Stephen Harper, the 2000 Federal Election, and the Case for Alberta Independence
Since the 1970s, some very thoughtful and intelligent people have expressed concerns about Alberta’s future within Canada. Beginning in the 1980s, one such person was Stephen Harper, the future prime minister. He was so concerned, in fact, that he helped to form and build the Reform Party of Canada, which was initially created to provide a voice for the West within the Canadian parliament.
Unfortunately, as the Reform Party grew, the original western emphasis of the party became eclipsed by the desire to elect a national government. Its purpose changed as it became a vehicle aimed at forming a conservative government in Ottawa, ultimately emerging as the Canadian Alliance with Stockwell Day as leader. However, even as an aspiring pan-Canadian party (whether in its Reform or Canadian Alliance mode), it was widely viewed as a western party.
The western nature of the party drew derogatory comments indicative of the attitudes of the Eastern Establishment. During the 2000 federal election, Liberal leader Jean Chrétien said, “I like to do politics with people from the East. Joe Clark and Stockwell Day are from Alberta. They are a different type. I’m joking. I’m serious.”
Chrétien’s comment clearly indicated that he believed Albertans were notably different from eastern Canadians, and not in a good way. As the prime minister of Canada, he was making a sharp distinction between different kinds of Canadians, and he viewed Albertans as somewhat inferior to easterners.
The results of the 2000 election were very disappointing to most westerners because so many of us had voted for the Canadian Alliance. The Canadian Alliance elected 66 MPs but only 2 were from ridings east of Manitoba.
In the aftermath of that election, Stephen Harper made the following perceptive observation:
“Alberta and much of the rest of Canada have embarked on divergent and potentially hostile paths to defining their country. Alberta has opted for the best of Canada’s heritage—a combination of American enterprise and individualism with the British traditions of order and co-operation. We have created an open, dynamic, and prosperous society in spite of a continuously hostile federal government. Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task.”
Clearly, he saw Alberta and Canada as travelling along separate trajectories. They were going in opposite directions.
In light of these divergent paths, Harper made the following suggestion:
“Westerners, but especially Albertans, founded the Reform/Alliance to get ‘in’ to Canada. The rest of the country has responded by telling us in no uncertain terms that we do not share their ‘Canadian values.’ Fine. Let us build a society on Alberta values.”
Stephen Harper was never a separatist and he would undoubtedly repudiate separatism. He simply wanted Alberta to exercise more of its constitutionally authorised powers, especially on matters such as pensions and provincial police.
Nevertheless, someone with a separatist inclination could easily find inspiration from his words for an independent Alberta. Indeed, Harper’s analysis lends itself to a separatist interpretation. If the situation is as bad as he says (and it is), then establishing an independent Alberta seems to be the most logical solution. In a sense, his comments about Alberta’s situation in the wake of the 2000 federal election provide a concise summary of the case for Alberta independence.
Reference
Johnson, William. 2006. Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
I completely agree, Alberta needs to separate its ties with the corrupt nature of Eastern Canada. I can see our situation here in Alberta darkening further as we are blatantly neglected, provoking the second class citizen status! I can see Alberta soaring again without having to support the rest of Canada! In fact stronger ties between Alberta and USA would become beneficial and advantageous to each Albertan. Our natural resources would be appreciated and carry real world value again. Please advance this into a reality as our children here in Alberta are worth it. Sincerely Reg. A real Alberta person!
Easily one of the silliest ideas to come from this province with no back bone. Fight the feds for what is our right, not run like a fool. With the WIP garnerering less than 1% of the popular vote in their last election alive this is simply a short sighted fools gambit.
Much has changed over the last 40 years since Trudeau, the first tried to rape our resources and turn our people into serfs of the Laurentian elites. Alberta had some years of good fiscal management that saw us through some difficult times in the mid 90s, dissolved debt left by weak leaders and even created a growing Heritage Fund. We had to watch that all be destroyed by a series of weak PC leaders and their political and corporate cronies. Corrupt, elitist, self-serving progressives like Alison Redford, who clearly despised the people she led, squandered our wealth and pandered to Ottawa and the UN. Then we started a wonderful grassroots organization in the Wildrose Party just to see it betrayed by personally ambitious and unscrupulous leaders. Now we watch as it was swallowed by PCs too narrow-minded to be able to admit to the wreakage they had left in their wake. And that is what we are left with now ~ politicians of the same stripe as we have had forever who will never lead us out of this political nightmare of subservience to a corrupt Confederation. To add to this sordid provincial history we are being crushed now in a way we have never experienced before by careless and arrogant Liberals in Ottawa, too. A perfect storm has emerged – or should I say a deathly tornado. Perhaps now Albertans will refuse to shrug this away and get up off their couch and take a stand. We will not be bowed by negative pessimism. We must beleive they will – and we do.