Alberta Needs A Leader
I know it's not entirely appropriate to post someone else's work but I couldn't find a good way to trim it down without loosing the substance (not enough coffee yet this am perhaps). Here's a great article by Link Byfield from this morning's Calgary Sun:
"I got more reaction to last week's column about Alberta separatism than I have on anything else in years.
Dozens of people sent e-mails, expressing every shade of opinion, mostly favourable.
A few attacked me for being a separatist (which I'm not), and more challenged me for not being separatist enough (guilty as charged).
I had written that separatism is a fantasy unless Alberta's provincial legislature first draws up a formal list of grievances with Canada, and a list of specific demands for redress.
Only if those go unmet could the Alberta legislature legitimately look to its options, ranging from partial autonomy to complete political independence.
That's how the English Parliament did it in 1641. They wrote the Grand Remonstrance, listing over 100 specific abuses by royal authority.
When King Charles I ignored it, Parliament felt both entitled and obliged to take up arms and cut off his head.
Likewise, only after long and fruitless political protest did the colonial legislatures in North America feel both entitled and obliged in 1776 to declare independence from England. They held a congress and published the Declaration of Independence, probably the most forceful expression of political liberty ever written.
Most of it consists of specific grievances against the British government.
Alberta could draft a pretty compelling list of grievances, too, and probably should.
I doubt they'd impress the good folks of eastern Canada, most of whom seem to think Albertans have so much oil they have nothing to complain about.
Easterners neither know nor care that Ottawa has vacuumed far more money out of Alberta than the provincial government has ever earned in resource revenues.
Besides, money is not the main point to Albertans, whatever eastern Canadians may cynically assume.
The real issue is the coarse colonial contempt of central Canadian media, politicians, judges and interest groups towards the province and its people -- who they are, what they have built, what they believe, and what they want for their future.
Albertans have never bought into the absurd Canadian delusion of the last two generations that patriotism is about getting more from the country than you put in.
Where did Canadians get the attitude that nations are built on benefits rather than sacrifice, entitlements rather than hard work, politics rather than principle, self-deception rather than self-defence, privilege rather than achievement, dictatorship rather than democracy?
There's a growing sense -- growing for the last half-century -- that Albertans just don't fit.
However, the question that keeps coming up is what can be done about it?
A few years ago the options were put quite simply by Ted Morton, who then taught political science at the University of Calgary, and is now an MLA eying the Conservative leadership after Ralph Klein retires.
Morton calls the Reform party movement of the 1990s Plan A -- reforming federalism from Ottawa. It was a noble and necessary effort, but it failed dismally.
Outright independence -- separatism -- he calls Plan C.
Like me, he advocates a middle course, which he calls Plan B -- making full use of existing provincial powers, something no province except Quebec has ever done.
For example, Alberta could establish its own provincial alternatives to the Canada Pension Plan, RCMP local policing, and federal collection of provincial income tax. Any other province could do the same if it chose, but Alberta would probably be better off.
Many separatists reject Plan B, because it isn't separation. It's baby steps where they demand giant strides.
What the separatists never explain, however, is how they plan to get independence without walking through the necessary democratic steps.
Separatism is essentially a negative. What's needed is a positive proposal to the rest of the country from the government of Alberta on how to change federalism and why.
Strange to say, Alberta has never really done this. But it should.
If the proposal is turned down, then -- and only then -- will Plan C begin to look legitimate, even to most Albertans."
It's time for you to go Ralph. You've done some great things for us in the past but you seem to have run out of steam. We need someone who's willing to elevate Alberta to it's rightful position. Within or without confederation.
"I got more reaction to last week's column about Alberta separatism than I have on anything else in years.
Dozens of people sent e-mails, expressing every shade of opinion, mostly favourable.
A few attacked me for being a separatist (which I'm not), and more challenged me for not being separatist enough (guilty as charged).
I had written that separatism is a fantasy unless Alberta's provincial legislature first draws up a formal list of grievances with Canada, and a list of specific demands for redress.
Only if those go unmet could the Alberta legislature legitimately look to its options, ranging from partial autonomy to complete political independence.
That's how the English Parliament did it in 1641. They wrote the Grand Remonstrance, listing over 100 specific abuses by royal authority.
When King Charles I ignored it, Parliament felt both entitled and obliged to take up arms and cut off his head.
Likewise, only after long and fruitless political protest did the colonial legislatures in North America feel both entitled and obliged in 1776 to declare independence from England. They held a congress and published the Declaration of Independence, probably the most forceful expression of political liberty ever written.
Most of it consists of specific grievances against the British government.
Alberta could draft a pretty compelling list of grievances, too, and probably should.
I doubt they'd impress the good folks of eastern Canada, most of whom seem to think Albertans have so much oil they have nothing to complain about.
Easterners neither know nor care that Ottawa has vacuumed far more money out of Alberta than the provincial government has ever earned in resource revenues.
Besides, money is not the main point to Albertans, whatever eastern Canadians may cynically assume.
The real issue is the coarse colonial contempt of central Canadian media, politicians, judges and interest groups towards the province and its people -- who they are, what they have built, what they believe, and what they want for their future.
Albertans have never bought into the absurd Canadian delusion of the last two generations that patriotism is about getting more from the country than you put in.
Where did Canadians get the attitude that nations are built on benefits rather than sacrifice, entitlements rather than hard work, politics rather than principle, self-deception rather than self-defence, privilege rather than achievement, dictatorship rather than democracy?
There's a growing sense -- growing for the last half-century -- that Albertans just don't fit.
However, the question that keeps coming up is what can be done about it?
A few years ago the options were put quite simply by Ted Morton, who then taught political science at the University of Calgary, and is now an MLA eying the Conservative leadership after Ralph Klein retires.
Morton calls the Reform party movement of the 1990s Plan A -- reforming federalism from Ottawa. It was a noble and necessary effort, but it failed dismally.
Outright independence -- separatism -- he calls Plan C.
Like me, he advocates a middle course, which he calls Plan B -- making full use of existing provincial powers, something no province except Quebec has ever done.
For example, Alberta could establish its own provincial alternatives to the Canada Pension Plan, RCMP local policing, and federal collection of provincial income tax. Any other province could do the same if it chose, but Alberta would probably be better off.
Many separatists reject Plan B, because it isn't separation. It's baby steps where they demand giant strides.
What the separatists never explain, however, is how they plan to get independence without walking through the necessary democratic steps.
Separatism is essentially a negative. What's needed is a positive proposal to the rest of the country from the government of Alberta on how to change federalism and why.
Strange to say, Alberta has never really done this. But it should.
If the proposal is turned down, then -- and only then -- will Plan C begin to look legitimate, even to most Albertans."
It's time for you to go Ralph. You've done some great things for us in the past but you seem to have run out of steam. We need someone who's willing to elevate Alberta to it's rightful position. Within or without confederation.
posted by Richard at 06:37
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