Now that we have had time to digest the latest provincial budget, it is hard not to notice how it highlights why we need to become our own nation. Much of our provincial deficit is directly due to federal policy. With no ‘business case’ for selling our natural gas and doing everything possible to keep our oil in ground, there is not nearly the royalty money coming in that could and should be. Add to that the flood in immigration to our province, both legal and illegal, means there are some tough conversations we need to have.  

During the teachers strike we learned about complex classrooms and the need for a lot more support. An incredibly large number of students speak little to no English. This also brings a plethora of associated behavioral problems that teachers and other students are having to contend with. The stories kids are sharing with their parents when they get home from school is unlike any generation before. In short, the added pressure on our education system is taking a toll on everyone and has created a collision course with chaos for all involved.

More money is needed to hire more staff, particularly specialized staff. Obviously. However, there is a problem. Our education system is experiencing a significant vacuum in funding. The parents of these students have not been here long enough to have contributed tax dollars to help support the very system they are putting the excess pressure on. And though the NDP and ATA both believe there to be a money tree outside the Legislature somewhere, having walked the grounds a number of times now, I have yet to see it.   

Healthcare funding is also stretched for much the same reason as education. Again, with an influx of people moving here, added pressure has been put on our healthcare system. What should be obvious to all yet isn’t, is our ‘free’ healthcare is not actually free. There is a cost to every service that is provided and those costs are covered by our tax dollars. However, just like with the education system, those who just got here have yet to contribute any money into this system either. Which means they literally are getting healthcare services for free while working Albertans pay for it. It was also discovered that more Alberta healthcare numbers have been generated and used than people living in Alberta, which is healthcare fraud. So, they too are getting healthcare for free while working Albertans pay for it.  

How we got to this place mostly lands at the feet of the federal government. Vetting potential immigrants and controlling the number of them is federal responsibility. Not only have they unequivocally failed in that obligation, they admit it with no apology and are announcing plans to make things even worse. Once people get into the country, moving around from province to province is easy. The ‘Alberta is Calling’ campaign that former Premier Kenney began, and our current Premier has continued, is where the province is to blame. That program needs to stop.  

Getting control of immigration is key in helping to manage provincial coffers. Rather than burdening Alberta taxpayers, there is another option. What our Provincial government could do is halt all education and healthcare services for non-Canadians until Albertans decide in a referendum if we are willing to continue bearing the burden of supporting them. The majority may decide yes, they may decide no. There is only one way to find out.

Furthermore, our Provincial government needs to pass two laws:

1)      Only Canadian citizens, over the age of 18, who have ordinarily resided in Alberta for a minimum of twelve months prior to provincial and municipal elections, referendums, and plebiscites can vote; and

2)      Proof of valid Canadian citizenship is required to vote in all provincial and municipal elections, referendums, and plebiscites. For those who were not born here, citizenship must be held for a minimum of twelve months prior to the voting date.

For some this might be controversial, perhaps even harsh. But there is no other way to ensure the integrity of all our government systems and services is maintained. The federal government won’t do it, so we have to. Which is all the more reason to continue exploring the option of becoming our own nation. Once we get there, much of this will no longer be an issue. Until then, we need to protect what we have in order to build a better future for all. Including those who may want to call Alberta home in years to come.  

When it comes to politics, my experience with those on the left has never been great. Not long ago, many wanted me dead (literally), and said so, simply because of my political beliefs. Others have ‘unfriended’ me because we disagreed on something. Last year, I even went to an NDP event in hopes of coming away with some understanding of their point of view. While trying to find at least a sliver of common ground to build a bridge upon, the person sitting next to me made it clear the bridge was out.  

‘Should we stay or should we go?’ is a very polarizing question that should be non-partizan. In November a gentleman who feels the same invited me to discuss it at a public forum and it was a lot of fun! And I really mean that. He asked if I would consider doing it again and, of course, I said yes. A semi-retired Unitarian minister who helped with the Forever Canada campaign was willing to represent the ‘stay’ side, and the event was booked.  

With no idea how many would attend, it was hard not to think I could be walking into the Lion’s Den. A lot of prayer went into this event and not just mine. As I walked in the door, nervousness was replaced with peace and some friendly familiar faces. It was a quaint gathering of around 25-30 of us at the Ukrainian Centre on 97st. The speakers would each have thirty minutes to state their case, followed by Q&A with the audience, and five minutes for closing remarks.

If the thoughts and ideologies shared by the Unitarian minister reflect all involved in the Forever Canada campaign, I learned a lot about how they perceive us. It quickly became a left verses right issue, peppered with disparaging remarks about our Premier and Conservatives in general. Sadly, not unexpected.

Though my political leanings are well known, I keep my presentation to facts. Taking the audience on a short journey through our history followed by current headlines, the intention is to help people see where we are and how we got here. Within the headline portion we see that our prisons are filling up with non-Canadians, human trafficking is out of control, and cultural uprisings are a real problem. Very unapologetically, I say to every audience before me that those who come to Canada and then hurt us need to go home. A woman sitting in the front row was visibly troubled during this part of the presentation and I wondered why. From what or whose angle was she seeing this? During the question-and-answer portion I found out.

Filled with emotion and angst toward me, “Do you know how MAGA, ultra-right-wing, racist, Nigel Farag-like you sound telling these people to go home??” She was upset and went on for a few minutes more. Then it was my turn to respond.

Me: “Do you lock your doors?”

Her: “Of course.”

Me: “Would you be upset if someone broke in, wrecked your house, stole from you, and hurt your family?”

Her: “Of course, but we invited these people in to become part of our social fabric and have a better life here. We need to welcome them….” and she continued to expand on that thought for another minute or so.

Me: “Okay. If you invite someone into your home, feed them, give them a place to sleep, shelter, etc., and then they ransack it, hurt your kids, and take advantage of you, you would be alright with that?”

She struggled trying to respond and never did truly answer the question. I was as perplexed with her ideology as she was with mine. What, or where, is the disconnect between us? How can it be that two women who both just want to make the world around us a better place, hold such opposing views?

The following day I received a Facebook message from another attendee who also had a problem with the headlines, particularly the one about human trafficking. She questioned what connection it has to Alberta separatism, except as a racist assumption about immigrants. Now there was a theme. Pointing out just a few of the facts regarding how our federal government manages immigration upset these women to the core. But why? The facts are the facts. How can they be denied? Then the a-ha moment came.

This is ‘white guilt’. There are some who believe that calling out the crimes of those who are not white is wrong. Furthermore, wanting justice for those who were hurt by them makes us racist, misogynist, colonialist, and so on. It is an ideology we have all heard and read about. Here I experienced it in real time.

For the record, Alberta Independence has absolutely nothing to do with race, skin color, or any other identifiable human trait. None of us care about any of that. This movement is about correcting the wrongs that have been done toward all Albertans for generations. Most of whom came as immigrants, many of whom really were discriminated against terribly when they arrived. Many of us are descendants of those immigrants. Yours truly is among them whose paternal side came here, narrowly missing the horrors of Holodomor (how apropos that we were at the Ukrainian Centre).

Standing up for generations of political wrongdoing against Albertans gets us accused of all sorts of things we are nowhere near guilty of. I am also constantly reminded that there will always be those for whom our message will never reach. And that’s okay.

Though I walked in to the Ukrainian Centre that night expecting the worst, I walked away pleasantly surprised. Despite this being an emotional topic, everyone was quite polite, most were attentive, and the passive aggressive jabs sent my way were at a much lower key than anticipated. To the gentleman who hosted it, I cannot commend him enough. In politics, opposites do not attract. Ever. Bringing us together in one room took remarkable courage, and for that I am very grateful.

Though no common ground was ever found that evening, the bridge wasn’t completely out. There was a small speck of agreement between the Unitarian minister and I. We both concur that this referendum really is the only way to ensure all of our voices are heard.

Last year, we watched the Forever Canada folks pull off a bit of a miracle by getting the number of signatures needed for their petition. Almost methodically, they travelled from town to town, event to event, location to location, filling bankers’ boxes with pages upon pages of signed petitions. While there are questions as to how exactly they got all those signatures, at the end of the day Elections Alberta accepted them as submitted.

This year is our turn and barely two days in phones are blowing up all over the province with people asking who is doing what? Where are we meeting? How will this work? Who do we call? Where do we go? Where can I sign? In short, it is chaos.

Have you ever wondered why is it that those on the left seem to be so much more organized than those on the right? The answer is very simple. Because they thrive on being told what to do and how to do it. They have no problem waiting for and following instruction. We, on the other hand, do not do well standing around waiting for anyone or anything. It is the ‘get it done’ attitude that built Alberta.

The world is watching, literally, and it is very exciting. It also feels a little messy, which is part of the process and nothing to worry about. Within the coming days, order will displace the chaos. To help make that happen, let’s keep the following five things in mind:

1)      First and foremost, Mitch Sylvester is the proponent for the question that was submitted. He has to follow the Citizen Led Petition for a Referendum legislation under the guidance of Elections Alberta. Let’s thank him by supporting him and doing our best to make this as efficient as possible.

2)      Within the legislation that governs this petition are rules and processes that have to be followed.  If you do not like some or all of the rules and/or processes, suck it up and respect them anyway.

3)      If you have the means to support the drive for signatures, be it financially, with your time, or facilitating a meeting to educate others, please do. To get this across the finish line is truly going to be a team effort.

4)      Those for whom our success is akin to nails on a chalk board are going to come out swinging like never before. Also, mainstream media is not our friend. Expect it and ignore it.

5)      Lastly, and most importantly, everyone involved in gathering signatures and submitting the petition are your fellow Albertans. They are volunteering and doing their best. Be patient, be kind, and make some new friends.

There is a new website that has all the information, along with social media pages to follow. Here is the link Stay Free Alberta: Alberta independence referendum petition and canvasser. Share it far and wide, get to the events, bring a friend, and let’s get the question “Do you agree that Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?” on a referendum ballot later this year.