Westerners are ‘done with Canada,’ says Alberta firster
Toronto Star Columnist David Olive urged Alberta to “go its own way” and complain to itself. “Alberta is giving me a headache,” he said, claiming the province suffers from an “incurable sense of grievance.”
An Alberta firster says Albertans, in growing numbers, are done with Confederation. A prior column on separation by Preston Manning indicates Canada faces a unity crisis.
“What are your thoughts as an Alberta firster?” Rebel News asked Keith Wilson, a Crown prosecutor, on Alberta separation.
“The sentiment of people saying, ‘we're done with this’ is off the charts,” Wilson said.
“We'll immediately be better off financially by not sending so much tax money to Central Canada and the other parts of the country.”
Economist Trevor Tombe calculated Alberta's net contribution to Canada since 1961 at $622 billion, about 5% of its economic activity, equating to $3,344 per person annually in 2021 dollars.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) later said equalization has cost Albertans $67 billion since 1957, or $20,200 per person.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not anticipate any “big changes” to Canada’s equalization program, if he became prime minister.
Poilievre, who recently lost his seat, advocates for Canadian unity.
“We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground,” he said April 3. “We need a new Conservative government that will unite Canadians.”
There is a “complete lack of any public appetite for constitutional discussions,” articulated Manning, who notes that unlike the 1980s, there is currently no party to redirect populist energy.
Manning, who founded and led the Reform Party, which became the Canadian Alliance, later merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form today's Conservative Party.
Separatist sentiment grew after Prime Minister Mark Carney maintained support for the Impact Assessment Act and the oil and gas production cap.
Angus Reid learned that support for independence rises to 33% in Saskatchewan, with a Liberal win. Three in 10 Albertans also want to leave the federation under similar circumstances.
“Our roots here in Alberta and to some extent Saskatchewan are really tied to the United States and have been ever since, before Canada was even a country,” Wilson said.
“Our trade patterns are north-south,” he added.
Poll data indicates that although Canadians sometimes mention separatism as leverage, most do not genuinely desire to leave Canada to join the U.S. or become a separate nation.
Though Preston Manning rejects Canada becoming the “51st state,” he notes that a fourth Liberal term would undermine national unity.
“Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it,” Manning said.
Amid trade tensions and talk of statehood, secession remains a topic of discussion following the federal election.
“The support for Western secession is therefore growing, unabated and even fuelled by Liberal promises to reverse many of their previous positions,” reads his commentary published by the Globe and Mail.
Wilson acknowledged the pressure on the federal government to reset the relationship with the West is going to be immense.
“Alberta is very independent already, [we control our own resources], and people are fed up,” he claimed, noting that a decade of Liberal rule has pushed voters to their breaking point.
Alberta and Saskatchewan have enacted legislation to boost autonomy and counter federal intrusion, reflecting a shared sentiment of disrespect from the rest of Canada.
“We're done with it,” Wilson said. “We don't need the rest of Canada.”
The Liberals (8,369,206) and Conservatives (7,950,280) were neck and neck as ballots trickled on Monday evening, though the incumbent Liberals walked away with another minority government.
Wilson told Rebel there is a “lack of understanding” in Central Canada about the province, condemning a Toronto Star column yesterday as a “hit piece” against Alberta.
Columnist David Olive urged the province to “go its own way” and complain to itself. “Alberta is giving me a headache,” he said, claiming the province suffers from an “incurable sense of grievance.”
The 70s and 80s were turbulent, followed by the Reform Party and then Stephen Harper’s calming influence. Then Trudeau came to power for three terms.
“I’ve never seen it higher,” Wilson previously told Rebel on support for separation. “I mean, we have a history in Alberta of being frustrated and feeling ... taken advantage of.”
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-04-29 23:26:14 -0400The general attitude of most of the country is that Albertans should be grateful that we’re even allowed to stay in Canada. I noticed that more than 40 years ago when I was a grad student at UBC. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-04-29 22:17:53 -0400We Albertans sure are fed up with Ottawa. After 120 years, we’re still treated like a colony.Our grievances don’t matter to the Laurentian elitists and Ottawa bubble folks. In fact, we should have done what Quebec has done. We could borrow their plan of separation and actually leave Confederation. What a ball and chain Ottawa is to us.
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Robert Pariseau commented 2025-04-29 18:13:21 -0400The east says, “what’s all the fuss about?”
