A few short months after the October, 2019 election – and the explosive rise of Wexit – a new novel about the Alberta independence movement was released. True Patriots by Russell Fralich, a Montreal business professor, was published by Dundurn Press, one of the largest Canadian-owned publishers. .While timely, True Patriots unfortunately portrays supporters of Alberta independence in the worst possible way. In this story there are two main components of the movement: an organization actually named the Alberta Independence Movement, and the leadership of the Alberta Conservative Party. The first is comprised of knuckle-dragging white supremacists who are gathering American military weapons to defend an independent Alberta following a referendum; the second is comprised of sophisticated political operatives, motivated by personal ambition and lust for power. There’s nothing sympathetic about any of these characters..In contrast, the two protagonists of the story are Daniel Ritter, a business professor in Halifax, and Lieutenant Commander Claire Marcoux, a Royal Canadian Navy ship’s captain, originally from Montreal. .Marcoux becomes involved in this story when her coastal patrol ship intercepts and sinks a small vessel smuggling weapons from the United States to the east coast of Canada – weapons which are destined for the “the good ol’ Brownshirt boys” of the Alberta Independence Movement. .Ritter – the professor – becomes involved when a prominent business leader he is scheduled to meet is assassinated moments before the meeting. As it turns out, the assassination was carried out on the orders of the businessman’s estranged son, Garth Haynes – the manager of the pro-independence side of Alberta’s upcoming sovereignty referendum..Early in the book Haynes explains to CTV News that, “Our message is merely the natural continuation of a movement that’s taken decades to prepare. It all started with the CCF, then Social Credit, the Reform Party, and the simple cry of ‘The West Wants In.’” He then states that Eastern Canadians have become “mostly a smouldering pile of Socialists intent on confiscating the West’s bounty as their own.”.Haynes works under Premier Brewster of Alberta, the provincial Conservative leader and also the leader of the Yes side in the Alberta referendum. Brewster explains what he plans to do after winning it: “First, we have to negotiate with the Americans. Otherwise, they’ll just roll over us. Our oil will help guarantee that they have enough for at least a generation, even if there are problems with the Saudis or Iran or Venezuela. We could become their fifty-first state. I’ll become governor. We’ll have two senators and a dozen or so congressmen.”.While managing the independence campaign, Haynes is also secretly organizing weapons shipments from the U.S. to be used to arm the “goose-stepping goons” of the Alberta Independence Movement. Commander Marcoux, however, intercepts both shipments. Haynes’ weapons gambit, as well as his responsibility for a terrorist bomb attack in Halifax, are discovered by Daniel Ritter, who is able to publicly reveal them – in the nick of time – when he’s interviewed on TV the day before Alberta’s referendum. .With the Alberta independence movement exposed as a bunch of terrorists, the referendum fails: “CTV, Global, and CBC announced that the referendum was officially defeated, with the No side winning by a narrow margin of 2.7 per cent. Premier Brewster resigned thirty minutes later, holding his distraught-looking wife, their two photogenic blond kids, but not holding back his tears.” Canada is saved..The distasteful part of this book is that Alberta independence supporters are portrayed in just about the vilest way possible – essentially, they are all terrorists and/or narcissists. People who are familiar with Alberta’s real independence movement will not be able to recognize its proponents as they are characterized here..In terms of literary quality, however, the book succeeds. It is well-written and exciting, making it easy and enjoyable to read (if you can overlook the way Alberta patriots are depicted). And it is noteworthy that the book completely avoids any gratuitous sex scenes, which in this day and age is a significant accomplishment for a novelist. .Here again – like the earlier book Alberta Alone – a novel portraying the Alberta independence movement as sinister and violent highlights the need for a new stream of creative writing from someone familiar with Alberta – someone who can express the frustrations many Albertans feel about the province’s inferior status within Canada. Properly done, a novel with a plausible portrayal of Alberta independence from a sympathetic perspective could contribute to a broader understanding of Western grievances and the need to start a new country.
