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Posted on 07/09/2005 12:18:50 PM PDT by ConservativeStLouisGuy
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A University of Alberta professor I know sent me a lengthy article he's trying to get published, entitled: "Let's get while the getting's good."
In it, Leon Craig, professor emeritus of political science, lays out a case for Alberta to declare unilateral independence. And he lays it out well.
Craig makes no bones about it.
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Alberta, he says, should go it alone.
Almost overnight, we would become one of the most prosperous nations in the world.
But -- and this is his key point -- the main reason to secede is not because Albertans would have more money. Not that there's anything wrong with money.
More importantly, we would create a country that reflects our own political and social beliefs, values and traditions, and our understanding of the common good.
Canada, says Craig, has been so badly governed since the Trudeau era, it has doomed itself to a Third World, banana republic fate.
We will become -- are in fact becoming -- the Argentina of the 21st century.
Political corruption gets rewarded instead of punished, productivity slides, and the opportunistic politics of envy becomes the basis of our whole system of national government.
The only promising place left in Canada, he concludes, is Alberta.
And Alberta owes it to itself, to its future citizens, and to like-minded people in the rest of the country to save itself.
As a sovereign and independent nation, he suggests, our population -- viable to begin with -- would double in 10 years, even allowing for a welcome exodus of Albertans who would be happier back in Canada.
Far more good people move to take advantage of opportunity than flee from it.
Our social policies -- marriage and family matters, medicare, civil and religious freedoms, etc. -- would no longer be imposed by the Supreme Court and a handful of Ottawa mandarins.
We could establish our own laws to deal with crime and punishment, and our own separate relationship with the Americans.
If we don't do these things now, he says, we'll sink with the Canadian ship.
The professor dismisses the idea of "refederating" Canada along its original lines of strong provinces and a small central government.
He thinks the rest of the country is too far gone to change back to what it was.
He even gives short shrift to the "West."
Any attempt to create a new federalism, even in the West, he believes will fail. If other western provinces, or parts of provinces, want to join Alberta, by becoming part of it, they should be welcomed.
All that binds Albertans to Canada, he concludes, is sentiment -- an attachment to Canada's once-illustrious military and pioneer past, and to our own provincial part in it.
We must now face the fact that the old Canada is gone forever and the new Canada is disgusting.
So what are we to make of all this?
It's hard to argue against his analysis of the problem.
The Trudeau delusion that you can build a credible nation with "national social programs" is so shallow it's absurd.
And given the stern rejection of the Reform party by eastern Canadians, it's impossible to refute that the only forceful thing Albertans can do is to separate.
Where I disagree with my friend is whether we owe any allegiance to other Canadians.
What is driving more and more Albertans towards separatism is the fact that our original constitutional arrangement -- the political bargain on which Canada was built -- has long since been obliterated by the national government.
Had that not happened, Canada would not be in its present ugly mess.
Alberta is the only province with both the means and the motive to force a restoration of those original terms. Not by asking. By telling.
But we owe it to our nine federal partners -- the other provinces -- to state the terms on which we would be willing to stay. This is something we have never done.
Only if those terms are refused should we decide on independence.
You need to do like "Family Guy" and invade your neighbor's hot tub and claim it as part of your nation. The B-52's will follow...
I went to the Calgary Stampede once. Now there is a group of cowboys I wouldn't at all mind having on my side in a fight.
Hardly, BC just reelected the conservatives and is growing like crazy in spite of Ottawa.
"Almost overnight, we would become one of the most prosperous nations in the world."
If you joined the US, you would be THE most prosperous nation in the world.
BC is doing ok..there are a lot of business people there who would run any socialists right out of the Province if the time was right.
And what if the reasons were more legitimate this time around?
Most of that is concentrated in Vancouver
I would personally have no problem joining the US..at the same time it is one of the sticking points of us leaving Canada..a lot of people are worried about the direction we would be taking. Talk of being swallowed up and left in a worse spot than we are now..is in peoples minds.
On the other hand if California split from the US I think that would clinch a deal for us. The resulting country would be awesome. We even have a new name for it.. Cascadia.
My view is trade NY and everything north thereof for everything west of Ontario.
I believe that both sides would be delighted with the result.
no union with the US, period. Why would you trade Ottawa for Washington? They're the same beast.
Also, in Canada, provincial powers are increasing while states are losing their powers.
If the rest of Canada won't listen to them, won't honor their values, then the only thing left is to form their own country.
Canada has gone too far away from the values and courage of the people of Alberta.
Historically the US political parties have not agreed to admit one state at a time, but could only act if there were two new states, each with equal and opposite "red or blue" tendencies. The last two states admitted - Alaska (R) and Hawai (D) - have maintained their partisan identities for the succeeding half-century.It's a nice fantasy to think that Canda would give us a red state - but the demand for a blue state to balance it would not be negotiable. If indeed the Democrats allowed serious consideration of the idea! "Objective" journalism here would have a fit at the idea of a province escaping from Socialist Heaven up there. They would dismiss the idea that there could be justification for such action out of hand. And, if anything, promote a "blue secession" movement in the US.
The central government in Ottowa would never relinquish their neckhold on the Provinces. They govern from the east, our beaurocrats are largely French Canadian..Quebec has called the shots for years..Liberals think they have a divine right to govern.
Nothing will break that noose until the people do it themselves. Even the lowliest peasant turns eventually under tyrants..Albertans will turn soon and the leftists will scream like stuck pigs about it.
They'd be better off as a seperate country, although they'd be welcome here. I'd much rather have a strong, conservative ally on the world stage and they would certainly be big enough and self sustaining enough to be a country on their own.
They could raise and equip their own army and it would be rather formitable too. Most Albertans hunt and are well trained in handling guns. They're basically of the same frontier stock as the American west.
They would survive without Canada, but I'm not so sure Canada would survive without them. It's about time that Canada discovered that. Perhaps they'd pay a little more attention to them.
Exactly. An independent Alberta would be a positive influence on the US, either shape up or lose a handful of US states as well. As they would welcome other provinces, they would probably also welcome Montana, Idaho, western WA, Wyoming, even maybe Utah. While that would give D's the upper hand on the national scene, it would also generate a rather nice place to move to, to escape liberals.
Alberta been voting conservative for like 30 years!!!!!!!!
Ping
Great, great, great.
Okay, in Texas we have many Albertan snowbacks from your oil patch and we really like you all. Texas will immediately send a delegation to form our national embassy recognizing Alberta as a sovereign country.
Although, just between us, that name 'Alberta' is deader than Queen Victoria and you might want to think about it.:)
Well said my friend...I am 75 years old and have fought in 3 wars to support freedom and democracy for other countries.
I never thought that in my wildest dreams I would find myself living in a country that showed so much disrespected and contempt for my freedom of expression.
I am one enraged old warhorse.. and if I have to go to the barricades one more time I will do it for this beautiful Province of Alberta.
Trust me, you do NOT want CA in your little confederation. You're better off with Ontario and Quebec as is. Now, if the state splits up...
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