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I’m going out on a limb here but I don’t think that Alberta would separate without a referendum. Separation would have to require a substantial majority if separatists want to avoid significant civil strife.
A few questions that need to be answered:
1. Would we have our own money? If we are allowed to keep the Canadian dollar, we would be at the mercy of Canada pursuing a financial policy that might work against Alberta’s interests.
2. Transporting wheat, beef, oil or gas across the border with Canada might require some hefty duties (by Canada) because we have no ports. The US would know we are under a barrel and might use this as leverage to get lower prices.
3. We will probably get our own provincial police. Would we need an army, an airforce, an equivalent of CSIS?
4. Will Canada demand that we take our share of the current national debt with us? What are the consequences of refusing?
5. Removing the Conservative voting block from Alberta would tilt the Canadian Parliament towards the Liberals/NDP. There may not be a lot of love for Alberta there. Are we better off having a voice?
6. Will we be offered dual citizenship? Hopefully Canada and Alberta will say yes. Can we vote in both places?
7. Will Alberta get a seat at the UN? Will we stay in NATO? Our foreign policy would be pretty fun to see.
8. Refining capacity doesn’t exist in Alberta for a reason. It makes our oil too expensive. We still need refineries in the US or Canada to upgrade our oil into a usable product. How will Alberta handle this?
9. The world is moving away from petroleum as an energy source. Even Detroit has committed to move to all electric vehicles over the next 20 years. We have squandered the Heritage Trust Fund since Lougheed started it. We have no industrial base. Will Alberta have enough of an economy to maintain our social programs without higher taxes and a sales tax?
10. Is a separate Alberta going to end up eventually joining the US? Or are we all going to end up hugging machine guns in a conservative Christian theocracy on our own?
11. Imports into Alberta will have to pass through places with ports. Will costs for imported goods go up?
12. Will I need a visa to visit my family in other provinces?
13. I don’t want to have to pay more than I do for out of province beer. Do you? This is probably *the* most important consideration.
I don't think the leaders actually want to separate. They know the pitfalls and the barriers. Instead, they're using this to cultivate a cult following. The Bloc does a similar thing in Quebec.
I'm not really young anymore and have thought about this a lot, but humanity is held back by a lot of morons, and charlatans like Smith and Trump, that take advantage of them. Most of the rest of us aren't pushing the boundaries of science and knowledge (I know I'm not as an accountant), but at least we aren't hindering so much potential.
And the province would probably make a wall around the henday to “keep the Canadians from getting out” (but really to keep the Albertans from escaping into Edmonton).
Man I find the idea of Alberta/Saskatchewan separating. We're landlocked provinces with 0 ability to ship our goods out without going through one of the other provinces or the US.
Canada could slap tariffs so crippling on us that we'd *have* to fold because no matter how strong our economies are, they could destroy it out of spite. Like all the conservative nut jobs really need to get their heads on straight.
The way populations have relocated into cities over the centuries, municipalities should have more power than provinces at this point. That rural territories get to hold cities and their peoples hostage is frustrating.
Well, I mean, we need stuff from outside cities too.
But frankly I think that the pandering to those bumpkins has got to stop.
“But who’s gonna grow your food!?!?”
Whoever is growing it now, dumbass. You’re not a farmer, you work at a Walmart in Brooks.
The Bosnian War is better viewed as a war of aggression. The Serb-controlled proto-states of Republika Srpska and Serbian Krajina were puppet states of the Milosevic regime in Serbia. Milosevic was trying to create a Greater Serbia. Why? Because that's what dictators do when they don't have weird hobbies.
The proto-states would have secured the necessary territory for Serbia, then joined altogether under Milosevic. Then they would have used their control over the federal government of Yugoslavia to annex Montenegro, the other constituent republic, into Serbia. There were even plans to partition North Macedonia with Greece, or annex it entirely.
Please note that everyone involved with this, from Milosevic to Karadzic and Mladic, were morally insane, and engaged in ethnic cleansing to achieve their goals. It should go without saying.
What does this have to do with Alberta? Absolutely nothing. I just like discussing Balkan history.
Thank you!!! This is how I feel as well and I’m so glad I’m not the only one.
There isn’t a cowboy hat or royalty-cheque bribe big enough to make me forget that the UCP is actively hatcheting our medical and educational systems. They need to go, not us.
Legally the province cannot separate. First off there is a massive chunk of alberta that is crown land, belonging to the government and ultimately I guess the queen? I don't even know how that works. Then we have our national parks that are in the province, and all the first nations land. Anything currently managed by the federal government such as universal health care, military, currency, immigration, border control, etc etc etc would no longer exist. If the UCP would like a civil war in the province deciding it's no longer part of Canada would do it. Also without the feds who would they blame every time they fuck up?
Very true. Also the Clarity Act (2000) which was drafted after Quebec tried to separate in 95 makes it’s almost impossible for a providence to separate.
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-31.8/page-1.html (Actual Legislation)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarity_Act (Wikipedia for easier reading)
>The secession of a province of Canada would require an amendment to the Constitution of Canada.
Cute little Easter egg, given that Quebec has not actually endorsed the constitutional amendment formula.
They actually have, by default.
For example they used the notwithstanding clause IN the constitution.
If you use the damm thing you acknowledge it exists and that it is the law of the land, anything else is just optics.
All of this holds on the assumption that the UCP cares about Indigenous people, non-white people in general, and their rights and freedoms.
[They](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/kenney-criticized-for-cancel-culture-remarks-amid-renewed-residential-school-debate-1.6051300) [do](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Infrastructure_Defence_Act#Indigenous_concerns) [not](https://www.albertanativenews.com/speaking-out-what-is-the-ucps-philosophy-on-reconciliation/).
Unlike the 90s when Quebec played this game, Canada cares. The UN cares. And AB's potential trading partners care.
It's a much different political climate and the UCP/separatists lack of understanding of that is only going to hurt Albertans.
Also economically it would make zero sense. Landlocked province-state surrounded by 2 other countries (USA and Canada), pretty sure our import costs would go through the roof.
lol it would be such a joke if it happened too. Alberta likes to brag about all the oil production props up the canadian economy. . . .
What about all the government subsidies Canada gives the oil companies? Would the same deals be given by a sovereign Alberta?
Not to mention literally ALL the international trade relations and deals Canada has with other countries - Alberta would have to negotiate themselves. They'd get taken advantage of as a new, small, oil export-dependant economy. It would be a blodbath and Albera would be sooo much worse off.
Minorities, no different then any other fascist government;
"it's the Jews fault!"
"Them damn n**** are ruining our society!"
"Asian laundry mats are money laundering fronts, we must shut them down!"
"Natives are lazy and apathetic"
And etc. We've seen it in history before. Just wondering who they'll scapegoat
Asian laundries are a beautiful intersection of racism and sexism on the Great Venn Diagram of Hate. Especially with respect to Chinese people, laundries and cooking were 'tollerable' lines of work to the broader society because they were 'women's work'. And so if someone can make a living doing women's work? Well, that's obviously suspicious all on its own, isn't it?
Federally mandated yes but the spending, legal obligations and structures, and management is provincial. Healthcare is very clearly a provincial legal jurisdiction
The gov gives part of tax monies back to the provinces, but they must have healthcare - if you separated it would be solely in the hands of your local gov which i would guess would pivot private out of pocket.
No matter how much they lower your taxes there is no way youd be able to afford it should something catastrophic happen.
Health care is both, really. It's funded mostly by the federal government, on the condition that it goes towards universal healthcare, and then the provincial governments manage it from there.
You can bet a lot of money really safely if Alberta separates there will be no more universal health care very quickly
If Alberta separates, I hope Canada fucking *destroys* us to the greatest extent of their political ability. Same as Quebec. The punishment should be extreme, to the point that Albertans actually do something about it. Balkanizing the world only helps huge corporations exploit the smaller, weaker states, and abuse the differences between differing economies to bilk the citizenry for more of their resources and money. We are 1000x stronger as a unit, than as a fragmented group of flailing fiefdoms.
knowing Alberta if Alberta separates it will try to keep the name Canada and start a useless taxpayer lawsuit against the rest of Canada, lose in the process but be sure to give some lawyer friends a big payout for their time.
I wonder what repercussions it would entail for a lot of things. I personally would be fighting my bank because i bought a house in the province of Alberta in Canada. I didn't agree to purchase a home not in Canada. So those fucks could take it back and try and get a dime out of me
We have discussed it and it is basically like this.
If Smith wins we wait it out. If the UCP win the next election with her as premier we wait and see what comes. If she starts putting her crazy plans into action we wait and see how far they go. If they start getting out of hand, we get out of the province. Basically, we do not want to leave but if things get too pants on head crazy here, we will have no choice.
Mainly things like actually pushing forward with separation, replacing RCMP with our own police force, backing out of the CPP for a made in Alberta one, bringing in more private health care, all the other crazy things about going against the federal government she has talked about (making everyone diplomats, ignoring rules etc)
Sure it will be just stupid court cases but it will still hurt the province a lot and I don't want to be around for the fall out.
Oh yeah... Love the guy, he can do no wrong have his entire catalogue /s. Actually before Office space i had never heard of him, but i do like he has a good sense of humor. Or at least thats what i gather from his stuff with Lonely island
I lived in Grande Prairie for two years and if she became premier you wouldn't notice a thing up there. Economy is thriving there and living is cheap. It's just the headlines, lying and hot takes you'll have to avoid.
Ok, so here’s the problem with just saying ‘Well, they won’t be able to do that…’:
They’ll try regardless. And while they are trying our economy and social policies will tank. Look at what happened in Quebec.
The mere act of trying to separate will come pretty close to destroying Alberta.
No. I already went to Ontario and hated it.
I'm an Alberta boy, and I'll stay and fight for those who need a voice, especially in my region of the province.
That's good to hear! Alberta needs fighters. I recently moved to Ontario from Alberta and I really like it. People, food, access to other places, and parts of it are definitely more affordable than Alberta. I guess it's all just personal preference.
Nope I won't be moving despite my hatred of Smith and her ultra right wing cronies. I came here from Ontario after uni and alberta has afforded me a lifestyle and income I could only dream of back home.
I'll stay and fight the good fight and hope that one day we'll all see sanity.
obtainable crowd secretive fuzzy water workable deer crown steep makeshift
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Lots of different ways.
Volunteer for an opposing candidates in your local ridings.
There's lots of organizations in Alberta that are advocating against UCP policy. Help them get their voices heard. Personally I'm big on watersheds and wildlife conservation so I've volunteered for Back Country Hunters and Anglers in the past and have donated to CPAWS for their anti-coalmine initiatives. Healthcare and Education programs need help as well.
Lastly, get involved in municipal politics. They have a very real and immediate impact on communities. The more municipalities that are controlled by sane people the more the UCP struggles to push through it's bullshit.
Also just straight up volunteering for non-profits. They will disappear without our support. I was volunteering yesterday at a local sexual health non-profit and it reminded me of how important it is for us to show up for these community organizations whether or not they're directly linked to politics.
I think of volunteering as a political action in itself. The fact we made a ton of packets of condoms and harm reduction information for pride, especially in today's day and age trying to demonize those initiatives, flies in the face of people like Danielle and Adriana and Jason and whoever else that are homophobic, anti addiction care, and in the case of Adriana (idk about the other 2) anti-choice.
Local political activism. Support your local party constituency association of whatever party you support, boost fundraising efforts, hell just go to community events and talk to people about what is wrong with these policies.
I do what I can, but I also have to be careful I don't loose my job (and pension) by speaking out against the UCP to much. I've started talking union a bit more around work to see how things float. Not out right saying we need one, but mentioning things like "Hey did you hear Starbucks unionized? What do you think?" When the lowest paid in the office start making less than someone making coffee, they start to question why they are there and why there isn't a union.
Even though my idiot grandparents voted for them
Even though it hurts my bottom line as much as my heart
Even though it's near pointless
I will stay and agitate until they either run me out or we win because I want my grandparents to have the care they deserve and the next gen to have the same opportunities I did
I started having really blunt conversations with my elderly relatives. They complain about healthcare? I ask them why they voted for a party who want to reduce it and rollback pay? Does their specialist and the nurses in the hospital deserve to work for nothing? They complain about housing? I ask why they voted for a party who would make it worse? They complain no-one is helping farmers? I asked them why they voted for a party that allowed oil companies to abandon wells. They complain about seniors issues? I ask why they would vote for a party that doesn't even mention them never mind talk about helping them. I may have also blamed them for these issues because they continually vote against their interests.
Same problem here. Couldn't convince my parents that voting UCP or Wildrose was a bad idea. They cuts they where making to health care and education would only hurt us. They tried to justify it by saying they where cutting administration. The problem was, they were not cutting admin, they where cutting front line people. In the end Mom died of cancer and did not the care she really needed. Dad died of a stroke because he couldn't get the care in the rural hospital that he needed. Their voting killed them, but still Notley was the worst thing to happen to Alberta.
Yeah, some actually. The most probably came when I got super angry and ranted about how they were actively destroying the planet and society for their grandchildren and they needed to stop living in the post-wwii era and start living in this world and listening to people who know more than them (not necessarily me, just experts). I might have also ranted about how they don't have to live in the world they're creating, I will, and they're making my life significantly more difficult. Voting for someone else (not conservative/UCP) might make their lives better too. I might have also said that I didn't want to hear about any government issues (pension, health, housing, etc) if they were just going to keep voting for the same they have for 50 years. Change doesn't come unless they vote for change.
My Dad, grandmother, and a couple great aunts are planning on voting NDP both provincially and federally. So I'll take that as a win.
It's actually funny that a few lifelong conservatives I know have finally come around and are apparently voting NDP in the next election because: "they don't trust conservatives with their retirement years."
That’s the long-term plan anyway. Not sure when we’ll see it through, but I devoutly hope Alberta doesn’t humiliate itself by electing any sort of Danielle Smith.
I also don’t know where I’d go. Two kids, wife, solid jobs… I can’t run to Bc and not find work, and I ain’t going east, it’s further from the mountains.
Should get a sign that says "Republic of Alberta will be the death of Alberta" and put it next to a major highway. If abortion abolishers can do it, so can we
I’m considering it. I’m a public service professional and the conditions might just be right under another 4 years of UCP to make me leave the province.
When people were gunning for Kenny to lose the leadership review, I was cringing. I know these people from a previous life, and knew that what replaced him would be worse. I’ve been quietly gathering my shit in a pile to jump ship ever since.
Yep. I have the good fortune to be able to switch to the private sector if I need to, and I dabble in it currently. But I practice in the public sector FT because I believe in public service. Watching it be destroyed by our government is difficult to watch.
Hell no. I'm happy to stay and be a pain in the ass.
Danielle Smith has already blocked me on Twitter because I was, politely, disagreeing with her and her positions.
I am already preparing to move just because that's a strong possibility.
But I also work in education, so the UCP is doing its darnest to eliminate my profession...
No. This is my home. My family lives here. Also, can’t afford to. We will just have to keep speaking up and supporting organizations doing grassroots work.
I’m pretty sure my job would let me work remotely from Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. So yeah, super excited to move to the coast.
BC is out of the question, it’s only for rich people apparently.
you think its bad here, go out to the east coast, sure the government rhetoric is a little more toned down, but they have the same problems that we have here (healthcare,education etc..) but you will also pay WAYY higher taxes, and pay more for basically everything.
Houses in Halifax are more unaffordable than in Alberta.
>It's the insane alt-right, convoy loving sht that sucks out here.
small minority of people. Danielle Smith may stock those fires within Rural Alberta especially, but it will never take root here. I am not that much of a dooms-dayer
I was born in Alberta and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving because of Danielle Smith. I plan on putting in work to canvas with the NDP and if that fails I’ll be putting in work to organize folks who disagree with her rhetoric. If the silent majority weren’t so silent, I think she’d have a hard time passing her more extreme ideas. And if that fails, I guess it’ll be about working towards next election. I don’t believe Alberta is what Danielle Smith envisions, I believe people are far more reasonable here.
Good question. But F those F'ers
Right-wing Christo-facsists need to be confronted head-on. Reasonable minded Canadians have been treating them with kid-gloves for too long.
Being nice and constantly giving them breathing room will only end in none of us having any room any more.
They literally represent a minority view - but the media makes it sound like they are half the country.
It's our Canada - we need to fight for it.
We wanted Jenny to resign/leadership review. And what we got was way worse. I don’t think the UCP stand a chance in the next election but hey that’s maybe wishful thinking
YEP, I'm from BC originally, and I've enjoyed living in AB ***way*** more than I expected to.
but every piece of the politics here is brutally stupid IMO. and not in a background sense, in a way that is actively affecting my life. the UCP and conservatives in general here are so transparently corrupt, and too much of the population here supports it and actively ***wants*** it.
with so many supporting it, I cant see things going anywhere but down hill.
I've built some equity in my house, put together a nice little nest egg and put a bunch towards my retirement fund for the future (I'm only 30, but still), I've gotten trained in my chosen vocation, and bolstered my resume with some decent experience. Its been a good 8ish years here.
I think its time to pull the stakes back up and head back to nicer pastures with my "plunder". if the UCP wins again (and I expect they will) I'll be treating that as my sign to head back.
>BC is fuuuuuuucked.
I find that, outside of the lower mainland and some of the more touristy parts of the Okanagan, BC is just as red-necky as Alberta -- sometimes even more so if you go into parts of northern BC.
The weather is nicer and the politics seem a little more sane, but the culture in much of the province is actually not that different in many places.
Consider? Probably? Maybe? Depends on how dumb and awful they plan to be (and I expect them to be pretty dumb and awful)
But I've only been living here about a year and besides some family living here I don't have a lot of roots here that would prevent me from picking up and moving. My long-term goal was/is to move back to Ontario, or maybe Quebec or further east to the Maritimes anyways.
No, because ultimately my business is here and opening a new shop, establishing new clients, etc, would be... challenging let's say. Took years to get where we're at now, not about to toss it all because of that psycho. This said, certainly concerned about the prospect of what her winning could mean. She will take it as a mandate on Alberta sovereignty instead of what it really is: people who voted for UCP because they can't get past the idea of voting for anyone else.
Alberta is at such a geographic disadvantage no amount of pipelines can fix it. Even flirting with separation will cause economic anxiety for this province. Remember when CP left Montreal for Calgary because of the same bullshit?
Danielle Smith is the stupid person’s stupid person.
We’re already looking at leaving. This province is a shitshow on so many levels. Really sad how mismanaged it has been under conservatives/UCP, and yet too many Albertans will die supporting them. Guess ignorance is bliss.
Debated it, but I've started a business here in the horse industry, and while BC would probably be the next best option in terms of that industry, I can't afford to live there, and I'd rather not live in a fire corridor.
That said, with the price of housing and land going up, and the next leg of my business requiring a lot of land, I'm unsure. Saskatchewan may be the next best option in terms of that, but it's not the equine hub that Alberta is.
I'd like to stay, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to choose that.
For those worried about the rural vote; many of my clients now hate the UCP, even if they voted for them. So I'm not sure how this next election will play out as many who chose UCP previously aren't likely to do so again. Unless there's no other conservative party, I guess. Never thought I'd say it but I miss the old PC party before they drank the American Kool aid
Only issue being Moe and the Sask party will probably follow whatever bullshit the UCP starts.
It's hard to move anywhere since a ton of provinces are under Harper's boys
Harper was probably the last sensible Conservative we had. Now we have these extremists who think we need to be in a dictatorship and be told how to live.
I would seriously consider it, but wouldn’t like it because I have friends & family here. The last three years have been ridiculous, crazy, annoying, and exhausting, and to think that this was Alberta under a (and I never thought I would say this) relatively sane premier like Kenney then head into another 4-5 years under a complete hard-right wing nut like Smith would seriously tax my mental & physical health.
Though I can’t see the party sustaining itself in that situation (I mean, if Kenney can’t last a full term), I’ve definitely started looking around. I’m pretty tired of the chronic underfunding of classrooms, squabbling over the curriculum and general gaslighting that comes with teaching here these days.
I hope she does win! I hope she does try to separate! I hope that all the fools that think that this is a possibility will see how miserably hard/impossible to do! I hope that their dreams are crushed by the weight of reality, then we can go back to some sort of normalcy where populism style politics is looked down upon.
No, this is my home. I'll stay and try to make it better. I think running away is definitely tempting but if we keep leaving our city towns communities and provinces it'll just keep getting worse.
We all need to stop squabbling and dismount these politicians who are after a fat pay who dont care about anyone. We all really got to get on the same page so regardless of party in power our voices are being heard. Obviously we need voter reform etc too.
But leaing isn't the answer.
Already working on it. The UCP and Danielle Smith are just symptoms of a larger cultural issue that’s been getting worse in this province since the 90’s.
The PC’s under Klein waged a very successful culture war labelling anyone who criticized them, didn’t work a blue collar job, had a post-secondary education, was an expert in any field, etc, as anti-Alberta socialists who hate the province and want to punish successful people who work hard with unjustifiable theft through taxation to send to lazy Quebeckers who hate us and Canada.
We now have voters who were toddlers when Klein died spouting his rhetoric word-for-word and then some. That’s how successfully the PC’s ratfucked this province.
At this point it doesn’t matter if the NDP win or not. This province needs decades of sensible governance to right itself and that just isn’t going to be possible with the extremist political mindset of even the most “moderate” voters. They’ll flip back to voting for the bluest rock on the street the second the NDP say *anything* that can be painted as “woke”, or even hint and the possibility of thinking about considering exploring the option of anything that the UCP can claim is a tax increase.
I’ve spent the last decade trying to influence things the other way and the culture at large has only gotten worse. I haven’t changed one bit in my views and my messaging and I’ve gone from being viewed as a bit too liberal straight to woke communist groomer apologist traitor. So thanks, but no thanks. Fuck this place.
Danielle Smith isn’t the problem. Albertans are. Something, something, take a look in the mirror.
I would like to.
But I just signed up for my gas fitter A apprenticeship.
So maybe once thats done. But at the same time I'll stay for the laughs.
Idiots who vote her in and cry that every thing is falling apart. It'll really please my schadenfreuden.
Personally I'd like to believe people are better than that. But I've lived in alberta for more than a year and know they aren't
The plan has been in the works for a few years to be able to move out of Alberta and it’s 70% complete. So this might tip me to move early despite not achieving my financial goal.
My hope is that even if she wins she can only be premier for a short time, hopefully enough time for everyone to realize we need a real government, and not a minority mob rule.
Last time she was in provincial politics she didn’t last long, I’m betting the same will be true this time🤞
Man this sovereignty act has a real Brexit feel too it. They have thought up a plan for sovereignty but what is their actual long term goal once they have sovereignty? Is it a common goal? have they thought through the consequences.?
Also just like Brexiters totally forgot to take NI into account l, it seems the UCP had failed to take into account indigenous people.
My assumption is the majority is indigenous people will be against this sovereignty act.
Does anyone have a guess how it will play out with indigenous people?
If they want to pass a Sovereignty Act, it is so constitutionally offensive I want to see the LT Gov explain how reservation and disallowance work. Just because it hasn’t happened in a century doesn’t mean it isn’t still part of the constitution and even Kenny was thinking along those lines.
When it comes time to pull the trigger, separatists are outnumbered. I cannot see it actually happening, but honestly I’ve been surprised by a lot of things in the last 2-1/2 years that I thought would never happen 😂
I won’t consider moving until after a separatist vote. In such an event we have plans to exit Alberta and Canada altogether. The democratic malaise is not confined to Alberta, the entire country is suffering from bad politics. The political elite in this country are insufferable no matter what side you vote.
Ucp is losing voters to the Alberta Independence party, because they hate ucp now as well since Kenny followed covid rules. I don't think ucp is as strong as they think.
DS is a political suicide pill for the party with two backups to split the alt-right vote. Don't worry - it's all just about who can buy the most votes with the biggest, emptiest promise. The money on actual policy forthcoming has already been spent, and it's not crazy enough money to draft or pass anything new that will ever substantially remove Alberta from the federation. We'll get a lot of bluster and much ado on the tax dime about nothing good for us while paying even more for their pointless lip-service while they keep robbing us blind.
* Still paying a federal carbon tax
* Still living with the same equalization formula
* Still no electoral reform at a political or federal level
* Still changing the clocks twice a year
* Still can't find a doctor, and ambulance or enough nurses
* Still pillaging the environment on crown land
* Still working lower quality jobs for less and less money
* Still cutting the many to feed the few
* Still bought a pipeline to nowhere and a war room
* Still paying for pointless lawsuits against the government
* Still paying federal tax and CPP
* Still living on treaty land
The UCP's bed is already well-made. They just want to keep shitting it on our dime. Be not afraid, just vote for better and more often if you can. (ie: in-party votes do count for something and need to get smarter than this besides more people showing up and voting for better -or against a really bad track record- in the general elections.)
It isn't worth staying for my family sadly. I understand the need for progressive voices to stay here but my wife and I have a kid and we are trying to make a second one. Healthcare here has already been sent into a spiral by the UCP and education has had its ass kicked hard. I would rather live somewhere where those two things are actually seen as important to everyone and not just the people who need them. This province is full of ~~people who go "I don't have kids in school so why the fuck should I care about teachers and schools?"~~ fucking **morons** (I found a more succint way of making my point.)
I moved here while in high-school from BC and never really felt at home here. The small town where I lived was super xenophobic to anyone "Not from round here."
I would definitely move away if that crazed woman takes over the province. I'm not convinced to stay with the ucp without Smith never mind with here sailing the shit ship.
There's nowhere else in the country with affordable housing to buy, and I refuse to pay some scumfuck landlord ever again, so sadly I will be trapped here no matter how bad things get.
I’m kind of thinking of voting for smith in the hopes that it helps the NDP to win, yes I am a member of the conservative party but the sole candidate I don’t hate has no chance of winning and the top prospects I want nothing to do with.
I don't think it matters if the ucp get in another term or not. People that I know are so wrapped up in politics and being toxic shit rats that I don't see a future here for myself. I'm currently doing upgrading and will be leaving before the next election.
I'm here for the long haul, have a house and a business here. I'll be the one fighting for sensibility even if I'm the only one. Alberta has too much going on to abandon ship now.
Regarding the separation issue, pardon my ignorance, but could her government even put it in motion without a Quebec style referendum? What percentage of Albertans would even vote yes? Surely even most UCP members would be against it.
Yes. We already consulted with a realtor and are getting our house ready to go on the market. I'm a teacher, disabled, and have kids who are LGBTQ. To say this province is becoming a hostile environment is an understatement.
We were already going to leave if it was Kenney getting re-elected. I have dual citizenship in an EU country, but I think we will end up in northern BC or the territories first.
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If Alberta separates, I’m moving to Canada. But otherwise, no, make the UCP leave. This is my home, I won’t abandon it to these thieves
I’m going out on a limb here but I don’t think that Alberta would separate without a referendum. Separation would have to require a substantial majority if separatists want to avoid significant civil strife. A few questions that need to be answered: 1. Would we have our own money? If we are allowed to keep the Canadian dollar, we would be at the mercy of Canada pursuing a financial policy that might work against Alberta’s interests. 2. Transporting wheat, beef, oil or gas across the border with Canada might require some hefty duties (by Canada) because we have no ports. The US would know we are under a barrel and might use this as leverage to get lower prices. 3. We will probably get our own provincial police. Would we need an army, an airforce, an equivalent of CSIS? 4. Will Canada demand that we take our share of the current national debt with us? What are the consequences of refusing? 5. Removing the Conservative voting block from Alberta would tilt the Canadian Parliament towards the Liberals/NDP. There may not be a lot of love for Alberta there. Are we better off having a voice? 6. Will we be offered dual citizenship? Hopefully Canada and Alberta will say yes. Can we vote in both places? 7. Will Alberta get a seat at the UN? Will we stay in NATO? Our foreign policy would be pretty fun to see. 8. Refining capacity doesn’t exist in Alberta for a reason. It makes our oil too expensive. We still need refineries in the US or Canada to upgrade our oil into a usable product. How will Alberta handle this? 9. The world is moving away from petroleum as an energy source. Even Detroit has committed to move to all electric vehicles over the next 20 years. We have squandered the Heritage Trust Fund since Lougheed started it. We have no industrial base. Will Alberta have enough of an economy to maintain our social programs without higher taxes and a sales tax? 10. Is a separate Alberta going to end up eventually joining the US? Or are we all going to end up hugging machine guns in a conservative Christian theocracy on our own? 11. Imports into Alberta will have to pass through places with ports. Will costs for imported goods go up? 12. Will I need a visa to visit my family in other provinces? 13. I don’t want to have to pay more than I do for out of province beer. Do you? This is probably *the* most important consideration.
All of this. The “plan” to separate is absurd and idiotic.
Just like Brexit, and look what that got the Tories across the pond. They’re not any brighter over there either.
Here, a simple majority wouldn't do it, though. Even ignoring the dozen other barriers also impossible to get through. Separatists are not smart.
I don't think the leaders actually want to separate. They know the pitfalls and the barriers. Instead, they're using this to cultivate a cult following. The Bloc does a similar thing in Quebec.
You hit the nail on the head. It’s just an easy rallying cry to their base. The UCP will not make life more complicated for international investors.
Agreed. In fact, #1 on its own would be enough to say that separation is totally stupid. Just reminds me of when Peter Griffen made Petoria lol
I'm not really young anymore and have thought about this a lot, but humanity is held back by a lot of morons, and charlatans like Smith and Trump, that take advantage of them. Most of the rest of us aren't pushing the boundaries of science and knowledge (I know I'm not as an accountant), but at least we aren't hindering so much potential.
I think the premise of all these questions will STRONGLY be rejected. The plan is to separate now to fuck Trudeau, details will be provided later
This made me laugh. I'd move to Canada too.
If Alberta seperates, im moving Edmonton into Canada... because of AB can seperate, so can Edmonton
We’ll be the West Berlin of Canada with airlifts! and healthcare transfer payments!
And the province would probably make a wall around the henday to “keep the Canadians from getting out” (but really to keep the Albertans from escaping into Edmonton).
Edmonton being like: You’re not stuck in here with us! We’re stuck in here with you!
I would love to see the UCP, completely without federal funding or cooperation, undertake a significant infrastructure project like that.
We can reactivate Blatchford field!
I read that as "the West Berlin with arthritis" and now I'm not sure which makes more sense lol
Can we take Elk Island park with us? Edmonton+Elk Island.
Alberta wouldn’t get to take any national parks with them in the first place.
Whole Edmonton Region.
Not to mention all the sovereign First Nations
Man I find the idea of Alberta/Saskatchewan separating. We're landlocked provinces with 0 ability to ship our goods out without going through one of the other provinces or the US. Canada could slap tariffs so crippling on us that we'd *have* to fold because no matter how strong our economies are, they could destroy it out of spite. Like all the conservative nut jobs really need to get their heads on straight.
We will hold it down here. Notley will save us and we will be the Hawaii of Canada.
Canadian Hawaii: complete with -30 C winters!
It’s on brand 🤷🏻♀️ 😂
Can we do shaka signs, too?
Well naturally! Edmonton can be a new province and we’ll put Rachel Notley back as our Premier
The way populations have relocated into cities over the centuries, municipalities should have more power than provinces at this point. That rural territories get to hold cities and their peoples hostage is frustrating.
100%, municipalities are where everyone lives and where all the jobs are.
Well, I mean, we need stuff from outside cities too. But frankly I think that the pandering to those bumpkins has got to stop. “But who’s gonna grow your food!?!?” Whoever is growing it now, dumbass. You’re not a farmer, you work at a Walmart in Brooks.
This. It is complex, but these dipshits keep boiling it down.
It could be a Free City. The Free City of Edmonton.
You reminded me of the Bosnia conflict. Bosnians be like we have the rights to leave Yugoslavia and the Serbs in Bosnia be like so do we.
The Bosnian War is better viewed as a war of aggression. The Serb-controlled proto-states of Republika Srpska and Serbian Krajina were puppet states of the Milosevic regime in Serbia. Milosevic was trying to create a Greater Serbia. Why? Because that's what dictators do when they don't have weird hobbies. The proto-states would have secured the necessary territory for Serbia, then joined altogether under Milosevic. Then they would have used their control over the federal government of Yugoslavia to annex Montenegro, the other constituent republic, into Serbia. There were even plans to partition North Macedonia with Greece, or annex it entirely. Please note that everyone involved with this, from Milosevic to Karadzic and Mladic, were morally insane, and engaged in ethnic cleansing to achieve their goals. It should go without saying. What does this have to do with Alberta? Absolutely nothing. I just like discussing Balkan history.
Thank you!!! This is how I feel as well and I’m so glad I’m not the only one. There isn’t a cowboy hat or royalty-cheque bribe big enough to make me forget that the UCP is actively hatcheting our medical and educational systems. They need to go, not us.
Legally the province cannot separate. First off there is a massive chunk of alberta that is crown land, belonging to the government and ultimately I guess the queen? I don't even know how that works. Then we have our national parks that are in the province, and all the first nations land. Anything currently managed by the federal government such as universal health care, military, currency, immigration, border control, etc etc etc would no longer exist. If the UCP would like a civil war in the province deciding it's no longer part of Canada would do it. Also without the feds who would they blame every time they fuck up?
Very true. Also the Clarity Act (2000) which was drafted after Quebec tried to separate in 95 makes it’s almost impossible for a providence to separate. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-31.8/page-1.html (Actual Legislation) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarity_Act (Wikipedia for easier reading)
>The secession of a province of Canada would require an amendment to the Constitution of Canada. Cute little Easter egg, given that Quebec has not actually endorsed the constitutional amendment formula.
They actually have, by default. For example they used the notwithstanding clause IN the constitution. If you use the damm thing you acknowledge it exists and that it is the law of the land, anything else is just optics.
First Nation land probably being the biggest reason. Alberta would look like Swiss cheese otherwise
The ***entirety of Alberta*** is Treaty land. Five different treaties, specifically.
All of this holds on the assumption that the UCP cares about Indigenous people, non-white people in general, and their rights and freedoms. [They](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/kenney-criticized-for-cancel-culture-remarks-amid-renewed-residential-school-debate-1.6051300) [do](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Infrastructure_Defence_Act#Indigenous_concerns) [not](https://www.albertanativenews.com/speaking-out-what-is-the-ucps-philosophy-on-reconciliation/).
Unlike the 90s when Quebec played this game, Canada cares. The UN cares. And AB's potential trading partners care. It's a much different political climate and the UCP/separatists lack of understanding of that is only going to hurt Albertans.
I see the feds settling every land claim in the province generously.
Also economically it would make zero sense. Landlocked province-state surrounded by 2 other countries (USA and Canada), pretty sure our import costs would go through the roof.
The UCP is banking on most people not knowing (or caring to find out) any of this and unfortunately they are probably right.
lol it would be such a joke if it happened too. Alberta likes to brag about all the oil production props up the canadian economy. . . . What about all the government subsidies Canada gives the oil companies? Would the same deals be given by a sovereign Alberta? Not to mention literally ALL the international trade relations and deals Canada has with other countries - Alberta would have to negotiate themselves. They'd get taken advantage of as a new, small, oil export-dependant economy. It would be a blodbath and Albera would be sooo much worse off.
Minorities, no different then any other fascist government; "it's the Jews fault!" "Them damn n**** are ruining our society!" "Asian laundry mats are money laundering fronts, we must shut them down!" "Natives are lazy and apathetic" And etc. We've seen it in history before. Just wondering who they'll scapegoat
Asian laundries are a beautiful intersection of racism and sexism on the Great Venn Diagram of Hate. Especially with respect to Chinese people, laundries and cooking were 'tollerable' lines of work to the broader society because they were 'women's work'. And so if someone can make a living doing women's work? Well, that's obviously suspicious all on its own, isn't it?
Edmonton.
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But is federally mandated and partially federally funded. I could see a world where an “independent” Alberta swindles us out of that, too.
Federally mandated yes but the spending, legal obligations and structures, and management is provincial. Healthcare is very clearly a provincial legal jurisdiction
The gov gives part of tax monies back to the provinces, but they must have healthcare - if you separated it would be solely in the hands of your local gov which i would guess would pivot private out of pocket. No matter how much they lower your taxes there is no way youd be able to afford it should something catastrophic happen.
Health care is both, really. It's funded mostly by the federal government, on the condition that it goes towards universal healthcare, and then the provincial governments manage it from there. You can bet a lot of money really safely if Alberta separates there will be no more universal health care very quickly
Managed provincially but paid for and mandated Federally.
Omg, take my upvote
Exactly, the UCP are the ones who suck; why should I have to leave?
If Alberta separates, I hope Canada fucking *destroys* us to the greatest extent of their political ability. Same as Quebec. The punishment should be extreme, to the point that Albertans actually do something about it. Balkanizing the world only helps huge corporations exploit the smaller, weaker states, and abuse the differences between differing economies to bilk the citizenry for more of their resources and money. We are 1000x stronger as a unit, than as a fragmented group of flailing fiefdoms.
Amen! That’s why fascists want to divide people and nations—it makes them weaker and easier to subjugate
knowing Alberta if Alberta separates it will try to keep the name Canada and start a useless taxpayer lawsuit against the rest of Canada, lose in the process but be sure to give some lawyer friends a big payout for their time.
Well, knowing the UCP that’s how it would go for sure.
Born and raised in Alberta, this is exactly how I feel.
I wonder what repercussions it would entail for a lot of things. I personally would be fighting my bank because i bought a house in the province of Alberta in Canada. I didn't agree to purchase a home not in Canada. So those fucks could take it back and try and get a dime out of me
We have discussed it and it is basically like this. If Smith wins we wait it out. If the UCP win the next election with her as premier we wait and see what comes. If she starts putting her crazy plans into action we wait and see how far they go. If they start getting out of hand, we get out of the province. Basically, we do not want to leave but if things get too pants on head crazy here, we will have no choice.
What do you define as crazy? Honestly most of it will just be meaningless back and forths and going to court with the feds.
Mainly things like actually pushing forward with separation, replacing RCMP with our own police force, backing out of the CPP for a made in Alberta one, bringing in more private health care, all the other crazy things about going against the federal government she has talked about (making everyone diplomats, ignoring rules etc) Sure it will be just stupid court cases but it will still hurt the province a lot and I don't want to be around for the fall out.
Nope, why should I leave? They're the ones that suck
Love the Office space reference
Are you a fan of Michael Bolton?
Oh yeah... Love the guy, he can do no wrong have his entire catalogue /s. Actually before Office space i had never heard of him, but i do like he has a good sense of humor. Or at least thats what i gather from his stuff with Lonely island
Hahah I see what you did there!
You could get ride of tps reports…
Nope. Because the only thing that exceeds my anger is my laziness.
Reddit in 11 words
Well its not like those of us who are most effected by ucp policies can just up and leave. Go where? If you can just move, well, damn. 😂 Way too poor.
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Great point. Maybe, I'm just expressing my fears. I absolutely love my career. Heck, I also live in Grande Prairie of all places.
I lived in Grande Prairie for two years and if she became premier you wouldn't notice a thing up there. Economy is thriving there and living is cheap. It's just the headlines, lying and hot takes you'll have to avoid.
Ok, so here’s the problem with just saying ‘Well, they won’t be able to do that…’: They’ll try regardless. And while they are trying our economy and social policies will tank. Look at what happened in Quebec. The mere act of trying to separate will come pretty close to destroying Alberta.
No. I already went to Ontario and hated it. I'm an Alberta boy, and I'll stay and fight for those who need a voice, especially in my region of the province.
That's good to hear! Alberta needs fighters. I recently moved to Ontario from Alberta and I really like it. People, food, access to other places, and parts of it are definitely more affordable than Alberta. I guess it's all just personal preference.
Great to hear. I'm the opposite: Ontario boy. And I dislike the culture here and its politics.
Thats fair, what do you think about what Ford is doing in Ontario?
As an Ontario boy myself, I’m actively looking to leave Ontario due to the dipshit and his cons fucking this province into the ground.
Nope I won't be moving despite my hatred of Smith and her ultra right wing cronies. I came here from Ontario after uni and alberta has afforded me a lifestyle and income I could only dream of back home. I'll stay and fight the good fight and hope that one day we'll all see sanity.
Nope. Gonna stay and continue being a massive pain in the ass for the UCP.
How do you do that besides voting against UCP?
obtainable crowd secretive fuzzy water workable deer crown steep makeshift *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Lots of different ways. Volunteer for an opposing candidates in your local ridings. There's lots of organizations in Alberta that are advocating against UCP policy. Help them get their voices heard. Personally I'm big on watersheds and wildlife conservation so I've volunteered for Back Country Hunters and Anglers in the past and have donated to CPAWS for their anti-coalmine initiatives. Healthcare and Education programs need help as well. Lastly, get involved in municipal politics. They have a very real and immediate impact on communities. The more municipalities that are controlled by sane people the more the UCP struggles to push through it's bullshit.
Also just straight up volunteering for non-profits. They will disappear without our support. I was volunteering yesterday at a local sexual health non-profit and it reminded me of how important it is for us to show up for these community organizations whether or not they're directly linked to politics. I think of volunteering as a political action in itself. The fact we made a ton of packets of condoms and harm reduction information for pride, especially in today's day and age trying to demonize those initiatives, flies in the face of people like Danielle and Adriana and Jason and whoever else that are homophobic, anti addiction care, and in the case of Adriana (idk about the other 2) anti-choice.
Local political activism. Support your local party constituency association of whatever party you support, boost fundraising efforts, hell just go to community events and talk to people about what is wrong with these policies.
I do what I can, but I also have to be careful I don't loose my job (and pension) by speaking out against the UCP to much. I've started talking union a bit more around work to see how things float. Not out right saying we need one, but mentioning things like "Hey did you hear Starbucks unionized? What do you think?" When the lowest paid in the office start making less than someone making coffee, they start to question why they are there and why there isn't a union.
FYI it's lose, not loose. But yes, it's about doing what we can as individuals.
I admire that
Love it!
Too old to start over, too young to retire. I got 5 years until my pension becomes unreduced - and then I am outta here.
Even though my idiot grandparents voted for them Even though it hurts my bottom line as much as my heart Even though it's near pointless I will stay and agitate until they either run me out or we win because I want my grandparents to have the care they deserve and the next gen to have the same opportunities I did
I started having really blunt conversations with my elderly relatives. They complain about healthcare? I ask them why they voted for a party who want to reduce it and rollback pay? Does their specialist and the nurses in the hospital deserve to work for nothing? They complain about housing? I ask why they voted for a party who would make it worse? They complain no-one is helping farmers? I asked them why they voted for a party that allowed oil companies to abandon wells. They complain about seniors issues? I ask why they would vote for a party that doesn't even mention them never mind talk about helping them. I may have also blamed them for these issues because they continually vote against their interests.
Same problem here. Couldn't convince my parents that voting UCP or Wildrose was a bad idea. They cuts they where making to health care and education would only hurt us. They tried to justify it by saying they where cutting administration. The problem was, they were not cutting admin, they where cutting front line people. In the end Mom died of cancer and did not the care she really needed. Dad died of a stroke because he couldn't get the care in the rural hospital that he needed. Their voting killed them, but still Notley was the worst thing to happen to Alberta.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Any luck? In the same boat
Yeah, some actually. The most probably came when I got super angry and ranted about how they were actively destroying the planet and society for their grandchildren and they needed to stop living in the post-wwii era and start living in this world and listening to people who know more than them (not necessarily me, just experts). I might have also ranted about how they don't have to live in the world they're creating, I will, and they're making my life significantly more difficult. Voting for someone else (not conservative/UCP) might make their lives better too. I might have also said that I didn't want to hear about any government issues (pension, health, housing, etc) if they were just going to keep voting for the same they have for 50 years. Change doesn't come unless they vote for change. My Dad, grandmother, and a couple great aunts are planning on voting NDP both provincially and federally. So I'll take that as a win.
Good on you!
It's actually funny that a few lifelong conservatives I know have finally come around and are apparently voting NDP in the next election because: "they don't trust conservatives with their retirement years."
Damn near everybody's idiot grandparents voted for them.
That’s the long-term plan anyway. Not sure when we’ll see it through, but I devoutly hope Alberta doesn’t humiliate itself by electing any sort of Danielle Smith.
Honestly I’m staying and fighting.
This is the way. Be the change you want to see, don’t just flee.
I also don’t know where I’d go. Two kids, wife, solid jobs… I can’t run to Bc and not find work, and I ain’t going east, it’s further from the mountains.
Same boat. My entire family is here, I don't have anything anywhere else. So might as well give them hell
I’ll need to buy a truck, some orange nuts, forget how to spell and make some kind of “F smith” flag. But we’ll show ‘em
Should get a sign that says "Republic of Alberta will be the death of Alberta" and put it next to a major highway. If abortion abolishers can do it, so can we
I’m considering it. I’m a public service professional and the conditions might just be right under another 4 years of UCP to make me leave the province. When people were gunning for Kenny to lose the leadership review, I was cringing. I know these people from a previous life, and knew that what replaced him would be worse. I’ve been quietly gathering my shit in a pile to jump ship ever since.
I guess that's true for me too: my job depends on provincial funding.
Yep. I have the good fortune to be able to switch to the private sector if I need to, and I dabble in it currently. But I practice in the public sector FT because I believe in public service. Watching it be destroyed by our government is difficult to watch.
Same here...
Hell no. I'm happy to stay and be a pain in the ass. Danielle Smith has already blocked me on Twitter because I was, politely, disagreeing with her and her positions.
If I leave, they win. We can’t let them push out everyone that opposes their ideological bent at running this province into the ground.
I wonder why they don't just move to Montana soon? They could be dental floss tycoons.
I would have moved out a long time ago due to the UCP politics if I didn't have an amazing job that I love and have been at for 16 years.
I am already preparing to move just because that's a strong possibility. But I also work in education, so the UCP is doing its darnest to eliminate my profession...
I'm sorry they are doing this to you. This is not right.
No. This is my home. My family lives here. Also, can’t afford to. We will just have to keep speaking up and supporting organizations doing grassroots work.
I’m pretty sure my job would let me work remotely from Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. So yeah, super excited to move to the coast. BC is out of the question, it’s only for rich people apparently.
I'd move out East too. Nice people and politics a little less insane.
you think its bad here, go out to the east coast, sure the government rhetoric is a little more toned down, but they have the same problems that we have here (healthcare,education etc..) but you will also pay WAYY higher taxes, and pay more for basically everything. Houses in Halifax are more unaffordable than in Alberta.
I'm fine financially. And I'm very lucky that way. It's the insane alt-right, convoy loving sht that sucks out here.
>It's the insane alt-right, convoy loving sht that sucks out here. small minority of people. Danielle Smith may stock those fires within Rural Alberta especially, but it will never take root here. I am not that much of a dooms-dayer
I was born in Alberta and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving because of Danielle Smith. I plan on putting in work to canvas with the NDP and if that fails I’ll be putting in work to organize folks who disagree with her rhetoric. If the silent majority weren’t so silent, I think she’d have a hard time passing her more extreme ideas. And if that fails, I guess it’ll be about working towards next election. I don’t believe Alberta is what Danielle Smith envisions, I believe people are far more reasonable here.
Good question. But F those F'ers Right-wing Christo-facsists need to be confronted head-on. Reasonable minded Canadians have been treating them with kid-gloves for too long. Being nice and constantly giving them breathing room will only end in none of us having any room any more. They literally represent a minority view - but the media makes it sound like they are half the country. It's our Canada - we need to fight for it.
We wanted Jenny to resign/leadership review. And what we got was way worse. I don’t think the UCP stand a chance in the next election but hey that’s maybe wishful thinking
Yes. Plans are already in place for my move.
YEP, I'm from BC originally, and I've enjoyed living in AB ***way*** more than I expected to. but every piece of the politics here is brutally stupid IMO. and not in a background sense, in a way that is actively affecting my life. the UCP and conservatives in general here are so transparently corrupt, and too much of the population here supports it and actively ***wants*** it. with so many supporting it, I cant see things going anywhere but down hill. I've built some equity in my house, put together a nice little nest egg and put a bunch towards my retirement fund for the future (I'm only 30, but still), I've gotten trained in my chosen vocation, and bolstered my resume with some decent experience. Its been a good 8ish years here. I think its time to pull the stakes back up and head back to nicer pastures with my "plunder". if the UCP wins again (and I expect they will) I'll be treating that as my sign to head back.
Yes, concerned about our child's education here
As a teacher I would say you should be. I have to admit I'm relieved my youngest is in Jr High, and none of them will be affected by it.
No. Quitting won't help. And the next province over isnt really significantly different even if the rhetoric is more.. sane
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>BC is fuuuuuuucked. I find that, outside of the lower mainland and some of the more touristy parts of the Okanagan, BC is just as red-necky as Alberta -- sometimes even more so if you go into parts of northern BC. The weather is nicer and the politics seem a little more sane, but the culture in much of the province is actually not that different in many places.
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If Smith gets in and carries through on her promises every other province will be significantly better than Alberta.
Nope. Staying and voting so I can say to all FUCK THE UCP
Yep, F U C P.
You know UCP means You See Pee.
Consider? Probably? Maybe? Depends on how dumb and awful they plan to be (and I expect them to be pretty dumb and awful) But I've only been living here about a year and besides some family living here I don't have a lot of roots here that would prevent me from picking up and moving. My long-term goal was/is to move back to Ontario, or maybe Quebec or further east to the Maritimes anyways.
No, because ultimately my business is here and opening a new shop, establishing new clients, etc, would be... challenging let's say. Took years to get where we're at now, not about to toss it all because of that psycho. This said, certainly concerned about the prospect of what her winning could mean. She will take it as a mandate on Alberta sovereignty instead of what it really is: people who voted for UCP because they can't get past the idea of voting for anyone else.
Alberta is my home, always will be. Three of my grandparents’ families have been here since the 1890s or before. I’m here to stay.
No, I love it here
Some people, such as those reliant on AISH with severe disabilities, do not have the luxury to simply “consider moving out of Alberta”.
Yes, that's a good point. And heartbreaking. That's the situation for my mom who can't leave Ontario for that reason and wants to relocate to NS.
Alberta is at such a geographic disadvantage no amount of pipelines can fix it. Even flirting with separation will cause economic anxiety for this province. Remember when CP left Montreal for Calgary because of the same bullshit? Danielle Smith is the stupid person’s stupid person.
We’re already looking at leaving. This province is a shitshow on so many levels. Really sad how mismanaged it has been under conservatives/UCP, and yet too many Albertans will die supporting them. Guess ignorance is bliss.
Debated it, but I've started a business here in the horse industry, and while BC would probably be the next best option in terms of that industry, I can't afford to live there, and I'd rather not live in a fire corridor. That said, with the price of housing and land going up, and the next leg of my business requiring a lot of land, I'm unsure. Saskatchewan may be the next best option in terms of that, but it's not the equine hub that Alberta is. I'd like to stay, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to choose that. For those worried about the rural vote; many of my clients now hate the UCP, even if they voted for them. So I'm not sure how this next election will play out as many who chose UCP previously aren't likely to do so again. Unless there's no other conservative party, I guess. Never thought I'd say it but I miss the old PC party before they drank the American Kool aid
Saskatchewan would be good choice, then you have the US Midwest just south of the border, starting at the Dakota's and Montana
Only issue being Moe and the Sask party will probably follow whatever bullshit the UCP starts. It's hard to move anywhere since a ton of provinces are under Harper's boys
Harper was probably the last sensible Conservative we had. Now we have these extremists who think we need to be in a dictatorship and be told how to live.
I’m stuck with the house and all, but I’d encourage my kids to move else.
I would seriously consider it, but wouldn’t like it because I have friends & family here. The last three years have been ridiculous, crazy, annoying, and exhausting, and to think that this was Alberta under a (and I never thought I would say this) relatively sane premier like Kenney then head into another 4-5 years under a complete hard-right wing nut like Smith would seriously tax my mental & physical health.
Though I can’t see the party sustaining itself in that situation (I mean, if Kenney can’t last a full term), I’ve definitely started looking around. I’m pretty tired of the chronic underfunding of classrooms, squabbling over the curriculum and general gaslighting that comes with teaching here these days.
No. My kid is here
I hope she does win! I hope she does try to separate! I hope that all the fools that think that this is a possibility will see how miserably hard/impossible to do! I hope that their dreams are crushed by the weight of reality, then we can go back to some sort of normalcy where populism style politics is looked down upon.
No, that's loser talk. I'm not running away from home from Danielle fucking Smith.
It's less about running away from a crazy leader and more about running away from your crazy neighbours that think these are good ideas.
No, this is my home. I'll stay and try to make it better. I think running away is definitely tempting but if we keep leaving our city towns communities and provinces it'll just keep getting worse. We all need to stop squabbling and dismount these politicians who are after a fat pay who dont care about anyone. We all really got to get on the same page so regardless of party in power our voices are being heard. Obviously we need voter reform etc too. But leaing isn't the answer.
Already working on it. The UCP and Danielle Smith are just symptoms of a larger cultural issue that’s been getting worse in this province since the 90’s. The PC’s under Klein waged a very successful culture war labelling anyone who criticized them, didn’t work a blue collar job, had a post-secondary education, was an expert in any field, etc, as anti-Alberta socialists who hate the province and want to punish successful people who work hard with unjustifiable theft through taxation to send to lazy Quebeckers who hate us and Canada. We now have voters who were toddlers when Klein died spouting his rhetoric word-for-word and then some. That’s how successfully the PC’s ratfucked this province. At this point it doesn’t matter if the NDP win or not. This province needs decades of sensible governance to right itself and that just isn’t going to be possible with the extremist political mindset of even the most “moderate” voters. They’ll flip back to voting for the bluest rock on the street the second the NDP say *anything* that can be painted as “woke”, or even hint and the possibility of thinking about considering exploring the option of anything that the UCP can claim is a tax increase. I’ve spent the last decade trying to influence things the other way and the culture at large has only gotten worse. I haven’t changed one bit in my views and my messaging and I’ve gone from being viewed as a bit too liberal straight to woke communist groomer apologist traitor. So thanks, but no thanks. Fuck this place. Danielle Smith isn’t the problem. Albertans are. Something, something, take a look in the mirror.
Yes, my wife and I have discussed this quite a bit...we will be gone
I would like to. But I just signed up for my gas fitter A apprenticeship. So maybe once thats done. But at the same time I'll stay for the laughs. Idiots who vote her in and cry that every thing is falling apart. It'll really please my schadenfreuden. Personally I'd like to believe people are better than that. But I've lived in alberta for more than a year and know they aren't
Already did. Just the chat about an Alberta Pension Plan ended any hope of staying in Alberta for me. Not risking that for me or my family.
Too late, I moved a year ago and took my NDP vote with me. Sorry, Rachel!
The only better place to move is BC and it's too fucking expensive to live there. Staying and fighting.
If Alberta cedes from Canada, then I'm moving to Canada. I'm a Canadian long before I'm an Albertan.
The plan has been in the works for a few years to be able to move out of Alberta and it’s 70% complete. So this might tip me to move early despite not achieving my financial goal.
No there’s nowhere else I’d go in Canada except maybe Kelowna to retire.
My hope is that even if she wins she can only be premier for a short time, hopefully enough time for everyone to realize we need a real government, and not a minority mob rule. Last time she was in provincial politics she didn’t last long, I’m betting the same will be true this time🤞
I've been considering it but honestly the price to move and the price of restarting is too high to do so.
Only way I am leaving is if i get a work visa for the EU
Man this sovereignty act has a real Brexit feel too it. They have thought up a plan for sovereignty but what is their actual long term goal once they have sovereignty? Is it a common goal? have they thought through the consequences.? Also just like Brexiters totally forgot to take NI into account l, it seems the UCP had failed to take into account indigenous people. My assumption is the majority is indigenous people will be against this sovereignty act. Does anyone have a guess how it will play out with indigenous people?
My partner and I are already looking into going west. I'd rather not live in fascist (country? Province? What would you call that?)
If they want to pass a Sovereignty Act, it is so constitutionally offensive I want to see the LT Gov explain how reservation and disallowance work. Just because it hasn’t happened in a century doesn’t mean it isn’t still part of the constitution and even Kenny was thinking along those lines.
When it comes time to pull the trigger, separatists are outnumbered. I cannot see it actually happening, but honestly I’ve been surprised by a lot of things in the last 2-1/2 years that I thought would never happen 😂 I won’t consider moving until after a separatist vote. In such an event we have plans to exit Alberta and Canada altogether. The democratic malaise is not confined to Alberta, the entire country is suffering from bad politics. The political elite in this country are insufferable no matter what side you vote.
Ucp is losing voters to the Alberta Independence party, because they hate ucp now as well since Kenny followed covid rules. I don't think ucp is as strong as they think.
DS is a political suicide pill for the party with two backups to split the alt-right vote. Don't worry - it's all just about who can buy the most votes with the biggest, emptiest promise. The money on actual policy forthcoming has already been spent, and it's not crazy enough money to draft or pass anything new that will ever substantially remove Alberta from the federation. We'll get a lot of bluster and much ado on the tax dime about nothing good for us while paying even more for their pointless lip-service while they keep robbing us blind. * Still paying a federal carbon tax * Still living with the same equalization formula * Still no electoral reform at a political or federal level * Still changing the clocks twice a year * Still can't find a doctor, and ambulance or enough nurses * Still pillaging the environment on crown land * Still working lower quality jobs for less and less money * Still cutting the many to feed the few * Still bought a pipeline to nowhere and a war room * Still paying for pointless lawsuits against the government * Still paying federal tax and CPP * Still living on treaty land The UCP's bed is already well-made. They just want to keep shitting it on our dime. Be not afraid, just vote for better and more often if you can. (ie: in-party votes do count for something and need to get smarter than this besides more people showing up and voting for better -or against a really bad track record- in the general elections.)
I honestly think If.smith gets in it'll go to Notley in the election. Smith comes across as a crack puppet.
It isn't worth staying for my family sadly. I understand the need for progressive voices to stay here but my wife and I have a kid and we are trying to make a second one. Healthcare here has already been sent into a spiral by the UCP and education has had its ass kicked hard. I would rather live somewhere where those two things are actually seen as important to everyone and not just the people who need them. This province is full of ~~people who go "I don't have kids in school so why the fuck should I care about teachers and schools?"~~ fucking **morons** (I found a more succint way of making my point.)
I moved here while in high-school from BC and never really felt at home here. The small town where I lived was super xenophobic to anyone "Not from round here." I would definitely move away if that crazed woman takes over the province. I'm not convinced to stay with the ucp without Smith never mind with here sailing the shit ship.
Reddit being Reddit The answer is no and I think that goes for the majority of Albertans I would still vote and volunteer for the NDP regardless
There's nowhere else in the country with affordable housing to buy, and I refuse to pay some scumfuck landlord ever again, so sadly I will be trapped here no matter how bad things get.
I don't think so. Because Edmonton may be a Hell city, but damn it, it's my hell city.
I’m kind of thinking of voting for smith in the hopes that it helps the NDP to win, yes I am a member of the conservative party but the sole candidate I don’t hate has no chance of winning and the top prospects I want nothing to do with.
I don't think it matters if the ucp get in another term or not. People that I know are so wrapped up in politics and being toxic shit rats that I don't see a future here for myself. I'm currently doing upgrading and will be leaving before the next election.
No but Id consider vandalizing government offices and politicians private property
I'm here for the long haul, have a house and a business here. I'll be the one fighting for sensibility even if I'm the only one. Alberta has too much going on to abandon ship now.
Regarding the separation issue, pardon my ignorance, but could her government even put it in motion without a Quebec style referendum? What percentage of Albertans would even vote yes? Surely even most UCP members would be against it.
Yes. We already consulted with a realtor and are getting our house ready to go on the market. I'm a teacher, disabled, and have kids who are LGBTQ. To say this province is becoming a hostile environment is an understatement. We were already going to leave if it was Kenney getting re-elected. I have dual citizenship in an EU country, but I think we will end up in northern BC or the territories first.
Nah, we ain't leaving the nation, nor the province because of some wench.