Braid: A separation campaign will hurt the province, the economy and the United Conservative Party
The road ahead starts to look rocky for Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP.
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A separatism debate could divide her caucus, whose members are already smarting from fierce criticism levelled by two expelled MLAs.
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Most alarming are the economic threats posed by the mere hint of separation.
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Nancy Southern, CEO of ATCO and an early Smith leadership backer, told Postmedia columnist Chris Varcoe, 'Absolutely, it's impacting investments now, as we look to (have) partners for our large projects that are from offshore.'
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No company is more Albertan than ATCO, founded in 1947 by Ron Southern and his father as Alberta Trailer Hire, and now a $24-billion enterprise.
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The Southerns managed to do that within a united Canada. It's doubtful they could match their singular feat in a little country called Alberta.
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Southern says separation talk should get no oxygen at all.
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Smith herself launched this debate. It will be hugely divisive among Albertans.
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Today's United Conservative Party is 'mainly united in causing division,' says Peter Guthrie, the former infrastructure minister who quit and then was kicked out of Smith's caucus.
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Guthrie and his fellow caucus evacuee, Scott Sinclair, have become a fierce two-man opposition to the government, lighting up the legislature with attacks that rival anything from the NDP.
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They're conservatives who say the government isn't really conservative.
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Smith's caucus members squirm while Sinclair and Guthrie deliver their blasts.
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'It must be difficult for those cabinet ministers and some of those MLAs, listening to the premier and her denials while knowing full well what the truth is,' Guthrie says.
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Guthrie makes legislature accusations about the health procurement scandal. He also raised questions about alleged involvement of Smith's husband in talks about a Banff rail project.
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Toronto Star
an hour ago
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Here's what to know about American Samoans in Alaska who are being prosecuted after trying to vote
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Here's what to know about the prosecutions in Alaska and the status of American Samoans when it comes to voting. What is the Alaska case about? The investigation began after Tupe Smith, a mom in the cruise-ship stop of Whittier, decided to run for a vacant seat on the regional school board in 2023. She was unopposed and won with about 95% of the vote. That's when she learned she wasn't allowed to hold public office because she wasn't a U.S. citizen. Smith says she knew she wasn't allowed to vote in federal elections but thought she could vote in local or state races, and that she never would have voted if she knew it wasn't legal. She says she told elections workers that she was a U.S. national, not a citizen, and was told to check a box saying she was a citizen anyway. About 10 months later, troopers returned to Whittier and issued court summonses to her husband and nine other American Samoans. 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It would also allow the Department of Homeland Security to waive personal interviews of U.S. nationals as part of the process and to reduce fees for them. ___ Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska, and Johnson from Seattle.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Here's what to know about American Samoans in Alaska who are being prosecuted after trying to vote
WHITTIER, Alaska (AP) — FOR MOVEMENT AT 9 A.M. EASTERN ON SATURDAY, 6/7. WITH VOTING-AMERICAN SAMOANS MAINBAR. They were born on U.S. soil, are entitled to U.S. passports and allowed to serve in the U.S. military, but 11 people in a small Alaska town are facing criminal charges after they tried to participate in a fundamental part of American democracy: voting. The defendants, who range in age from their 20s to their 60s, were all born in American Samoa — the only U.S. territory where residents are not automatically granted citizenship at birth. Prosecutors say they falsely claimed American citizenship when registering or trying to vote. The cases are highlighting another side of the debate over exaggerated allegations of voting by noncitizens, as well as what it means to be born on American soil, as President Donald Trump tries to redefine birthright citizenship by ending it for children of people who are in the country illegally. Here's what to know about the prosecutions in Alaska and the status of American Samoans when it comes to voting. What is the Alaska case about? The investigation began after Tupe Smith, a mom in the cruise-ship stop of Whittier, decided to run for a vacant seat on the regional school board in 2023. She was unopposed and won with about 95% of the vote. That's when she learned she wasn't allowed to hold public office because she wasn't a U.S. citizen. Smith says she knew she wasn't allowed to vote in federal elections but thought she could vote in local or state races, and that she never would have voted if she knew it wasn't legal. She says she told elections workers that she was a U.S. national, not a citizen, and was told to check a box saying she was a citizen anyway. About 10 months later, troopers returned to Whittier and issued court summonses to her husband and nine other American Samoans. While Smith appeals the charges against her, the state filed charges against the others in April. The state argues that Smith's false claim of citizenship was intentional, and her claim to the contrary was undercut by the clear language on the voter application forms she filled out in 2020 and 2022. The forms said that if the applicant did not answer yes to being over 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, 'do not complete this form, as you are not eligible to vote.' Why can't American Samoans vote in the U.S.? The 14th Amendment to the Constitution promises U.S. citizenship to those born on U.S. soil and subject to its jurisdiction. American Samoa has been U.S. soil since 1900, when several of its chiefs ceded their land and vowed allegiance to the United States. 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