After 100 years, Alberta is unCanadian

After 100 years, Alberta is unCanadian

Today is the 100th anniversary of Alberta's entry into confederation with Canada. Whether Alberta remains as a province of Canada ten years hence is an open question.

The separatist movement in Alberta has been growing steadily for decades. The National Energy Program was a gauntleted fist to the nose of Albertans, and yet Alberta stayed, like a battered wife who remembers the good times during courtship.

Well, the courtship is long gone, the honeymoon is over, and the kids are all grown up. Instead of being an equal partner in the relationship, Alberta has become the wife that goes out and works two jobs while Canada sits at home drinking beer and gambling the rent money, maxing out the credit cards.

A Western Standard poll showed that the above is not an isolated sentiment. In fact, 42% of Albertans say they are willing to consider the idea of forming a new nation.

Leon Harold Craig says Alberta should get while the gettin's good. Calgary Sun columnists Paul Jackson, (senator-elect) Link Byfield, and Ezra Levant all weigh in on the separatist issue as well, with Levant and an Edmonton Sun editorial pointing out how the Kyoto protocol is the equivalent of the National Energy Program Part 2.

The Alberta blogosphere also gets in the act. Check out these posts from the Ed at Maple Leaf Blog, from Candace at Waking Up on Planet X, from Bill at The Reformer's Firebrand here and here, and some more historical perspective from J. Franklin.

There will be a federal election in Canada soon; Paul Martin promised it would be called 30 days after the end of the Gomery inquiry. Watch for Alberta to once again be portrayed as the bad guys by the Liberals and the mainstream Toronto media. And if a Liberal majority government should result, watch for the Alberta separatist movement to grow by a mighty leap.

In fact, I think it is already too late. The federal government has burned every bridge it ever had with Alberta. The only things that ties Alberta to Canada now are fading memories. It is time for reality to take over; it's time for a divorce.

Update: Licia Corbella has this to say on Alberta's oil revenues:

In 2004, the feds collected $25.6 billion gross in personal and corporate income taxes from Albertans -- the largest per-capita haul in Canada.

According to Tracy Balash, spokesperson for Alberta Finance, Alberta receives about $16.3 billion back in federal government services and programs. That means the net contribution Albertans generously share with the ROC comes to $9.3 billion -- or $2,914 per Albertan -- by far the largest per capita transfer payments of any other province. Next in line is Ontario at $1,856 per Ontarian.

Now this next bit of info is important -- even somewhat shocking -- and shouldn't be lost on anyone -- particularly Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who is concerned that Ontario will soon become a "have-not" province and who described Alberta's oil wealth, as the "elephant in the room" during the recent premiers' conference in Banff.

The royalties Alberta received from the oil and gas industry -- which includes natural gas, crude oil, synthetic crude and bitumen -- for the fiscal year of 2004-2005 was $8.4 billion.

In other words, the feds take the equivalent of the entire royalties the Alberta government receives from its oil and gas industry PLUS $900 million.

Remember her words the next time someone complains about "oil-rich Alberta". The federal government already confiscates all that money.

Update 2: Of particular interest is today's Calgary Sun reader poll, to the question "Are you going to celebrate the Alberta centennial?". As of 3:30pm, 80% said no.

Technorati Tags: Politics, Canada, Alberta