Since Canada Won't Work With Alberta, Alberta Needs To Start Looking At Different Options Including Becoming A US State

[RW]

Why should Alberta and Saskatchewan remain in Canada? What are the incentives to stay?

Why do you think it's an option to leave?  I mean, if you want to go, there's the door but "our home and native land" stays with us in Canada.

[Anonymous]

It will never happen unless DC and Ottawa can reach an agreement that EVERYONE can live with.



The US will not jeopardize our relationship with Canada just to appease a bunch of radical separatists.



As far as you industry and oil goes. If we really wanted the benefits from it Washington would have given the green light to keystone 4 years ago.



Stop dreaming. Work out your problems with your boy ruler. If you hold all the cards then use to put enough pressure on your national leaders to achieve what you want.

Keystone was about internal US politics and we know that. IBut, the US has hinted in the past it would make an offer of union to English Canada if Quebec separated. Alberta and Saskatchewan would be easily assimilated and give the US access to rich supplies of uranium and potash along with oil and gas.



There is a misunderstanding that it is about imbecile of a pm and that is not true. This has never gone away. It's always been there. I predicted separatism would raise it's again if another Trudeau became pm and I was right.



Now back to my question. What are the incentives for the status quo?

There are incentives, but they are all for Central Canada. I could not fathom Quebeckers paying all the bills while at the same time obstructing their ability to pay the bills. They would never stand for it and why should the West. Maybe some sort of re write of confederation might be necessary to make all provinces happy. Opening up the constitution will be a nasty can of worms for sure.



Under no circumstances can we afford to lose Alberta and or Saskatchewan. They are too valuable to the nation. Governments present and future must stop taking them for granted.

[RW]

It will never happen unless DC and Ottawa can reach an agreement that EVERYONE can live with.



The US will not jeopardize our relationship with Canada just to appease a bunch of radical separatists.



As far as you industry and oil goes. If we really wanted the benefits from it, Washington would have given the green light to keystone 4 years ago.



Stop dreaming. Work out your problems with your boy ruler. If you hold all the cards then use it to put enough pressure on your national leaders to achieve what you want.



Maybe you need to work on electing leaders in Alberta with some brains and some balls?

This is just it.  Why the fuck would they want to join the US when they aren't building a fucking pipeline either.  



What Albertans seem to not be accepting is the price of oil is down right now and they are blaming everyone else for it but reality.  The pipeline through BC is on the table so long as criteria can be met but they don't give a fuck about the environment like BC does so they don't understand having standards.



Instead, they want to talk about leaving because they no longer have a PM in the the front pocket of their overalls.



Shut up you bunch of prairie whiners before I get together a bunch of BCers to kick some fucking sense into your greasy heads.   :sdfjh(2):

[Anonymous]

It will never happen unless DC and Ottawa can reach an agreement that EVERYONE can live with.



The US will not jeopardize our relationship with Canada just to appease a bunch of radical separatists.



As far as you industry and oil goes. If we really wanted the benefits from it, Washington would have given the green light to keystone 4 years ago.



Stop dreaming. Work out your problems with your boy ruler. If you hold all the cards then use it to put enough pressure on your national leaders to achieve what you want.



Maybe you need to work on electing leaders in Alberta with some brains and some balls?

This is just it.  Why the fuck would they want to join the US when they aren't building a fucking pipeline either.  



What Albertans seem to not be accepting is the price of oil is down right now and they are blaming everyone else for it but reality.  The pipeline through BC is on the table so long as criteria can be met but they don't give a fuck about the environment like BC does so they don't understand having standards.



Instead, they want to talk about leaving because they no longer have a PM in the the front pocket of their overalls.



Shut up you bunch of prairie whiners before I get together a bunch of BCers to kick some fucking sense into your greasy heads.   :sdfjh(2):

The US has approved about 10 pipelines under Obama's watch. What does low commodity prices have to do with a system that penalizes one region to get votes in another. If all Alberta and Saskatchewan wants to make them happy is approving a couple of pipelines, then for heavens sake do it and get it over with. But it seems the root of this runs a lot deeper than a 36 inch piece of steel in the ground. Maybe our confederation is dysfunctional.

[Anonymous]

The US has approved about 10 pipelines under Obama's watch. What does low commodity prices have to do with a system that penalizes one region to get votes in another. If all Alberta and Saskatchewan wants to make them happy is approving a couple of pipelines, then for heavens sake do it and get it over with. But it seems the root of this runs a lot deeper than a 36 inch piece of steel in the ground. Maybe our confederation is dysfunctional.

You got that right. The Reform Party used to hold the federal government's feet to the fire. This government does not have that kind of opposition, so they can do or say anything they want. Putting a shovel in the ground for a pipeline would be a lift for our provinces and the national economy too, but it won't be the end of prairie separatism. At the very least, Alberta and Saskatchewan need to look at creating a tax authority like Quebec has. We have a lot of different options, but I don't see the status quo as being viable in the next few years. A perfect storm is brewing as I predicted it would when another Trudeau became pm.



Now, back to my question. What incentives are there for Alberta and Saskatchewan to remain in Canada? Nobody can think of any.

[Anonymous]

The US has approved about 10 pipelines under Obama's watch. What does low commodity prices have to do with a system that penalizes one region to get votes in another. If all Alberta and Saskatchewan wants to make them happy is approving a couple of pipelines, then for heavens sake do it and get it over with. But it seems the root of this runs a lot deeper than a 36 inch piece of steel in the ground. Maybe our confederation is dysfunctional.

You got that right. The Reform Party used to hold the federal government's feet to the fire. This government does not have that kind of opposition, so they can do or say anything they want. Putting a shovel in the ground for a pipeline would be a lift for our provinces and the national economy too, but it won't be the end of prairie separatism. At the very least, Alberta and Saskatchewan need to look at creating a tax authority like Quebec has. We have a lot of different options, but I don't see the status quo as being viable in the next few years. A perfect storm is brewing as I predicted it would when another Trudeau became pm.



Now, back to my question. What incentives are there for Alberta and Saskatchewan to remain in Canada? Nobody can think of any.

I don't why the West puts up with being a second and third class parts of confederation. Issues cannot be swept under the carpet indefinitely. We cannot afford to lose the prairies, so re write confederation so it does work for all provinces. This should not even be an issue. Just get on with it.

[Anonymous]

Reading some of the fucking ignorance here leaves me shaking my head. Low oil prices? Pipeline approvals? WTF?? Western alienation has nothing to do with market fluctuations? The new NEB rules affect LNG approvals in BC too, but if separatism is growing there, I'm unaware of it.



Ralph Klein used to say that at any given time about 25% of Albertans had separatist sympathies. In fact, support for separatism or a new arrangement with Ottawa was often highest when commodity prices were high. Peter Lougheed understood this too. We have a system in Canada that does not work for all regions. Alberta and Alberta jr. would be better off financially as US states than as Canadian provinces. Nobody can deny this.  



And Herm, you are right about Reform. They were Central Canada's watchdog. They forced the Chretien government to be a national government instead of the the traditional Liberal approach of screwing one region to buy votes in another. They are missed and perhaps something like them will re-emerge.

[RW]

The US has approved about 10 pipelines under Obama's watch. What does low commodity prices have to do with a system that penalizes one region to get votes in another. If all Alberta and Saskatchewan wants to make them happy is approving a couple of pipelines, then for heavens sake do it and get it over with. But it seems the root of this runs a lot deeper than a 36 inch piece of steel in the ground. Maybe our confederation is dysfunctional.

You got that right. The Reform Party used to hold the federal government's feet to the fire. This government does not have that kind of opposition, so they can do or say anything they want. Putting a shovel in the ground for a pipeline would be a lift for our provinces and the national economy too, but it won't be the end of prairie separatism. At the very least, Alberta and Saskatchewan need to look at creating a tax authority like Quebec has. We have a lot of different options, but I don't see the status quo as being viable in the next few years. A perfect storm is brewing as I predicted it would when another Trudeau became pm.



Now, back to my question. What incentives are there for Alberta and Saskatchewan to remain in Canada? Nobody can think of any.

I don't why the West puts up with being a second and third class parts of confederation. Issues cannot be swept under the carpet indefinitely. We cannot afford to lose the prairies, so re write confederation so it does work for all provinces. This should not even be an issue. Just get on with it.

I have no problem using our governance to solve issues but breaking up Canada should NEVER be an option.

[Anonymous]

If Canada breaks up it's the fault of Ottawa.

[RW]

If Canada breaks up it's the fault of Ottawa.

No, it will be on the provinces that separate.

[Anonymous]

I want to say that I support the right of any province to leave Canada if they choose to do so..



I am Taiwanese after all..



However, Canada is not China....why can't we reach a solution that satisfies all sides?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone else noticed the irony that Shen Li says China's borders are indivisible, but Canada's are not.

 

[RW]

I think the rest of Canada should have a say in separation matters.

[Anonymous]

I think the rest of Canada should have a say in separation matters.

I don't....if Taiwan wants to formalize our de facto independence, it must have the assent of 24 million Taiwanese not 1.4 billion Chinese.

[RW]

And you see Taiwan was a comparable to a province in the middle of Canada?



If Albertans don't like the ways things are going, there is a lot they can from lobbying to protesting to pressuring government to moving the fuck out of Alberta/Canada if they don't like how things are run here.