University of Alberta law professor Gerard Kennedy told Global News it would be extremely complicated to start a new country. This is in response to absolutely nobody claiming the process would be a simple one.

Many contemporary blueprints are available for the formation of a new, sovereign state. In fact, over 70 new countries have been created around the world just since 1966. The process for all of those new countries to gain independence wasn’t simple either. Many of them didn’t have guiding documents such as the Clarity Act to chart the pathway for them. Yet they managed.

“There would have to be a negotiation between Canada and Alberta, to negotiate the terms of departure and issues like that would have be considered,” Kennedy said. There is currently ongoing negotiation between Canada and Alberta just to get a pipeline approved. The province is getting plenty of practice in dealing with intransigent political leaders in Ottawa already.

In the event of Alberta’s garnering independence, Kennedy notes, “That ability to facilitate will be gone. Now, the independent Alberta would have to negotiate with the province of British Columbia, and the federal government in a separate country. That would be how that would work.”

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Yes. Alberta would have to negotiate as an independent state rather than a province. If anything, an independent Alberta will have much more leverage in such negotiations than it does right now.

Kennedy stated he would be surprised if the RCMP continued to provide service within an independent Alberta. Albertans would be surprised if there was a foreign police force operating in their newly independent state as well. It’s generally assumed that the new nation would form its own police force.

Determining how the Canadian Pension Plan will be divvied up will also take some effort and Professor Kennedy hasn’t overlooked that. He said, “Alberta has clearly put a disproportionate share of payments into the Canada Pension Plan… You’re going to have to get some actuaries and lawyers to hash that out.” That process has already been in the works to a degree and it's an issue to be addressed whether Alberta chooses to remain within or leave Canada.

Nobody is claiming the path for a province to achieve independence will be easy, but there aren’t any insurmountable barriers to overcome either. If there’s one thing Albertans have never been afraid of, it’s been putting in hard work to make their home a better place.