Why do some Albertans want to separate? Committed, curious pack Calgary banquet hall
CBC
A loveless marriage — that's how one potential Alberta separatist sees Alberta's relationship to Canada.
"If we just got a little bit of love, we'd probably be satisfied. But I don't think it's coming," said Cynthia Mackenzie, a retired real estate agent and grandmother from Calgary.
She looked around at the standing-room only crowd of roughly 1,000 at the Astoria Banquet Hall in northeast Calgary on Monday night. It was a public town hall on options and a potential referendum for Alberta independence.
The noise of the crowd was a dull roar and the room grew warm quickly.
Mackenzie said she's frustrated, feels her vote doesn't count and believes Alberta is not well represented among those in power in Ottawa. She said she wants those in the East to pay attention, because separatism is a big deal.
"I don't know if I'm serious yet, but I might be," she said. "I wanted to come tonight to see what's in the air."
"Maybe this new prime minister will take note of it. I don't know what the solution is. Mostly I'd like to be heard," she said. "I'd like someone to actually listen, even if they don't do anything. Just give me that love."
Alberta separatism roared back onto the public news agenda after the federal election, although it's still unclear whether that reflects a surge in public support.
Many voters here were hoping the Conservatives would win the election. After they lost, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she would lower the requirement for citizens to force a referendum on this or any other topic.
Then on Monday, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) released the question it wants to put to Albertans.
At a news conference, APP lawyer Jeffrey Rath said their proposed independence referendum question would be: "Do you agree that the province shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?"
The public town-hall meeting followed the news conference. CBC News attended to find out what is drawing Albertans to this cause.
Andrew Kaiser came with friends. The 42-year-old said he's been concerned about Alberta's relationship with Canada all his life.
He said the problem goes back to the rules set when Alberta became a province of Canada in 1905. The rules don't require all provinces to be represented equally, so smaller ones such as the Atlantic provinces have more members of Parliament per capita than Alberta does.
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