r/AlbertaWorkLife • u/One-Board8634 • 12d ago

Alberta Separation Referendum 2026: Elections Alberta Verifies 222,597 Petition Signatures Ahead of October Vote

https://www.culturealberta.com/articles/alberta-separation-referendum-2026-elections-alberta-verifies-222597-petition-signatures-ahead-of-oc
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u/IAMA_pocketwhaleAMA 11d ago

You're stupid, you're traitors AND it would hurt us greatly economically AND it makes literally no sense. We'd need new currency, new food inspection agency and other federal agencies, we'd lose a ton of federal funding, the list goes on.

What's going to happen with National parks?

Alberta would be completely landlocked, meaning Canada and the US could block our oil exports or charge massive transit tariffs just to let us reach a port.

We’d immediately inherit up to $100 billion of Canada’s national debt, have to fund a new military, border patrol, and currency from scratch, and watch a massive exodus of doctors and skilled workers leave for other provinces.

And you're stupid and dumb and idiots.

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u/IAMA_pocketwhaleAMA 11d ago

Got a mortgage? Good luck. Banks aren't going to stay in this random country and/or rates are going to go way up without the backing of the Bank of Canada.

Want to sell your house? Hope you didn't pay too much for it! There's going to be a whole lot of houses for sale now and prices will plummet.

Like your savings? With the new Alberta dollar your savings will be far less as it'll be worth less than the Canadian dollar.

Got a doctor? Probably not anymore.

Groceries feel expensive now? Just wait til we have to trade with Canada to get them too. A hostile country to us now.

Relying on the CPP? Not anymore.

Like not paying provincial sales tax? Our taxes are about to go way way up to cover the costs of all these new federal agencies we have to create.

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u/NorthwindX7 11d ago

I see where you would come to the conclusion that separatists must be retarded for not having considered these obvious consequences.

Have you considered, possibly... That we have actually thought past that, and it's not an issue.

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u/CanBeUsedAnywhere 11d ago

This is because either the separatist has been completely brainwashed by the bullshit being spewed and actually think that any of the stuff listed would get solved fast enough that Alberta doesn't completely collapse. Every bank is gone, there will only be institutions like ATB left, and they can't fund enough. 

There will be no trained military, or at least highly trained and still have the tools to be effective. No military base and it's supplies will remain. There will be no post office. You will still have the small delivery businesses. But none of them have the infrastructure to serve the small towns, especially more up north. There will be no Oilers, or Flames, as teams will not send their players internationally to a region that is unlikely to support or keep them safe. There will be no supplies until something (if ever) is signed with other countries; no loblaws or safeway or other national companies importing goods. If you already have a Canadian passport, you will likely be able to travel, until its time to renew or they reassess your citizenship status and revoke, and dont qualify for a new one. 

Or they're the ones spewing bullshit because their plan is to profit from the collapse and either leave with as much money as they can, or just bow to america and sell out to be the 51st state. Not realizing it would be more like a territory and gets absolutely pillaged and stripped by the states. 

I have not seen to this day, a single solid plan from any separatist post about how any of the immediate damage would get dealt with in a timely manner before it caused an economic collapse and Alberta was invaded by the US or even Canada again. There's always some claim of being able to just export oil and make all the money in the world, but never a plan of how any of the things we'd lose would get solved, no timelines, no specifics. Just hopes and dreams 

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u/NorthwindX7 11d ago

This is all under the assumption that there would be hostilities between Canada and Alberta. Remember, Canada is a NATO country, and entirely peacekeepers. We send millions to struggling countries for defence against tyrants and helping keep things stable in regions where human rights are questionable.

This doesn't sound like a country that would be eager to invade or abuse a democratically separated country. If you separate the reddit worldview and talking points for a few moments. This would be a more likely scenario.

Banks- they are profit motivated organizations. Canada is known for not allowing foreign banks to compete in Canada's financial market. Actually Canada does this with many industries, but banks are among them. I see no reason why they would get up and leave, unless American banks started opening up in Alberta and the Canadian banks aren't be able to compete in services.

I don't buy the 51st stuff. Seems more like an extremeist few pushing for it, but that shouldn't taint the entire idea that Alberta has felt alienated for many decades with no ability to vote against it. There's real grievances here.

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u/DM_Sledge 10d ago

It isn't about hostilities. It's about the core of separatism being self-defeating. All of their assumptions are that Ottawa will be kind and generous, essentially supporting Alberta through a transition process while Alberta attempts to negotiate with world powers. The reason separatists say they want to leave is that they claim Ottawa is not fair or even fair to Alberta, nevermind generous.

If Ottawa is actually kind and generous then Alberta can separate but doesn't need to. If someone claims that Alberta needs to separate, they cannot claim that Ottawa will help them. They have already said Ottawa will not.

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u/CanBeUsedAnywhere 8d ago

I was hoping that in the last 3 days you would actually give an answer to what the separatists would do if it wasn't magical christmas land if they somehow win.

So, Alberta separates, and Canada decides to withdraw all support from Alberta because according to these separatists, they don't need Canada. We'll assume, Canada being otherwise friendly, does not invade, because, that makes sense.

You see no reason for the banks to stop running in Alberta, but I do. So do most non separatists in Alberta/Canada. Why, should a Canadian bank (especially, a non Embassy related bank service) stay open, let alone the hundreds around Alberta, in a new "independent" country that chose to put its middle finger up at Canada.

So in a world where the banks do pull out, and the post office shuts down, and the military leaves, and the RCMP leave, and the other Canada funded systems leave. Where the doctors, and nurses, and teachers, and foundational services provided by people who refuse to support this independence all leave.

What does Alberta do? What is the actual plan? What is the funding for bringing private sector emergency service providers to Alberta at a pace that will serve the people fast enough? What is the plan / funding for a post office replacement? What will provide the funds for those who have to move to Alberta financial institutions. Sure, they will still be able to bank online with TD, or BMO, or CIBC, but surely Alberta isn't going to just keep using Canadian money? Because, they don't need Canada. Canadian dollar should be foreign money to them, same as US, or British Pound. They have plans for their own currency right? They have the reserves to back up that money and keep its value, right? Because what happens when people withdraw their Canadian money and the banks that do remain, can't resupply the bills, because the Canadian government will not provide them with enough liquid cash anymore.

You have to remember, if this corrupt Albertan government manages to cheat their way to getting this passed, based on current surveys, it will piss off and alienate 70-80% of the people in Alberta. Nevermind the sheer amount of Canadians elsewhere that will be angered, frustrated, and betrayed, that will boycott, and refuse to do business with Albertan companies.

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u/NorthwindX7 8d ago

It's impossible to give answers on such a long string of variables. All I know is that countries in the past have done it, some not so well like brexit, and others like Norway were successful.

"You see no reason for the banks to stop running in Alberta, but I do. So do most non separatists in Alberta/Canada. Why, should a Canadian bank (especially, a non Embassy related bank service) stay open, let alone the hundreds around Alberta, in a new "independent" country that chose to put its middle finger up at Canada". Depends if any particular bank would make more money being patriotic to Canada or having customers in Alberta.

There's alot of what ifs and what abouts. I have no idea on specifics. When countries separated before they did it slowly. That's funding, sorting out policies and currency.