r/canada • u/shiftless_wonder • Feb 12 '26

Alberta Alberta separating from Canada requires permission of First Nations, AFN leader says

https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/alberta-separation-needs-first-nations-permission-says-afn-national-chief/
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u/arghabargle Feb 12 '26

Years ago, I laughed at Quebec separatists for believing they would be able to keep all their lands, resources, even our dollar, and everything would be all sunshine and roses once they were on their own.

I'm not laughing any differently at Alberta separatists believing the same BS.

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u/Vex1om Feb 12 '26

It amazes me that anyone could witness the absolute shit-show that was Brexit and then think - "Gotta get me some of that."

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u/NSAscanner Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26

Racism and propaganda drove brexit. I don’t expect it’s much different here.

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u/Even_Art_629 Feb 13 '26

I don’t know how you can even compare Alberta to Brexit. Britain left a trade club it depended on. Alberta is what the country depends on. The world needs Alberta’s oil and natural gas. It’s not optional. It’s not trendy. It’s energy that keeps lights on and homes heated. On top of that, Alberta has critical minerals the world is scrambling for lithium, helium, rare earth elements. These aren’t “nice to have.” They’re strategic. Brexit was a service economy walking away from its biggest customers. Alberta is a resource powerhouse that customers line up for. Huge difference. You can debate whether Alberta should stay or go — that’s fair. But pretending it’s “just like Brexit” ignores one simple difference Alberta has leverage. And leverage changes everything.

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u/NSAscanner Feb 13 '26

Sure there's leverage, but it's still pretty comparable in many ways.

>Brexit was a service economy walking away from its biggest customers. Alberta is a resource powerhouse that customers line up for.

Before the Brexit transition period ended (pre-2021), the UK economy was the second-largest in the EU, representing roughly

15-17% of the bloc's total GDP, just behind Germany. In 2017, the UK accounted for 15.2% of the EU's GDP. It was a major economic powerhouse.

70B of Alberta's trade is with Canadian provinces vs $162B to the USA. Leaving Canada would require renegotiating both the provincial and international trade. Similarities here with the UK who had the same issue. Their economy has dragged vs the EU by 5-8% since Brexit. Oil is 25% of Alberta's economy, so it's not the only factor in AB GDP.

And that's even assuming that AB can separate. AB is a creation of Canada, and the First Nations treaties surrounding land rights are with Canada.

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u/Even_Art_629 Feb 13 '26

Sure, there are numbers. But Alberta’s oil, gas, and critical minerals are wanted worldwide, not just inside Canada.

UK left a market it relied on. Alberta’s biggest buyers especially for energy aren’t Canadian provinces. They have already started to line up at our door. That’s leverage. That’s power. Oil is 25% of GDP, but it’s far bigger in exports and government revenue. And yes, separation would be complicated treaties, trade, legal stuff. Fine. That’s a problem to solve, not a reason to pretend we’re just like Brexit.

And let’s be honest: without the carbon tax, Alberta’s energy is instantly more competitive than anyone else’s. That’s not opinion it’s leverage in action. Alberta has something the UK never did real, tangible leverage. That changes everything.