What is most odd is people talking about the financial benefit from separating (no transfer payments, pipelines somehow getting easier).
I think this dangerously naive, a “grass is always greener” situation. Separation is not simply “we’re on our own now,” and you can look at Brexit as an example. There are a HUGE number of factors to work out, including what currency we’ll be using, what happens to existing infrastructure that is owned by Canada and not Alberta, and a myriad of trade agreements that would have to happen (among many other things).
There’s no way that separation makes for a stronger or more economically viable Alberta. We become a small landlocked area without any deals or support of the countries around us, and that’s very bad for business.
|