by Keith Wilson K.C. | Constitutional Lawyer
«The latest Alberta independence report warns about the cost of leaving Canada. But where is the same scrutiny of the cost of staying?
I’m Keith Wilson, KC. In this video, I challenge the assumptions behind the University of Calgary’s independence cost report and explain why it fundamentally underestimates Alberta’s economic strength and negotiating power.
These reports imagine disrupted trade, disappearing services and an Alberta unable to negotiate a fair deal. I explain why those assumptions fail to account for how much the rest of Canada depends on our energy, our customers and our transportation routes.
Staying has consequences too: continued fiscal outflows, federal restrictions on our economy and decisions about Alberta’s future being made in Ottawa.
I break down Alberta’s leverage with Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, challenge the “landlocked” argument, and explain why independence would build on the workers, infrastructure and institutions already here.
The Alberta Transition Council will soon release our own fully costed plan. Albertans deserve a serious comparison that considers our strengths and the cost of continuing down the same path.
Alberta can do better. We should be discussing how to achieve our potential, not accepting permanent dependence on Ottawa’s permission.
VOTE BY MAIL: Request your special ballot for the October 19 referendum through Elections Alberta.
Apply by September 25 at midnight. Your completed ballot must arrive by mail by October 16 at 5 p.m. Request yours early so there’s time to receive it and mail it back.