On Monday, Albertans vote in a referendum on whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding vote on separation.
While Albertans have been involved in this political battle over the last few years, the rest of Canadians are curiously sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the outcome of this crucial vote.
Separatists are flying the royal blue Alberta flag; others are flying the red-and-white maple leaf of Canada to show support for a united Canada.
It all started when a populist right-wing political movement wanted Alberta to break away from the rest of the country.
On October 19, Albertans will vote on whether to have a binding referendum on independence.
Polls so far suggest that a majority of Albertans don’t want to leave the country and would rather stay.
And the Native Albertan leaders, in a terse message to the separatists, say, “Go wherever you want to, but the land belongs to us and stays with Canada.”
The question is how real is the separatists’ conviction of western alienation from eastern Canada, fuelled by grievances that the province puts more into the federal budget than it gets back.
While separatists want their own nation to the delight of President Trump, Canadians of all political stripes, including Liberal Prime Minister Carney to Conservative leader Poilievre, are pitching in on Alberta soil to seek an overwhelming vote for No to the separation of Alberta from Canada, an envy for the rest of the world as one of the best countries to live in.
-Promod Puri
promodpuri.com
