Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of Independent Well Servicing.
Could one, or both, of these provinces end up leaving Canada? Storyblocks image.
I have previously written about Canada not being a serious country anymore. The divides are many, economic, social, core beliefs, geographic and several others I am sure. As with most controversies, there are two sides to every story. I’m not trying to sway anyone’s opinion one way or the other, I just want to create a little positive dialogue and maybe see things from one-hundred feet up. (The crown on a double service rig) Let’s unpack some of this and see where we stand.
My Alberta friends, family and colleagues have much to say on this. Obviously many of my friends have very conservative values. This not to say all conservatives want to separate, but I think it is fair to say almost all left-leaning Canadians do not want Canada to break up. Many of the Albertans I have discussed this with have signed the petition to begin the process for a referendum. The first thought for many is equalization payments. Three western provinces will pitch in a little more than $26 billion this fiscal year. Manitoba will receive $4.69 billion, Ontario $576 million, Quebec $13.57 billion, New Brunswick $3.1 billion, Nova Scotia $3.5 billion, Newfoundland and Labrador $113 million, and the tiniest, but very beautiful province Prince Edward Island comes in at $666 million. We are told that this system exists to ensure reasonably comparable public services at comparable levels of taxation.
I honestly believe that Albertans (and Saskies) want what is best for Canada as a whole. Is money the main driver? Possibly, but it seems to run deeper than that. Respect, or lack thereof seems to be a contributing factor. This and a lack of gratitude or even acknowledgement of the financial assistance provided by Alberta would be a good place to start.
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How about solutions? You never hear much in the way of how to solve the separation question from Ottawa of central Canada for that matter. Many continue to ignore the questions of fairness to the voters of Western Canada. Maybe some empathy from other parts of Canada is in order. The hit pieces in much of the media, online trolling and general name-calling is doing little to convince the rest of Canada truly wants them to stay.
Then there is the fearmongering and the name-calling. We are supposedly a free country until Western Canada speaks up. Remember the trucker’s convoy? The vitriol from the federal government and many in the east was disturbing to say the least. Terms such as “traitor,” “criminal,” and even “white supremacist” were used often, despite the fact that a great number of protestors were minorities and first nations. Many from the east are currently using these same monikers, to their discredit.
There has been a lot of chatter for joining the USA. Pros and cons to this to be sure, and maybe that’s a conversation for another time. People have been critical of Danielle smith, Scott Moe and now Jamil Jivani for going and talking directly with Washington. I’ll say this for the Alberta Premier, at least she has commented on the separatist movement in a thoughtful understanding way. I believe she fully understand that it may or may not be over half the Alberta population that will decide the future of the province. There is a plethora of issues with separation. Currency, military, policing, day-to-day operations and the legal hurdles just to name a few. What I’m saying it’s not a simple task, and will require herculean effort and a large capital expenditure.
Nobody from the west is asking the eastern Canadians to change to their way of thinking or lifestyle. The problem seems to be that through legislation, taxation and media bullying many from the east expect the west to just “take it and like it.” As anyone in the west knows, the election is decided at the Ontario/Manitoba border. Now I understand the concept of “majority rules” and “representation by population,” but honestly, this country is just too damn wide. I have noticed in the media and politicians there is never any offering of a solution. Now, out west, we have some very vocal and not-so-polite opinions on Quebec, but as far as a province they seem to do whatever they want with the federal governments blessing.
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There is a saying that goes “They hate us cause they ain’t us.” Maybe there is some truth to that. We have the raw materials and food supplies that the rest of Canada needs. There is a certain “way of life” in the prairie provinces and much of BC that seems different than the rest of Canada. You can say the same thing for the Newfoundlanders, the Islanders from PEI, and pretty much any region of the country. We are similar in that we are all Canadians; I guess you could juxtapose that to Western Canada hating on Quebec and Ontario as well, although I think the reasons are different. We have always found it disturbing that the eastern seaboard of Canada has 32 seats in the Couse of Commons with a population of 2.5 million people, whereas Alberta has 37 seats with a population of just over 5 million. Manitoba and Saskatchewan share 28 seats with a combined population of 2.78 million people. Maybe it’s just me, but those numbers seem a bit skewed.
Now, I’m not gonna say out loud that I am one hundred per cent in favour of separation. Internally I am somewhat divided on that. I was born and grew up as a Canadian, and I remember the original flag that was in our classrooms as a child. (I still think it looks pretty cool) But it is hard to disagree with the people calling for Alberta and possibly Saskatchewan to go it on their own, away from Canada.
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We need to remember, in life, as with all things, the only constant in the universe is change. The list of countries and empires that have broken up over that past several hundred years is not a short one. Sudan split into two countries by referendum in 2011. Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and Syria and many others. The Soviet Union, the British Empire are gone, the United States came close in 1861, and there is no promise that the republic will endure forever. Will Canada, or the world map look the same in 50 to 100 years? I’m betting not, and it seems pretty arrogant to think otherwise.
As always I try to look at these things from the energy industry’s perspective. Oil and gas from Alberta is the main source of cash for the equalization payments. It isn’t the only driver, but probably the largest. Will they become irrelevant? Not any time soon. The real question is, can Alberta truly go it alone? Many believe it can, and they may be right. However, there are a lot of moving parts to change of this magnitude. It will take a lot of grit, which Albertan’s have in spades. Personally, I would prefer we all get along and Ontario and Quebec say and do what is necessary to maintain unity, which would be the simplest and safest way to proceed. The burning question is, “will they?” My heart is hopeful, but in my brain the answer is “most likely not.”
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. He would like to believe that Quebec and Ontario will acknowledge Western Canada more as a partner than a bunch of “oilfield rednecks” and “flatlander combine pilots.” The puck is in central Canada’s end of the rink.
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- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
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- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
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- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
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- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
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- 9001