MACLEOD: Why Alberta should choose independence — prosperity on our own terms

An open letter to my fellow Albertans.You work hard, building a thriving province: from the oil patch to the white-collar guys downtown to raising cattle to working the land. But every year, Ottawa treats us like the reliable sibling who always brings the steaks to the family barbecue, only to hand the entire bill to you while praising “national unity.”Enough. On October 19, we have a chance to vote "yes" to independence and finally keep what we have built. This isn’t about anger or abandonment. It’s about maturity, self-respect, and building the strongest, freest jurisdiction in North America on our own terms.We already function like a country. We have world-class resources, skilled people, infrastructure that links us to the world, the bulk of the required government infrastructure, and one of the lowest-cost business environments on the continent. What we lack is permission to thrive without federal interference. Independence fixes that. Here’s why every undecided Albertan should join the "yes" side.First, let’s talk money. Albertans are Canada’s largest net contributors, sending roughly $30 to $40 billion more to the capital every year than we receive in return. That’s not partnership; that’s a subsidy program with Alberta as the silent ATM. Independence ends the outflow. Our money stays home for lower taxes and better services. No more billions vanishing into national ideological programs that treat Alberta like an afterthought, if we are thought of at all. .Pair that with our resource wealth. We sit on the world’s third-largest oil and gas reserves, plus vast critical minerals and some of the best farmland anywhere. Right now, Ottawa writes the rules, takes its cut, and slows everything down. Independence means full control: royalties stay in Alberta to fund our own priorities, whether that’s infrastructure, debt reduction, or rebates to families. Imagine the difference when every development dollar works for us, not for appeasing distant politicians who couldn’t find Fort McMurray on a map.And yes, we can do this while protecting our environment better than Ottawa ever has. Federal carbon taxes and mandates have been a masterclass in economic self-harm: higher costs for families and industry, delayed projects, and virtue signalling that achieves little. An independent Alberta would set its own market-based environmental policy. Cheaper, reliable energy. Faster approvals grounded in evidence, not ideology. Real innovation. We’ve always been practical stewards of the land: we don’t need oversight from Ottawa lecturing us on how to do it.The fiscal upside compounds quickly. With full control over taxes and spending, we can cut personal and corporate rates dramatically while maintaining and improving strong public services. These arguments apply to every Albertan, regardless of your political persuasion. Our current surplus becomes real take-home pay. Think what that means for young families, entrepreneurs, and retirees. Lower costs, higher wages, more opportunities. This isn’t fantasy; it’s basic arithmetic when you stop exporting your wealth.Pensions offer another clear win. Albertans already over-contribute to the Canada Pension Plan thanks to our younger workforce and higher earnings. An Alberta Pension Plan would deliver stronger returns, more accountability, and benefits tailored to our economy and demographics. Why trust a national plan managed far away when we can design one that actually works for us?Trade is where independence becomes electric. No more waiting years for Ottawa to pre-approve pipelines with multiple conditions or strike deals that suit Alberta..We would negotiate directly with the United States, Asia, and Europe: our natural markets. Faster exports. Better prices for our energy. A diversified customer base that reduces risk and boosts revenue. With sovereign leverage, we could finally unlock reliable routes to global markets. An independent Alberta could finally secure additional pipeline access: whether by striking pragmatic profit-sharing deals with British Columbia and its indigenous groups, or negotiating a renewed, robust national agreement with the US directly.Control over immigration, healthcare, and education seals the deal. We know our labour needs better than anyone in Ottawa. We can welcome people who want to contribute to our economy and share our values of hard work and self-reliance. We can fix healthcare wait times through competition and innovation, rather than endless federal-provincial bickering. One-size-fits-all never fits Alberta. Time to tailor policies to reality.The economic momentum would be immediate. Full regulatory clarity, lightning-fast permitting, and zero federal bottlenecks would make Alberta a global magnet for capital. Our skilled workforce stands ready. More jobs, higher wages, lower unemployment: the virtuous cycle every growing economy dreams of. We’ve done it before under constraints. Imagine what we’ll achieve without them.Critics will wring their hands about “division.” Let’s be clear: independence isn’t leaving Canada behind in some fit of pique. It’s Alberta stepping up as the capable adult in the room. We’ve subsidized Confederation long enough. A strong, prosperous Alberta benefits everyone through trade, talent, and example, not through endless transfers that breed resentment on all sides. This is the opposite of isolation. It’s confident engagement on our own terms..We already look like a country. World-class resources. Modern infrastructure. Entrepreneurial spirit. Low taxes and high opportunity by North American standards. All that’s missing is the removal of the constitutional handcuffs. Alberta has everything a successful independent nation needs. We just need to keep what we build.To the undecided: this vote is about your future, your children’s future, and the kind of province we hand down. Voting "yes" means choosing prosperity on our own terms: lower taxes, more control, faster growth, and pride in self-governance. Voting no means more of the same, which is watching our wealth flow east while we fight for scraps of autonomy.The campaign for this referendum has begun — and it is united behind one powerful vision.Stop sending $30 to $40 billion every year to Ottawa. Keep every dollar of our resource revenue here in Alberta. End the counterproductive federal mandates and carbon taxes that punish our families and industry. Build our own stronger pension plan, smarter trade deals, and policies that actually fit who we are. Unleash a flood of investment and good-paying jobs with regulatory speed and certainty. Become what we already are: a sovereign powerhouse in full command of its own destiny.On October 19, vote "yes".Let’s stop subsidizing a federation that takes us for granted and start building the Alberta we deserve: strong, free, prosperous, and unapologetically ours.

MACLEOD: Why Alberta should choose independence — prosperity on our own terms

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