The Outsize Political Power of Canada’s Western Separatists
Only about a quarter of Albertans support independence. But the threat of rupture nevertheless has pushed Canada’s political class toward accommodation with petro-state grievance politics.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s challenge is to keep separatists within the United Conservative Party fold while reassuring moderate voters that she’s not a threat. This is why she’s opened the door to an independence referendum without bringing one forward, let alone endorsing it herself. (Artur Widak / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conspiracy theorist radio host before entering politics, has scheduled a referendum for October on whether the oil-rich Canadian province should hold . . . a future referendum on independence.
Smith, who owes her remarkable comeback from political obscurity to both the pandemic and Alberta’s uniquely oil-fueled grievance politics in equal measure, announced her referendum-within-a-referendum in a May 21 address posted to her YouTube channel.
The announcement came after a year in which her government lowered barriers to a citizen-initiated independence vote, as well as two court decisions that ruled the government must consult with First Nations before engaging in a process that would, by necessity, abrogate their treaties with the federal government if successful.
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