Colin MacLeod is the author of the provocative book “The Case for Alberta’s Independence,” and the force behind @cnm5000 on X.For more than a century, Alberta has waited for fairness from Ottawa. We have negotiated, compromised, and deferred — always hoping reason would prevail and our place in Confederation would finally be respected. It never has been. With Premier Danielle Smith’s November deadline for progress fast approaching, it’s time to accept what history has made clear: negotiation with Ottawa is a dead end.Alberta’s role in federal decision-making has always been conditional — tolerated when convenient and ignored when not. Our leaders have fought for recognition, only to be met with indifference or outright hostility from the federal establishment..McCOURT: Time to emulate King Ralph, Premier Smith!.Frederick Haultain envisioned a strong western province standing equal to Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa rejected him, divided the West, and kept resource rights under federal control. Alberta entered Confederation already limited — its economic destiny dictated from afar.When William Aberhart sought financial independence in the 1930s, creating Alberta’s own credit and banking systems to help citizens through the Depression, Ottawa crushed his efforts through the courts. It wasn’t policy disagreement — it was contempt for a province that dared to govern on its own terms.Peter Lougheed fought to restore Alberta’s rights and pushed back against Pierre Trudeau’s National Energy Program. His victories were hard-won but temporary. Ottawa simply rewrote the rules when Alberta became too successful. Lougheed proved Alberta could win in court, but not in politics..Preston Manning and the Reform Party gave voice to western alienation with the promise that “The West wants in.” We got in, but nothing changed. Equalization continued, the Senate stayed unelected, and Ottawa’s disdain became more polished but no less real.Even Stephen Harper, the first Alberta prime minister since 1911, could not overcome Ottawa’s institutional resistance. His modest proposal to democratize the Supreme Court was struck down by the Court itself — proof that even with power in Ottawa, Alberta cannot reform a system designed to exclude it.Premier Smith’s nine demands are practical, constitutional, and grounded in fairness. She has called for the repeal of the federal emissions cap, elimination of clean electricity regulations, and an end to single-use plastic rules that brand essential materials as toxic. She seeks to repeal Bill C-69 — the “no new pipelines” act — and lift the B.C. tanker ban blocking Alberta’s access to world markets. She has urged Ottawa to abandon its net-zero vehicle mandate, return industrial carbon tax oversight to the provinces, end federal censorship of energy companies, and guarantee Alberta unrestricted access to east-west energy corridors..SLOBODIAN: Are Manitobans too gullible to tell Halloween pranks from deadly home invaders? NDP thinks so.These are not radical requests; they are the bare minimum for a functional federation that respects provincial autonomy. Ottawa’s refusal to act on even one of them proves what Albertans have long known: continued negotiation is futile. If these straightforward, commonsense reforms cannot be achieved, there is no reason to believe Ottawa will ever act in good faith toward Alberta..The November deadline was not arbitrary — it was Alberta’s last test of Ottawa’s sincerity. Extending it further would only repeat a century of failure. Ottawa has never responded to patience, only to pressure. Haultain was ignored, Aberhart was overruled, Lougheed was constrained, Manning was placated, and Harper was blocked. Alberta’s moderation has been rewarded only with condescension.Continuing negotiations past November would signal weakness, not wisdom. It would tell Ottawa that Alberta will tolerate endless delay so long as the rhetoric remains polite. This moment — right now — is the culmination of 120 years of obstruction. If Ottawa refuses to move, Alberta must. Whether through a referendum on independence or unilateral assertion of constitutional authority, decisive action is no longer optional — it is overdue..HANNAFORD: A quarter-trillion more... Ottawa’s budget of deception.Every generation of Alberta leadership has asked for fairness. Every generation has been denied. The time for asking is over. If November comes and nothing changes, Alberta must stop pretending that Ottawa will ever act in good faith. The choice is no longer between negotiation and confrontation — it is between perpetual subservience and genuine self-determination.Enough is enough.Colin MacLeod is the author of the provocative book “The Case for Alberta’s Independence,” and the force behind @cnm5000 on X.
