Musing About Alberta Separation

Canada West Foundation CEO Roger Gibbins has a politically adriot musing of how Alberta separation could come about. It’s a “possible world’ scenario of a separation referendum in 2020, after years when the federal government has taxed Alberta energy resources, and has also used environmental taxes/protections as a cash grab for Alberta energy revenue.

In short, separation comes about if the feds create an NEP-style energy management plan, and also take powers for environmental protection away from provincial control, that is, away from the people who live and breathe the air of the environment in question. All done in the name of protecting their eastern interests.

It’s an interesting musing. However, the reason for Gibbins writing deserve some thought. He obviously sees some of the same rumbling among Easterners that we at ThePolitic.com have noted in the past. Usually, we’re more critical of those rumblings than Gibbins usually is. However, here he hits numerous important points and uses them as warnings against what could happen if eastern politicians listen to the voices of expediency, and use federal powers unconstitutionally in such a manner as to make the law of Canada even more than a joke than it already is.

UPDATE: Gibbins might be concerned about proposal like Michael Ignatieff’s which MI presents as NEP-lite. MI wants a carbon tax to help out with environmental protection. When it’s pointed out to him that that’s not all that different than the NEP, MI concedes:

It’s tax-shifting, not tax-increasing,” Ignatieff told The Vancouver Sun.

Ignatieff acknowledged he is taking a risk by proposing higher taxes at the gas pumps given that may Liberal critics in Western Canada see the tactic as similar to the loathed National Energy Program of the early 1980s.

The NEP of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau was viewed by many critics as a bid by Liberal-dominated Eastern Canada to confiscate wealth from the Conservative-friendly West.

”Risky? That’s what leadership is all about,” he said.

Fear of a national unity divide has inspired Ignatieff to devise a new twist in his plan. While the scheme is intended to be ”revenue neutral,” the tax change initiative would funnel any surplus cash back to the province where the tax was collected.

”The funneling back to the province of origin is extremely important politically because I think it’s fair to say that Liberal energy policy (under Trudeau) created the impression of being anti-Alberta and being, you know, kind of “confiscation by stealth,” he said.

”And we just have to send a very, very clear message politically that that’s not what’s going on hereE This is a national unity issue.”

A Liberal grand-standing his manliness about “taking risks” by playing fast and loose with the constitution. And playing fast and loose with language: “it’s tax shifting, not a tax increase.” Of course, we should just trust him.