NELSON: Kenney’s marriage meltdown: How an independence referendum becomes a home wrecker

Yes, Kenney now thinks he’s an expert on nuptial strife, believing a referendum on Alberta independence will cause divorce lawyers across the province to rub their hands in glee.In a bizarre CBC interview, Kenney described how a “go-it-alone” vote would disrupt happy homes across the province."If this gets to a ballot, there will be marriages that will break up over it. There will be wives and husbands who just can't tolerate each other over their opinions on this,” was his dire warning about future family harmony in Wild Rose country..THOMAS: Carney's Liberals unveil new housing plan; as of yet, no sign of blanket upzoning.Oh, and such a vote won’t just wreck marriages. It would cause grievous havoc across every segment of society. “That would divide families, divide communities, divide friends for no useful purpose." "There will be businesses where partnerships break up. There will be churches and community organizations that break up over this. That's how explosive this is,” exclaimed the former premier..Wow. Who could have thought Albertans were so brittle? That a simple question on a ballot form could rip our province apart. Hey, if the bonds that tie us are so frayed, maybe starting from scratch is what’s needed.But seriously, this wasn’t really about any future vote on independence — one that will go ahead next year, if more than 177,000 signatures are collected supporting such a ballot question.No, this over-the-top tirade was about Kenney himself and the lingering anger he still feels for being separated from the premier’s job back in 2022, when UCP members refused to give him a strong mandate in a leadership vote..EDITORIAL: Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination is not journalism.Kenney can’t moan about this today, but he can vent his spleen against those he believes were behind his fall by attacking the project he thinks those folk hold closest to their hearts: independence.It’s a nice tie-up. See, it wasn’t Kenney’s fault he lacked support as premier. It was the fault of those within the party now supporting independence. These being individuals who: “couldn't get elected dogcatcher in this province, because they don't actually have real support."Well, it has to be asked: if there’s no support for independence or for those who are, to quote Kenney, “perennially aggrieved, perennially angry,” then how could such a small cabal threaten the very fabric of Alberta? .According to Kenney, there are only a couple of thousand of these independence types, so unless they plan an armed revolt, what possible threat do they hold? So, what’s the fuss about? Or does the man who once led this province believe we’re all so simple we can be manipulated that easily? (Oh, and we’re also told these independence supporters are big fans of Vladimir Putin. That’ll go down like hot cocoa on a minus 30C day back at CBC HQ. Remember this was the network that named Russia as behind the Freedom Convoy of truckers that famously descended on Ottawa during the latter days of Covid. Yep, Kenney picked his media platform well.).EDITORIAL: Manitoba minister’s hate-fuelled comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination show she’s unfit for office.The truth is we’re in a holding pattern. Premier Danielle Smith is cautiously optimistic about our current relationship with Ottawa regarding future development of the energy industry. OK, this could prove misguided, but Albertans await the outcome before seriously considering any future vote on independence.And despite Kenney’s dismissal of the idea as pointless, that threat has already paid dividends..When President Donald Trump first threatened Canada with onerous tariffs on our US-bound exports, there was an immediate cry to place our own levies on oil flowing southward. This would give US consumers a hefty slap when gasoline suddenly soared past four bucks a gallon.That was a huge threat to Alberta’s future prosperity — the US could always look elsewhere for supplies if pushed into a corner.But when the idea of a referendum on Alberta sovereignty arose, such blather from the rest of Canada ceased, and the idea was shelved..HEINRICHS: The green guillotine.Alberta’s very unlikely to leave Canada. But it might. That possibility gives Smith an ace in her hand, though she must be careful how to play it.Kenney was scared of such high-stakes poker. He was in Ottawa so long that he lost the nerve. That, and not the state of our marriages, is the real issue.Chris Nelson is a Calgary-based regular commentator on Alberta politics.

NELSON: Kenney’s marriage meltdown: How an independence referendum becomes a home wrecker

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