HUNSPERGER: An Albertan's perspective — this conversation is about respect

Allan Hunsperger is a Christian broadcaster, Bible teacher, author, and speaker who has been in ministry since 1972. He is the co-host of Talk Truth, a daily television program reaching audiences across Canada and internationally. He is passionate about making disciples, calling people back to the authority of Scripture, and encouraging believers to live courageously in truth.I was born and raised in Alberta. This province is my home. My family has lived here, worked here, paid taxes here, built businesses here, and contributed to the prosperity not only of Alberta but of Canada. My love for Alberta does not come from political ideology or social media. It comes from a lifetime of living here.That is why I find it disappointing whenever Albertans who are asking legitimate questions about our future are dismissed as uninformed, misguided, or somehow not understanding their own province.One reason this issue is deeply personal to me is because my family's story is part of Alberta's story.My great-grandfather brought his family from Pennsylvania in 1905 to homestead in what would become the Province of Alberta. Like thousands of pioneer families, they broke the land, built farms, and helped establish the communities that made this province prosperous. They believed they were building a future for their children and grandchildren here in Alberta.Like many Alberta landowners, my family surrendered the mineral rights beneath our land to the Government of Alberta. Those resources were entrusted to the Province for the benefit of Albertans — to help build Alberta's schools, hospitals, roads, and future. They were never intended to become a means by which Alberta would continually provide extraordinary wealth while having diminishing influence over how that wealth was governed.That history makes this conversation personal..When Senator Paula Simons says she does not recognize herself in the Alberta independence movement, I respect her right to hold that view. We should expect honest disagreement in a democracy.But many of us no longer recognize ourselves in the Canada that Ottawa increasingly asks Alberta to subsidize, regulate, finance, and applaud while often restricting the very industries that have contributed so much to Canada's prosperity.The concerns many Albertans express today did not begin with Donald Trump, social media, or recent political movements. They have existed for decades.I remember the National Energy Program. I have watched governments of different political stripes promise fairness while Alberta repeatedly faced policies that many believed limited our ability to develop our natural resources. Pipeline proposals have been delayed or cancelled. New federal legislation has expanded Ottawa's influence over projects that are vital to Alberta's economy.This is about far more than oil and gas.It is about whether Alberta is treated as an equal partner within Confederation..Albertans have never objected to helping other Canadians. We have always understood that strong provinces help build a strong country. What becomes increasingly difficult is watching Alberta contribute disproportionately while repeatedly being told that our concerns are exaggerated, misunderstood, or somehow not authentic.Many studies have shown that Alberta has made enormous net fiscal contributions to Canada over many years. Reasonable people may debate the precise methodology, but few dispute that Alberta has contributed substantially more to the federation than it has received in direct federal spending.That does not make Albertans resentful.It causes Albertans to ask whether the relationship remains balanced.Those are not unreasonable questions.For decades, Albertans have sought meaningful reform within Confederation. We have advocated for a Triple-E Senate — equal, elected, and effective. We have asked that senators representing Alberta actually be chosen by Albertans instead of being appointed by the prime minister of the day..That request has never been about personalities.It has always been about democratic representation.Whatever one thinks of Senator Paula Simons personally, she sits in the Senate because she was appointed, not because Albertans elected her to represent them. Many Albertans believe that should change.Albertans have also spent decades trying to improve Confederation from within.We elected reformers.We supported constitutional reform.We challenged unfair policies.We proposed Senate reform.We sought greater provincial equality.We remained at the table because we believed Canada could become stronger by respecting all its provinces equally.Many Albertans are now asking whether those efforts have produced the change they hoped for.That is not quitting.It is responsible citizenship..Whenever Albertans raise these questions, many feel they are too often portrayed as fearful, intolerant, selfish, or misinformed instead of being engaged respectfully on the merits of their arguments.I do not believe that reflects who Albertans are.The Alberta I know is generous, compassionate, innovative, hardworking, and welcoming. It has welcomed people from around the world who have helped build one of the most prosperous provinces in Canada.Our desire for greater self-government does not come from hostility toward Canada.It comes from a desire for fairness.I still hope Canada can become a Confederation where every province is genuinely respected, where constitutional powers are honoured, where provinces are free to develop the resources God has entrusted to them, and where representation truly reflects the people rather than appointments made in Ottawa.But respect requires listening..It requires recognizing that hundreds of thousands of Albertans are not asking these questions because they hate Canada. They are asking them because they love Alberta, because their families helped build it, because they believe Confederation should function as a partnership of equals, and because they want future generations to enjoy the same opportunities their grandparents worked so hard to create.I was born and raised in Alberta.I do not need Ottawa to explain Alberta to me.I simply ask Ottawa — and all Canadians — to listen to Albertans with the same respect they would expect for themselves.Whether Alberta ultimately remains in Confederation, seeks greater autonomy, or one day chooses another path, that conversation should never be dismissed or caricatured.It should be heard.Because in a free and democratic country, asking whether the relationship is still working is not an act of disloyalty.It is an act of responsible citizenship.Allan Hunsperger is a Christian broadcaster, Bible teacher, author, and speaker who has been in ministry since 1972. He is the co-host of Talk Truth, a daily television program reaching audiences across Canada and internationally. He is passionate about making disciples, calling people back to the authority of Scripture, and encouraging believers to live courageously in truth.

HUNSPERGER: An Albertan's perspective — this conversation is about respect

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