Technically, there have been no acts of treason in Quebec or Alberta committed by independence movements. Treason is a clearly defined crime, and Canada has a legal path for provincial secession.

Hyperbolic accusations of things such as treason aren’t unusual on the internet, but when doing a deep search into the number of times people of prominence have called Quebecers who support the PQ traitors, it was impossible to find them.

The PQ is an overtly secessionist party, and it garnered enough support to form a minority government, yet the word traitor is never uttered.

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The closest that could be found was a posting on X from failed Green Party leadership candidate Glen Murray, who simply posted, “traitors” in response to a news story reporting how Alberta independence supporters see Quebec’s new premier as an ally. It’s unclear if he just meant the Albertans, or the Quebecers as well.

Meanwhile, here are some quotes from prominent people about Alberta independence supporters:

B.C. Premier David Eby called the actions of independence advocates in Alberta “the definition of treason.”

Former premier Jason Kenney, replying to someone in a post after he asked if they were a separatist or “51st stater,” wrote: “If so, then you are literally a traitor.”

NDP MP Heather McPherson said of independence advocates, “A traitor to this country doesn’t have to wear a foreign flag. Sometimes they wave ours while selling out our future.”

Edmonton Sun columnist Lorne Gunter said, “The separatists sound like traitors to me.”

Geoffrey P. Johnston, columnist for the Kingston Whig-Standard, wrote, “Traitors to Canada.”

Failed federal Liberal candidate Patrick Lennox even spread it to Alberta’s premier in saying “what Smith government has done, is treason” in even allowing a referendum to be held.

As with legacy media referring to Quebec’s independence movement as being “sovereigntist” while Alberta’s movement is “separatist”, federalists use different language with Albertans than with Quebecers when it comes to throwing the treason label about.

Quebecers aren’t committing treason, nor are Albertans. Quebecers never have to keep defining the term, though, because the label is never applied to them. What’s striking isn’t the disparaging language applied to citizens taking part in democratic exercises so much as the clear national double standard about who gets it and who doesn’t.