Abolish Provinces?

Albertans just want a fair deal in Canada.

 Our new Albertan Premier, Jason Kenney recently said,  

“Let me be clear. I am a federalist … elected as a federalist … with a plan to fight for a fair deal for Alberta in the federation. All Albertans are asking for is this: If the rest of Canada wants to benefit from the wealth generated from Alberta resources, then all we ask is the ability to get those resources to global markets … to get a fair price for them … so we can actually generate the wealth that is transferred across the country that pays for healthcare, schools and hospitals.” 

 Below watch and listen to Jason Kenney's complete interview (from 6:35 onwards)

Jason Kenney hopes that a new "conservative" Canadian government will change Albertans' fortunes. But we can't help but remember Mulroney – the man who lit the fuse for the Reform Party in Western Canada and the Bloc in Quebec. Unfortunately Canadians couldn't agree on a "fair" way to change an "out-dated system." Remember Meech Lake.

         And this is while Canada's century-old Maclean’s Magazine laments ...

Canada: A nation of strangers.

Scott Gilmore writes in Maclean’s,

“This federal dysfunction is not because of a flaw in the Westminster system

[Canada’s federal system of government]

— it’s because of us.” 

Seriously? Do we need to see the slide again?

If you want more SHOCKING comparisons, click below:

  So this dysfunction can be solved by … ah …by creating

“pan-provincial connections, as opposed to … championing regional causes.”

This all sounds too much like an “institutional victim game” to us.

What's an 'institutional victim game'?

We made a short video to explain this little known concept.

         Let’s face it, having individual provinces only really works for one “south central” province in Canada.

The idea of provinces confuses and muddles understanding. Is Canada or Alberta responsible for health care? Alberta. But Canada provides “health transfers” to the provinces. But in Alberta’s case Canada takes more in taxes and provides less back in the form of these so-called transfers. 

This is all very confusing to the workers and customers (Albertans) who pay the bills.

         But without provinces, how do we protect the interests of Canadians who inhabit 97% of Canada’s area, from the majority (60%) who live on less than 3% of Canada’s area (southern Ontario and Quebec)?   

                 The answer is ....

in the stated theory behind Canada’s Senate. 

         Alberta’s very own famed “Canadian Encyclopedia” –originally published in Edmonton - puts it best. 

The Senate was created under the Constitution Act, 1867, primarily to protect regional interests but also to provide what George-Etienne Cartier (a father of Confederation – but who are the mothers of confederation?) called a “power of resistance to oppose the democratic element.”

         Look, to most people, this sounds rather undemocratic. But is it particularly democratic for 22 million people to tell 4 million people who live about 4000 km away what to do?

         If we want to keep Canada together, the Senate can no longer be rigged. Almost 70% - the west and the north – of Canada’s territory is represented by only 27 Senators out of a total of 105.

         Please show us .............

how Canada's Senate is "fairly" representing regional interests.

         And then there is the matter of the Prime Minister - who is most beholden to the majority in south central Canada – who appoints Senators “to represent” the regions. But instead these Senators have a long history of representing the “political parties” and ultimately central Canadian interests.

         Instead, the Senate – to be fair - should represent “equal sized areas” of people to offset the influence of south central and eastern Canada. Then we can abolish the provinces and become “Canadians.”

         But are political parties (liberals and conservatives) – who really represent south central Canada – really ready to do this?

         Clearly the answer is “no” according to Canada’s century-old magazine (Macleans). They claim that there is “no flaw” in Canada's “system” of government. REALLY?? Not from our view here in Alberta where federal elections are not won and lost.

REMEMBER: The rest of Canada has had almost 40 years - and a Reform Party and a Conservative/Reform Prime Minister from Alberta - since the likes of the National Energy Program - to fix these "democratic" imbalances. They are still not fixed and there are major leaks of frustration in Alberta which could, in all likelihood, cause the break-up of Canada.

And yet, we have the naysayers (like the National Post above), who try to mock us and bully us into thinking Albertans are "landlocked." They would have us believe that Albertans "need" Canadian Confederation.

Last time we looked, there were 39 "landlocked" nations in the world today.

And Canada's only east - west land routes (rail and roads) have to pass through Alberta. John A. Macdonald knew Alberta's value before we even became a province.

        Therefore, Albertans must move more convincingly to assess all of our options – even those outside of Canadian Confederation.

Watch our most recent Youtube video (about 3 minutes)

The Shocking Truth about Alberta and Saskatchewan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLXCQpmWiXI

?