Prominent Canadian psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson said Alberta should consider seceding from Canada if it has to give up control of its natural resources. .“Rebel,” said Peterson in a Tuesday tweet. .“Separate if necessary.”.Peterson was commenting on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith saying on Monday she received word Justice Minister David Lametti might try to rescind the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Agreement (NRTA) with prairie provinces. .READ MORE: Moe and Smith object to Trudeau gov rescinding natural resources agreement.“This would pose an unprecedented risk to national unity and Alberta condemns this federal threat in the strongest possible terms,” said Smith. .Alberta has a constitutional obligation under the NRTA to transfer back to Canada unoccupied Crown lands necessary to fulfill treaty obligations with indigenous people. .True North journalist Harrison Faulkner said Peterson should not be advocating for Canada to be broken up. .“Yankee Peterson leaves Canada to get rich in the United States and is now advocating for the breakup of Canada while sitting in his mansion in Nashville,” said Faulkner. .BHE and Associates President and CEO Josh Wylie called Peterson’s remarks an “interesting choice of words.” .“In the last five years, separation, autonomy, and sovereignty have gone from whispers to the mainstream in Alberta,” said Wylie. .“Not unlike Quebec in the late 80s.”.About one-in-five Canadians in various provinces said they believe their jurisdiction would be better off joining the United States and becoming an American state, according to a February poll conducted by Research Co. .READ MORE: Poll finds one-fifth of Canadians in select provinces want to become American state.The province with the highest proportion of people who wanted to turn into an American state was Alberta at 21%. .The proportion of Albertans who said they think their province would be better off as its own country fell to 26% this month — down seven points since June and well below the all-time high of 40% registered in 2019. Separatist sentiment dropped in Quebec from 32% in June to 29% this month.
