Many readers have already seen articles analyzing the “Alberta referendum.” Some explain how Prime Minister Mark Carney won; he probably feels he avoided another Brexit. Some commentators claim that Premier Danielle Smith won, while others argue that she ultimately lost. Even before her election, however, she was speaking about sovereignty within Canada. Commentators have also tried to explain and gain insight into the recent events surrounding the referendum, which was meaningless and non-binding but nevertheless significant. The referendum was meaningless because the questions were worded vaguely, and the two-in-one question — asking “remain” or “independence” — was made ambiguous by Prime Minister Carney’s declaration that Canada will join the European Union. Moreover, the questions were non-binding, allowing the government to choose what interpretation it preferred. The referendum is significant, however, because it can be read as a form of polling on the views of Albertans. One way to understand the events before October 19 is to examine the values motivating Alberta voters. The CBC ran an insightful article with polling results on the question of withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan to create an Alberta Pension Plan, which appears to have been opposed. The National Police Federation has published an article stating that 75% of Albertans want a referendum on retaining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police rather than enhancing the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service. There is a clear consistency when these three pieces of data are viewed together.The Europeans who first came to Alberta were a tough breed. Hunters, trappers, cowboys, farmers, loggers, miners, and later oilmen all shared certain core traits. These include self-sufficiency, independence, comfort with risk, religious freedom, and entrepreneurship. These men and women did not wait for someone else to do what needed to be done; they took pride in building a free life for themselves and their families. Above all, they were courageous. These traits became the foundation of Alberta’s values. This continued into the twenty-first century, as people from far-off lands brought similar values when they settled here. But the picture was slowly changing. Success in the agribusinesses, the oil patch, and the many small companies that grew brought new types of people..In the 1990s, Alberta’s population stood at approximately two and a half million; the province had more cows than people and the largest herd of horses in the country. By 2024, Alberta had almost five million residents. During those three decades, many newcomers did not arrive in Alberta to start cattle ranches or farms, to watch our “big sky” at sunset and feel blessed, or to embrace Alberta’s values. Some came for the money and later discovered something far deeper here. Others arrived for different reasons. Enough of those who came, however, possessed different values. They sought a comfortable life — stable, low-risk, predictable, and accepting of greater government dependency. Some born here also want this lifestyle. The recent referendum exposed the division between these two value sets. Unfortunately, too many people allowed their emotions to run wild, causing common sense to flee.The questions on the referendum were ways to address the fact that the Canadian system is broken. The well-written laws are routinely disregarded in practice, provinces and territories are not treated equally, and politicians spend their time playing games, while ordinary people suffer from misguided ideas and policy inaction. The federal government actively hinders improvements, blocks people from helping themselves, and reaches into every aspect of life. These problems — and more — are well known to everyone. The referendum sharpened the divide between those who believe they themselves can do better and those who think the system can be salvaged. Both approaches are possible answers in principle, but neither appears probable at present.The one solution that is solving the broken system for many Canadians is already in motion. Build Canada, a non-profit organization, compiled statistics on Canadians moving to the US. The report includes several important points. First, the number of Canadians who have recently moved to the States is the highest in the past 70 years. Second, last year saw 120,640 Canadians legally immigrating to the US, with no tally available for those who simply move south and blend in seamlessly. Third, 34% of those relocating held PhDs — the highly skilled individuals needed for the most advanced breakthroughs. There have always been people who leave Canada for the States, and brain drain has been a feature of migration between Canada and the US, but what is new is the volume of departures. While parents enjoy their comfortable lives in Canada as the edifice of the country is crumbling or being mortgaged to the European Union, those starting fresh or in the middle of their journeys see no future for themselves here. Their solution to “broken Canada” is to leave. When this is added to the reported figure that 42% of Canadian manufacturing companies have moved or plan to move to the US, the solution to “broken Canada” is well underway. In previous pieces, I have noted that the exodus will continue and grow until Canada is fixed or perhaps provinces break away. Here, I will also point out that most Canadian mainstream media outlets have run several articles over the past year glorifying the immigration of a handful or two of researchers from the US to Canada after cutbacks there, but have published none lamenting the tens of thousands of highly educated Canadians moving south. This is simply more propaganda.Dr. A. W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
