Recorded by The Critical Compass at the Capitalism & Morality Calgary 2026
Organized by Fergus Hodgson & Econ Americas
«Michael Wagner, Jason Lavigne, and Cory Morgan join moderator Darcy Gerow at Capitalism & Morality Calgary 2026 for the panel “Independence for What?”
Two years after the last Calgary conference, support for Alberta independence has grown well beyond single digits. This conversation goes past the “why leave” question and asks what kind of country Albertans would actually build. The panel covers control versus Ottawa’s centralization, the October 19 referendum question, equalization as symbol versus deeper cultural and institutional grievances, whether a new flag with the same habits would still be a win, constitutions that last, parallel institutions that can be built now, decentralized government, and what failure after independence would look like.
Wagner (Western Standard columnist and author), Lavigne (The Lavigne Show, journalist and campaign organizer), and Morgan (Western Standard columnist, author of The Sovereigntist’s Handbook, and Pathway to Independence) debate strategy, incremental versus radical change, citizen character versus paper constitutions, pensions, education, and why swapping parties has never fixed the system.
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