After the Liberal Party led by Mark Carney won the election, Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta did not immediately issue a statement. However, it is certain that Canada's west is not calm.

The Liberals' fourth consecutive victory in a federal election has escalated the confrontation between Alberta and Ottawa, even bringing the once unimaginable idea of an Alberta independence referendum (i.e., separation from Canada) back to the table.

Source: National Post

When the general election was officially launched, the Liberals were leading in only two out of Alberta's 37 constituencies.

Cameron Davies, a former organizer for the United Conservative Party (UCP) and now a supporter of Alberta independence, expressed his disgust at the Liberals' repeated use of "national nostalgia" during the campaign, saying it ignored serious problems facing the federal system.

"Hockey and nostalgia cannot solve real bills... They also cannot maintain Canadian unity," said Davies.

He added: "If we do not reimagine the federal system, Alberta's separatist movement will become stronger."

Davies formally resigned from the UCP last Thursday and said he would engage in "honest and difficult conversations" with like-minded Albertans in the coming weeks.

Premier Smith had previously warned that if Carney took office and did not rescind several restrictive measures imposed by the Liberal government on oil and gas policies within six months, Canada might face an unprecedented national unity crisis.

Smith wrote on social media: "Albertans will no longer tolerate being treated this way by the federal Liberal Party over the past decade."

Preston Manning, founder of the Reform Party, went further, accusing Carney of being a "threat" to national unity, and in a widely circulated opinion article, stated: "Regardless of who leads, a fourth term for the Liberals will be intolerable for many westerners."

He predicted: "If Carney wins the election, he will be remembered in history as the 'last prime minister to unify Canada' - a tragic and unnecessary label."

Premier Smith announced the establishment of a post-election review group to gather opinions from Albertans and explore whether certain issues should be put to a referendum.

Surveys show that as much as 30% of Alberta voters say they are willing to vote for separation from the federation if the Liberals continue to hold power.

Martha Hall Findlay, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, said Carney now has an opportunity to restart relations with Alberta.

Findlay said: "This is a real opportunity... I believe the Canadian prime minister and the premier of Alberta will realize that cooperation can yield greater results than mutual accusations."

The two leaders frequently clashed during the campaign period, and future efforts will be needed to repair rifts.

Smith also accused Carney of sexism, saying his verbal attacks on her at a campaign rally showed that he clearly struggled to accept strong conservative women.

Findlay suggested that if Carney wants to quickly win goodwill from Alberta, he should consider canceling the federal carbon emissions cap target set during the Trudeau era.

"I hope Carney will adopt a more pragmatic attitude toward western issues. A direct approach would be to stop hedging on the 'emissions cap,' even if he still supports the policy goal, but the timeframe must be reassessed."

Findlay served as a Liberal MP from 2008 to 2011 before moving to Alberta to work in the oil and gas industry.

Rachel Parker, an independent journalist, holds a more pessimistic view of the election results. She often participates in activities related to the Alberta independence movement and said that the results of this election "aggravated existing dissatisfaction in the west."

"The anger in the west has been there for a long time, and this result is like pressing the accelerator," she said.

Parker revealed that Alberta independence advocates had intensified their organization weeks before the federal election, and she expects this momentum to continue in the coming weeks.

However, she also believes that Smith's "post-election review team" will not bring substantial changes.

"These teams are more tools used by the government to create an appearance of action, making people feel 'we are doing something,' but they are essentially delaying handling the issues," she said.

Jason Kenney, Smith's predecessor, also established a "Fair Deal Panel" after taking office in 2019 to respond to public discontent with Ottawa.

The panel eventually proposed 25 recommendations, paving the way for the 2021 autumn referendum on whether Alberta should continue to participate in the federal fiscal equalization plan.

However, the panel incurred criticism for its cost of $650,000 CAD.

Jack Jedwab, president of the Canadian Research Association, pointed out that Alberta's separatism differs fundamentally from Quebec's nationalism.

"I prefer to call it 'economic nationalism.' It stems from a sense of victimhood - many Albertans feel they contribute more to the federation but receive less in return," he said.

"But Albertans still identify as Canadians and have not developed emotional estrangement like Quebec."

Source link:

  • https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/albertans-say-theyre-serious-about-separation-after-liberal-win

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498936946002051647/

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