Senator Paula Simons went on CHED radio and unloaded on the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) and the wider Alberta independence movement. In a few breaths, she painted the whole thing as xenophobic, racist, misogynist, anti-woman, transphobic, and homophobic. She even nodded toward the old standby about “dark” foreign money involved.Those are not policy critiques. They are character assassinations aimed at thousands of ordinary Albertans.If a senator wants to accuse a public movement of hatred, the burden is on the senator to show receipts. Names. Examples. A pattern. Something more than vibes and a suspicious tone of voice..HANNAFORD: Can this really be legal?.When I pressed her on where she draws the line between legitimate grievance and what she called negative emotion, Simons partially pulled back. “I don’t think I said that the APP was making an argument of hatred,” she told me. She acknowledged Alberta has “plenty of legitimate grievances,” naming seats in Parliament and the Senate, the tanker ban, and equalization.Fine. Start there. Because that is the real story. A political argument about Confederation, not a moral panic.But in the same answer, Simons pointed to things she says she has “seen from people” who talk about “mass deportation” of immigrants, about not abiding by treaty obligations, about “inviting ICE into our province,” and comments denouncing equity and inclusion. .She also cited provincial controversies she opposes, including using the notwithstanding clause “to strip constitutional rights from trans youth” and the removal of “award-winning queer coming-of-age stories from school libraries.” She said, “I get chills when I see political actors scapegoating immigrants, indigenous people, queer people … for larger economic and social anxieties.”Here’s the problem. Even if you agree with every one of Simons’ personal views, that is still not proof that the APP as an organization — or the independence movement as a whole — is racist or transphobic. It’s a list of hot-button issues and anecdotes, blended together until a constitutional question starts to look like a hate rally.That is convenient politics. If your opponents are “racist,” you never have to answer their arguments about Ottawa’s decisions. You never have to explain why Western energy projects die in paperwork, why equalization remains untouchable, or why federal governments of every stripe treat the West like a wallet and a warning label..OLDCORN: Cancel culture comes for conservatives — courtesy of the Manitoba PC Party.Start with what this movement actually is, in public, on paper, in law.The APP is pursuing a citizen initiative petition and a referendum question. Elections Alberta lists the petition, the proponent, the required number of signatures, and the signature window. That is not a secret cabal. That is a regulated democratic process, out in the open for anyone to scrutinize.The question they circulated is blunt and constitutional. Should Alberta cease to be part of Canada and become an independent state? You can think that is a bad idea. You can argue it would be disruptive. You can point to economic and legal risks. But none of that is evidence of racism, misogyny, or hatred..Now, about the foreign influence accusations.When I asked Simons what evidence concerns her most about American or Russian influence, she cited public actions and a broader risk. “I believe leaders in the separatist movement have been quite public and vocal about meeting with American officials and asking for millions in American loans,” she said, adding that others have said they welcome American intervention..BERNARDO: Cape Breton’s confiscation disaster and Quebec’s big payday.That’s a fair thing to criticize. If any Alberta political project is shopping for American loans or encouraging American meddling, Albertans should demand transparency and treat it as a flashing red warning light.But then Simons moved from “America” to “Russia” and admitted what matters most, “I have no evidence of Russian interference.” She referenced Russia’s track record in other countries and said we shouldn’t be naïve about the risk.Again, that’s a risk, not proof. “No evidence” is not a licence to smear a domestic movement by implying the Kremlin is funding it. If a senator has evidence of illegal foreign financing, she should present it to the proper authorities and to the public. If she does not, she should stop laundering suspicion as fact..Especially because Elections Alberta’s financing rules for citizen initiative proponents are not suggestions. They are rules, with limits and reporting requirements. If someone thinks the law is being broken, the answer is an actual complaint, not radio fog.Simons also leaned on a “history” frame—the idea that she recognizes dangerous patterns when she sees them. But politics isn’t astrology. You don’t get to slap “scapegoating” on your opponents because you “get chills.” You still have to prove what you are alleging about the people you’re targeting..MACKINNON: $20 Million allegedly stolen from seniors housing — inside Quebec’s explosive non-profit fraud scandal.If Simons wants to fight Alberta independence, she should do it on the merits. To her credit, when I asked what Albertans should do instead, she offered real answers, such as build economic alliances with other provinces, improve TMX performance by cooperating with BC and the Port of Vancouver, pursue partnerships with First Nations on deep water port options, make the case for an Eastern pipeline, and take leadership on tearing down interprovincial trade barriers rather than building new ones. She also talked about political alliances with places that feel left out of the conversation — Atlantic Canada, the North, the territories — and said people respond better to “positive messages of hope and possibility” than to negativity..Good. That is the debate Albertans deserve.But here’s my message back to her. You don’t get to invite Albertans into a positive national project while describing your own neighbours as bigots on the way in. Debate sovereignty. Debate separation. Debate the costs and risks. Criticize the organizers when they do something reckless — like flirting with foreign political involvement..WATCH: Carla Beck on pipelines, trade, gun policy and Saskatchewan healthcare.Just stop smearing an entire grassroots movement as racist and transphobic unless you’re willing to meet a basic standard of proof. That kind of talk does not cool divisions. It widens them.
