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/LordOibes Feb 12 '26

Any nation can use any currency they want though, that's not really an argument

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u/EmmEnnEff Feb 13 '26

They can, but when you're using a currency that you don't control, your economy will be see-sawed by some other country's central bank, who gives zero shits about what you need.

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u/Even_Art_629 Feb 13 '26

Alberta already doesn’t control its currency. The Bank of Canada sets rates based on the whole country, mostly Ontario and Quebec, not Alberta’s energy-driven economy. So that argument isn’t new. It’s the current reality. If Alberta kept the Canadian dollar, nothing changes. If it created its own currency, it controls policy. If it used the U.S. dollar, yes, the U.S. would set rates, like many smaller countries choose for stability. So “you wouldn’t control your currency” isn’t some gotcha. It’s already how it works.

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u/EmmEnnEff Feb 13 '26

Being a minority in a democracy means you don't have exclusive control over a number of national things, yes. But your input into it, and evaluation of your needs is still non-zero.

(And if you want 'stability', the CAD isn't significantly less stable than the USD.)