Wexit: Will Alberta Ditch Canada?

[Swordsmyth]

What likely started as a social media campaign to air a considerable portion of the electorate’s grievances against the federal government, a serious political movement in Canada may be born. Would this have serious ramifications for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his newly re-elected Liberals? Or, is it an annoying mosquito bite from Muskoka that needs scratching? While Ottawa may no longer need to lose sleep over a separatist initiative in Quebec, the nation’s capital might need to keep a close eye on the west as separatism is brewing like a Double-Double at the nearby Tim Hortons. The experts say that a split is unlikely to happen, but they said the same thing about the British and Brussels. It could be time to wake up and smell the poutine – or crude oil. Western Alienation: A Primer

The term “western alienation” has entered the national lexicon, becoming just as Canadian as “grab your toque” or “a kerfuffle at the hockey rink.”
Despite being rich in resources and contributing a great deal to the gross domestic product, this part of the country feels disrespected, shunned, unequal, and underrepresented. From the perspective of westerners, the frustration is warranted; Ottawa seemingly concentrates primarily on the economic juggernaut of Ontario and the sensitive vote-rich province of Quebec. From the vantage point of other provinces and territories, the sentiment is: What about me? There is a reason people joke that Toronto thinks it is the only city in Canada, as well as the center of the universe.
The west contributes billions of dollars to the federal tax pool, but the equalization is not equitable. Alberta, for instance, has not received an equalization payment in more than 50 years. British Columbia and Saskatchewan got a fist full of bupkis last year. In other words, they are giving more than they are receiving.
Indeed, the federal government is quick to take the loonies and toonies generated from fossil fuels in Alberta or Saskatchewan. But when the time comes to defend these provinces from Swedish teenagers or the globalists, the prime minister is nowhere to be found. Oftentimes, the west can feel like they are being treated like troubled stepchildren whenever Trudeau arrives on the world stage.
Another big thing for the west is the lack of representation in Ottawa. Alberta only accounts for 10% of the House of Commons, but the province contributes about a fifth to the national economy. They believe that if they had better representation, the feds would come to the province’s aid when necessary. Between 2014 and 2016, when crude prices cratered from the global supply glut, Alberta crashed and burned – it is still trying to pick up the pieces to this day – and the feds (Tories and Grits) were absent.
Trudeau promised in his victory speech that he would fight for all Canadians, not just those who voted for him. But where is the incentive? When looking at the electoral map, you notice a blue conservative wave engulfing a third of Manitoba, all of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and half of BC. Though Trudeau needs to reach across the aisle to move forward with his agenda, he does not have to go on his knees to Members of Parliament from Alberta and Saskatchewan. The prime minister can get a helping hand from New Democrats in parts of Ontario or the Bloc Quebecois – and that’s it.
Heck, Trudeau no longer needs to show up to the Calgary Stampede in his cowboy outfit, pretending to have a good time.
Once Upon A Time In The West

Although Wexit was coined months ago by Peter Downing, it blew up on social media in the aftermath of the general election. Wexit’s Facebook page has nearly 200,000 members, the Wexit hashtag had thousands of tweets and retweets, and it garnered mainstream media attention.


Downing now wants to use this momentum to form provincial and federal parties, telling CTV News: “We have to do this. Right now, there’s no hope, there’s no future … no reason why we have to have Justin Trudeau governing us.”

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/...a-ditch-canada

[Pauls' Revere]

Sounds an awful lot like Catalonia, Spain or Calexit. Gavin Newsome LOVES the FEDS though cuz he begs for Federal Dollars.

[TheTexan]

If conditions north continue to deteriorate, the US may have no choice but to invade.

[Swordsmyth]

If conditions north continue to deteriorate, the US may have no choice but to invade.

We should just trade them a few liberal states along the Canadian border.

[Republicanguy]

No it won't, because it would lead to other problems in that country.

[Swordsmyth]

No it won't, because it would lead to other problems in that country.

That won't stop them.
And maybe the rest of the country needs to have problems to learn from.

[Republicanguy]

It won't happen, the same problems with taxes, and spending will stop any movement. Canada isn't America in some ways, but it is smaller, and it doesn't have an affect on the world like America does, they do UN peacekeeping like the Irish. So they contribute that in foreign policy.

[Swordsmyth]

It won't happen, the same problems with taxes, and spending will stop any movement. Canada isn't America in some ways, but it is smaller, and it doesn't have an affect on the world like America does, they do UN peacekeeping like the Irish. So they contribute that in foreign policy.

Alberta will be just fine and even better off monetarily if they leave.

You are delusional.

[Stratovarious]

No it won't, because it would lead to other problems in that country.

Really, wut' problems ?

[Stratovarious]

We should just trade them a few liberal states along the Canadian border.

Forget contiguous , we have Alaska, Hawaii, I'm willing to let them have Ca, NY, along with Or, Wa, Mi....

[Pauls' Revere]

Forget contiguous , we have Alaska, Hawaii, I'm willing to let them have Ca, NY, along with Or, Wa, Mi....

Not a bad trade, WA & OR want to be Canadian anyway.

[Swordsmyth]

Forget contiguous , we have Alaska, Hawaii, I'm willing to let them have Ca, NY, along with Or, Wa, Mi....

Not a bad trade, WA & OR want to be Canadian anyway.

They should either be states with no red counties or we should throw in more states and keep the red counties.

[Stratovarious]

They should either be states with no red counties or we should throw in more states and keep the red counties.

If some reds want to stay on the sinking ship, they weren't all that sincere to begin with.

[Swordsmyth]

If some reds want to stay on the sinking ship, they weren't all that sincere to begin with.

Not everybody can pick up and move, I'd hate to see members of this site suddenly be stuck in Canada.

[Republicanguy]

Alberta will be just fine and even better off monetarily if they leave.

You are delusional.

No you are, the rest of the country needs to be together. It isn't America, so its foot print isn't quite the same, they have peacekeeping involvement. But there would be some other drawbacks. But it is more an internal problem, than if it was America, as that is global affect.

[Swordsmyth]

No you are, the rest of the country needs to be together. It isn't America, so its foot print isn't quite the same, they have peacekeeping involvement. But there would be some other drawbacks. But it is more an internal problem, than if it was America, as that is global affect.

You don't get to make other people do what is best for you, they get to do what is best for them.

[Republicanguy]

And what are the security implications of Alberta leaving Canada, financial? The cohesiveness of the state will be affected.

[Swordsmyth]

And what are the security implications of Alberta leaving Canada, financial? The cohesiveness of the state will be affected.

Alberta will be better off both ways.

[Republicanguy]

Could be, but I doubt many would like that in Ottawa.

I think it just unlikely that would happen. It isn't America, but there is a knock on effect.

[Swordsmyth]

Could be, but I doubt many would like that in Ottawa.

I think it just unlikely that would happen. It isn't America, but there is a knock on effect.

Ottawa won't be able to stop it.

[Republicanguy]

Ottawa won't be able to stop it.

You really are living in the fantasy world of yesterday. I honestly, don't think these places are going anywhere. The world is too complicated. Cherry picking doesn't work.

[Swordsmyth]

Canada’s premiers agreed to call on the government to reform a fiscal stabilization program that financially supports provinces going through hard times, such as Alberta due to the deterioration of its oil industry.

The program, which dispenses federal funds, basically sees wealthier provinces helping poorer ones with a portion of their revenues--and historically, Alberta has typically been a helper rather than a province in need of help, but the 2014 oil price crisis followed by growing opposition to pipelines has stumped the industry’s recovery in Canada’s oil heartland and affected its economic growth.
“When you use the word ‘stabilization fund,’ you think the intent would be to stabilize something,” said Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball, commenting on the agreement for reform as quoted by the HuffPost. “Well, it didn’t work. It’s outdated. It’s been around since the ’80s.”
The reason it didn’t work for Alberta now is that there are stricter conditions for lost revenues from natural resources: these need to halve before Ottawa steps in with the support package, and things have not yet gotten that bad for Alberta.
Yet the unanimous agreement that Alberta needs help and needs it now is remarkable among the premiers. After all, Quebec and British Columbia, to mention the biggest, are firmly and vocally against the growth of Alberta’s oil industry. Yet even their Premiers signed off on the agreement that will ask the federal government to become “more responsive to economic circumstances and downturns in resource sectors without compromising other transfer programs.”

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Provinces.html

[Swordsmyth]

A separatist movement in Canada’s oil-rich western province of Alberta wishes to secede it from the country.
The “Wexit Movement” (as it has become popular styled after “Brexit”), has become more vocal since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was re-elected in October 2019.
The separatists complain that “climate crusader Trudeau” is working to cripple the oil industry, and that the province sends too much in taxes to Ottawa and gets too little in return.
In late November, the Wexit movement organized a rally, with approximately 1,600 people in attendance in Calgary.
Speakers at the rally said that an independent Alberta would have more money, without federal taxes and so on.
At the same time, there was the typical fear mongering, warning about unvetted immigrants and the creep of communism.
Albertans contribute disproportionately to federal coffers, paying about C$5,096 more in tax revenue per capita than they received in government spending in 2017. By contrast, Quebecois received C$1,958 more than they paid.
The group has filed to become an official political party and will focus on electing candidates to push its agenda in Ottawa.
There’s no actual plan on how secession would happen and what would become of Alberta after that.


According to a survey by Ipsos, in Alberta, the number of respondents who answered positively to the question “Do you think your region would be better if it separated from Canada” was already 33% prior to Trudeau attempting to establish the “green economy.”
The growth dynamics of the supporters of separatism is also important: in just one year, their number has increased by eight percent, and if the situation develops in the same direction and at the same speed, then in a couple of years there is a risk of a separatist majority.
In the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, the same survey indicates that 27% of respondents support secession from Canada.
To compare, in the province well-known for its separatist sentiments, attempts to secede, in the French-speaking province of Quebec 26% support the separation.
The separatist movement in Canada has a very clear identity, and this identity is not ethnic, but cultural and ideological.
In a country led by a prime minister known for his love of various minorities, an open door policy in terms of migration and a willingness to stifle traditional values ​​along with traditional sectors of the Canadian economy such as oil, gas and gold, it is understandable that a large part of the population would express discontent.
Moreover: they are insulted that migrants and those same residents of rich coastal cities live on taxes from their oil, who, on the one hand, vote for Trudeau, and on the other, humiliate the citizens of these same oil regions at every opportunity. Despite it being clear that these citizens are the ones who provide them with their lifestyle.
According to the same Ipsos poll, 59% of respondents agree with the statement “Canada is now more divided than ever.”

More at: https://southfront.org/separatism-ga...stern-regions/

[Swordsmyth]

In a 4 to 1 decision, the Alberta Court of Appeal became the first to declare the federal carbon tax unconstitutional. The main reasoning behind the decision is that the carbon tax is an overstep by the federal government.
In the 269-page decision, Justices Catherine Fraser, Jack Watson and Elizabeth Hughes said, in part: "The division of powers remains key to our federal state. It is part of the fabric of Canada itself. The federal and provincial governments are co-equals, each level of government being supreme within its sphere. The federal government is not the parent; and the provincial governments are not its children."
They go on to call the act "a constitutional Trojan horse," as it would set a precedent, allowing the federal government to impose almost any law it wished on Canadians.
Premier Jason Kenney said the carbon tax is now illegal and called the decision "a great victory for Alberta."
"We disagree with Ottawa that a one-size-fits-all consumer tax that punishes families for heating their homes or driving to work is the best way to reduce emissions. We categorically reject that," Kenney said. "We agree with the need to reduce emissions across our economy and our energy sector, but we must be allowed to do it our own way. We will not tolerate Ottawa deciding the future of Alberta's economy."
Last year, courts in Ontario and Saskatchewan ruled the carbon tax does obey the constitution.
The Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case in March.
Albertans have been paying the federal carbon tax since Jan. 1, but Kenney expects that should end immediately.
"We expect the government of Canada to comply with the order of the court today, and to remove the federal carbon tax on Albertans."

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/mobile/a...tory-1.4825583

[Swordsmyth]

Secession? Canada’s Province Of Alberta May Lead The Way
https://vdare.com/articles/secession...y-lead-the-way