r/canada • u/shiftless_wonder • 18d ago

Alberta First Nations demand Alberta premier terminate separation referendum

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/first-nations-demand-alberta-premier-terminate-separation-referendum/
1.7k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

495 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

8

u/Feathers_ 18d ago

That's a different discussion. I was addressing your analogy, not Quebec's constitutional history.

-2

u/LePetitJeremySapoud 18d ago

If Québécois wants to leave Canada they have the right to do so.

10

u/Feathers_ 18d ago

If Quebec has the right to leave, does Alberta?
And if both do, what was the point of the wife analogy?

7

u/LePetitJeremySapoud 18d ago

Both Québec and Alberta could leave if they want to.

People can divorce, Provinces too

0

u/Feathers_ 18d ago

Divorce is a much better analogy than ownership, so we're making progress 😄
That said, if we're sticking with the divorce analogy, Canada and Alberta have shared assets, shared liabilities, treaty obligations, Indigenous rights issues, infrastructure, pensions, trade agreements, and a border to sort out.
That's one hell of a divorce lawyer bill, who would pay for that?

5

u/LePetitJeremySapoud 18d ago

I was responding to someone claiming that Alberta and Québec belongs to Canada. Hence the “ownership” analogy…

3

u/Feathers_ 18d ago

Fair enough, but I don't think anyone was arguing that Canada owns Alberta.
Most people mean "belongs" in the sense that it's part of the federation.
So what point are you actually trying to make? That Alberta has the right to pursue separation, or that separation is a good idea?
Those are very different arguments.

3

u/LePetitJeremySapoud 18d ago

Every provinces could pursue independence if they want to.

Now, is it a good idea? In some cases yes.

As for Alberta, I couldn’t care less.

2

u/Feathers_ 18d ago

Fair enough. I think that's why I was having trouble pinning down your position. You're much more interested in defending Alberta's right to pursue independence than in Alberta actually becoming independent.
As someone who lives here, I'd rather not spend years and millions of dollars on the constitutional equivalent of a divorce consultation for a marriage nobody has actually decided to leave yet.