I’m a born-and-raised Albertan, and, except for a year-and-a-half stint in Regina, I have lived and worked in Alberta all my life: a couple of years in Edmonton and mostly in Calgary. I have been a proponent of getting a better deal for Alberta from Ottawa since Pierre Trudeau saddled my province with his crippling national energy policy that destroyed the Alberta economy.I was delighted when the referendum was announced. The results of the referendum’s Question 10 this week were disappointing, but not a surprise, for a couple of reasons. Primary among them was the nature of the vote. There was only one question that needed to be asked: “Should Albertans vote to have the Alberta government begin taking actions for Alberta to achieve independence?” That doesn’t take away from the importance of the other nine questions, which sent a clear message to Ottawa that Albertans are not happy with an overbearing, overreaching federal government, but, in reality, the questions did not require approval by a province-wide vote. They could have been debated in the legislature, with enough time given for MLAs to seek the opinions of their constituents. As it stood, questions one through nine contributed to massive confusion among voters, creating a battle cry for those not supporting independence, “Say no to the nine,” which took some of the focus off the main question, Question 10.Also working against the vote were opponents of independence, who portrayed it as an attack on Canada intended to break up the country. It was not an attack on Canada; it was, and continues to be, a fight against Ottawa and the anti-Alberta policies rolling down Parliament Hill..For years upon years, Albertans have put up with interference from the feds’ policies and abuse from the Laurentian elite and, to borrow a quote, “we’re mad as hell and won’t take it anymore.”The referendum ‘organizers’ are to be acknowledged for getting the ball rolling, but it could have been better. The referendum's cause is not dead, and, at some point, will be revived if questions from one to nine are ignored in Ottawa. Changes must be made next time around, including only one organizing group and only one battle slogan, which means breaking the curse of Conservatives fighting among themselves. Certainly, the referendum accomplished much, moving conversations out of the shadows and putting Alberta on national and international stages. It was the leading news on all Canadian media for weeks, and the results were broadcast internationally by CNN, FOX News, BNN Bloomberg, BBC, and others. That coverage changed the perceptions of the province of Alberta’s strength and importance. Canadians who thought Albertans were just whiners had their minds changed by the coverage, getting a view of Albertans' true grit and learning something to which heretofore they had paid little or no attention: that Alberta is the largest cog in the Canadian economy and that they would suffer a loss if the province left. Perhaps more importantly, Albertans understood the referendum would have a major impact on the province’s future, regardless of the final vote, and turned out in droves. .As of noon on Tuesday, Elections Alberta reported 12,134,667 valid votes had been cast across the ten questions. On Question 10, there were 1,431,933 votes for Option 1 and 470,010 votes for Option 2, for a total of 1,901,943. By comparison, a total of 1,777,315 votes were cast in the Alberta general election in May 2023. The referendum voter numbers must get the attention of Ottawa and, in particular, the Liberal junta led by Prime Minister Carney and his empty platitudes about building a stronger Canada, which cannot be strong without Alberta. The referendum to have a referendum failed, but it galvanized Alberta voters like no other election before it, raising Albertans’ understanding of the relationship with Ottawa and opening the door for more Albertans to discuss the issues with friends and family. One in four Albertans voted for independence this time around, a win for those who chose Option 1, but also a number Ottawa cannot ignore. It’s a sign of solid support for independence that is not going away and will no doubt grow as more conversations take place and more Albertans realize a change is not only needed but also beneficial, not just for Albertans but for all Canadians.
