Latest news with #Postmedia-Leger
Calgary Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Chris Selley: Central Canadians are practically goading Alberta to consider separation
Article content Of all the problems Canada faces in 2025, the prospect of Alberta sovereigntists winning a referendum and plunging the country into constitutional hell does not appear to be one of them. A Postmedia-Leger poll released last week, found just 29 per cent of Albertans supported the province 'becoming a country independent of Canada,' which is what the straightforward referendum question recently proposed by the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) would ask. That's even fewer than the 36 per cent of Quebecers who would vote Yes in their own sovereignty referendum, according to a Leger poll released before last month's federal election. Article content Article content But good grief, Central Canada could hardly be doing more to try to pump the APP's tires. Ironically, that includes some Quebec separatists. Article content Article content Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has offered support, in principle: 'I totally agree with provinces that stand up, that are loyal to their own parliament, that are capable of showing a strong hand,' he said earlier this month. This seems like the only logical strategic position for Quebec sovereigntists to take if — like the PQ, which is in pole position to win the next provincial election — they're actually planning on holding and winning a referendum and commencing divorce proceedings with Ottawa, the other provinces and First Nations. Article content Others in the Quebec sovereignty movement, however, haven't been able to resist broadcasting their contempt for Alberta. Legalities aside, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet averred earlier this month, a proper sovereignty-seeking entity 'has to have a culture of their own.' Article content Article content 'I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture,' he added disdainfully. Article content Article content 'In Quebec, we have a nation, a language, a culture, a distinct history,' Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the arch-nationalist Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, told The Canadian Press earlier this month. 'They want an oil-based future. We have no common goals. We're not alike.' Article content But in this respect, we're almost seeing a national-unity moment among Central Canadian elites — sovereigntist and federalist, Upper and Lower Canadian alike — with respect to Alberta.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Selley: Central Canadians are practically goading Alberta to consider separation
Of all the problems Canada faces in 2025, the prospect of Alberta sovereigntists winning a referendum and plunging the country into constitutional hell does not appear to be one of them. A Postmedia-Leger poll released last week, found just 29 per cent of Albertans supported the province 'becoming a country independent of Canada,' which is what the straightforward referendum question recently proposed by the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) would ask. That's even fewer than the 36 per cent of Quebecers who would vote Yes in their own sovereignty referendum, according to a Leger poll released before last month's federal election. But good grief, Central Canada could hardly be doing more to try to pump the APP's tires. Ironically, that includes some Quebec separatists. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has offered support, in principle: 'I totally agree with provinces that stand up, that are loyal to their own parliament, that are capable of showing a strong hand,' he said earlier this month. This seems like the only logical strategic position for Quebec sovereigntists to take if — like the PQ, which is in pole position to win the next provincial election — they're actually planning on holding and winning a referendum and commencing divorce proceedings with Ottawa, the other provinces and First Nations. Others in the Quebec sovereignty movement, however, haven't been able to resist broadcasting their contempt for Alberta. Legalities aside, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet averred earlier this month, a proper sovereignty-seeking entity 'has to have a culture of their own.' 'I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture,' he added disdainfully. 'In Quebec, we have a nation, a language, a culture, a distinct history,' Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the arch-nationalist Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, told The Canadian Press earlier this month. 'They want an oil-based future. We have no common goals. We're not alike.' Alepin and Blanchet appear to be offside Quebec popular opinion on the oil-and-gas question: 61 per cent of Quebec respondents to a SOM poll for La Presse, conducted in February, said they supported resuscitating a liquified natural gas project in the province, and 59 per cent said they supported resuscitating the Energy East pipeline, which would have sent oil from Western Canada through Quebec to Irving's Canaport facility in Saint John, N.B. But in this respect, we're almost seeing a national-unity moment among Central Canadian elites — sovereigntist and federalist, Upper and Lower Canadian alike — with respect to Alberta. 'Perhaps it's time Alberta does go it alone and says goodbye to Canada,' a recent Toronto Star headline proposed. 'The province stands alone in its incurable sense of grievance with the rest of the federation,' columnist David Olive wrote — which is an altogether astonishing thing to say about a country that includes Quebec. 'Absent Alberta, Canada could confront Trumpism as a more united front,' Olive argued. 'And Canadian taxpayers would no longer have to subsidize Alberta's oilpatch, its increased housing supply, and its university research projects.' In February, the Star declined to run an idiotic editorial cartoon by Theo Moudakis that proposed Canada swap Alberta for California. But Moudakis posted it on X anyway, with 'Toronto Star' included in his signature. This mirrored Justin Trudeau's idiotic claimed remark to President Donald Trump that Canada might negotiate 'a trade for Vermont or California.' Joke or not, Trudeau didn't need to say what he was thinking of 'trading.' (California is very much in the oil-and-gas industry, incidentally. And Vermont has some of the looser gun laws in the United States. But facts have little purchase when anglophone Central Canadian nationalism — which is to say anti-Americanism — kicks in.) 'I can assure you. No Canadian passport, no citizenship, no pension, and no future if you want to leave Canada,' Senator Kristopher Wells wrote Monday in an extraordinary missive on social media. It has been a common topic of dumb online conversation: Could Albertans keep their Canadian citizenship, as the separatist camp promises? The answer is, of course they could. We allow dual citizenship. We don't revoke citizenship when people move away from Canada, even if it's forever. We grant citizenship to people who have never set foot on Canadian soil, and to anyone who's born on it — even if their parents are just here for a couple of weeks for that exact purpose. Dumb online conversation usually doesn't matter. But Wells is a Trudeau-appointed senator … for Alberta. Not only does Central Canada hate us, the separatists can argue, but the people Central Canada appoints to represent us hate us. These are precisely the sort of comments Quebec separatists try to leverage to convince Quebecers that the Rest of Canada hates them — except, of course, Central Canadian elites would never say such things about Quebecers. It hasn't worked for Quebec separatists. It doesn't seem to be working for Alberta separatists. But all this sneering could do an awful lot of damage to national unity along the way. National Post cselley@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Everything you need to know about the threat of Alberta separatism 'This is about the economy': What motivates Alberta separatists
Edmonton Journal
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Jamie Sarkonak: Alberta's separatist minority is too small, divided to get its way
Article content No matter where you stand on Alberta separation — whether you approve from afar, or oppose it from Edmonton — it's important to remember how small it is. One key theme that continues to emerge from any polling on the issue is the movement's minority status. It's doomed, just from the numbers alone. The best public opinion data we have yet, taking the temperature of the province, was released Thursday by Postmedia-Leger. In a weekend survey, it asked Albertans how they would feel about various separation scenarios and found that even the most popular form of secession — with Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Manitoba forming its own country — was supported by only 35 per cent of the province.
Calgary Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
'This is about the economy': What motivates Alberta separatists
Article content With dedicated groups of Albertans pushing for the western province to secede from Canada, new polling shows that most of those living in the province reject this idea, while just over one-third support some form of independence from Canada. Article content Article content The Postmedia-Leger poll also found that 44 per cent of Albertans identify as 'primarily Canadian,' while only 21 per cent identify as primarily Albertan. A further 32 per cent say they identify as both equally. Article content Article content Sixty per cent of those who oppose separation say they identify as primarily Canadian; even among those who wish to see an independent Alberta, 23 per cent say they identify as primarily Canadian, while 45 per cent say they are primarily Albertan. Article content Article content When it comes to a future scenario involving an independent Alberta, the most popular idea, which received the support of 35 per cent of Albertans, would be an independent western bloc, from Manitoba to the Pacific Ocean. Thirty per cent support just Alberta and Saskatchewan breaking away and forming their own country, while 29 per cent would support Alberta going it alone. Article content Just 17 per cent of Albertans are interested in joining the United States. 'I don't really see this as something that's been really steamrolling and gaining a ton of momentum. I think it's … probably been festering for a bit,' said Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president, central Canada. 'Probably the re-election of the Liberals didn't help to diminish anything. But I wouldn't suggest also that it's actually added a bunch of fuel to the fire.' Article content Article content Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been a frequent critic of the federal government's approach to Alberta. When she met with Prime Minister Mark Carney prior to the election, she made a list of nine demands, many of them involving the energy sector, that she said she expected to see met within six months, or there could be an 'unprecedented national unity crisis.' Article content Article content The majority of Albertans (53 per cent) support Smith's approach on those demands, while 34 per cent disagree. Eighty-three per cent of those who support separation also support Smith's approach, compared to 34 per cent of those who do not support separation. Article content 'What she's doing is not completely offside with her voters and the electorate. I mean, her job is to represent Alberta and Albertans, and not necessarily do things that are going to make (Ontario) Premier (Doug) Ford happy,' said Enns.
Vancouver Sun
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
'This is about the economy': What motivates Alberta separatists
With dedicated groups of Albertans pushing for the western province to secede from Canada, new polling shows that most of those living in the province reject this idea, while just over one-third support some form of independence from Canada. The Postmedia-Leger poll also found that 44 per cent of Albertans identify as 'primarily Canadian,' while only 21 per cent identify as primarily Albertan. A further 32 per cent say they identify as both equally. Sixty per cent of those who oppose separation say they identify as primarily Canadian; even among those who wish to see an independent Alberta, 23 per cent say they identify as primarily Canadian, while 45 per cent say they are primarily Albertan. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. When it comes to a future scenario involving an independent Alberta, the most popular idea, which received the support of 35 per cent of Albertans, would be an independent western bloc, from Manitoba to the Pacific Ocean. Thirty per cent support just Alberta and Saskatchewan breaking away and forming their own country, while 29 per cent would support Alberta going it alone. Just 17 per cent of Albertans are interested in joining the United States. 'I don't really see this as something that's been really steamrolling and gaining a ton of momentum. I think it's … probably been festering for a bit,' said Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president, central Canada. 'Probably the re-election of the Liberals didn't help to diminish anything. But I wouldn't suggest also that it's actually added a bunch of fuel to the fire.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been a frequent critic of the federal government's approach to Alberta. When she met with Prime Minister Mark Carney prior to the election, she made a list of nine demands, many of them involving the energy sector, that she said she expected to see met within six months, or there could be an 'unprecedented national unity crisis.' The majority of Albertans (53 per cent) support Smith's approach on those demands, while 34 per cent disagree. Eighty-three per cent of those who support separation also support Smith's approach, compared to 34 per cent of those who do not support separation. 'What she's doing is not completely offside with her voters and the electorate. I mean, her job is to represent Alberta and Albertans, and not necessarily do things that are going to make (Ontario) Premier (Doug) Ford happy,' said Enns. The polling also sheds light on Albertans' motivations for believing the province ought to leave Canada. Among those who believe that Alberta should separate, 54 per cent said it's because of a combination of economic, political and cultural reasons. The single largest individual motivation is economic, largely to do with resource management and taxation. Almost one third (30 per cent) of Albertans give economic factors as their primary reason, compared to eight per cent who identify political reasons — such as political underrepresentation — as their main motivation and five per cent who give cultural reasons, such as regional identity or values. 'This isn't some sort of cultural thing that — somehow Albertans have, maybe, this cowboy culture,' said Enns. 'This is about the economy.' Economic motivations are strongest among 18 to 34 year olds, with 42 per cent listing those issues as their primary motivation for supporting separation. Carney might have some reasons to feel that the tensions can be tamped down. The polling found that 58 per cent of respondents said the actions of the federal government could influence their support for separation, both for and against, while only 23 per cent said their support is baked in already. Still, 62 per cent of Albertans say people outside the province don't understand their grievances. Even among the 29 per cent who think Alberta's grievances are understood, only six per cent think they're understood well. Almost half of all Albertans are still willing to take a wait-and-see approach to Carney, particularly on energy. Forty-four per cent believe that Carney will deliver on his energy promises, which include positioning Canada as an energy superpower. However, just as many don't believe Carney will deliver. Of those who oppose separation, 60 per cent are confident that Carney will deliver, while 66 per cent who support separation are not confident. 'If we're talking about economic opportunity and economic growth and economic freedom, those are some things that from a federal government perspective, they have the ability to pull a few levers,' said Enns. The polling was done via an online survey of 1,000 Alberta adults between May 9 and 12. The results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household in order to ensure a representative sample of the Canadian population. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 3.1 per cent. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
