Is Canada about to break apart?
Is Canada about to break apart?
Michael TaubeSat, May 23, 2026 at 4:07 PM UTC
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Premier Danielle Smith has announced a referendum despite personally backing remaining in the federation - Canadian Press/Shutterstock
Alberta is about to decide whether it wants to stay in Canada or take steps to become an independent nation.
The provincial premier, Danielle Smith, recently announced that Alberta will hold a referendum to determine its future in Canada. The question to be asked will be: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
I’ve known Smith for nearly 30 years. She’s an intelligent and talented former policy wonk, political commentator and talk radio host with conservative and libertarian leanings. Her position on this referendum is not with the separatist cause. “I have been clear with Albertans from the start that I am in support of remaining in Canada,” she told reporters in Calgary. “That has and will continue to be the position of my government and my caucus.”
Nevertheless, the Alberta premier realises this discussion about separatism, as difficult and painful as it might be, needs a resolution. Separatist sentiment in Alberta, and indeed in the other western provinces, is due to perceived favouritism by the federal government to eastern Canadian provinces like Ontario and Quebec. The people of Alberta, Smith told the media, “want to settle it once and for all”.
Alberta is an important piece of the Canadian political puzzle. It’s a historically Right-leaning province that supports small government, low taxes, free markets, private enterprise and more. It’s also oil-rich, with the “fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the world, after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran,” according to the Alberta Energy Regulator report and Oil & Gas Journal.
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If Alberta ever became an independent country, it would be a seismic shock to the rest of Canada. The economic ramifications would be disastrous. There could also be global implications, because Canada wouldn’t be as financially desirable for other countries to invest in.
Some readers may be surprised that Canada is facing the threat of separatism. It has a reputation of being an incredibly polite, friendly and welcoming nation. All of these qualities are real, but lurking below the surface of my country has been a deep and rather intense identity crisis.
Canada has had to deal with various separatist movements. The province of Quebec has had two major separatist referendums in 1980 and 1995. The background to them was long-running disputes about language laws and discussions about French-Canadian identity. The second referendum was an especially close call. Of the 4,757,509 total votes cast, the “No” side, which wanted to remain in Canada, only won by 50.58-49.42 per cent – or less than 55,000 votes.
It’s unlikely that Alberta’s referendum question will succeed. If history serves as a guide, the pro-Canada side led by Smith and others will have a bigger turnout and quell the separatist forces. The notion of Alberta’s independence and Canada splitting apart isn’t nearly as absurd as you may think, however.
Don’t expect too much yelling, screaming and fist-fighting to emerge in Alberta. Only in Canada could a separatist movement and its federalist opposition argue about national and provincial identity in the most polite fashion possible.
Michael Taube was a speech-writer for former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper
Source: “AOL Breaking”
