Separatists still have many questions to answer

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Sunny South News

Separatists in Alberta want to form their own country. They argue for benefits like no federal taxation, control over energy resources and keeping billions in tax revenue within the province.

We would become a nation of 4.5 million people, the same population as Moldova (Alberta has 20 times larger land mass) Croatia (Alberta has 12 times larger land mass) and Kuwait (Alberta has 37 times larger land mass). We would assume all responsibility for the military, border control, currency, citizenship, telecommunications and the mail. We would assume all responsibility for health, education, social programs and pensions. We would have four large borders to control. No one has indicated how we would elect government officers. 

The costs of establishing these structures, required for a functioning, sovereign country would cost billions, much of the tax revenues we would be collecting. 

Separatists have us believe that our bountiful resources are the bedrock of our prosperity. These resources have provided for us but only at the same time as having a federal backstop in the form of transfers to support our lifestyles. The reliance on oil and gas is not always smooth. 

 In August, we faced a 6.5 billion dollar deficit, oil prices dropped as a result of a global oil glut. In 2016 and 2020 Alberta received federal stabilization payments during economic downturns. We have depended on the Federal government. We are not immune to economic instabilities. We are subjected to the ebb and flow of world politics and as a solitary nation we are tasked to go it alone. Wealth alone does not place us above the frey.

It is hard to imagine the requirements that must be met to become a viable country. 

Negotiating international trade agreements and the loss of free trade within Canada only points to inevitable economic downturn. Albertans will be poorer.

Being a landlocked nation will require negotiations on all sides to get our products to market. Negotiations can be volatile, they take time and our fledgling country will depend upon them. Economic uncertainty will ensue. Albertans will feel the stress.

Fiscal and monetary challenges will be evident. Alberta will need to establish its own currency and manage its own foreign affairs. Population decline is inevitable. Tax bases would therefore also decline. Replicating federal services such as Armed Forces and border control would be costly and complex for a small nation of 4.5 million people. Albertans would expect the same level of social services as are experienced now. Albertans will be hugely disappointed.

Internal conflict will abound. Almost all of Alberta is under Treaty with Indigenous people. Treaty 6 covers Central Alberta. Treaty 7 covers Southern Alberta. Treaty 8 covers Northern Alberta and is the largest, covering 840 000 square kilometres. The Alberta School Councils’ Association states that almost all of Alberta is under Treaty. The University of Calgary indicates there are 134 First Nation reserves which cover 707 537 hectacres. Albertans will be engaged in legal wrangling for years to come.

Most currently, media reports indicate members of this separatist movement have been in the United States, securing a 500 billion dollar line of credit in order to establish a new country. What collateral has been provided? How does a fledgling country navigate its existence with a debt load like this, owed to a foreign country. The writing on the wall seems clear. We will be indentured, moving from what separatists have you believe, abused and disrespected members of the Canadian federation to a poor and hugely indebted land mass beholden to the United States. Albertans will not be free. 

At a time when our country is under generational challenges, when we are striving to come together, separatist sentiment seems out of step. It seems rooted in past disgruntled slights, it seems self absorbed and short sighted. 

I ask that with solemn second thought that separatists will reconsider. That they will move forward with hope and the intention to negotiate their greivances, rather than strive for change through threats and fear. Leaving Canada, it seems to me, is a desperate threat from frustrated individuals. I ask that you have hope.

Linda Gonnet, Fort Macleod