I don’t know how stupid you are. I can only base things on what you post and the conclusions you reach.
Jeffrey Rath was part of delegations to the US to determine if they would support Alberta’s independence. Part of those discussions are to see what the options for that are, which would include exploring the possibility of US statehood, US trade, and the US declaring us an independent nation once we’ve gone through the process of leaving. If you can’t understand that the headlines declaring his sole purpose was to explore statehood isn’t a means of gaining audience, then I think we might have an answer to your question.
“It’s a “fact-finding mission,” Rath explained, to “determine what the appetite is in Washington, in the Trump administration, to support either Alberta independence or Alberta statehood.” - Western Standard Even they used the headline, “Alberta lawyer leading delegation to Washington in hopes of joining US”, when that wasn’t the intent.
Again, why is this wrong even if you are 100% correct? He has as much right to put forward that position as anyone has for independence. But the referendum question is for independence, not joining the US. Why are you looking to change what is being asked? I personally don’t think there is much difference between Americans and Canadians (Or I should say at least Albertans), so I don’t fear them like the ‘Elbows Up’ crowd seems to. So for me statehood in the US or a province of Alberta isn’t much difference and would come with greater benefits. Being independent entirely would provide even greater benefits.
You are aware of what just happened in Venezuela a few days ago, no? And you should also be aware that Trump explicitly said several times that the goal was oil. You should also be aware that there is a list of countries that are next, as confirmed publicly by several Trump cronies. One of those countries that is next is on the other side of Canada. How difficult would it be to drop some troops off in Ottawa on the way to Greenland?
Can you name some? Other than the privilege of now being able to be shot by some angry rando carrying the gun you named yourself after? Or how about the privilege of everything you’ve ever worked for in your life being hauled off by the sheriff because of medical debt?
Wow, so we should stop trying to get away from the restrictions of Ottawa because of something that could happen…. Well could happen at anytime regardless of what anyone does.
So please do me a favor and actually link how Rath’s exploration of all options, including the appetite for Alberta as a US state, means anything when the question is to leave Canada? Let’s pretend that what you say is true, what the fuck does it matter? You’re the one worried about it. Explain.
No, wow, we should not use the term “fearmongering” when it’s blatantly clear that shit has been hitting the fan for months now, and many, many, MANY people are pointing out that the relationship between the US and civilized nations has fundamentally changed, and also the US has just committed an act of war against a S. American country, and also that Stephen Miller, The Mouth Of Trump, has just said that Might Make Right and since the US is tough, they can Do Whatever The Fuck They Want.
But keep hiding your head in the sand, and pretending that the rest of the world does not exist, and the hypothetical Libertarian Country of Alberta can succeed.
Fearmongering? No. It’s just simply looking at reality.
Yes, to be rid of Canada. But maybe after the first referendum getting us out of Canada we’ll have another to join the US. Don’t know why, but maybe it could happen. So the fuck what? Why would you care if most Albertans vote to do this? Or even if that is their motivation today?
Well, some of us want the correct information to be put out, to show what the motivations are behind these Alberta “separatists”. ie to help Trump get Alberta for it’s oil.
Making progress - we’ve moved on from “None of the proponents are seriously interested in joining the US” to “So the fuck what?”
Why are you telling us what we already know? What I hear these yokels saying all the time is that secession necessarily comes first, and independence is a necessary prerequisite to joining the US. Hence all the American flags at these rallies. I already explained all this but you chose to ignore it because I also explained the disastrous consequences of joining the US and losing the many benefits of being in Canada, too many of which we just take for granted. Lucky for you this whole debacle is just a delusional fantasy.
I work in oil, with a number of separatists. When I ask them what’s keeping them from leaving my country now I just get dirty looks so I thought I’d spread a wider net.
Hey, I understand. These separatists really do hate Canada. Its not hyperbolic to say that they want it destroyed and absorbed by the US. They want all this MAGA insanity to be replicated here.
There is a reason why the separatist movement doesn’t span right and left (unlike in Quebec). Its wholly a right-wing extremist grievance movement. Its fed by the lack of federal success of the CPC and rallys under the most extremist right-wing of causes (like little to no tax on highest earners, or whatever crazy culture war issue can be hashed up).
No, we don’t hate Canada, we hate what people like you have done to it. We don’t care what you do after we leave. Hopefully, you’re path down the road to a socialist hell hole is averted. We just don’t want to follow you down it.
MAGA = fearmongering.
Yes, because Alberta leans more right than most other provinces. We’re tired of hearing how we’re MAGA because of that.
Why do you hate people who are successful? We want successful people in Alberta. We used to have an immigration system that favoured those types of people because that usually over-rides the other aspects of their former cultures. So, you do what is necessary to encourage them to come and to stay, invest, build companies, employ people, and enjoy themselves.
What are they? You’ve not outlined anything that Alberta couldn’t have in spades. All you’ve done is confirm your hatred of the US and it citizens with the inherent superiority that Canadians feel. Nothing about reality.
Says the same guy who thinks removing Maduro, a narco terrorist that ignored two previous elections to maintain power, denying his people basic rights is equivalent to Canada. Maybe it is. Trudeau denied rights to Canadians (not his citizens as I get the impression that you lefties think of yourselves as the only true citizens) and now the government wants to limit free speech rights even more. The correct information is that Trump is not going to invade Canada to remove Carney or ‘free’ Alberta. This is classic fearmongering.
Let me rephrase that last sentence of yours, though. “To help Alberta get its oil to Trump”. By Trump, I mean the US. And by US, I mean the world. Something that our Federal government has no desire to help us with. You want to stop the independence movement in its tracks? Fix that. People will still bitch that its a penny late and a dollar short, but that’s all it will be.
MAGA is insanity, wild hatred, extremism, fascism, and never ending lies. That is what these separatists love, embrace, and want to destroy Canada for. Health care destroyed by wacky conspiracits. Presidential armed gangs roaming cities to keep citizens oppressed. Lies upon lies upon lies with total fealty to the capricious rule of a mentally ailing reality star.
It doesn’t matter that Albertans see this and reject this (and do not fool yourself; Albertans WILL reject this). For now Albertans have right-wing extremist enablers in power. Its sad, but here in Ontario we have a nakedly corrupt Premier, in Quebec they have a falling populist/demagogue trying to rekindle his popularity scapegoating Quebeckers who are not old stock.
Unending right-wing brinkmanship in provincial politics. Its tearing the country apart for selfish gains. But yes, keep expecting Canada’s socialist revolution.
I direct you to my previous post:
Taxing the highest earners is the duty of all stable and responsible governments. Especially if these earners are involved in natural resource extraction. This is why tax rate increases as earners increase. You will not find a tax free state. Hating Canada for our generous and fair tax system is to hate blindly.
It is to hate reinvestment into our countries youth, poor, elderly, families, or anyone else who receives important social, health, educational, infrastructural services and its associated societal, individual, and economical benefits.
In my limited experience it’s all about the money. My learned colleague has said a lot of dumb right wing things - he’s something of a Fox News cloaca - but wanting to destroy Canada isn’t one of them.
The mere fact that you apparently sincerely believe Canada is on a road to being a socialist hell hole indicates a tremendous lack of perspective on your part. Wealth and income disparity are on the rise in Canada, and have been for decades. That is not an indication of moving towards socialism.
Our present PM would have been in Mulroney’s cabinet, not Trudeau Sr.’s, and yet you somehow think a banker is a socialist. It’s really all quite ridiculous.
But I’m supposed to take the MAGA slur, right? I’m supposed to take the misrepresentations? I say something, fine disagree. Maybe PROVE the point with something other than your fears and feelings. People’s fears are that Alberta leaves and then they don’t have the piggy bank to pay for their vote garnering in the rest of Canada. Is that true? Is it true that Alberta feels they pay more and are listened to less? Rather than discount it as whining, do something about it. It’ll stop all talk and actions around independence in its track. Calling people who disagree with you MAGA isn’t gaining their agreement.
Lack of perspective? Point proven.
Paying half of all you earn is fair? Our claim is that Alberta can provide the services for far less than your ‘fair’ system. Is it unfair that people will have to pay less taxes for the same services?
Or, are the taxes you claim are fair just a way to keep them dependent on the government?
When have I ever called you MAGA? I do have a very low opinion of some of your policy positions, but I don’t believe I’ve ever even suggested that you have Trumpian tendencies.
I’ve also spent a lot more time than you’ve deserved trying to give you the opportunity to make your positions add up. I even watched that wretched video and summarized it for the sake of discussion.
And yes, if you think Canada is on the road to being a socialist hellhole, you’re clearly lacking perspective. Canada has moved away from socialism since the 80s, not towards it.