albertasaurus

One thing I keep noticing: We're standing in the rain waving Alberta flags and talking to people. Someone drives by, gets angry, swears at us, and tears off recklessly. The interesting part isn't that he disagreed. The interesting part is how quickly disagreement turned into rage. If your political opponents peacefully waving flags makes you that angry, you're the problem.

Forever Canadians, will you denounce this? I recently interviewed a Filipino immigrant who came to Canada in 1994, became a Canadian citizen, built a life here, and now supports Alberta independence. Most people on both sides responded respectfully. But a small group of self-described “Forever Canadians” didn’t make an argument for Canada. They didn’t explain why Confederation should continue. They didn’t debate this man’s ideas. Instead they told him to “go back where he came from.” They said his opinion doesn’t matter because he wasn’t born here. They called for him to be deported. Some even said immigrants shouldn’t have a voice in this discussion at all. Here’s what many of you don’t seem to understand. Over the last year I’ve interviewed immigrants from the Philippines, Ukraine, and other countries. My wife is an immigrant from Venezuela and also agrees. Some of the strongest supporters of Alberta independence I’ve met were immigrants. Why? Because many of them came to Canada believing it was one thing and are now watching it become increasingly similar to the very systems they left behind. Many are afraid to speak publicly because they still carry the instinct to stay quiet. In the countries they came from, expressing the wrong opinion often had negative consequences. Yet they see what’s happening. And they’re talking about it privately. My own wife is an immigrant. So when people accuse the Alberta independence movement of being anti-immigrant, they’re not describing reality. A person’s argument should stand or fall on its merits, not on where they were born. If Alberta independence is such a terrible idea, then make the case. If Canada is worth preserving, explain why. But if your response to a fellow Canadian citizen is “go back where you came from,” you’ve already abandoned the argument. To those immigrants who love Alberta, who believe in freedom, and who are hesitant to speak because of the abuse you’ve seen directed at others: Stand tall. Hold your shoulders up. Speak your mind. The fact that some people resort to insults, threats, and personal attacks is not a sign of strength. It’s a sign they’ve run out of arguments.

FOREVER CANADA. That’s the slogan. That’s the demand. That’s the emotional appeal. But every time someone asks a simple question: “What exactly am I getting in return for staying?” The response i never an actual argument. Albertans ask why we send tens of billions of dollars away while our own infrastructure struggles. We ask why our energy industry is constantly targeted by policies designed by people thousands of kilometers away who neither understand nor depend on it. We ask why our representation in national institutions seems perpetually weak compared to regions with fewer people and less economic contribution. We ask why decisions that shape our future are increasingly made by bureaucracies, courts, agencies, and political classes that are culturally and economically disconnected from Alberta. We ask why mass population growth continues despite housing shortages, strained healthcare, crowded schools, and declining affordability. We ask why speech is increasingly censored, monitored, and categorized as hate speech while political activists openly demand even more restrictions. We ask why the answer to every problem seems to be higher taxes, more debt, more bureaucracy, and less local control. And what happens? Do we get a serious discussion? Do we get numbers? Do we get evidence? Do we get a vision for the future? No. We’re told we’re divisive. We’re told we’re angry. We’re told we’re extremists. We’re told we’re American. We’re told we’re Russian. We’re told we’re Trump supporters. We’re told to stop asking questions. That should concern everyone. Because if the argument for Canada is strong, it shouldn’t be threatened by questions. A healthy political system welcomes scrutiny. A confident country can explain itself. A legitimate arrangement doesn’t need emotional blackmail to survive. The longer I spend talking to ordinary Albertans, the more I hear the same thing: “Nobody ever explains why this is supposed to be good for us.” People are not questioning Canada because they’re hateful. They’re questioning Canada because they’re thinking. I support independence.

Imagine Alberta was already an independent country. Now imagine Canada approached us with an offer: Join our federation. You will send tens of billions of dollars to Ottawa every year, but you won’t control how that money is spent. National elections will be decided by voters in other regions. Your Senate representation won’t be equal. You won’t be able to negotiate your own trade agreements. You won’t control your own foreign policy. Major infrastructure projects can be delayed or blocked by politicians and regulators outside Alberta. Policies that directly affect your economy can be decided by people who don’t work in your industries, don’t live in your communities, and don’t experience the consequences of their decisions. The constitution won’t guarantee our rights rather it will grant us privileges at the discretion of woke politicians in Ottawa. Constitutional reform will be so difficult that meaningful change will be impossible. You will be told this arrangement is permanent. Would you sign that deal? Would you vote for it? That’s the question this meme is asking. Not whether Canada is good. Not whether Canadians are good people. Not whether Alberta has benefited from Confederation in the past. The question is simple: If Alberta were already independent today, would you voluntarily choose the arrangement Alberta currently has? If the answer is no, then you support Alberta Independence.