Ford: Premier's referendum shell game opens the door for all kinds of citizen actions — like hospital parking
Article content
Let's not waste the premier's actions. She talks about respecting citizens' decisions, so why not take advantage of her assertions?
Article content
Changes in the legalities required for a citizen referendum are focused on the province's place in Canada, but there is an opportunity for the rest of us to have at it as well.
Article content
Article content
How about a referendum on hospital parking? All we need is a concerted, organized group from across Alberta willing to collect signatures from 10 per cent of those who voted, or 175,000 signatures. The premier herself said the new elections bill is designed to give 'everyday' Albertans a bigger say in the province's affairs.
Article content
Article content
Let's do it. This has a more profound effect on individual lives than some chimera of separation.
Article content
The premier is playing to her 'base.' She is not talking about most of us in Calgary or Edmonton. She's making demands of Ottawa because that makes her look stronger, more determined, for rural folks and urban right-wingers. One can almost hear the Ram 1500 and Ford F-Series truck owners cheering her on.
Article content
But wait a minute. I know no Albertan who wants to be a separate nation. I do know a lot of people who believe we have been badly treated by Ottawa.
Article content
But let's deal with more immediate problems affecting us. Don't think the 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year hospital parking charges are outrageous? Let me suggest that you have never had to visit a hospital daily, not knowing how long you must do this.
Article content
Article content
And visitors aren't the only ones. Our 'democratic' Alberta Health Services makes everybody pay — doctors, nurses, health-care aides. The only people in any hospital not paying for parking are volunteers.
Article content
Article content
I'll bet an overwhelming number of Albertans across the province who have had to fork over a sizable chunk of change to visit a sick or injured child, parent or spouse would be the first to sign. (And this should spark other provinces to follow the example set by Nova Scotia, when it cancelled all hospital parking fees as of May 1.)
Article content
When we left Episode 1, the aging woman complaining about her hospital experiences had been released. She was sorry to leave the kindness of so many strangers and glad to be rid of the supercilious, self-important ones. She had been infuriated by cloyingly sweet voices with which she had been addressed, as if she were a simple two-year-old. Referring to elderly patients and their families as 'my dear' should result in a firm reprimand from a supervisor.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
4 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
'Fully in support': Some Alberta separatists try to rally support in the Trump White House
Article content U.S. support Article content In some ways, Alberta, with its resource-rich land and strong conservative, pro-oil and anti-regulatory leanings, seems perfectly aligned with Trump's drive to roll back efforts aimed at achieving net-zero emissions. Article content To help forge such an alliance, Modry's APP met with 'the highest echelons of the US administration' back in April, he said, noting that he's been asked not to divulge names. Before the talks, the APP created a document detailing the benefits of Alberta sovereignty to the U.S., outlining 'opportunities in which the U.S. administration could facilitate Alberta sovereignty.' Article content He refused to share details about those benefits, but Modry said they left the meeting 'very confident that the U.S. would be supportive of Alberta's sovereignty.' Article content When asked whether the U.S. is doing anything now to support their independence bid, Modry said the U.S. team asked what they could do. He stressed that the APP told the Americans it was not asking for anything in particular. Article content Article content No other meetings are planned between the APP and the U.S. administration, and the next talks would come only after the petition succeeds and before a referendum is held, Modry said. Article content Not all separatist leaders think such outreach is wise. Cameron Davies, the president of the Republican Party of Alberta, which has a memorandum of understanding with the Independence Party of Alberta — both organizations want Alberta to become a constitutional republic — said he has not been in touch with the White House and that any such contact would be 'improper' until after a vote. 'As a sovereign independent Alberta Republic,' he added, 'we would of course reach out to international leaders, seeking support and recognition.' Article content Some analysts are skeptical that the U.S. would really support or get involved with Alberta separatism. 'I really don't see a situation whereby the United States would interfere in another country's affairs like that,' said Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Article content Article content Trying to boost Albertan separatism might have the opposite effect, he added. 'I think it would backfire because everything President Trump has done so far with Canada has backfired.' Article content 'The bullying of Canada has actually increased Canadian unity,' Hale said, noting how bizarre it is to see Quebec separatists waving Canadian flags and rallying around Canadian unity. Article content Adrienne Davidson, assistant professor of political science at McMaster University, tends to agree, noting how Trump's tariffs have only worked 'to bolster a stronger sense of Canadian national identity' and 'national solidarity to push back against American bullishness.' Article content 'Albertans have been frustrated for a long time with Ottawa,' says Jamie Tronnes, executive director of the Center for North American Prosperity and Security, a project of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 'and they feel that their voices aren't being heard.' Article content The list of complaints includes limited provincial powers, initial loss of control over natural resources, and perceived unequal treatment and representation. Article content While the true independence movement is 'a relatively recent manifestation of long-held grievances between Albertans and Ottawa,' said Davidson, 'the grievances that Alberta has with respect to the Canadian federation, with respect to Ottawa … those date back to the creation of Alberta (in 1905).' Article content Leaders within the movement say momentum has been building for at least five decades. Modry pointed to Alberta's boom in the 1970s and how the region was devastated by the National Energy Program of 1980 under Pierre Trudeau. 'People lost their homes, lost their businesses,' Modry said, citing efforts by Trudeau's energy minister, Marc Lalonde, to increase Ottawa's economic power at the expense of the provinces. Article content Article content 'So what we've recognized over decades now is that very thing: The structure of Canada, the way Confederation has been set up, makes it impossible for Alberta to have a meaningful voice,' Modry said. Article content Smith, meanwhile, is aware that the independence movement has been gaining steam. After Carney's election, she suggested she would support a citizen-led petition for a referendum. Article content 'I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada,' Smith said in April. Article content 'However, there is a citizen initiative referendum process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward.' Article content Smith is 'walking a very fine line,' said Davidson, by putting 'wind into the sails of separation' with such talk and with her Alberta Next panel tour. Article content But Tronnes sees it another way. 'There needs to be an outlet for (Albertans') frustration,' she said. 'Given the growing demand for a referendum, blocking one could be very politically damaging for (Smith),' she added. Article content Article content Legal wrangling may continue, and the petition may be shot down. But Davies, for one, doesn't see this as a barrier. 'At any time,' he said, 'a referendum can be conducted, and so what we've been consistently calling for is the UCP to schedule a referendum on Alberta's independence. Article content 'They don't have to take a side, but they need to schedule a referendum. Stop wasting time.' Article content Polling predictions Article content Whether Alberta's independence movement gets a public nod from Trump in the future is anyone's guess — and it might hurt the movement, as Hale and Davidson suggested — but Davies and Modry remain confident that they are on the path towards an independent Alberta. Article content Polling suggests that a growing number of Albertans favour independence compared to 2021, but the numbers still fall well below a majority. Article content Modry said he's seen polling with numbers closer to 48 per cent in favour of independence, while Davies said he's seen fluctuations between 38 and 42 per cent. And while those numbers are still shy of the 'clear majority' stipulated in the Clarity Act for any province seeking secession, both are convinced that the campaign ahead of a referendum will get the numbers where they need to be. Article content If a referendum is called for next spring, Davies' Republicans would push Alberta to claw back power in all the areas that are constitutionally permissible. He said this should include control over immigration, taxation, and pensions. Article content 'And, at every step of the way, if Ottawa chooses to push back … I believe that (pro-independence) number that you see today would organically increase as Albertans begin to see that Ottawa views Alberta as nothing more than a resource colony.' Article content Independence dreams Article content Davies and Modry said both Alberta and Washington want tariff-free trade and would work toward an agreement if Alberta gains independence. When asked what they would do to promote free trade with the U.S., Davies pointed out that 'Alberta doesn't have free trade within Canada.' Article content Once independent, he sees Alberta pursuing its own economic trade agreements with the U.S, Japan, South Korea and other Western democracies, and engaging on their own terms to market and export Alberta's emerging industries: energy, mining, forestry and agriculture. Article content Article content This would be done 'without the interference from Ottawa,' he said, predicting success. Article content 'I would suggest that an independent Alberta would, in fact, have greater access to foreign markets, which is something that we've lacked.' Article content Davies also mentioned the market case for LNG, saying that Alberta would negotiate additional LNG terminals as an independent nation. If British Columbia pushes back, he added, 'then Alberta may have to look at going south of the border and accessing new LNG terminals that are being built every single year in the United States to get our energy to market.' Article content Still, few outside the separatist movement believe an independence referendum will succeed — and even if it did, secession would face additional barriers at the federal level — but holding a referendum still sends a strong signal to both Ottawa and Washington. Article content Article content Strengthening its hand Article content Whatever the outcome of a referendum — if one is held — Alberta may still emerge stronger, analysts suggest. Article content 'Alberta is well-positioned, no matter what happens, to be able to negotiate its future in Washington, D.C.,' said Tronnes. 'Alberta has a lot of things that America needs, particularly energy, but not just energy.' Article content Smith is now a well-known entity in the U.S. — Americans would be hard-pressed to name other provincial premiers, apart from Doug Ford — and Alberta has successfully raised its international street cred in recent years. Article content 'The province has made the strategic choice to ensure that it has allies and friends throughout Washington, D.C., on both sides of the aisle, to make sure that when we're in a moment like this, that there is a network of people it can call upon to speak about what Alberta brings to the table,' Tronnes noted.
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Fully in support': Some Alberta separatists try to rally support in the Trump White House
Article content U.S. support Article content In some ways, Alberta, with its resource-rich land and strong conservative, pro-oil and anti-regulatory leanings, seems perfectly aligned with Trump's drive to roll back efforts aimed at achieving net-zero emissions. Article content To help forge such an alliance, Modry's APP met with 'the highest echelons of the US administration' back in April, he said, noting that he's been asked not to divulge names. Before the talks, the APP created a document detailing the benefits of Alberta sovereignty to the U.S., outlining 'opportunities in which the U.S. administration could facilitate Alberta sovereignty.' Article content He refused to share details about those benefits, but Modry said they left the meeting 'very confident that the U.S. would be supportive of Alberta's sovereignty.' Article content When asked whether the U.S. is doing anything now to support their independence bid, Modry said the U.S. team asked what they could do. He stressed that the APP told the Americans it was not asking for anything in particular. Article content Article content No other meetings are planned between the APP and the U.S. administration, and the next talks would come only after the petition succeeds and before a referendum is held, Modry said. Article content Not all separatist leaders think such outreach is wise. Cameron Davies, the president of the Republican Party of Alberta, which has a memorandum of understanding with the Independence Party of Alberta — both organizations want Alberta to become a constitutional republic — said he has not been in touch with the White House and that any such contact would be 'improper' until after a vote. 'As a sovereign independent Alberta Republic,' he added, 'we would of course reach out to international leaders, seeking support and recognition.' Article content Some analysts are skeptical that the U.S. would really support or get involved with Alberta separatism. 'I really don't see a situation whereby the United States would interfere in another country's affairs like that,' said Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Article content Article content Trying to boost Albertan separatism might have the opposite effect, he added. 'I think it would backfire because everything President Trump has done so far with Canada has backfired.' Article content 'The bullying of Canada has actually increased Canadian unity,' Hale said, noting how bizarre it is to see Quebec separatists waving Canadian flags and rallying around Canadian unity. Article content Adrienne Davidson, assistant professor of political science at McMaster University, tends to agree, noting how Trump's tariffs have only worked 'to bolster a stronger sense of Canadian national identity' and 'national solidarity to push back against American bullishness.' Article content 'Albertans have been frustrated for a long time with Ottawa,' says Jamie Tronnes, executive director of the Center for North American Prosperity and Security, a project of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 'and they feel that their voices aren't being heard.' Article content The list of complaints includes limited provincial powers, initial loss of control over natural resources, and perceived unequal treatment and representation. Article content While the true independence movement is 'a relatively recent manifestation of long-held grievances between Albertans and Ottawa,' said Davidson, 'the grievances that Alberta has with respect to the Canadian federation, with respect to Ottawa … those date back to the creation of Alberta (in 1905).' Article content Leaders within the movement say momentum has been building for at least five decades. Modry pointed to Alberta's boom in the 1970s and how the region was devastated by the National Energy Program of 1980 under Pierre Trudeau. 'People lost their homes, lost their businesses,' Modry said, citing efforts by Trudeau's energy minister, Marc Lalonde, to increase Ottawa's economic power at the expense of the provinces. Article content Article content 'So what we've recognized over decades now is that very thing: The structure of Canada, the way Confederation has been set up, makes it impossible for Alberta to have a meaningful voice,' Modry said. Article content Smith, meanwhile, is aware that the independence movement has been gaining steam. After Carney's election, she suggested she would support a citizen-led petition for a referendum. Article content 'I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada,' Smith said in April. Article content 'However, there is a citizen initiative referendum process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward.' Article content Smith is 'walking a very fine line,' said Davidson, by putting 'wind into the sails of separation' with such talk and with her Alberta Next panel tour. Article content But Tronnes sees it another way. 'There needs to be an outlet for (Albertans') frustration,' she said. 'Given the growing demand for a referendum, blocking one could be very politically damaging for (Smith),' she added. Article content Article content Legal wrangling may continue, and the petition may be shot down. But Davies, for one, doesn't see this as a barrier. 'At any time,' he said, 'a referendum can be conducted, and so what we've been consistently calling for is the UCP to schedule a referendum on Alberta's independence. Article content 'They don't have to take a side, but they need to schedule a referendum. Stop wasting time.' Article content Polling predictions Article content Whether Alberta's independence movement gets a public nod from Trump in the future is anyone's guess — and it might hurt the movement, as Hale and Davidson suggested — but Davies and Modry remain confident that they are on the path towards an independent Alberta. Article content Polling suggests that a growing number of Albertans favour independence compared to 2021, but the numbers still fall well below a majority. Article content Modry said he's seen polling with numbers closer to 48 per cent in favour of independence, while Davies said he's seen fluctuations between 38 and 42 per cent. And while those numbers are still shy of the 'clear majority' stipulated in the Clarity Act for any province seeking secession, both are convinced that the campaign ahead of a referendum will get the numbers where they need to be. Article content If a referendum is called for next spring, Davies' Republicans would push Alberta to claw back power in all the areas that are constitutionally permissible. He said this should include control over immigration, taxation, and pensions. Article content 'And, at every step of the way, if Ottawa chooses to push back … I believe that (pro-independence) number that you see today would organically increase as Albertans begin to see that Ottawa views Alberta as nothing more than a resource colony.' Article content Independence dreams Article content Davies and Modry said both Alberta and Washington want tariff-free trade and would work toward an agreement if Alberta gains independence. When asked what they would do to promote free trade with the U.S., Davies pointed out that 'Alberta doesn't have free trade within Canada.' Article content Once independent, he sees Alberta pursuing its own economic trade agreements with the U.S, Japan, South Korea and other Western democracies, and engaging on their own terms to market and export Alberta's emerging industries: energy, mining, forestry and agriculture. Article content Article content This would be done 'without the interference from Ottawa,' he said, predicting success. Article content 'I would suggest that an independent Alberta would, in fact, have greater access to foreign markets, which is something that we've lacked.' Article content Davies also mentioned the market case for LNG, saying that Alberta would negotiate additional LNG terminals as an independent nation. If British Columbia pushes back, he added, 'then Alberta may have to look at going south of the border and accessing new LNG terminals that are being built every single year in the United States to get our energy to market.' Article content Still, few outside the separatist movement believe an independence referendum will succeed — and even if it did, secession would face additional barriers at the federal level — but holding a referendum still sends a strong signal to both Ottawa and Washington. Article content Article content Strengthening its hand Article content Whatever the outcome of a referendum — if one is held — Alberta may still emerge stronger, analysts suggest. Article content 'Alberta is well-positioned, no matter what happens, to be able to negotiate its future in Washington, D.C.,' said Tronnes. 'Alberta has a lot of things that America needs, particularly energy, but not just energy.' Article content Smith is now a well-known entity in the U.S. — Americans would be hard-pressed to name other provincial premiers, apart from Doug Ford — and Alberta has successfully raised its international street cred in recent years. Article content 'The province has made the strategic choice to ensure that it has allies and friends throughout Washington, D.C., on both sides of the aisle, to make sure that when we're in a moment like this, that there is a network of people it can call upon to speak about what Alberta brings to the table,' Tronnes noted.
Calgary Herald
4 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
'Fully in support': Some Alberta separatists try to rally support in the Trump White House
Article content U.S. support Article content In some ways, Alberta, with its resource-rich land and strong conservative, pro-oil and anti-regulatory leanings, seems perfectly aligned with Trump's drive to roll back efforts aimed at achieving net-zero emissions. Article content To help forge such an alliance, Modry's APP met with 'the highest echelons of the US administration' back in April, he said, noting that he's been asked not to divulge names. Before the talks, the APP created a document detailing the benefits of Alberta sovereignty to the U.S., outlining 'opportunities in which the U.S. administration could facilitate Alberta sovereignty.' Article content He refused to share details about those benefits, but Modry said they left the meeting 'very confident that the U.S. would be supportive of Alberta's sovereignty.' Article content When asked whether the U.S. is doing anything now to support their independence bid, Modry said the U.S. team asked what they could do. He stressed that the APP told the Americans it was not asking for anything in particular. Article content Article content No other meetings are planned between the APP and the U.S. administration, and the next talks would come only after the petition succeeds and before a referendum is held, Modry said. Article content Not all separatist leaders think such outreach is wise. Cameron Davies, the president of the Republican Party of Alberta, which has a memorandum of understanding with the Independence Party of Alberta — both organizations want Alberta to become a constitutional republic — said he has not been in touch with the White House and that any such contact would be 'improper' until after a vote. 'As a sovereign independent Alberta Republic,' he added, 'we would of course reach out to international leaders, seeking support and recognition.' Article content Some analysts are skeptical that the U.S. would really support or get involved with Alberta separatism. 'I really don't see a situation whereby the United States would interfere in another country's affairs like that,' said Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Article content Article content Trying to boost Albertan separatism might have the opposite effect, he added. 'I think it would backfire because everything President Trump has done so far with Canada has backfired.' Article content 'The bullying of Canada has actually increased Canadian unity,' Hale said, noting how bizarre it is to see Quebec separatists waving Canadian flags and rallying around Canadian unity. Article content Adrienne Davidson, assistant professor of political science at McMaster University, tends to agree, noting how Trump's tariffs have only worked 'to bolster a stronger sense of Canadian national identity' and 'national solidarity to push back against American bullishness.' Article content 'Albertans have been frustrated for a long time with Ottawa,' says Jamie Tronnes, executive director of the Center for North American Prosperity and Security, a project of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 'and they feel that their voices aren't being heard.' Article content The list of complaints includes limited provincial powers, initial loss of control over natural resources, and perceived unequal treatment and representation. Article content While the true independence movement is 'a relatively recent manifestation of long-held grievances between Albertans and Ottawa,' said Davidson, 'the grievances that Alberta has with respect to the Canadian federation, with respect to Ottawa … those date back to the creation of Alberta (in 1905).' Article content Leaders within the movement say momentum has been building for at least five decades. Modry pointed to Alberta's boom in the 1970s and how the region was devastated by the National Energy Program of 1980 under Pierre Trudeau. 'People lost their homes, lost their businesses,' Modry said, citing efforts by Trudeau's energy minister, Marc Lalonde, to increase Ottawa's economic power at the expense of the provinces. Article content Article content 'So what we've recognized over decades now is that very thing: The structure of Canada, the way Confederation has been set up, makes it impossible for Alberta to have a meaningful voice,' Modry said. Article content Smith, meanwhile, is aware that the independence movement has been gaining steam. After Carney's election, she suggested she would support a citizen-led petition for a referendum. Article content 'I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada,' Smith said in April. Article content 'However, there is a citizen initiative referendum process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward.' Article content Smith is 'walking a very fine line,' said Davidson, by putting 'wind into the sails of separation' with such talk and with her Alberta Next panel tour. Article content But Tronnes sees it another way. 'There needs to be an outlet for (Albertans') frustration,' she said. 'Given the growing demand for a referendum, blocking one could be very politically damaging for (Smith),' she added. Article content Article content Legal wrangling may continue, and the petition may be shot down. But Davies, for one, doesn't see this as a barrier. 'At any time,' he said, 'a referendum can be conducted, and so what we've been consistently calling for is the UCP to schedule a referendum on Alberta's independence. Article content 'They don't have to take a side, but they need to schedule a referendum. Stop wasting time.' Article content Polling predictions Article content Whether Alberta's independence movement gets a public nod from Trump in the future is anyone's guess — and it might hurt the movement, as Hale and Davidson suggested — but Davies and Modry remain confident that they are on the path towards an independent Alberta. Article content Polling suggests that a growing number of Albertans favour independence compared to 2021, but the numbers still fall well below a majority. Article content Modry said he's seen polling with numbers closer to 48 per cent in favour of independence, while Davies said he's seen fluctuations between 38 and 42 per cent. And while those numbers are still shy of the 'clear majority' stipulated in the Clarity Act for any province seeking secession, both are convinced that the campaign ahead of a referendum will get the numbers where they need to be. Article content If a referendum is called for next spring, Davies' Republicans would push Alberta to claw back power in all the areas that are constitutionally permissible. He said this should include control over immigration, taxation, and pensions. Article content 'And, at every step of the way, if Ottawa chooses to push back … I believe that (pro-independence) number that you see today would organically increase as Albertans begin to see that Ottawa views Alberta as nothing more than a resource colony.' Article content Independence dreams Article content Davies and Modry said both Alberta and Washington want tariff-free trade and would work toward an agreement if Alberta gains independence. When asked what they would do to promote free trade with the U.S., Davies pointed out that 'Alberta doesn't have free trade within Canada.' Article content Once independent, he sees Alberta pursuing its own economic trade agreements with the U.S, Japan, South Korea and other Western democracies, and engaging on their own terms to market and export Alberta's emerging industries: energy, mining, forestry and agriculture. Article content Article content This would be done 'without the interference from Ottawa,' he said, predicting success. Article content 'I would suggest that an independent Alberta would, in fact, have greater access to foreign markets, which is something that we've lacked.' Article content Davies also mentioned the market case for LNG, saying that Alberta would negotiate additional LNG terminals as an independent nation. If British Columbia pushes back, he added, 'then Alberta may have to look at going south of the border and accessing new LNG terminals that are being built every single year in the United States to get our energy to market.' Article content Still, few outside the separatist movement believe an independence referendum will succeed — and even if it did, secession would face additional barriers at the federal level — but holding a referendum still sends a strong signal to both Ottawa and Washington. Article content Article content Strengthening its hand Article content Whatever the outcome of a referendum — if one is held — Alberta may still emerge stronger, analysts suggest. Article content 'Alberta is well-positioned, no matter what happens, to be able to negotiate its future in Washington, D.C.,' said Tronnes. 'Alberta has a lot of things that America needs, particularly energy, but not just energy.' Article content Smith is now a well-known entity in the U.S. — Americans would be hard-pressed to name other provincial premiers, apart from Doug Ford — and Alberta has successfully raised its international street cred in recent years. Article content 'The province has made the strategic choice to ensure that it has allies and friends throughout Washington, D.C., on both sides of the aisle, to make sure that when we're in a moment like this, that there is a network of people it can call upon to speak about what Alberta brings to the table,' Tronnes noted.
