You know, believe it or not, Alberta, we in the rest of the country have heard a lot about your referendum, and not just from the CBC. And, only speaking for myself, we care.
I’m not going to get all hysterical about it, however, and actually claim that you should vote to stay in Canada because, “We love you.” I’m just going to state that with everything else going on in the world, breaking off a significant piece of the country is not a good thing. It wasn’t a good thing a year ago and it won’t be a good thing a year from now.
There has been much talk about comparisons to the Brexit referendum in the UK; that was a disaster, and half of the people who voted for Brexit — i.e., about half of 51.89% (17.4 million people, or 8.7 million of them) would vote to undo what they voted for. Yes, I know this from personal experience, and no, I’m not going to back up those exact numbers with my life, but ask a reasonable number of Brits where they stand, and if you’re lucky they’ll be honest and give you an honest answer.
And I get it, you’ve got the short end of the stick in many ways for years, and that’s not good, but I think things have changed for you. You have a conservative liberal running the country, and he is doing good things for Alberta, and I don’t think that will change at the next election. Might it change at some point in the future? Possibly, but with Carney now giving you some of the slack you haven’t been given in the past, I think it will be difficult for a future prime minister of Canada to turn around at the beginning of the next government’s term and say, “That’s enough, Alberta, get back in your cage.”
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think things can change that fast.
I’ve read all ten of the questions being asked of you in the referendum on Monday. There’s lots of information about them and how they are worded. I’m not saying that any of you are too stupid to read through them all and decide carefully how you are going to answer them (although I question if anyone could plan to show up on Monday and expect to read and think about all the questions within a reasonable amount of time), but the “no to the nine” mantra is good advice. As Carney has pointed out, this isn’t a poker game where you’re trying to bluff you way to a win, and Smith seems to think that it is, despite the fact that she is even all giggly in Mark Carney’s presence and claims to support staying in Canada. Too many “yes” votes will result in Danielle Smith overplaying her hand with Ottawa, and putting Alberta in a difficult position (or positions) for years to come. You don’t need that, and the rest of us don’t need (or want) that either.
So I’ll end my plea here: Please vote, “No to the nine”, and then vote, “Alberta should remain a province in Canada.” It’s as simple as that. And then, go home and GET INVOLVED in politics in some way. Don’t just sit on your ass and watch American television all day. That’s my point, get involved in some way; don’t just sit there and let the politicians, whether they be federal or provincial or even municipal, tell you what to think. Think for yourself, and take action to support your positions.
Thank-you.