On the Buffalo Roundtable, political strategist David Knight Legg pitched an idea for Premier Danielle Smith, arguing the move could prompt major Canadian banks to begin relocating from Toronto to Alberta.

Knight Legg made the case on Wednesday's weekly Western Canadian themed livestream, suggesting “The more that Alberta endeavours to become the Monaco of North America,” a small European country where “global capital comes and sets up their businesses — the lowest tax, tightest, cleanest, simplest, fastest regulatory environment — we can fund the rest of Canada at will.”

This prompted a follow-up question from host Sheila Gunn Reid: do Albertans actually want to?

“I'm real tired of seeing the champagne receptions over in Ottawa with everybody in their fancy tuxedos and sparkly dresses while the people of the West have to toil for generations just to get basic living expenses underway,” she said. “They're pretty mean to us, David.”

Knight Legg acknowledged the frustration but pushed back gently.

“Freeloading is not a good thing for anybody,” he said, describing what he called a “trust fund negativity” in central Canada, a resentment of the province that pays the bills, combined with a near-total unawareness of how much Quebec's economy depends on Alberta-funded equalization.

His bigger concern, though, was internal.

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Knight Legg warned that the independence debate risks fracturing Alberta's conservative movement at the worst possible moment. He pointed to how close the NDP came to winning Calgary seats in the last federal election, and questioned how a Liberal MP for Calgary could still be unwilling to tell the prime minister plainly that C-48 and C-69 need to go.

“We have a lot of work to do to win the hearts and minds,” he said, “and have a vision for what Alberta can be within the structure we've already got.”

Pointing to a list of work the province has already accomplished, like the Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, the creation of Invest Alberta, “there are 20 projects like that that still remain to be done," he said. “That will strengthen Alberta's hand and give us the momentum we need.”

On the referendum questions themselves, Knight Legg said he would dare B.C. Premier David Eby and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew to put Alberta's first nine referendum questions to British Columbians and Manitobans.

“I think what the NDP would find,” he said, referring to the governing parties in both provinces, “is a majority of people in British Columbia and Manitoba would love the right to correct their government's record.”

The Buffalo Roundtable closed in agreement.

“The whole country is talking about Alberta right now,” Knight Legg said, suggesting the whole country should be able to vote on the same issues Albertans are in the upcoming referendum.

“What are they scared of?" he asked. “Us,” agreed hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle.

The Buffalo Roundtable, where weekly guests join Rebel News hosts to discuss the top issues facing Western Canada, airs live every Wednesday at 11 a.m. MT / 1 p.m. ET.