'Albertans know that they have options': Alberta Tory MPs warn Carney not to ignore threat of separatism
OTTAWA — With the House of Commons back in full swing, Conservative MPs from Alberta are sounding the alarm on rising separatist tensions in the province, warning Prime Minister Mark Carney to tackle the problem or reckon with a fractured country.
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Calgary MP Shuvaloy Majumdar blasted Carney on Tuesday for leaving the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon without giving Alberta a firm commitment on oil and gas pipelines and other energy infrastructure.
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'Yesterday, the prime minister committed to more rhetoric, more lofty words, and no actual (oil and gas) project,' said Majumdar in Tuesday's question period.
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'Alberta's heard all this before. We don't need headlines, we need results.'
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Majumdar told the National Post it's time for Carney to back up his words with actions, after campaigning on an implicit promise to repair the rift between Ottawa and Alberta created by his Liberal predecessor Justin Trudeau.
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'This is all about the pressure of resentment that has built up after (Trudeau spent) 10 years attacking the energy industry in Alberta,' said Majumdar.
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'The prime minister ran on addressing those issues, lifting things from the Conservative playbook… The solution here is for (him) to deliver what he's promising, lest he risk a constitutional crisis.'
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Newly elected rural Alberta MP David Bexte said in his maiden speech last week that 'Alberta separatism is no longer a fringe idea.'
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'I heard (separatist talk) at the doors more times than I can count, and I'll tell you plainly… Albertans know that they have options,' said Bexte.
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'If this House continues to insult, neglect and abuse Alberta… than the future of this country is not guaranteed.'
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Bexte declined a request to be interviewed for this story.
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Departing Battle River—Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek sounded the same warning in his farewell speech to Parliament, imploring all members of the House to 'fight for Canada.'
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'We face a national unity crisis. It is not something that can be flippantly dismissed by those in other parts of the country that would suggest that Alberta, for example, should simply pay up and shut up,' said Kurek.
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'Alberta deserves a fair voice in the federation, just like every province.'
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Kurek announced shortly after April's election that he would vacate his seat to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his own Ottawa-area seat, an opportunity to run in a byelection.
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