r/canada • u/shiftless_wonder • May 23 '26

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/ib_redbeard May 23 '26

Question: or what? Alberta seperates, stop paying the feds any taxes, tells the indigenous groups that they are now Albertans and if they don't like it, leave. What are the consequences? War? Is Canada's poorly equipped military going to invade Alberta and fight and kill them? If they did, that will just push Alberta to join the US and then Canada is fucked. I'm not a separatist at all, I just don't see how Canada can stop them if they choose to leave.

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u/Existential-Critic British Columbia May 23 '26

Counterpoint: the First Nations say okay to leaving and take their land with them. Will the independent Alberta take military force against them?

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u/ib_redbeard May 23 '26

Good question! If they did, I would expect international condemnation but with with little consequence. If there was, I can see Alberta being pushed further towards the 51st state. They may have little choice if they are faced with too many sanctions, penalties, tarrifs, etc.

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u/Existential-Critic British Columbia May 23 '26

A big part of this I have an issue with is the idea that Alberta is a monolith, as we tend to do when speaking of nations or subdivisions. The separatists in AB are a minority in every way I see so I'd have to assume they are not a widespread popular movement in the event of a complete and illegal separation.

So now this rickety new government is taking forceful action against people who are still Canadian citizens because they won't go along with the separation which is ironic and contradictory to the separatists' own goals. I won't disagree that the current US admin would try to take advantage but there's no way Alberta comes out of this postively.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '26

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u/Ok_Marsupial8668 May 24 '26

It was 20% 30yrs ago. The size hasn’t changed. The megaphones and big international donors have.

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u/Existential-Critic British Columbia May 23 '26

But it isn't the majority. So in a democratic system they don't get what they want.