Latest news with #AlbertaSeparatism
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Politics Insider: A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let's look at what happened this week. Set against the backdrop of a rising tide of Alberta separatism, Monday's closely watched by-election in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot will help decide the political fate of Conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre. As Emma Graney reports from the Alberta city of Camrose, a win would be Poilievre's ticket back to Parliament. There, he can finally debate Prime Minister Mark Carney, rather than sitting on the sidelines where he was relegated to after his bruising April loss to the Liberals in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton. A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre, however. He is set to face a leadership review in January, after his party failed to win the spring general election despite a strong lead in the polls throughout 2024. But if history is anything to go by, his first steps back to Parliament Hill seem to be on solid ground. Battle River-Crowfoot, with a population of around 110,000 people, is one of Canada's safest Conservative ridings; its former MP, Damien Kurek, won with almost 83 per cent of the vote, then gave up his seat to trigger the by-election. Meanwhile, the union representing Air Canada flight attendants has rejected the airline's proposal for binding arbitration. Dayne Patterson reports that the decision leaves bargaining suspended as time winds down toward an impending strike deadline early Saturday. The airline and the Air Canada Component of CUPE have been in contract negotiations for months over an agreement for more than 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants. Both sides have blamed the other for stalled negotiations and misinformation about offers on the table. The main sticking points have been wages and time for hours worked. Federal budget watchdog has `no idea' who successor will be despite term ending next month: Yves Giroux, who took on the job in 2018, will mark his final day on Sept. 2, and says he's reached out to the Privy Council Office multiple times for information over the past few months. Trump, Putin meet in Alaska as `high-stakes' summit on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire begins: The pair launched their meeting with a warm handshake today, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. Ontario government orders public servants back to office five days a week: .'The return to a five days per week in-workplace standard represents the current workforce landscape in the province,' Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney said in a statement Ottawa has duty to ensure welfare of Canadians in ICE custody, advocates say: The calls come after revelations that Canadian children as young as two years old have been held for weeks in immigration detention this year. Mark Mulroney to join CIBC as global vice-chair: The son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney and his wife, Mila, is leaving his current job as a vice-chair at Bank of Nova Scotia to take on the new assignment on Nov. 17. Prime Minister's Week: Mark Carney was in the National Capital Region and surrounding area this week for what his office described as a reduced schedule to reflect a brief period of local vacation. On Monday, his office reported that Carney spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Russia's invasion. Also, Carney spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. And he participated in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on support for Ukraine, co chaired by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelensky and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance were also in the meeting. Carney constituency office: Carney was elected MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Nepean in the April federal election. But as The Ottawa Citizen has reported, he has not yet set up a constituency office. Emily Williams, media-relations director for the PMO, said in a statement that the process is under way to confirm an office that meets all security requirements and is conveniently located and accessible for constituents. In the meantime, constituents are being directed, either virtually or in person, to the constituency office of David McGuinty, the defence minister, and long-time MP for the neighbouring riding of Ottawa South. Political Break: The House of Commons is not sitting for the summer. It will resume on Sept. 15. The Senate will sit again on Sept. 23. MPs in the Summer: As part of this weekly summer edition of the newsletter, we are checking in with MPs on what they are up to while the Commons is on break. This week, the focus is on New Democrat Gord Johns, the member for the Vancouver Island riding of Courtenay-Alberni. From the city of Port Alberni, Johns has been witness to the Mount Underwood wildfire. However, he says there is little for an MP to do but use social media to share emergency-management information from local and provincial officials. 'I was born and raised on Vancouver Island and I have never seen anything like it ever. We've had fires, but not at this scale. Two years ago, we had Cameron Lake, which shut our highway down multiple times over the summer. It was extremely frustrating for local residents and deeply alarming. People are triggered from that. But this is much more scary. This is much closer to people's homes. 'I'm looking out my kitchen window. The fire is nine kilometres away from my house right now. It looks like an atomic bomb went off. There's always a chance it could head towards our community. It's 32 degrees Celsius right now. It's dry. This is a large fire and it's moving quickly. We're grateful the wind is moving the fire away from our community, but the wind could change in a heartbeat. 'The smoke is now coming into our community. It was blowing the other way, but now it's coming in rapidly as we're talking now. It smells really bad. It's heavy smoke. Half an hour ago, that wasn't the case. 'Everybody has got a Go Bag. I've got a flashlight. I've got my clothes. I've got water, food, blankets. My car is like a Go Bag normally. I'm a rural MP. My daughter laughed. She said, `You've got a Go Bag. It's your car.' ' This interview has been edited and condensed. New diplomats: Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has announced three new diplomatic appointments. Details here. Which prominent provincial politician co-founded Air Transat? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. As the democratic world lines up behind Jimmy Lai, Canadian leadership is badly needed Why I added my name to the long ballot in Pierre Poilievre's by-election Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@ Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop. The answer to today's question: Ahead of entering provincial politics, Quebec Premier François Legault co-founded Air Transat in 1986, Until 1997, Legault was the company's chief executive officer. He was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1998. Legault has been premier since 2018, leading his Coalition Avenir Québec party.
National Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Colby Cosh: The flaccid state of Alberta's separation movement
On Monday, the Alberta provincial riding of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills gave us a clear, unmistakeable snapshot of the elusive Alberta-separatist Sasquatch — and it turns out he's about the size of a Yorkshire terrier. In 1982, Olds-Didsbury, as it then was, became the only Alberta riding ever to elect a separatist legislator, the still-living and still-radical Gordon Kesler. In 2025, Kesler's latter-day successor, Conservative MLA and Assembly Speaker Nathan Cooper, resigned to take a job as Alberta's official agent in Washington. Article content Article content This forced a byelection and gave the allegedly resurgent Alberta separatist movement an electrifying opportunity to repeat history. Could the new-christened Republican Party of Alberta (RPA) duplicate the separatist coup of 1982 on the same conservative ground? Article content Article content Article content The party sent its leader, the self-exiled UCP operative Cameron Davies, to contest the byelection. Davies, who had Kesler's endorsement, told the Post's Rahim Mohamed that he would be content with 20 per cent of the vote, given that the 'Republicans' only adopted their new brand in February. Speculation that the RPA might vault into second place was widespread, and, after all, the New Democrats have finished as low as sixth in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills this century (namely, in 2004's election, in which the Separation Party of Alberta finished fourth). Well, for better or worse, it seems it's not 1982, or at least not early 1982, anymore. According to unofficial returns, Davies and the Republicans drew a not unimpressive 2,705 votes, but New Democratic candidate Bev Toews pulled in 3,061, and the UCP's Tara Sawyer, an ex-chairperson of the Grain Growers of Canada, scooped up 9,363. With a 'Wildrose Loyalty' die-hard candidate in the mix, Davies came up short of his hopes with a vote share under 18 per cent. Article content Article content No doubt the Alberta Republicans will argue that this is a floor, not a ceiling, but the Olds-Didsbury area is their heartland, and byelections are ideal moments for protest voting if there's any appetite for it. Two other byelections were held last night in Edmonton ridings, and the Republican candidates didn't reach two per cent of the total there. Article content There was a fuss last month when Danielle Smith's UCP government made changes to the statutory cutoff for 'citizen initiative' petitions that allow proposals for legislation to be put to a province-wide referendum. Smith explicitly promised that Alberta separatists would be given their day if they could reach the new, lowered cutoff for signatures. Article content But they still need 177,000 Albertans to sign a petition asking for a referendum, and the underwhelming RPA performance in Olds hints that they might have trouble hitting even that mark. Premier Smith, whose numbers in the polls have enjoyed a resurgence lately, might actually have preferred the dimensions of that Sasquatch to turn out a little more threatening to Eastern Canada when exposed to the byelection flash. Article content
CBC
27-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Separatists say Alberta's culture is rooted in traditional values. Many say those values don't define them
Social Sharing Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said earlier this month that if Alberta were to separate from Canada, it would first have to define itself as a nation with a distinct culture. "I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture," Blanchet quipped at a media conference. Alberta separatists are trying to make the case that Alberta, like Quebec, does have a culture that's distinct from the rest of Canada — one rooted in traditional conservative values. But recent polling, and many people living in Alberta, paint a more complicated picture. Many Albertans feel the separatists' definition of Alberta culture leaves them out of the conversation, and one researcher says that could be driving people away from the movement. Republican Party of Alberta leader Cameron Davies, who calls himself an Alberta nationalist, says Albertans prize family values and freedom from government intervention. He says Alberta's culture is driven by risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit and resilience, dating back to its early settlers. He says Alberta conservatives are distinct from Eastern Canada, but acknowledges they have "a lot in common" with neighbouring Saskatchewan. "I would challenge you that a Doug Ford conservative is not a conservative from Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. We have very little in common," Davies told CBC News. Davies also takes many cultural positions similar to U.S. Republicans, such as eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies and taking education about sexual and gender diversity out of schools, and says he believes a "vast majority" of Albertans share these views. The Alberta Prosperity Project, the group driving a petition to force a separation referendum, has a section on its website outlining similar "cultural and identity factors" for leaving Canada. The party lists bilingualism among its cultural grievances, as well as, "The Federal Government's support of wokeness, cancel culture, critical race theory, the rewriting of history, and the tearing down of historical monuments." Albertans 'build community for themselves' But plenty of Albertans don't fall in line with those values. Rowan Morris, a transgender man living in Alberta's oil capital Fort McMurray, knows all about the risk-taking, entrepreneurial Alberta spirit, and mythos around building a better life through hard work and sacrifice. His parents moved their family to Fort McMurray from Nova Scotia when he was 14, and his dad took a job in the oilfield. He says that "sacrifice for good" is something that's inherently Albertan. "That also applies to newcomers to Canada. Also applies to Indigenous folks on this territory. It also applies to queer and trans people," he said. "What I see in Fort McMurray is people who move here have no friends or family, and build a community for themselves." That's about as far as his agreements with the separatists go. Morris says the talk of "family values" is not inclusive of all families, and the crusade against "wokeness" leaves many Albertans behind. He also finds the idea of separating from Canada disrespectful to the authority of Indigenous governance systems and values. "When we are contorting freedom into being something restrictive or something avoidant or punitive, that isn't truly freedom," he said. "I think the values that are Albertan, or what is Albertan culture, is a willingness to explore and a willingness to embrace the new and to challenge yourself. And those are things that I do see echoed in the root of what folks are talking about on this other side," he said, referring to the separatists, and adding that he feels their anger is misdirected. Morris believes Alberta does have a distinct culture, but he says it's part of a broader pan-Canadian one, rather than a separate national identity. Separatists are 'projecting their own values': researcher In many ways, Morris is not an outlier in today's Alberta. Jared Wesley, a political scientist at the University of Alberta who studies the province's political culture with his Common Ground research team, says the ideals expressed by separatist groups don't represent the average Albertan in 2025. "They're absolutely dead wrong, and they're projecting their own values on the rest of Alberta society," he said. Wesley and his team have interviewed thousands of Albertans. In an April 2024 article for Policy Options, a magazine from the Montreal-based Institute for Research on Public Policy, he noted that they found Albertans are, by and large, socially progressive and fiscally conservative — or, more specifically, tax-averse. "Alberta is one of those unique places right now where the broader political culture, who we see ourselves to be, just does not align with public opinion," he told CBC News. In surveying thousands of Alberta residents, researchers found that they often have a "distorted view" of their own political culture, believing their fellow citizens to be significantly more conservative than they actually are. The researchers noted that ultimately, those surveyed had an image of the "average Albertan" that doesn't match the actual demographics of the province. WATCH | Albertans discuss sovereignty: Alberta separatism is in the spotlight. Not everyone is sold on sovereignty 5 days ago Duration 8:11 Alberta is increasingly ethnically diverse. The province's 2021 census found that more than a quarter of Albertans identify as racialized, and noted that Alberta had the third highest population proportion of racialized groups in Canada behind Ontario and B.C. Additionally, just under seven per cent identify as Indigenous, which is the fourth largest proportion among provinces, behind Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Wesley's research has found that Albertans identify strongly with both their province and their country. Even among separatists he spoke with, Wesley says fewer than half feel Alberta has its own distinct culture within Canada. In the survey, when Albertans were asked to select all the political identifications that applied to them, most chose at least two, with the most common being "progressive" and "conservative." And while the federal Conservatives won 63.5 per cent of Alberta's popular vote in April's federal election, the provincial NDP still captured 44 per cent of the popular vote in the 2023 provincial race, suggesting Albertans are anything but a conservative monolith. Wesley says he doesn't believe the leaders of the separatist movement truly think of Alberta that way, either. "The political strategy is to paint yourself as being far bigger than what you actually are, or your ideas as being far more popular," he said. "I mean, that's at the heart of politics." What polling reveals Recent Angus Reid polling suggests 19 per cent of Albertans would "definitely" vote to leave Canada if it were put to a referendum, while another 17 per cent are "leaning toward" wanting to leave. A majority, 52 per cent, said they would "definitely" vote to stay, with eight per cent "leaning toward" voting to stay. By perpetuating a narrow, traditional idea of what it means to be Albertan, Wesley says separatists are turning off a large portion of the province's population. He says the separatist movement may end up being a "flashpoint" where Albertans realize this disconnect between their public image and their true values. "A march towards the referendum is going to have people questioning, 'Who are we as Albertans?' " he said. "And I'm not sure the separatists are prepared for the answer that Albertans are going to give them." The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) released its own polling last week that pushes back against separatist narratives. The survey, done by polling firm Environics in April, found Albertans overwhelmingly support causes like raising the minimum wage, rent controls and price controls, as well as the full implementation of universal child care, pharmacare and dental care. In a statement, AFL president Gil McGowan said the poll was initially for in-house use, but the union decided to release it to counteract the public focus on separatism. "This polling is a rebuttal to right-wing stereotypes of Albertans," McGowan said. Young Conservative wants to bridge gap with separatists Some Conservatives in the province are also pushing back against separatism. Ahmed Ibrahim, 21, former president of the University of Lethbridge campus conservative club, spoke with CBC News over the phone while working in a canola field just northeast of Lethbridge, in southern Alberta. Ibrahim was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, and came to Alberta in 2023 to work in agriculture. "I came here for the Alberta advantage," he said, noting that the province has an opportunity to grow, and he feels that "growth is something everyone deserves." Still, Ibrahim says he doesn't view Alberta as a separate nation, and believes strongly in the idea and principle of Canada. Though separatists are a minority in the Conservative movement, he notes that "they have the right to be listened to."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
More than half of Canadians say they understand Alberta separatism: poll
OTTAWA — A new poll suggests more than half of Canadians say they understand why Alberta might want to split from Canada — even if almost two-thirds say they don't want that to happen. The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 55 per cent of Canadians understand Albertans' desire for independence. Because the poll was conducted online, it can't be assigned a margin of error. Seventy per cent of Albertans said they understand why their province might want to become an independent country. The poll suggests 63 per cent of men say they grasp what's driving Alberta separatism, while 48 per cent of women report the same. While 77 per cent of Conservative voters said they understand the reasons behind the separatism movement, only 48 per cent of Liberal supporters responded the same way. Sébastien Dallaire, Leger's executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, said the survey suggests that there's a "level of empathy" for Albertans. He added Canadians likely don't think it's a good idea for the province to separate, given the dire consequences it would have for the entire country. "If you're in B.C., it means the country will be split in half from your perspective," Dallaire said. "If one province leaves, then it may open up, you know, more discussion about, of course, Quebec possibly also wanting to do the same, or other provinces." Only 26 per cent of respondents said they support the idea of Alberta becoming an independent country, with 12 per cent saying they "strongly" support it and 15 per cent saying they support it "somewhat." The numbers in the polling don't always match up due to rounding. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said they're opposed, with 50 per cent saying they're "strongly" opposed, 13 per cent saying they are somewhat opposed and 11 per cent saying they "don't know." Among respondents who support the province of Alberta becoming a country, 76 per cent say they understand why Alberta might want to become independent. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government introduced a bill earlier this month to make it easier to launch a citizen-initiated referendum — including one on separating from Canada. Smith has pointed to growing alienation in her province and frustration with Ottawa and has argued that those wanting to separate "are not fringe voices." While she said she does not support separating from Canada, Smith is hoping to negotiate a new deal for the province with Prime Minister Mark Carney. She has said repeatedly that Albertans are frustrated that the province's natural resources are landlocked and that its oil and gas exports are sold almost exclusively to the United States at a cut rate. Almost half of respondents in Alberta — 47 per cent — said they support separation. Just 29 per cent of Quebecers, 22 per cent of Ontarians and 14 per cent of people in B.C. said they think Alberta should split. Though the poll's sample size for the two provinces was small, 30 per cent of people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan said they supported the idea. At 43 per cent, Conservative supporters were far more open to the idea of separation than Liberal supporters, at only 12 per cent. Dallaire said the results of the recent federal election "did not satisfy everybody." He also said the poll suggests that Albertans are very divided on the issue of separation. "We see that there is significant support for at least trying to shake things up," he said, adding that previous referendums in Quebec have shown that numbers tend to move quite a bit once people learn the facts about what separation would mean. "Is this really a hard level of support? At this time, probably not, but it's a clear indication that there's a potential for the movement to really gain a strong foothold in the province and it's something to really keep an eye on," he said. "There's a potential for this to grow even stronger, depending on what happens next." The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. — With files from Sarah Ritchie This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
National Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
On Alberta separatism, just over half of Canadians say they understand the desire: poll
Article content A new poll suggests more than half of Canadians say they understand why Alberta might want to split from Canada — even if almost two-thirds say they don't want that to happen. Article content Article content The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 55 per cent of Canadians understand Albertans' desire for independence. Article content Because the poll was conducted online, it can't be assigned a margin of error. Article content Seventy per cent of Albertans said they understand why their province might want to become an independent country. Article content The poll suggests 63 per cent of men say they grasp what's driving Alberta separatism, while 48 per cent of women report the same. Article content While 77 per cent of Conservative voters said they understand the reasons behind the separatism movement, only 48 per cent of Liberal supporters responded the same way. Article content Sebastien Dallaire, Leger's executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, said the survey suggests that there's a 'level of empathy' for Albertans. He added Canadians likely don't think it's a good idea for the province to separate, given the dire consequences it would have for the entire country. Article content 'If you're in B.C., it means the country will be split in half from your perspective,' Dallaire said. 'If one province leaves, then it may open up, you know, more discussion about, of course, Quebec possibly also wanting to do the same, or other provinces.' Article content Only 26 per cent of respondents said they support the idea of Alberta becoming an independent country, with 12 per cent saying they 'strongly' support it and 15 per cent saying they support it 'somewhat.' Article content The numbers in the polling don't always match up due to rounding. Article content Sixty-two per cent of respondents said they're opposed, with 50 per cent saying they're 'strongly' opposed, 13 per cent saying they are somewhat opposed and 11 per cent saying they 'don't know.' Article content Among respondents who support the province of Alberta becoming a country, 76 per cent say they understand why Alberta might want to become independent. Article content Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government introduced a bill earlier this month to make it easier to launch a citizen-initiated referendum — including one on separating from Canada. Article content Smith has pointed to growing alienation in her province and frustration with Ottawa and has argued that those wanting to separate 'are not fringe voices.' Article content While she said she does not support separating from Canada, Smith is hoping to negotiate a new deal for the province with Prime Minister Mark Carney. She has said repeatedly that Albertans are frustrated that the province's natural resources are landlocked and that its oil and gas exports are sold almost exclusively to the United States at a cut rate. Article content Almost half of respondents in Alberta — 47 per cent — said they support separation. Article content Just 29 per cent of Quebecers, 22 per cent of Ontarians and 14 per cent of people in B.C. said they think Alberta should split. Though the poll's sample size for the two provinces was small, 30 per cent of people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan said they supported the idea. Article content At 43 per cent, Conservative supporters were far more open to the idea of separation than Liberal supporters, at only 12 per cent. Article content Dallaire said the results of the recent federal election 'did not satisfy everybody.' Article content He also said the poll suggests that Albertans are very divided on the issue of separation. Article content 'We see that there is significant support for at least trying to shake things up,' he said, adding that previous referendums in Quebec have shown that numbers tend to move quite a bit once people learn the facts about what separation would mean. Article content 'Is this really a hard level of support? At this time, probably not, but it's a clear indication that there's a potential for the movement to really gain a strong foothold in the province and it's something to really keep an eye on,' he said. Article content 'There's a potential for this to grow even stronger, depending on what happens next.' Article content
