MLA Drew Barnes: I am an Alberta Patriot

I was born a Canadian, and I wish to save a Canada that includes an equal and prosperous Alberta. I sincerely wish to build a reformed Canada that treats all of its people equally and fairly. In fact, this is another opportunity for Albertans to lead the way, for by finding equality and fairness for ourselves, we can create the framework for others to find the same. Ultimately, this will help to build a stronger, freer, prosperous, and more united Canada. But if this is not possible, the majority of my constituents in Cypress-Medicine Hat and from across Alberta have made clear that we must seek another relationship, as a sovereign people.

I do not believe in unconditional support for federalism. I wish to save our relationship with the rest of Canada, but not to continue an exploitative relationship without hope of rectification.

I love Alberta, and to Alberta I owe my first loyalty. 

If possible, a reformed and equal confederation is the preferred path forward for Alberta. But if forced to seek its independence, Alberta should not fear for the future. An independent and sovereign Alberta would have a broad new horizon of opportunities before it.

Without transferring a net $20 billion a year to Ottawa, we would retain the freedom to either increase our own spending on government programs, or to drastically cut taxes. We would quickly become the first debt-free country in the world.

Ottawa never spends a dollar in Alberta that it didn’t take from Alberta first.

The argument that an independent Alberta will fail, based on equivocating Quebec’s story to Alberta’s, is incorrect. Quebec’s independence movement was linguistically and ethnically motivated, and therefore scared investment and many of its minority’s groups away, and was fiscally unsound. By contrast, Alberta’s independence movement is motivated by a drive for freedom and equality, and is based on a strong financial footing.

In fact, an independent Alberta would have the 9th highest GDP per capita in the world, ranking us with Singapore and Switzerland.

Support for independence is no longer limited to a small fringe. One-in-three speakers at the many Fair Deal town hall meetings that we heard, and many more of them that communicated with me through direct channels, said that they would fight for independence if a fair deal cannot be had. In my own constituency of Cypress-Medicine Hat, people are no longer willing to be bystanders in their own country.

I am grateful to the premier for giving me the opportunity to travel our great land to listen to the concerns of Albertans, to my colleagues on the Fair Deal for all of their hard work, and especially to the everyday Albertans that took part.

While there will be heartfelt, honest disagreements about the path forward, I was elected to speak out and represent my constituents, their convictions, and our hope for the future.

Sincerely,

Drew Barnes

MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat