The notion of making a deal with someone like Danielle Smith within the context of federalism is just laughable. Anyone thinking a pipeline will reconcile Smith with the rest of the country is insane. Alberta politics is largely built on grievance culture, and Smith really has no other play except explaining every problem is the result of Trudeau, Carney, or some other random set of eastern bastards. The level of brain rot required to articulate the idea of sovereign Alberta within Canada is difficult to comprehend, much less trying to make it work.
It's worse than that, since it's clear that Marlaina Smith has been working directly with Trump since the get-go. ie we're not dealing with mere broken Albertans when dealing with Smith and her separatists; we're dealing with an increasing amount of the weight of the US government intent on toppling our nation and everything we hold dear.
A beautifully written and I suspect on-point article. One of the issues flagged is the electorate also being responsible in avoiding the difficult problems; it could just be me but this seems to be more of a stretch than ever, including here in the UK.
You're right to make an issue of how provinces and territories frame frustrations in these divisive times.
I think regular meetings of the federation are important. What I do find wrong is how some Premiers frame issues with the federal government.
Among the best are Wab Kinew and Doug Ford who get licence to criticize the federal gov't where necessary as they aren't acting like Premier Smith. I notice that Scott Moe has toned down his attacks was Alberata separatist talk has risen.
As a BC resident and supporter of the provincial NDP I thought Premier Eby's comments recently were foolish. The rational BC voice in this pipeline and separatism debacle in BC is Energy Minister Adrian Dix.
Adrian Dix stays on message and consistently states that 80% of the questions he gets from the media are about a pipeline with “no proposal,” “no proponent” prepared to pay for it, and no defined route. He also adds that there are better things to do than talk about this pipeline.
He supports optimizing/expanding the existing Trans Mountain pipeline instead of building a new one.
It's ironic that the few who understand the unstated rationale for PM Carney's MOU setting out the conditions for a pipeline proposal are the handful of conspiracy theorists in the separatist movement. While the oil and gas industry suggests there's little new investment due to the political and regulatory climate, other booms in income have failed to go to investments.
I'm in the camp that believes the only viable option is twinning the existing Trans Mountain pipeline.
Yes, Dix spoke very well. But this essay is wishful thinking and nothing practical. may I point out that for some Albertans, the fact that Carney comes across as practical (not M. Poilievre, in today’s global climate), speaks volumes. Yes, we need to slow down the rhetoric, hence Dix’s comments v. Eby’s.
I used to be like you, and then I started paying attention to what Canada does, and it's not good. You identify with mass disarmament and government censorship? The old sucking up all the money from the youth with things like OAS, "free" healthcare and absurdly high real estate values?
The censorship systems can be removed. one modification to the copyright act will go a long way, and we have the political context in which to do it right here -- the US is *already* engaged in trade sanctions with us, and canada shares with the EU the incentive to liberate its culture from US copyright-backed corporate dominance
Gun control is a contentious issue across the rural-urban divide and the pendulum can easily swing both ways on that issue depending how the winds of political change go - an couple MPs outside of the overton being elected in a by-election can turn the tide significantly. There's a large political space waiting for a canadian solution to this deadlock, and we're just waiting for someone to vocalize them loudly enough to resonate with a large portion of canadians both urban and rural.
OAS is a good thing, and if you don't think so go read your history of the mid-1930s again.
Healthcare is a right in this country, and should stay that way. It's an important national accomplishment that we have kept a public healthcare system, one we should be proud of.
Real estate values will only go up the more people are born on this rock, and the more productive uses we learn how to make use of land with. If you want real estate values to go down your only real options are
1) reclaim parts of the ocean canada borders (take the china/netherlands approach)
2) mass-produce cheap housing(Carney's plan A)
3) make parts of canada that could be more peopled more accessible by easier transportation(Carney's plan B)
4) Build up/down(no one talking seriously about doing this at scale but maybe once carney's plan A/B kick off...)
5) Establish colony under the ocean/on the moon/something like it etc
and of course
6) birth control/reduce immigration further/etc(this has side effect of dropping GDP which people freak out about)
Tearing the country apart with separatism that some in alberta want will not be something so easily repaired. It's the stuff civil wars can easily start with.
maybe some of the issues could be handled by a Citizen's Assembly where the voice of the politicians is muted. Just maybe the electorate will agree with the assessment of fellow citizens as to the truth of the matter
Yes ongoing discussion and mainly mutual respect can go a long way, Unfortunately, in a world where one upsmanship, media hits and ego seem to trump rational and holistic considerations and communication we seem stuck on a carousel whose speed is ever increasing and whose safeguards are wearing out.
I have marvelled for a long time at how Canada, with its enormous geographical spread, tremendous ethnic/cultural diversity, and just how different each province is from the other, that it still manages to not only hold it all together, but would also be seen internationally as one of the friendliest, most stable countries in the world. The recent coming together in the face of Trump's threat would suggest that deep down Canadians do care enough about Canada as country worth fighting for, despite the ongoing debate as to how it should be run. If Canada can find a way to focus primarily on what it is that is good and beautiful about itself, what it is that is worth fighting for to preserve and protect, then the differences may pale in comparison. I hope David that your fellow citizens heed your call, find another way to engage without having to be right, appreciating that all Canadians have a valid voice, have something valuable to contribute.
Across the full spectrum from RWNJs, to squishy centrists, to true believers in Fully Automated Luxury Communism, there is incredible blindness with respect to any limits on the scale of human material demands on the Earth. So my compact CO2 monitor is the ultimate bullshit detector -- no matter which political flavour is in charge, where borders are drawn, or which flag they're waving this year, the relentless upward creep proceeds. Tick, tick, tick ...
The framing of this article is incorrect. A federal government must enable near unrestricted movement of goods, services, people and capital within national borders. If it can't deliver, it loses the authority to govern. Alberta was not rewarded for bad behavior. The federal government was pushed to do its job. It also needs to provide access for Newfoundland to transmit electricity with Hydro Quebec charging a regulated return on the infrastructure that treats all electrons the same regardless of their origin.
Your article aptly defines a dysfunctional family! In a family it’s necessary to recognize different kids need different things at different times/ages. And it’s also important to come together to sit at the kitchen table and discuss, share and celebrate! The kids need to work at getting along and the parents work at solving the bigger issues threatening or offering opportunities for the family.
It takes work but it’s worth the effort! It keeps the kids off the streets and off drugs - usually.
I mean you say this and I get it and don't disagree with any of it but also let's remember we have (as of May 27th, 2026 and inshallah for the rest of our history) one of the all time lowest body counts from political violence of any currently extant nation-state. Even our most egregious and tragic episodes of political violence are pretty lame by global standards. The October Crisis was mostly an exchange of strongly worded notes.
I pray every nation on earth be blessed with a shotgun federation where sometimes premiers say mean things about each other at press conferences. And I pray we are too, forever.
Taking a beat....is exactly what Wab Kinew said straight to Ms. Smith. She cannot and will not though, as she must appease her radical base. Keeping the separation question alive serves her political agenda. What we need to do, is simply ignore it all. The courts have shut her down once and will continue to do so. Ignore the petulant child. That is what works best.
I too wish provinces would stop with the knife to the throat diplomacy. But I want to point out, the idea BC is against the pipeline I think is embellished. Every poll I have seen shows majority MOU support, the BC opposition (which won 44 seats and 43.28% of the vote to the NDPs 47 seats and 44.86%) supports the pipeline, and in the federal election the CPC got over 40% of the vote and only one seat less than the liberals.
The notion of making a deal with someone like Danielle Smith within the context of federalism is just laughable. Anyone thinking a pipeline will reconcile Smith with the rest of the country is insane. Alberta politics is largely built on grievance culture, and Smith really has no other play except explaining every problem is the result of Trudeau, Carney, or some other random set of eastern bastards. The level of brain rot required to articulate the idea of sovereign Alberta within Canada is difficult to comprehend, much less trying to make it work.
It's worse than that, since it's clear that Marlaina Smith has been working directly with Trump since the get-go. ie we're not dealing with mere broken Albertans when dealing with Smith and her separatists; we're dealing with an increasing amount of the weight of the US government intent on toppling our nation and everything we hold dear.
A beautifully written and I suspect on-point article. One of the issues flagged is the electorate also being responsible in avoiding the difficult problems; it could just be me but this seems to be more of a stretch than ever, including here in the UK.
You're right to make an issue of how provinces and territories frame frustrations in these divisive times.
I think regular meetings of the federation are important. What I do find wrong is how some Premiers frame issues with the federal government.
Among the best are Wab Kinew and Doug Ford who get licence to criticize the federal gov't where necessary as they aren't acting like Premier Smith. I notice that Scott Moe has toned down his attacks was Alberata separatist talk has risen.
As a BC resident and supporter of the provincial NDP I thought Premier Eby's comments recently were foolish. The rational BC voice in this pipeline and separatism debacle in BC is Energy Minister Adrian Dix.
Adrian Dix stays on message and consistently states that 80% of the questions he gets from the media are about a pipeline with “no proposal,” “no proponent” prepared to pay for it, and no defined route. He also adds that there are better things to do than talk about this pipeline.
He supports optimizing/expanding the existing Trans Mountain pipeline instead of building a new one.
It's ironic that the few who understand the unstated rationale for PM Carney's MOU setting out the conditions for a pipeline proposal are the handful of conspiracy theorists in the separatist movement. While the oil and gas industry suggests there's little new investment due to the political and regulatory climate, other booms in income have failed to go to investments.
I'm in the camp that believes the only viable option is twinning the existing Trans Mountain pipeline.
Yes, Dix spoke very well. But this essay is wishful thinking and nothing practical. may I point out that for some Albertans, the fact that Carney comes across as practical (not M. Poilievre, in today’s global climate), speaks volumes. Yes, we need to slow down the rhetoric, hence Dix’s comments v. Eby’s.
My identity is Canadian, full stop.
I used to be like you, and then I started paying attention to what Canada does, and it's not good. You identify with mass disarmament and government censorship? The old sucking up all the money from the youth with things like OAS, "free" healthcare and absurdly high real estate values?
You identify with that? Really?
Yes we do.
The censorship systems can be removed. one modification to the copyright act will go a long way, and we have the political context in which to do it right here -- the US is *already* engaged in trade sanctions with us, and canada shares with the EU the incentive to liberate its culture from US copyright-backed corporate dominance
Gun control is a contentious issue across the rural-urban divide and the pendulum can easily swing both ways on that issue depending how the winds of political change go - an couple MPs outside of the overton being elected in a by-election can turn the tide significantly. There's a large political space waiting for a canadian solution to this deadlock, and we're just waiting for someone to vocalize them loudly enough to resonate with a large portion of canadians both urban and rural.
OAS is a good thing, and if you don't think so go read your history of the mid-1930s again.
Healthcare is a right in this country, and should stay that way. It's an important national accomplishment that we have kept a public healthcare system, one we should be proud of.
Real estate values will only go up the more people are born on this rock, and the more productive uses we learn how to make use of land with. If you want real estate values to go down your only real options are
1) reclaim parts of the ocean canada borders (take the china/netherlands approach)
2) mass-produce cheap housing(Carney's plan A)
3) make parts of canada that could be more peopled more accessible by easier transportation(Carney's plan B)
4) Build up/down(no one talking seriously about doing this at scale but maybe once carney's plan A/B kick off...)
5) Establish colony under the ocean/on the moon/something like it etc
and of course
6) birth control/reduce immigration further/etc(this has side effect of dropping GDP which people freak out about)
Tearing the country apart with separatism that some in alberta want will not be something so easily repaired. It's the stuff civil wars can easily start with.
maybe some of the issues could be handled by a Citizen's Assembly where the voice of the politicians is muted. Just maybe the electorate will agree with the assessment of fellow citizens as to the truth of the matter
Yes ongoing discussion and mainly mutual respect can go a long way, Unfortunately, in a world where one upsmanship, media hits and ego seem to trump rational and holistic considerations and communication we seem stuck on a carousel whose speed is ever increasing and whose safeguards are wearing out.
I have marvelled for a long time at how Canada, with its enormous geographical spread, tremendous ethnic/cultural diversity, and just how different each province is from the other, that it still manages to not only hold it all together, but would also be seen internationally as one of the friendliest, most stable countries in the world. The recent coming together in the face of Trump's threat would suggest that deep down Canadians do care enough about Canada as country worth fighting for, despite the ongoing debate as to how it should be run. If Canada can find a way to focus primarily on what it is that is good and beautiful about itself, what it is that is worth fighting for to preserve and protect, then the differences may pale in comparison. I hope David that your fellow citizens heed your call, find another way to engage without having to be right, appreciating that all Canadians have a valid voice, have something valuable to contribute.
Excellently written article, gracefully put.
Across the full spectrum from RWNJs, to squishy centrists, to true believers in Fully Automated Luxury Communism, there is incredible blindness with respect to any limits on the scale of human material demands on the Earth. So my compact CO2 monitor is the ultimate bullshit detector -- no matter which political flavour is in charge, where borders are drawn, or which flag they're waving this year, the relentless upward creep proceeds. Tick, tick, tick ...
The framing of this article is incorrect. A federal government must enable near unrestricted movement of goods, services, people and capital within national borders. If it can't deliver, it loses the authority to govern. Alberta was not rewarded for bad behavior. The federal government was pushed to do its job. It also needs to provide access for Newfoundland to transmit electricity with Hydro Quebec charging a regulated return on the infrastructure that treats all electrons the same regardless of their origin.
Well said Sir!!! Not to mention that the whole exercise is really tiring for those of us living our lives of quiet desperation ( hope?)
Your article aptly defines a dysfunctional family! In a family it’s necessary to recognize different kids need different things at different times/ages. And it’s also important to come together to sit at the kitchen table and discuss, share and celebrate! The kids need to work at getting along and the parents work at solving the bigger issues threatening or offering opportunities for the family.
It takes work but it’s worth the effort! It keeps the kids off the streets and off drugs - usually.
I mean you say this and I get it and don't disagree with any of it but also let's remember we have (as of May 27th, 2026 and inshallah for the rest of our history) one of the all time lowest body counts from political violence of any currently extant nation-state. Even our most egregious and tragic episodes of political violence are pretty lame by global standards. The October Crisis was mostly an exchange of strongly worded notes.
I pray every nation on earth be blessed with a shotgun federation where sometimes premiers say mean things about each other at press conferences. And I pray we are too, forever.
Taking a beat....is exactly what Wab Kinew said straight to Ms. Smith. She cannot and will not though, as she must appease her radical base. Keeping the separation question alive serves her political agenda. What we need to do, is simply ignore it all. The courts have shut her down once and will continue to do so. Ignore the petulant child. That is what works best.
I too wish provinces would stop with the knife to the throat diplomacy. But I want to point out, the idea BC is against the pipeline I think is embellished. Every poll I have seen shows majority MOU support, the BC opposition (which won 44 seats and 43.28% of the vote to the NDPs 47 seats and 44.86%) supports the pipeline, and in the federal election the CPC got over 40% of the vote and only one seat less than the liberals.
Thank you for this piece that I think meets the moment for the current state of the federation.