Unholy Alliance would create an independent Western Canada

Great comment in one of the newspapers today:

As a Canadian born and raised in Alberta . . . we will be taking up our pitchforks if the government falls. The formation of this separatist coalition will result in a certain future: (1) The withholding of federal taxes by citizens of our province. (2) The momentum to separate from the rest of Canada. Don't think so . . . you don't know the west.

Don't anyone out East think that separatism is limited to the Joe Sixpacks out here. These sentiments are felt by people from all walks of life, including CEOs:

Some oilpatch veterans even called for a western-based separatist party to stand up for Alberta and counter the Bloc Quebecois.

"Maybe it's now time we have a threat (in Alberta).Maybe we do need a western separatist party to represent the West," argued George Gosbee, CEO of Tristone Capital, a brokerage and investment bank that specializes in the energy industry. "I've never seen so much rage in Calgary."

Gosbee, who's also vice-chairman of the Alberta Investment Management Corp.'s board of directors(which oversees Alberta's $70 billion in assets) said he was inundated with hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from oil-patch players and other business leaders who are outraged with the political shenanigans occurring in Ottawa.

Toppling the Conservative government -- less than two months after winning the election-- in favour of a Liberal-NDP coalition, with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, would spark unprecedented western alienation, he said.

And this from MP Jason Kenney:

"This illegitimate coalition would be a real problem for national unity and would clearly deepen to probably historic highs a sense of western alienation."

If this nonsense in Ottawa keeps up, Alberta and/or the three westernmost provinces will achieve sovereignty even before Québec does.

Comments

[SoContent]

Gosbee can make sure that hiring from the east and shutting the AimCo office in Toronto (sub office in London UK better) is a very good start. Plenty of City of London/Wall Street talent now around with credit crisis incl. senior management who can come to Alberta. Less talk, less fence sitting in newspapers and now more walk George. Verdict out yet on AimCo performance. For the West and Alberta, sovereign redefinement within Canada now needs to be examined.

[Werner Patels]

For the West and Alberta, sovereign redefinement within Canada now needs to be examined.

And not any moment too soon!