Maclean's columnist Stephen Maher recently dismissed Alberta independence supporters as a "minority with a stupid idea," adding that their "illusions are not everyone else's problem." Calling Albertans stupid does not answer their arguments. It only proves their point.

Is there some reason why everyone should pretend their plan is not stupid? They are a minority with a stupid idea and it is necessary to say that. Their illusions are not everyone else’s problem. https://t.co/Aqsurk5BuA

— Stephen Maher (@stphnmaher) May 28, 2026

Insults are not arguments. And Maher's comments reveal a remarkable double standard in Canadian political culture.

For decades, Quebec separatism was treated as a legitimate political movement. Federal politicians, journalists, academics, and constitutional experts spent generations debating Quebec's place in Confederation. Ottawa commissioned studies. Governments negotiated constitutional reforms. The country held two national unity referendums.

Nobody suggested that millions of Quebecers were stupid for questioning whether Confederation served their interests. Nobody dismissed Quebec's concerns as "illusions."

Canadians were told that Quebec's grievances needed to be heard, understood, and addressed. Why is Alberta different?

Why was it reasonable for Quebecers to ask whether Canada was working for them, but unreasonable for Albertans to ask the same question?

Albertans aren't imagining the issues that have driven support for independence.

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They have watched successive federal governments obstruct pipelines, impose carbon taxes, pursue emissions caps, pass legislation such as Bill C-69, and create regulatory barriers that disproportionately affect Alberta's largest industry.

Reasonable people can disagree about those policies. But pretending they don't exist is impossible.

You cannot spend years telling Albertans that their largest industry needs to be capped, phased out, restricted, or regulated into decline and then act surprised when some begin to question whether the federation is still working in their interests.

In fact, if Canada's political and media establishment genuinely believes Alberta's oil and gas economy is a problem that needs to be constrained, then the real question becomes: why is it irrational for Albertans to reconsider the relationship?

Most people would consider it perfectly reasonable to leave a relationship where their contributions are expected, their concerns are dismissed, and their success is treated as a problem.

Whether Alberta independence is ultimately the right answer is a matter for democratic debate.

But the debate itself is not stupid. And neither are the Albertans participating in it.

The irony is that comments like Maher's are one of the strongest recruiting tools the independence movement has.

Every time an eastern columnist dismisses Albertans as ignorant, backward, or incapable of understanding their own interests, he reinforces the very sense of alienation driving support for independence.

When Quebec wanted out, Ottawa commissioned studies.

When Alberta wants a conversation, Canada's media class calls Albertans stupid.

If the goal is to keep Alberta in Canada, that seems like a remarkably poor strategy.

Albertans do not need permission from journalists in Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal to discuss their future. They do not need to be lectured about what they are allowed to think.

And they certainly do not need to be insulted for wanting the same democratic conversation Quebec was allowed to have for generations.