Politicians and business leaders in British Columbia say that talking about separation in Alberta is an opening for better cooperation between Ottawa and Western provinces, but dividing the country is a step too far.
The reactions occur after Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith said this week that he would put the problem in a referendum if enough residents sign a request in support, even if he does not want Alberta to leave Canada.
The leader of the BC opposition, John Rustad, said that he understands frustration and that it is an opportunity for Prime Minister Mark Carney “to climb the dish” and that the federal government “unleashes the potential of the provinces.”
BC Prime Minister David Eby said last month that the idea of Western separatism was a “waste of time” when the country needs to work together against the tariff threats of the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
However, the British Columbia Business Council says that “Alberta’s concerns about policies such as emission limits in oil and gas should be taken seriously.”
Although the BC Chamber of Commerce did not comment on the separation of Alberta, it pressed for the “importance of eliminating unnecessary interprovincial barriers and the need to have a unique and continuous market in Canada.”
“The BC Chamber of Commerce focuses on critical issues that unlock the economic potential for British columbia and Canada,” said CEO Fiona Famulak in a statement.
“The main one is the need for the federal government and provincial governments to work in collaboration and create a single market in our country, where companies and consumers can buy and sell products without restrictions onerous interprovincials that prevent productivity and growth.”
The bosses and MLA of First Nation are talking about the proposal of the Law of the amendment of Electoral Statutes in Alberta, which could make Alberta separate from Canada is more feasible. Critics quickly highlight how separatism would violate the rights of treaties.
The CEO of the BC Business Council, Laura Jones, says we need a strong economy, not a fractured country.
“When Alberta Prospera, Canada Prospera,” he said. “The reality is that the implementation of an emission limit runs the risk of undermining the affordability, reconciliation and commercial diversification.”
Industry experts and researchers say that separation would not be a useful solution for Alberta, a province without a coastline that needs more access to external markets.
“The idea that Alberta becomes a separate nation, what would you do apart from creating barriers between this and other provinces?” says the associate professor of Economics at the University of Columbia Britanic, Ross Hickey.
“I don’t know what the alberta situation is fiscally if it were not for the flow of capital from outside the province to the province, and the workflow from outside the province in the province. Petroleum does not extract itself.”
The president of the BC Trucking Association, Dave Earle, said that Alberta’s separatism has long and historical roots, and that the reasons for his resurgence should not be dismissed.
“I don’t think Canadians really understand the level of dissatisfaction and discomfort that exists there,” says Earle. “And that is something that we have to find both to honor and to listen to what Albertaos have to say.”
But Earle adds that he is not worried about a hypothetical separation BC insulating, where most roads and land are linked to other parts of Canada pass through Alberta.
He says that the North American land transport system is completely integrated, and Alberta will continue needing the products to be brought from other jurisdictions through that system, which requires routes to stay open and accessible.
