Less Ottawa, More Alberta

What Alberta needs next

Now that I’ve had a few hours to digest the Alberta Next panel, I’ve reached a conclusion.¹ We need less Ottawa, and more Alberta.

Before you conclude that my substack has been hacked by the Premier’s office, let me explain!

The premise of the Alberta Next exercise is that all our troubles are a direct consequence of the sinister federal government, the unjust Canadian constitution, and the nefarious program of equalization. Free ourselves from Ottawa, and everything would be better. There is nothing in the design of the “consultation” that allows for any other conclusion. For an Albertan to express their view on any of the “discussion topics” identified by the panel, they must first watch a 3-minute video that offers a one-sided explanation of the topic. It’s push polling at its finest.

The Alberta Next exercise is designed to ensure that we keep our eyes trained firmly on the Eastern horizon so as not to notice any of (waves hands) all this. You know, the unchecked gas flaring, the babies in hospital with measles, the ER wait times and closures, the unemployment rate, and the list goes on.

An enterprising opposition party (ahem!) might seize the moment to launch a parallel Alberta Next exercise, focused on what we here in Alberta might do to improve our economy, our standard of living, our health, our public services, our environment, and our sense of community. Start with the premise that our focus should be on Alberta, not on Ottawa. Think carefully about how we could make things better without a single change to federal policy or the Constitution. Take note of Jim Stanford’s analysis of the provincial policy choices that have contributed to Albertans’ anger and frustration.

Imagine a series of town halls being held across the province this summer, infused with a sense of hope and possibility rather than anger over manufactured grievances. Imagine groups of Albertans getting together to talk about how to change the things we can change instead of railing against equalization, the constitution, and “unAlbertan” immigrants. Imagine an exercise focused on imagining a provincial identity not tied to a single industry.

Less Ottawa, more Alberta.

1. Warning: some of the content on the website may induce nausea. The Smith government’s descent into anti-immigrant nativism is truly revolting.