Abacus Data's latest poll found that 76% of Canadians outside Alberta want Alberta to remain part of Canada, while only 4% would prefer Alberta to separate.

On its face, that's hardly surprising. Most Canadians don't want the country to break apart.

The more interesting finding is buried deeper in the polling: a majority of Canadians say Ottawa should make significant concessions or do whatever it takes to keep Alberta in Confederation.

For years, Albertans have been told that their grievances aren't real, that they're simply whining, or that they should "get over it." Yet when Canadians are asked whether Alberta should be accommodated to keep the country together, most apparently answer yes.

Go Ad Free

The obvious follow-up question is: What concessions?

Albertans aren't asking for special treatment. They're asking for what they see as equal treatment:

• Repeal of the "No More Pipelines" law, Bill C-69.
• Repeal of the West Coast oil tanker ban under Bill C-48.
• Faster approvals for energy infrastructure.
• The ability to develop Alberta's resources and get them to world markets.

Albertans want to be allowed to grow the economy that has generated hundreds of billions of dollars in net fiscal contributions to the rest of Canada.

The poll also doesn't tell us whether Canadians would support specific changes that Alberta has long demanded. It's easy to say, "Keep Alberta in Canada." It's much harder to support the policy changes that many Albertans believe are necessary to make that happen.

Canadians may not be indifferent to Alberta's place in Confederation. But if they want Alberta to stay, the next question is whether they're willing to support the changes that many Albertans say are necessary to make Confederation work. 

But they keep voting for Liberals who pass these anti-Alberta laws.

Wanting Alberta to remain in Canada and being willing to change the policies that fuel western alienation are not necessarily the same thing.