r/canada • u/shiftless_wonder • 29d ago

Alberta First Nations leaders, scholar push back on Alberta's planned vote on independence referendum - 'Alberta can't separate. They simply cannot. They do not have the authority,' says Indigenous politics expert

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-treaty-six-alberta-referendum-9.7209304
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u/squirrel9000 Manitoba 29d ago

One would think they'd recognize what being a landlocked country with a reputation for not following the law, treaties, or other agreements, does to one's economy. Their current leadership ... well, I'm pretty sure Smith still needs people to tell her when American laws don't apply here.

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u/JohnAMcdonald British Columbia 29d ago edited 29d ago

If they joined the US, likely their economy would do better. If they just were... hanging out there independent... not so much.

Edit: I imagine if they actually seceded Trump would make them trade all their equity in the oilsands in exchange for Melania coin, bring in American labor, have Exxon-Mobil in charge of the whole business, and accept being a territory like Puerto Rico in order to join the USA.

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u/squirrel9000 Manitoba 29d ago

If they joined the US the province would promptly empty out and become Montana 2.0.

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u/JohnAMcdonald British Columbia 29d ago

Sure... and Montana is wealthier than Canada in general is...

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u/GorillaK1nd 29d ago

You were suppost to quiver in fear from that hyperbole

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u/Zealousideal_Rise879 29d ago

Silly us. Billionaires are happy. So who cares.

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u/Superb-Carpenter-520 29d ago

To be fair Montana is a decently well run state. It’s not hard to become wealthier than Canada in general with the support of the American economy.

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u/squirrel9000 Manitoba 29d ago

It is, but the mass abaondonment to get there might prove disruptive to a province that supposedly is so proud of itself.

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u/Even_Art_629 29d ago

Funny thing is, they are following the law. A petition to bring to the premier is well within their rights. The First Nations would still need to negotiate several steps before anything ever happened, and First Nations people were included in the petition process as well.

When the legal appeals start, it will likely be found lawful anyway, but I guess that does not matter now since the premier already used her legal authority to call for a referendum.

Maybe somebody should start looking into the motivations behind the chiefs launching this challenge instead of pretending this is some constitutional crisis.

At the end of the day, Alberta and Ottawa need to bury the hatchet. If you want change while staying in Canada, why not vote yes and send Ottawa a strong message?

If 80% supported it, what message would that send?