Photo credit: CBC
In thLloyde final days leading to the Alberta referendum, federal Liberals and Conservatives are on the same page, each hoping to put to bed any question of the province’s place in Canada.
CBC News reports that on Monday, Albertans will vote on whether they want to remain a province in Canada or start the legal process toward holding a binding referendum on leaving the country.
In their respective campaigning efforts, the government and the Official Opposition have urged Albertans to decisively vote to remain.
Prime Minister Mark Carney headlined a rally in Calgary on Thursday, where he called for “a decisive result on Monday to settle this question.”
Conservative MP Dane Lloyd – the caucus lead for the party’s own Conservatives for Canada campaign – made an equivalent appeal in an exclusive interview on Rosebury Barton Live that aired Sunday morning.
Liberal MP Corey Hogan said there’s likely no “magic number” that would put the issue of Alberta separation to rest. He told CBC’s Rosemary Barton that the measure for success is whether there will be “an understanding from all political actors in this province that we can never do this again.”
According to Hogan, who represents the riding of Calgary Confederation, a separatist sentiment is just a reality in Alberta.
He said, “Alberta separatism has been a thing my entire life.”
Hogan added that “we need to make sure that there are political consequences to this,” suggesting Albertans have become increasingly frustrated with their provincial government for carrying out the referendum process.
For their part, Conservatives point to the Liberal government as a main irritant in Alberta’s relationship with Canada.
Lloyd, who represents the Alberta riding of Parkland in Parliament, said he held roundtable discussions with Albertans as part of the Conservatives for Canada campaign, “and the message I heard that was overwhelmingly clear was that people don’t have a problem with Canada; they have a problem with Ottawa.”
At the same time, the current federal government hasn’t been shy about acknowledging Ottawa’s role in Albertan discontent. During his Thursday rally, Carney said that growing up in Alberta, “I remember how Ottawa made Albertans feel like our resources weren’t our own.”
“This is about Alberta feeling like its own contribution hasn’t always been respected,” Hogan said.
“We need to make sure that this whole country sees this whole country and that we are thinking about this whole country as we build policy for this country.”
