It's the politicians that are the problem, B.C. When Kenney pins this decline on Trudeau, the East is not wrong to be a bit baffled. Baked into that moral calculus is an implicit political one: its a very fine thing to wipe an industry off the map in a part of the map that doesnt matter. I have only a few observations. The top one per cent ofearners paid 31.5 per cent of the total income tax collected in Alberta that year. Where Alberta only feels they are close with Saskatchewan. For example, Alberta pulls in about $1,388 per capita, while Nova Scotia gets $3,243 per capita in federal transfers. For merely bringing up the fact that separatist sentiment in Alberta is on the risea trend apparent years before he returned to Midnapore. Sorry, PEI. The only headquarters this government is passionate about preserving are the ones named SNC and located in Montreal, apparently. Never mind that Goldy had showed up uninvited and offered her own rants from a cherry-picker located a block away from the main stage. So I suppose its not surprising that a convoy that left Alberta as a protest about pipelines arrived in Ottawa as a white nationalist vanguard. A recent article in Vice noted that Downing, a former soldier and RCMP officer, had a history as a far right conspiracy theorist. Its hard to glean whether these are ambitious political organizers or keyboard warriors with delusions of grandeur. Further, Kenney went on to explain the crucial problem with the separtist argument. There are various reasons why this approach either wont work or wont suffice this time around. and about $18,000 less than in Quebec. It should have a board of directors made up of eminent Albertans. Naturally, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all stuck together, with Alberta and Saskatchewan seeing the closest bond of all provinces at 75% and 77% of respondents viewing the other province as especially close. Pundits based in Toronto have responded to the last month's federal election results by offering reams of opinions explaining to Albertans why their current predicament is entirely their own . And thirdly, I would say we have allies across Canada. Ontarians aren't fond of anyone; Alberta is the province most-liked by Ontarians, but only 28 per cent of them hold that affection; and 40 per cent of Ontarians don't consider any other province. (David Kawai/Bloomberg/Getty Images). A Rednexit hat is already available for sale on the Wexit website. We could go back in time, to the National Energy Program, to 1905, to Frederick Haultain, to the doomed province of Buffalo; to the railways, the crow rate, and the robber barons of the East. I have no doubt that Wexit is siphoning some of the far-right populist fuel that keeps websites like Reddit and 8Chan blinking with discontent well into the early morning hours on weekdays. There is a perception in the rest of Canada, outside of Quebec, that Quebecers are not close, are not interested, are not engaged, with the rest of the country.. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. The Three Percenters' private Facebook groups reveal the Alberta chapter has nearly 3,000 members, although the Vice report estimates only 150 to 200 are active. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/7xbZlMfyk5. No province can unilaterally strip the equalization principle from the Constitution, and the referendum threatens to expose a discontent with Confederation that it cannot possibly relieve. After spending more than a decade reporting from Alberta, I have to confess that Im tired of trying to explain western alienation to the East. With lower prices, the two provinces take in less revenue and so receive more equalization money. That said, other provinces arent super keen on each other either, highlighting a cantankerous confederation. A rule that made sense a decade ago, when Canada was in recession, might not make as much sense today. Its a sign of open disrespecteven war, in some places. His assessment of Trudeau as an "empty trust fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl" is, to put it mildly, one of the more caustic assessments of a political opponent. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. The second: Do they really think leaving would solve the pipeline dilemma? National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Answer (1 of 10): You tell me. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. A protection I figure. There are no easy answers to the questions that siege mentality raises. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. At his rally, Downing anticipated this: Someone called us the Bloc Rednecois and thats okay. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. But neither has Trudeau done much to ease fears or restore trust. Here's total per capita federal transfers to prov govts for 2016/17. Just one per cent of Albertans and two per cent of Saskatchewanians feel Quebec is friendly towards their province. In fact, the equalization fund comes from general federal revenues and grows each year in line with the economy. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. We are going to do for Western Canada, and Alberta in particular, what the Bloc Quebecois does for Quebec. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. And it's generally true that Albertans pay less tax on the whole than other Canadians, when you add up all the different types of taxationthat all three levels of government throw at us. You are either with Alberta or you're against it. And it is undeniable that Alberta is ponying up more money than it receives from the feds and it certainly receives less than other provinces. Rather it seems like a chain of "unrequited love in different parts of the country" according to Shachi Kurl, the executive director of the Angus Reid Institute. Chief among them is Trudeaus Senate policy, which is founded upon nonpartisanship in the upper chamber, with no Liberal Senate caucus and no senators in the cabinet. Even Facebook online. Prince Edward Island was omitted from the chart due to too small of a sample size. 57% of Albertan respondents saw BC as unfriendly towards their own province, while 47% of British Columbians though similarily about their neighbours to the east. British Columbia, on the other hand, is the odd one out in the western clique: just 21 per cent of people in other western provinces say B.C. NaughtyOne88 6 mo. To paraphrase a proverb, screwing is in the eye of the beholder. We ask that you follow these guidelines. The differences in fiscal capacities among the provinces have narrowed since that time, yet this escalator has pushed up overall program costs from about $14 billion in 2009 to nearly $19 billion this year. What's even more surprising is that 21% of Quebecers actually agree! Thus began the modern era of Alberta alienation. It was a move that produced nothing but recrimination. Chief among them is Trudeau's Senate policy, which is founded upon nonpartisanship in the upper chamber, with no Liberal Senate caucus and no senators in the cabinet. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. They look ugly. The hostility is mostly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, unsurprising, given Premier Franois Legaults comments in December that theres no social acceptance for a pipeline that would pass through Quebec territory. Just one per cent of Albertans and two per cent of Saskatchewanians feel Quebec is friendly towards their province. trending stories every day. A party that treats its major industry as a font of dark oil money funding the Conservative party and a network of sympathetic media outletsa position no less cynical or conspiratorial than the anti-communism hysteria generated in the West. Photo: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney delivers his State of the Province address to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce in Edmonton on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. These are people who fret about the climate crisis and what it bodes for their children. There are a variety of factors to consider, The Eco 5 launches in Canada today reduces volume of food waste up to 90 per cent, The best in budget-friendly, lightweight and dual-action hair dryers, 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. To this day the NEP retains mythic status in Alberta as. And what consideration is owed to a pack of hard-luck deplorables? Please reach out right away and we can start ma. If we want to discuss politics, that's another situation altogether. They also reap the political rewards of the low hydro prices. Seventy-one per cent of those in New Brunswick, for example, look fondly at Nova Scotia and 51 per cent of those in Newfoundland and Labrador look at Nova Scotia as a friend. Nearly 40 years ago, in February 1980, Pierre Trudeau won a majority government with two seats in western Canada and none west of Manitoba. Tensions have been high between Canadas westernmost provinces, with Alberta and BC being at odds over the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project for the better part of 2018. In this case, the Angus Reid Institute found that the most disliked province was none other than Quebec. Have an idea? Instead, they recall Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer, who addressed the convoys rally in Ottawa, allegedly speaking at the same event as racist alt-right personality Faith Goldy. You can see how it all breaks down in the chart below. 'God help any federal leader whos trying to campaign on a united message because this is not a country that is feeling united'. Copyright 2023 Buzz Connected Media Inc. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. The Liberals will never look after us. Nevertheless, Trudeau should consider putting Equalization on the agenda of the next First Ministers Meeting to try to resolve some of these long-standing frictions and forge a stronger consensus on this key instrument of fiscal federalism. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. he big difference between 1980 and today is that Alberta is a much larger player in the Canadian economy and in our national life than it was then. All of this will be used as proof of the underlying logic of Wexit: that the. The delays included resistance from Albertans who weren't sure they had enough material to sell East and a preference to sell to the United States. Equalization is a concept enshrined in the Constitution, but for Alberta, it could become the new NEP if not managed well. (The values in the interactive chart now show provincial taxes minus the federal abatement.). That would be a virtual impossibility. Many Albertans circle this square with the assumption that Trudeau bought the pipeline to kill ita conspiracy that doesnt make much sense when you consider the expansion would be dead already if the federal government had done nothing. Be part of thePolicy Optionsdiscussion, and send in your own submission. Read more about cookies here. https://t.co/y03ojZNZv8. Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we. Finally, there's one question that's not random, rare or fantastical: Why do so many Albertans so viscerally loathe Justin Trudeau? For example, Quebec and Manitoba have government-owned hydro companies and could artificially keep prices low. Returning to the Klein-era flat tax would not change any of this, other than to increase the "tax advantage" already enjoyed by the richest Albertanscompared to other provinces. Ottawa isnt going to give a bunch of rednecks a fair hearing, or a fair deal. We lived through the Klein years, the population surge, and the rise of an Alberta-based prime minister. It's silly to say that all people in one province have strong feelings about all people in another province. From a purely environmental perspective the arguments used against the oil sands can be deployed against these, too. Its even chillier in New Brunswick, where just 13 per cent return Quebecs affection (40 per cent said they felt close with their neighbour). Or perhaps you, too, would opt to squander your wealth with, uh, high quality educational and health services and low taxeswhich has been the unwitting economic diversification strategy of Albertan governments since the 90s. Alberta heard not a peep from him when Encana announced last. Rather than shame the province out of the folly of separatism, I fear this will have the opposite effect. Access articles from across Canada with one account. As news of Alberta's relaxing restrictions spreads across the country, people in Ontario are starting to call upon the provincial government to close off our borders to anyone from that province . Eventually, the questions wend their way to separation. Shut down the oil sands and avoid the much harder questions about why they exist. Alberta, they explain, just should have voted for a Liberal party that hates it. While Ontario and B.C. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. But its a habit that leaves Albertans constantly seeing themselves and their grievances reflected back at them through a profoundly distorted lens. Kenney claims Equalization has become unfair to Alberta. Jason Kenney is not Albertas Ren Lvesque. These richest Albertans also pay alarger share of the total income taxes collected in Alberta, compared to the wealthiest people in other parts of the country. There is an attempt, here, to prise the iron-grip loyalty of the crowd, not just from the country, but from the conservative voting habits that have sustained the province for generations. Whether youre private sector, public sector, labour, youre the workers, youre immigrants, Indigenous communities again, for people from tight-knit communities, people who have to work three extra jobs, three extra jobs, and they get to keep more of their own money. If so, what is an Albertan meant to conclude from this? The Edmontonian spent nearly 30 years driving trucks all over Ontario and Alberta before coming to terms with what he called his "shame." "Some people, like, come out of college, university, they . It isnt calling for a values test for new immigrants. Nefarious far-right conspiracies born in the dark heart of oil country, though never quite proven, are assumed. Trudeau bought the TMX line though the purchase offered absolutely no electoral benefit to himself or his party. This was the first year that the "flat tax" no longer applied in Alberta, but the progressive tax rates didn't escalate as quickly then as they do now.