of Commons or the Senate must have true representation by population; Canada needs an amendment that prohibits the federal government from passing laws that only impact one province without the majority consent of the MPs and senators from that province and the Constitution must explicitly state neither Ottawa nor another province can prevent any province’s access to trade with the rest of the world..“In Premier Kenney, Alberta has the best possible Canadian federalist to represent us at the constitutional discussion table and make a sincere effort to fix Canada,” Jean wrote..“I must admit that I am not confident. I suspect the rest of Canada will say no. Too many elements of the Canadian political and intellectual elite are fundamentally anti-Alberta. They resent what Alberta stands for..“I hope I am wrong, but I think there will be no enthusiasm on the part of Canada to say yes to reasonable proposals from Alberta. Then, and only then, will Albertans be prepared to vote for separation..“Remaining as an unappreciated colony within Canada is something that we will not endure.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter: Nobby7694
Former Alberta Opposition leader Brian Jean says it time for Alberta to be treated equally in Confederation or seek independence..But Jean said as angry as Albertans are “they won’t vote for separation until we’ve tried to fix Canada and failed.”.In an opinion piece in Saturday’s Edmonton Journal, Jean wrote the “time has come to force the federal government and the other provinces to the constitutional table..“Premier Jason Kenney is going to a first ministers meeting next week. He should inform the prime minister and the other premiers that the Alberta legislature will be voting on a motion to open constitutional discussions,” wrote Jean..Jean, who lost to Kenney in the UCP leadership race, wrote four things need to happen for Alberta to feel equal..He said the Constitution needs to explicitly require that every province be treated fairly; either the House of Commons or the Senate must have true representation by population; Canada needs an amendment that prohibits the federal government from passing laws that only impact one province without the majority consent of the MPs and senators from that province and the Constitution must explicitly state neither Ottawa nor another province can prevent any province’s access to trade with the rest of the world..“In Premier Kenney, Alberta has the best possible Canadian federalist to represent us at the constitutional discussion table and make a sincere effort to fix Canada,” Jean wrote..“I must admit that I am not confident. I suspect the rest of Canada will say no. Too many elements of the Canadian political and intellectual elite are fundamentally anti-Alberta. They resent what Alberta stands for..“I hope I am wrong, but I think there will be no enthusiasm on the part of Canada to say yes to reasonable proposals from Alberta. Then, and only then, will Albertans be prepared to vote for separation..“Remaining as an unappreciated colony within Canada is something that we will not endure.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter: Nobby7694
