Her argument is that the Clarity Act doesn’t apply because it’s not a referendum on separation—it’s a vote on whether to have a referendum on separation, to which the Clarity Act will apply. It’s too cute by half and has only succeeded in making the separatists as made at her as the federalists are.
The question should be a yes/no like the other questions in this nonsensical referenDUM but no, she makes this so unclear as to be ridiculous. How does one respond to that question in a referenDUM? Or am I reading too much into this nonsense?
“If the remain side loses, will the premier resign (as Parizeau and Cameron did before her)?” Sorry but don’t you mean: “If the separate side loses… ? If the separate side loses, she should resign and buy a condo in Mar el Lago.
Excellent commentary as always. So many unanswered questions. We certainly need to carefully map out and develop a federalist strategy. Too many unknown variables if left to any political party.
The historical record is instructive here. The 1980 Quebec federalist campaign succeeded precisely because it was non-partisan in its public face. No single party owned it. Alberta federalists currently have no equivalent infrastructure, no equivalent coalition, and no federal partner with credible provincial legitimacy.
That is the gap that worries me most. Before any campaign messaging lands, before any ground game is organized, before any effective response to Smith’s framing gains traction, that coalition has to be built. Deliberately. Across ideological lines. With clear governance that keeps it out of the hands of any single party’s machinery.
Smith is counting on federalists to fragment. A non-partisan federalist strategy is the one thing her playbook has no answer for.
After the Court decisions, appeals, petitions for & against, referendums, referendums on referendums, Constitutional challenges & campaigning, she (who shall not be named) has already stated that she may or may not honour the referendum votes! I guess depending if she is having a bad hair day.
The constant churn out of the Office of the Premier is not good for Alberta.
Jared, What you implied, but did not say is that Ms. Smith has again shown herself to be a superb political leader. She is "grooming" Albertans to accept as factual a distorted version of Canadian constitutional history and of Alberta's history, just as 16 year old girls are groomed for the sex trade. By the time they (and we) figure out what is going on they (and we will) have lost their agency and be owned by their pimp. Tragically, with too few exceptions to make a difference, Alberta lacks the leaders who both understand what is happening to Alberta and Canada and have the craft and courage to take her and her cohort on. I see no evidence of an organized effort to put together the character, money, strategic leadership, staff and communications capacity to take her on. She has got us fooling around playing the games she knows are a distraction. Best we start to plan now to understand and cope with the conditions which will emerge after she has won this round. Best we face up to the fact that the conditions which will enable her victory in October were established long before today's announcement. Over the last several decades our elites in every sector have been so busy being successful in their sector that too few developed the capacities to care about the future character of the whole population as persons and citizens. Not good news for 10 year olds.
There are several groups organizing: the NDP, Lucaszuk's nonpartisan bunch, a more rightwing group including Jen Gersen, etc. As long as they don't play stupid partisan games, let them all go at it.
For starters how do you vote to a question that has two opposing answers … vote Yes to stay in Canada and she’ll say we voted for another referendum… Vote No to another referendum and she’ll say we voted no to stay in Canada and call another referendum… it’s a big waste of time and money as she’s going to do what she wants
Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
How can I answer a question like that? Am I answering the first part or the second? I sure hope that isn’t the final question, leaves a lot to interpretation.
Will we see the TEN 10! referendum questions before we have to vote? Will there be early voting to alleviate long lines - ESPECIALLY if we don’t have the questions before we go to the polls?
It shouldn’t matter to engaged citizens if this is a referendum on having a referendum we federalists must vote, vote, vote!!!!
This iteration of what calls itself Alberta Separatism is not the same as the Alberta Separatism based in traditional grievances between Alberta and Ottawa; the separatism that spawned The West Wants In and ultimately the Reform Party. This is very different. It is part of the MAGA White "Christian" Nationalist movement funded and promoted by dark foreign money to destabilize western democracies. Foreign actors, cult grifters and corporations have elegantly exploited grievances that are the feature of Alberta politics. This is the Coutts Convoy emboldened by the disgracefully weak response to their treachery. Same back room players, same dark money.
Christian is in quotes out of respect for those who have chosen to be genuine followers of Christ, not the grifters and political predators who are profiting off using the label. I question the authenticity of claims of "Christian" in this political context as it never references the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Plain, or the Judgement of Nations. Its theology is a cult rooted in odd interpretations of unreliable translations of the Bible primarily based in the 18th century and the culture of that time. White "Christian" Nationalism is built on the White, Anglo Saxon, Protestant, Patriarchy values of the colonial British Empire. Anyone supporting this who doesn't meet the WASPP criteria are just tokens to be used. This also includes Catholics and Mormons.
By all means have a White "Christian" Nationalist Party but be honest about it. Albertans who voted for what they thought was a Canadian conservative party didn't realize the extent to which they were being lied to and manipulated. The closest parties to Canadian conservativism now are the Alberta NDP and the federal Liberals.
Given the history of avoiding accountability and disrespect for democratic institutions and the rights of others (e.g. Treaties, Albertans' privacy, refusal to follow Court orders) the leaders of this Separatist movement have demonstrated on a personal level does anyone not expect that when the Separatist referendum fails these Separatists will claim the voting was rigged by Ottawa and ask their DC MAGA buddies to send the US military to intervene.
The danger to Alberta and to Canada does not disappear when the Referendum is defeated or Trump leaves office. It will get worse until the US disintegrates. Tucker Carlson, who has history with Alberta, is positioning himself as the leader in waiting for MAGA and they are coming for Canada. In a recent podcast he characterized Canada as a "South Asian country controlled by China".
Smith is a traitor. She says she would vote to remain, but since we know she lies all the time, we can be sure she is lying about that too.
ZERO doubt
Can the proposed question(s) survive the Clarity Act? To me , it appears to include two, conflicting questions.
Right?!
Her argument is that the Clarity Act doesn’t apply because it’s not a referendum on separation—it’s a vote on whether to have a referendum on separation, to which the Clarity Act will apply. It’s too cute by half and has only succeeded in making the separatists as made at her as the federalists are.
Her wording was carefully selected.
The question should be a yes/no like the other questions in this nonsensical referenDUM but no, she makes this so unclear as to be ridiculous. How does one respond to that question in a referenDUM? Or am I reading too much into this nonsense?
There are 2 questions in one. For me I vote yes to stay in Canada. No to the rest of it. How are we supposed to answer this?
“If the remain side loses, will the premier resign (as Parizeau and Cameron did before her)?” Sorry but don’t you mean: “If the separate side loses… ? If the separate side loses, she should resign and buy a condo in Mar el Lago.
Skip the condo. She should go straight to hell along with anyone else trying to destroy our country.
HA! Mar el Lago WOULD be hell!
Excellent commentary as always. So many unanswered questions. We certainly need to carefully map out and develop a federalist strategy. Too many unknown variables if left to any political party.
The historical record is instructive here. The 1980 Quebec federalist campaign succeeded precisely because it was non-partisan in its public face. No single party owned it. Alberta federalists currently have no equivalent infrastructure, no equivalent coalition, and no federal partner with credible provincial legitimacy.
That is the gap that worries me most. Before any campaign messaging lands, before any ground game is organized, before any effective response to Smith’s framing gains traction, that coalition has to be built. Deliberately. Across ideological lines. With clear governance that keeps it out of the hands of any single party’s machinery.
Smith is counting on federalists to fragment. A non-partisan federalist strategy is the one thing her playbook has no answer for.
Premier Quisling has finally lit the match. Fire season's a coming Alberta. All hands on deck!
And...
After the Court decisions, appeals, petitions for & against, referendums, referendums on referendums, Constitutional challenges & campaigning, she (who shall not be named) has already stated that she may or may not honour the referendum votes! I guess depending if she is having a bad hair day.
The constant churn out of the Office of the Premier is not good for Alberta.
Jared, What you implied, but did not say is that Ms. Smith has again shown herself to be a superb political leader. She is "grooming" Albertans to accept as factual a distorted version of Canadian constitutional history and of Alberta's history, just as 16 year old girls are groomed for the sex trade. By the time they (and we) figure out what is going on they (and we will) have lost their agency and be owned by their pimp. Tragically, with too few exceptions to make a difference, Alberta lacks the leaders who both understand what is happening to Alberta and Canada and have the craft and courage to take her and her cohort on. I see no evidence of an organized effort to put together the character, money, strategic leadership, staff and communications capacity to take her on. She has got us fooling around playing the games she knows are a distraction. Best we start to plan now to understand and cope with the conditions which will emerge after she has won this round. Best we face up to the fact that the conditions which will enable her victory in October were established long before today's announcement. Over the last several decades our elites in every sector have been so busy being successful in their sector that too few developed the capacities to care about the future character of the whole population as persons and citizens. Not good news for 10 year olds.
There are several groups organizing: the NDP, Lucaszuk's nonpartisan bunch, a more rightwing group including Jen Gersen, etc. As long as they don't play stupid partisan games, let them all go at it.
Superb leader, no. But the rest yes!
For starters how do you vote to a question that has two opposing answers … vote Yes to stay in Canada and she’ll say we voted for another referendum… Vote No to another referendum and she’ll say we voted no to stay in Canada and call another referendum… it’s a big waste of time and money as she’s going to do what she wants
Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
How can I answer a question like that? Am I answering the first part or the second? I sure hope that isn’t the final question, leaves a lot to interpretation.
Until better minds give an answer am ignoring the first part as Alberta is in Canada. But voting No for the referendum.
Did you see the word « remain »? You cannot answer that as NO.
It will be separate questions on the ballot.
Don’t count in it. She added one question she stated, not two.
Will we see the TEN 10! referendum questions before we have to vote? Will there be early voting to alleviate long lines - ESPECIALLY if we don’t have the questions before we go to the polls?
It shouldn’t matter to engaged citizens if this is a referendum on having a referendum we federalists must vote, vote, vote!!!!
This iteration of what calls itself Alberta Separatism is not the same as the Alberta Separatism based in traditional grievances between Alberta and Ottawa; the separatism that spawned The West Wants In and ultimately the Reform Party. This is very different. It is part of the MAGA White "Christian" Nationalist movement funded and promoted by dark foreign money to destabilize western democracies. Foreign actors, cult grifters and corporations have elegantly exploited grievances that are the feature of Alberta politics. This is the Coutts Convoy emboldened by the disgracefully weak response to their treachery. Same back room players, same dark money.
Christian is in quotes out of respect for those who have chosen to be genuine followers of Christ, not the grifters and political predators who are profiting off using the label. I question the authenticity of claims of "Christian" in this political context as it never references the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Plain, or the Judgement of Nations. Its theology is a cult rooted in odd interpretations of unreliable translations of the Bible primarily based in the 18th century and the culture of that time. White "Christian" Nationalism is built on the White, Anglo Saxon, Protestant, Patriarchy values of the colonial British Empire. Anyone supporting this who doesn't meet the WASPP criteria are just tokens to be used. This also includes Catholics and Mormons.
By all means have a White "Christian" Nationalist Party but be honest about it. Albertans who voted for what they thought was a Canadian conservative party didn't realize the extent to which they were being lied to and manipulated. The closest parties to Canadian conservativism now are the Alberta NDP and the federal Liberals.
Given the history of avoiding accountability and disrespect for democratic institutions and the rights of others (e.g. Treaties, Albertans' privacy, refusal to follow Court orders) the leaders of this Separatist movement have demonstrated on a personal level does anyone not expect that when the Separatist referendum fails these Separatists will claim the voting was rigged by Ottawa and ask their DC MAGA buddies to send the US military to intervene.
The danger to Alberta and to Canada does not disappear when the Referendum is defeated or Trump leaves office. It will get worse until the US disintegrates. Tucker Carlson, who has history with Alberta, is positioning himself as the leader in waiting for MAGA and they are coming for Canada. In a recent podcast he characterized Canada as a "South Asian country controlled by China".
There is also this website responding to the biased Alberta government one:
https://albertareferendumb2026.ca/
As an anti-separatist, how do I answer this referendum question?
Thank you
How do you even vote on that question? Is the ballet going to say remain versus ?
That’s the point I’d say, by design. The sheer manipulation.