Alberta Fact Check: Does the independence movement have no plan?
In Alberta, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) created a detailed plan for independence called “The Value of Freedom” which covers costed estimates for the transition of Alberta from Canada, while Keith Wilson's Alberta Transition Council group is crafting a white paper on the framework for independence.
Former Mulroney era staffer David McLaughlin is trying to revive the 1995 federalist argument used against the Quebec independence movement by implying there is no plan. In a posting on X in response to Keith Wilson’s “Alberta’s Done Waiting” he said, “All slogan, no plan.”
Ironically, he is lifting a slogan to counter a slogan.
Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien focused on spreading fear and uncertainty in Quebec by claiming the independence side had no plan. Quebec’s Liberal Party leader Daniel Johnson focused on the same theme as he led the official “no” campaign during the 1995 Quebec independence referendum.
The “no plan” sloganeering led the Yes side in the Quebec referendum campaign from support in the low 40% range in September to 49.42% support on referendum day in October.
Part of why the campaign based on an alleged lack of planning on the part of the independence movement failed so catastrophically in Quebec was that there was indeed a plan and it was quite detailed. Quebec spent years studying and gathering information to plan for independence and summarized it in Bill 1 in 1995, “An Act Respecting the Future of Québec.”
Contingencies and proposals were planned in detail. Much of this is covered in Sheila Gunn Reid’s book, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
In Alberta, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) created a detailed plan for independence called “The Value of Freedom” which covers costed estimates for the transition of Alberta from Canada. Critics feel the estimates are too optimistic within the plan, but there are estimates, nonetheless.
Keith Wilson’s “Alberta Transition Council” has been gathering experts and is crafting a white paper which expected to be released soon and will chart a framework for provincial independence.
While Wilson’s plan remains to be seen and the APP plan has critics, it is false to claim there is no plan coming from the independence side of the debate in Alberta.
Federalists claiming there wasn’t a plan in Quebec in 1995 insulted the intelligence of Quebecers and it backfired. Following the same plan of attack against the Alberta independence movement may lead to a similar outcome.
Federalists may not agree with or like the plan, but claiming there is no plan on the part of the independence movement is untrue.
Cory Morgan
Cory Morgan is an Alberta-based columnist, political commentator, and longtime advocate for Western Canadian independence. He is the author of the recently updated book The Sovereigntist’s Handbook, a grassroots guide for independence supporters and political activists.
http://sovereigntistshandbook.com/Featured Stories
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-06-23 19:29:54 -0400The worst lies sound convincing. That’s what Lukaszuk’s gang told Albertans. I suspect many folks don’t realize that we RENT the RCMP. They don’t realize how many times we’ve had projects blocked which would benefit ALL of Canada.
