Alberta’s treatment within Canada has become intolerable. Successive federal governments in Ottawa have relentlessly attacked our province’s economic interests, stifled our prosperity, and pillaged the resources and wealth of Alberta’s citizens to purchase electoral support in other parts of the country..Albertans have tolerated the expropriation of our wealth for decades (under both Liberal and Conservative prime ministers), however, Ottawa’s anti-Alberta agenda has advanced a bridge too far in recent years, and now poses an existential threat to our province’s long term viability..How else do you explain a $170 per tonne carbon tax by 2030 — making our key industries entirely uncompetitive? How about the effective ban on new pipelines and shipping additional energy products to Asia via tanker ships, or blocking our oil from the eastern half of our own country while increasing imports from the Middle East? These targeted attacks against Alberta have resulted in lower incomes, higher unemployment and billions in lost revenues for public services, balancing the budget, and lowering taxes..Alberta is under assault from our own nation’s capital — there is no other way to describe what has happened. And don’t think for a second that the odd federal Conservative government elected from time to time has done or will do anything to put a meaningful end to these attacks..This week, I joined with University of Calgary political scientist, Barry Cooper, and constitutional lawyer, Derek From, to publish the “Free Alberta Strategy”. The comprehensive policy paper has been posted on our website. .The Free Alberta Strategy calls upon the Government of Alberta to implement several key reforms without any permission being sought from Ottawa or other provinces. The premier could do these things today if he wanted — and he needs to do so..Key parts of the Strategy include, first, the provincial government passing into law an Alberta Sovereignty Act, granting the Alberta Legislature absolute discretion to refuse any provincial enforcement of federal laws or judicial decisions that, in its view, interfere with provincial areas of jurisdiction or that constitute an attack on the interests of Albertans..As examples, this would include Alberta prohibiting any provincial legal enforcement of the federal carbon tax, the ‘No New Pipelines Act’, and attempts by any federal agency from regulating our province’s energy sector in any manner whatsoever. So when a company wishes to commence an energy project in Alberta, they only need approval from one level of government — and that’s the Government of Alberta. The feds will have no say..This initiative would also necessitate establishing an Alberta Provincial Police Force and passing into law an Alberta Independent Banking Act designed to expand provincially regulated financial institutions for the purpose of providing Alberta businesses and citizens with protection from enforcement of federal laws or judicial decisions designated as unenforceable by the Alberta Legislature..The second set of Free Alberta Strategy reforms deal with ending federal equalization and other fiscal transfers from Alberta. We have transferred more than $600 billion over the last 60 years — most of that in the last 20 years. We need that money for our people’s health, education, budget and economic competitiveness here at home. Not for vote-buying schemes in Quebec..This can be done through passing into law an Equalization Termination and Tax Collection Act establishing an Alberta Revenue Agency to collect all provincial taxes, and granting the provincial government authority to recover the total amount of equalization stolen by Ottawa from Albertans each year, among other reforms..The Free Alberta Strategy is a strategic plan for Alberta to assert its sovereignty, offload the burden of Ottawa’s tyrannical economic policies against this province, and secure self-determination for the people of Alberta within a reformed Canada..If, after exhausting this final more aggressive attempt at asserting our provincial sovereignty within Canada, the rest of Canada rejects our right of self-determination, then it is time for Albertans to courageously prepare a thoughtful, researched and well-vetted plan for our independence, and to present it to our people for a full debate and democratic vote..But before jumping to full independence, let us first assert our sovereignty within Canada. By doing so, we may just well save not only our province but also our country, from economic ruin..Anderson is a former MLA from Airdrie and part of the new.Free Alberta Strategy group.
