Alberta Next panel's 1st town hall in Red Deer hears support, calls for separation vote

Global News

3 days ago

Premier Danielle Smith and her hand-picked Alberta Next panel heard from several residents Tuesday who argued the only way to get the province a fair deal from Ottawa is to leave confederation.
The event in Red Deer was the first in a series of town halls to address public concerns with the federal government.
Some 450 people showed up to put questions to Smith and the 15 other members of her Alberta Next panel about the grievances inspiring separatist sentiment in the province.
Most of the attendees lauded Smith and the panel's strategies to wrest more control from the federal government, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP.
Jon Sedore came from the town of Trochu, about an hour's drive south of Red Deer. He told the panel he agrees with Alberta independence, and noted that even with the majority in the room expressing agreement with its proposals, Ottawa still stands in the way.
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'If you ask for permission for freedom, you're never going to get it. If you declare your freedom, that's where we can start,' he said to applause.
Smith has repeatedly said she believes in a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, and that one of the reasons for the panel is to address the concerns inspiring more vocal separatist sentiment in the province.
But on Tuesday, the conversation kept circling back to the elephant in the room: putting the question of separation to a ballot. Several attendees said only a yes vote will give the province the negotiating leverage it needs.
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Jeffrey Rath, a co-founder of the separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project, took to the mic to argue that there is a legal mechanism for the province to collect all the taxes currently handled by the Canada Revenue Agency.
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'That is voting Alberta the hell out of Canada on a clear question,' he said.
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Before the crowd could get in its questions and comments on each topic, it had to watch a total of more than 30 minutes of government-produced videos, first released with the announcement of the panel last month.
Among the issues at play is the idea of withholding social services from some immigrants.
In a session dedicated to that topic, many argued reform is needed to stop the bleeding of jobs to unqualified newcomers.
Other attendees said the panel's process has been biased from the start, and expressed frustration its online survey presented leading questions with no option to disagree.
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Some dismissed the government's proposals outright, noting that public opinion polls show the vast majority of Albertans don't support ideas like creating a provincial pension plan.
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One man said he and his wife are totally opposed to all the proposals because they will cost Albertans far too much money.
The panel's ultimate aim is to recommend ideas and policy proposals for referendum questions after the town halls wrap up in October.
On Tuesday, duelling voices either pushed the premier to make policy moves without a referendum or hold off until the public had a proper say.
The town hall was also an opportunity for some to air grudges that weren't on the agenda, including concerns about carbon dioxide being labelled a pollutant, the World Health Organization, and diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the workplace.
Smith said her government is working on presenting legislation on those workplace initiatives in the fall, but did not provide details.
She also said she's open to inviting her provincial counterparts to sit down and crack open the constitution for renegotiation, although she admitted there could be unintended consequences.
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Outside the meeting hall, protesters said Smith's United Conservative Party government is encouraging separatist talk that tramples Indigenous rights.
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Alden Boysis, who lives in Red Deer but is from the Samson Cree Nation, said he and fellow protesters weren't allowed in because of the vetting process, and because they were toting signs and flags.
'I'm fed up, I'm sick and tired of what's going on, ignoring treaties and just not listening to us,' he said.
Inside the venue, before the night was over, supporters were invited to line up to get their picture taken with the premier.
Reporters were not invited to ask questions.
Smith and panel members are set to hear feedback in Edmonton on Wednesday.