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The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is warning Albertans about the economic consequences of leaving Canada, with major business leaders lining up behind the case for staying in Confederation.

The Chamber says Alberta should prioritize the relationships, opportunities and stability that have helped the province prosper.

But this sounds awfully familiar.

During Brexit, voters were hit with dire warnings about what would happen if Britain left the European Union. The 1995 Quebec referendum saw its own version of “Project Fear,” with federalists warning about the consequences of separation as the vote approached.

Now that playbook is being dusted off in Alberta.

Of course businesses want stability. But stability is not the same thing as freedom, prosperity or self-government.

Albertans have built a prosperous province from the ground up. They have the resources, entrepreneurial spirit and ability to negotiate their own future.

Nobody can predict exactly what an independent Alberta would look like. That uncertainty is real. But uncertainty alone is no reason to accept the status quo.