When the Earth was green, someone asked me about my heritage. It was a vague question. I was a kid. “German,” I told this person. Which is, in the main, true in ancestral terms. My father, as it turned out, overheard this miniconversation, and later told me emphatically: “You are not German. You are Canadian.” I argued the point, and he saw it but reiterated, “You are Canadian. Never forget it.” Yes. Yes, I am. Down to my soul and soles. All of which is my way of warming up to this separation nonsense. I just, frankly and flatly, do not understand the desire to split from Canada. At all.

At present, the two provinces with the most residents interested in such a thing are Alberta and, oh dear, Saskatchewan. That’s not to say there are majorities begging for secession in either province, but as we have recently discovered, it is definitely a thing. An Angus Reid poll in early-mid May asked respondents if they would vote to leave Canada. In Alberta, 19 per cent said they would definitely vote to leave; 17 per cent said they leaned toward independence (for a total of 36 per cent). Eight per cent leaned toward staying and 52 per cent definitely would vote to stay in Canada, so that’s 60 per cent to the good, in my view. In Saskatchewan, 15 per cent would vote to leave, 18 per cent leaned toward leaving (33 per cent), while nine per cent leaned toward staying, and 49 per cent said they would definitely vote to stay (58 per cent).

Okay, separatist minorities, so where would you be “going?”

According to a page on Wikipedia, Albertan separatists think they would either form an independent nation, create a new union with the other Western Canadian provinces, or join the United States somehow. There is less information about Saskatchewan, but the ideas are similar. As to the middle option, I suppose the joining of Alberta and Saskatchewan is a remote possibility, but good luck with Manitoba or British Columbia. That’s simply not on in those two provinces.

Okay, so WHY would you be leaving?

Has anyone pointed out that Alberta and Saskatchewan are the only two parts of this nation without direct access to tidewater? I think they have. Maybe the Albertan secessionists think all their oil and gas will simply flow south to the U.S. via pipeline or rail, and that will do. Maybe they are right. I don’t know. But would all our crops, potash, uranium and various other resources similarly flow south? Really? Meanwhile, are Albertans aware that they live in a very rich region? It’s hard to provide the perfect argument statistically, but let’s try per capita GDP. In 2023, Alberta had the highest in Canada, at $96,576. Also, Saskatchewan wasn’t all that far behind, at $90,715.

May I insert here that Canada’s equalization formula is imperfect in the extreme. But is this truly a reason to abdicate nationality? I watched an episode of The Writ’s podcast called The Numbers on this topic, with hosts Éric Grenier and Philippe Fournier entitled, ha, “Wexit, Alberta-ta, Saskatchewants-out?”

Fournier said Alberta’s separatism favourable 36 per cent is higher than in the past, but is “light years away from being competitive.” In Quebec, whence Fournier hails, if sovereignty polls in the mid-30s, that’s considered low. “That doesn’t mean this should be ignored,” he added. Nope. “It is very dangerous talk,” Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told The Canadian Press. “It is dangerous talk for our economy. It’s dangerous talk for our social cohesion. It’s going to tear apart communities.”

While this issue is also making headlines in Saskatchewan, the situation in Alberta is presently more concerning since Premier Danielle Smith is making it easier to demand a referendum on the subject. On top of that, Alberta sentiment often crosses our western border. “(The UCP) thinks they’re being clever by saying, ‘We’ll just have a referendum and let people express their views,’” Edmonton political analyst John Brennan told CTV. “But once that train has left the station, you don’t know where it’s going.” Yup. Interestingly, far fewer separatist Albertans polled said they would be pro-Wexit had the Conservative Party won the federal election.

For heaven’s sake, people. So, this is a short-term political decision, then? A crowbar to leverage concessions from the new Liberal government, which hasn’t yet had two seconds to form policy?

I must also note that the First Nations Chiefs of Alberta have powerfully objected to such talk, and with good reason. Their treaties were signed with Canada. The province is part of Canada. End of story. Anyway. Well over half of the residents in both provinces oppose secession, which is a “high bar” to hurdle for separatists, Grenier said. It won’t happen soon. But in a difficult time geopolitically, when we need to uniformly keep our elbows up, I object to and resent the notion that Canada, imperfect as it is but better than almost all the rest, is not good enough for these people. Don’t like the best country on Earth? Maybe move and see how you like it elsewhere. Write if you find work. Buh-bye.

– Joanne Paulson