According to Global News, Alberta is heading to the polls next Monday with 10 ballots for 10 different questions, mostly regarding normal political topics. However, with the last ballot, Albertans get their first chance today to say yay or nay to what has become a very contentious question.
Should the Government of Alberta “commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Reuters reports Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to hold the referendum after a small group of separatists campaigned against injustices done to the province’s energy wealth and economy. She said it was ““time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.”
Brian Rushfeldt, who resides in Alberta, is the former executive director of Canada Family Action.
“That has caused such a division, even of Albertans, quite divided. Although, I think the “stay in Canada” group is going to have a fairly large majority of staying, versus the ones that want to leave.”
The separation movement, he says, has been driven by the fact that Alberta has been robbed by the federal government on so many fronts.
“Billions of dollars taken out of here, nothing given back, and so there is a frustration around that. I do hope that it gets fixed. I don’t think separation is the right way to fix it. In fact, I don't think separation would allow it to be fixed properly,” Rushfeldt says. “What will solve our problem is if we can have a federal election and vote the Liberals out of power federally, because Carney and his gang of cabinet ministers are the most deceptive and dishonest people that I think Canada has ever had.”
Rushfeldt says early voting, which got underway last week, was higher than normal. According to CBC News, over 174,000 Albertans showed out on the first day of advanced polling, with voting turnout expecting to be at a recording breaking 85%.
