Dear Editor,

Twice within my residency in Quebec (53 years and counting), we’ve endured the confidence-shaking test of a referendum on separation from Canada. Right now, it’s the oil-drenched cowboys of Alberta who are seeking a better deal by threatening to leave, without going away. This is not a good time to make such a bold move. Right now, Alberta’s opportunity to export its petroleum wealth is better than ever, with the federal government leaning toward pipelines to the west coast, to export oil to Asia.  Right now, Albertan independence would be tantamount to Alberta as the 51st state. That would be a very bad play on Alberta’s part. 

But then, the separatist Alberta government forgot to consult with the First Nations, which hold significant power in Alberta. So it’s not going to happen, but Alberta will whine its way to some concessions, the way Quebec whined its way around the constitution with the neverendum game, assuming the right to suppress religious and linguistic minorities, with no one to tell them otherwise. Alberta is better off within Canada, at least until there is regime change in the wanna-be totalitarian government of the U.S. 

Robert Wills, Shawville and Thorne