R.T. Wells is a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy.As a card-carrying member of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), I am a firm believer that Western independence is the only way forward for our fair Prairie province. With an almost innumerable list of potential monetary, social, cultural, and political benefits in leaving the failed ‘post-national state’ of Canada, it’s almost impossible to imagine why anyone wouldn’t support the APP. But as I see an increasingly Christian emphasis driving the independence message, I can’t help but wonder: have they gone too far?The alarm bells first went off during the holidays when the APP sent out a newsletter on December 24 that read more like a Christian sermon than a political update. The message was so bold as to compare the cause of the APP with the work of Christ himself. .MCTEAGUE: Will Maduro's fall be Canada’s wake-up call?.As much as I love a good metaphor, I think we can all agree that comparing our political motivations to Christ’s desire to save humanity might be going a bit far. I tried to dismiss the article as a holiday fancy where a well-meaning person dipped too heavily into the eggnog at the Christmas lunch party before returning to their desk. However, several days later, I still couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that my favorite grassroots organization had crossed a line, and now I understand why.According to the 2021 Census of Statistics Canada, 48.1% of Albertans identify as Christian, which is the second lowest percentage in the country (not surprisingly, British Columbia limps in at a mere 34.3%). This means that pushing Christianity for a political cause immediately excludes approximately 52% of Albertans. It also has no guarantee of appealing to Christians either, as it’s far too easy to over or undershoot a religious message. One person's extremism is another's daily bread, so to speak..With a little luck, there will be a referendum on independence in the fall, and each and every one of us will have a say in the outcome. In an ideal world, 100% of Albertans will leap on the opportunity to free themselves and this province from the hostility of the Liberal government and set out on a new course for a brighter future. In actuality, there has never been a referendum in history that has garnered that much support, and it’s unlikely our own numbers will crest 60% (and that’s if we’re extremely lucky). Which is why adding Christianity to the cause feels dangerous.Make no mistake, this is not an attack on Christianity but rather a criticism of clutter. By intertwining religion with independence, one runs the risk of alienating those of different faiths or of no faith at all and diluting the real cause: sovereignty. No group knows this better than the LGBTQ community, who struggle to finish their own acronym for having added so much. Believe it or not, according to the National Geographic article, “From LGBT to LGBTQIA+: The Evolving Recognition of Identity,” only a few short decades ago, this group of people was simply known as the LGB community. Thirty years later, their seemingly endless acronym is synonymous with just about every Liberal notion that ever there was: Mass immigration? You bet. Sexual alteration of children? For sure. Every environmental cause known to man? Of course. Heck, even the mythical 2S (Two-Spirit) people of the world have been officially included as the Government of Canada’s website can attest (as if it wasn’t hard enough for them to cater to ordinary humans without having to include imaginary ones too)..GOLDBERG: Carney must be prepared to listen to changes the US wants ahead of CUSMA talks .I’m sure in the beginning, this all made sense; cast your net far and wide, and you’ll have more support from a larger base. There’s a sweet spot in politics where I’m sure it even works. Including #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo originally meant nabbing an enormous support group, but the notion was flawed because guess what? Not all minorities condone homosexuality, just as being gay doesn’t mean you want to see men gallivanting as women in female sports. The original cause behind their movement has become so obscured that according to an Ipsos survey in 2024, support for this community is declining across Canada. Why? It just includes too much.I fear this is also the thinking behind the APP’s Faith, Family, and Freedom motto, which they launched this summer. Why just catch politically in-tune Albertans who want to shape the future when you can scoop up Christians and families too? My thoughts on this are simple: be very careful. If you emphasize the sacrament, you might just forget the service.R.T. Wells is a veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy.
