Preston Manning: Will Premier Smith Have the Last Word on the Best Path Forward for Alberta and Canada?
Commentary Alberta’s Premier Smith—leader of a government with annual revenues of $75+ billion, a majority in the provincial legislature, and leading her closest political opponent by 13–17 points according to a recent poll—on May 21 announced the addition of a tenth question to her proposed Oct. 19 referendum ballot. The question: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding referendum whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?” The announcement provoked a flurry of predictable reactions from predictable sources: the usual negatives from the NDP Opposition; fatuous fury from one spokesperson for the secession-championing Alberta Prosperity Project, but a more nuanced response from a wiser secession-advocate, lawyer Keith Wilson; dismay from Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk, while repeating his preference for a vote on the issue in the legislature; and declarations of renewed commitments to Canadian unity by former Premier Kenney, federal Opposition Leader Poilievre, and Prime Minister Carney, leader of the federal party most responsible for Western alienation....
