©Igor Kyryliuk & Tetiana Kravchenko via Unsplash
Is secession looming in Canada? Indeed, on October 19, in the oil-rich province of Alberta, residents will vote on whether to hold a binding referendum on independence. Prime Minister Mark Carney is monitoring the situation with suspicion and warns of "dangerous bluffing".
A citizens' initiative by the group Stay Free Alberta, which collected nearly 302,000 signatures (above the required 177,732), is the driving force on the issue. Regional government leader Danielle Smith therefore has no choice but to move forward with the referendum on possible independence. Thus, although she emphasizes her support for retaining Canada, separatist sentiment is growing within the state of Alberta. There seems to be growing support for secession from Canada. But we are certainly not there yet. The only issue for now is whether there should be a binding referendum on independence. In other words, it is a non-binding referendum on a binding referendum.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted sharply to the plans. "On issues like this, people often say, 'Vote for this and we strengthen our negotiating position.' That's a very dangerous bluff," the prime minister said.
He also referred to the consequences of the Brexit. "I saw up close what happened in the United Kingdom. Ten years later, they're still fixing decisions that many people did not realize they were voting for." Carney was governor of the Bank of England in 2016 during the Brexit referendum.
Moreover, according to the prime minister, a democratic mandate is lacking. "Was this an issue in the Alberta provincial election? Did voters vote for this? No, it was not on the ballot paper."
Prosperous province
Alberta is the westernmost of Canada's three Prärie provinces and became a separate province in 1905. Edmonton is the capital and Calgary the largest and probably most famous city. The province has a population of about 4.8 million and at CA$459 billion (2022), it has Canada's third largest economy, driven by vast oil and gas resources, especially in the Athabasca oil sands.
Alberta is also known for its beautiful nature. In the west are the Rocky Mountains with international tourist parks such as Banff, while the east consists of flat prairies heavily dependent on agriculture (wheat, cattle, "Alberta beef"). The economy and prosperity there are high. Per capita GDP there is CA$101,818 and Alberta has the highest HDI in Canada.
©Igor Kyryliuk & Tetiana Kravchenko via Unsplash - illustration image of the province of Alberta in Canada