Jesse Snyder opines in a National Post column that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s national popularity and his agreement with Premier Danielle Smith to consider a new pipeline to the West Coast is hindering the independence movement as a referendum approaches.

There is some merit to his case. Justin Trudeau’s obstructionist approach to Alberta’s economic development was overt and unapologetic. He enraged Albertans and inspired a reactionist element which helped fuel the independence movement.

Mark Carney has been no less obstructionist than his predecessor, though. He has just been more subtle in his agenda. Rather than overtly opposing Alberta’s attempt to get products to new markets, he has been offering what has so far proven to be false support for pipeline projects through MOUs and promises without action.

Alberta citizens are seeing through Carney’s tactic, as the prime minister has been in office for over 18 months and progress on a new pipeline remains a dream drafted on an MOU followed by broken timeline commitments. Carney’s more indirect and cynical approach to hindering the Alberta economy could actually entrench independence sentiment further. He could have approved a pipeline at any time since taking the prime minister’s seat but instead has only created new bureaucracies. Action is the only thing that will cool the Albertan temperature on the pipeline issue. Citizens are tired of words.

Snyder’s column points to Carney’s national popularity as a hindrance to the independence movement. He overlooks the reality that Alberta independence supporters couldn’t care less how popular Carney may be in other provinces. In fact, the stark difference in support figures for Carney in Eastern provinces when compared with those in Alberta only illustrates the political and cultural differences between the provinces further.

There is little that a prime minister can do to move the needle with the committed core of independence supporters in Alberta. They are railing against the Canadian system rather than the person currently in power federally. Carney may be swinging some of the softer voters in Alberta with his promises. But with every day the MOU ages with no action on pipelines, a larger segment of Albertans realize the current prime minister is no better than the last one on the file. Those Albertans will be choosing independence.