The Free Alberta Strategy Petition


Showing 10336 comments

  • Rukenn Patel
    signed 2025-11-04 17:19:11 -0700
  • Krystalyn D’Haene
    signed 2025-11-01 13:01:28 -0600
  • Maciej Urbanski
    signed 2025-10-28 21:23:19 -0600
  • Barbara Nichols
    signed 2025-10-28 09:04:09 -0600
    These are well thought out and composite plans that would benefit all Albertans and, more importantly provide the template and structure for every province to reposition itself for self-governance.
  • Ahmed EL Abasiry
    signed 2025-10-28 08:48:17 -0600
  • Greg Book
    signed 2025-10-16 19:56:44 -0600
  • Micheal Fuller
    signed 2025-10-10 21:31:37 -0600
  • Diamond Starr
    signed 2025-09-25 05:25:46 -0600
  • Ryan Perin
    signed 2025-09-21 13:31:23 -0600
  • Joseph Bayda
    signed 2025-09-20 00:36:16 -0600
  • Jennifer Reschke
    signed 2025-09-10 09:29:38 -0600
  • Nathaneal Orleski
    signed 2025-09-09 14:47:30 -0600
  • Devin Swanson
    signed 2025-09-09 11:43:58 -0600
  • Henry St. Jean
    signed 2025-09-09 08:54:30 -0600
  • Gordon Zaretzki
    signed 2025-09-06 15:35:16 -0600
    Stop the Echo: Why Alberta Must Chart Its Own Course


    The following is actually the very least of what very much MUST be said about this because people are being mass brainwashed, essentially, because most follow the mainstream media, corporations and universities with their ‘woke’ to sleep twisted ‘ideological’ spells that control our society’s (now) collective ‘Borg’ like mind…


    “Stop the Echo: Why Alberta Must Chart Its Own Course”


    Friends,


    Tonight I want to talk about two things that are hard to ignore and even harder to unhear.


    First, a media echo chamber in this country that repeats Ottawa’s talking points until they sound like truth. Second, Alberta’s simple, stubborn reality: we carry more than our share, we’re lectured for it, and we’re blocked when we try to build.


    Let’s call it what it is: a system that rewards agreement and punishes dissent. You can call it “the mainstream media,” you can call it “the Ottawa line,” but the effect is the same—an echo that drowns out Alberta’s voice.


    1) Follow the incentives: why so many outlets sound the same


    If you want to understand editorial courage, follow the money.


    Ottawa funds a national broadcaster that receives about $1.309 billion in parliamentary appropriations in 2024–25—that’s just the annual operating transfer, before ad revenue and other income.


    Since 2018, the federal government has layered on tax-credit regimes for news payrolls and digital subscriptions—a package publicly costed at $595 million over five years when introduced. Those programs are now embedded in the tax code (e.g., the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit and “Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization” designations).


    Under the Online News Act, the government negotiated a $100 million annual industry-wide deal with Google; CBC/Radio-Canada itself expects roughly $7 million a year from it. That’s the regulator-managed platform money now flowing to newsrooms.


    Reasonable people can debate whether these measures were meant to “save journalism.” But we should also be honest about incentives: when Ottawa becomes a major revenue stream, fewer outlets are willing to bite the hand that feeds them. That doesn’t mean every story is false; it means the range of what gets questioned narrows. And when dissent does break through—especially from Alberta—it’s often framed as fringe or “misinformation,” rather than engaged on the merits.


    2) Alberta’s ledger: the math that never makes the headline


    Now, to the quiet numbers that rarely lead a national newscast.


    Independent researchers have tallied Alberta’s net contribution to federal finances—that’s federal taxes paid here minus federal spending that comes back here. Over 2007–2022, Albertans paid $244.6 billion more than we received. That is by far the largest net contribution of any province.


    Here’s the punchline the echo chamber skips: while Alberta is not an equalization recipient, our outsized net contributions help make equalization, EI, CPP, and other programs sustainable nationally. We’re told to be “more grateful,” when the country’s fiscal plumbing quietly runs on Alberta’s engine.


    3) Ottawa’s policy hostility: rulings and results


    When Albertans say Ottawa keeps overstepping, it isn’t a vibe—it’s been tested in court.


    In October 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada held the federal Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional in part for intruding on provincial jurisdiction. Translation: Ottawa reached too far into areas the Constitution assigns to provinces—including Alberta’s resource projects.


    And when Ottawa does green-light a project, it often does so after costs explode. Trans Mountain finally entered service on May 1, 2024—years late and costing roughly $34–53 billion, depending on the estimate used—leaving taxpayers with a Crown-owned pipeline and toll disputes still dragging on. This is not what competent nation-building looks like.


    4) “Is independence even legal?” Yes—if it’s done the right way.


    Opponents say, “You can’t do that.” Canada’s highest court says otherwise.


    In Reference re Secession of Quebec (1998), the Supreme Court said a province cannot secede unilaterally, but a clear referendum majority on a clear question creates a constitutional duty for all parties to negotiate. Parliament later passed the Clarity Act (2000) to codify that process. That’s the lawful path: clarity, a democratic mandate, and negotiations over the terms.


    That framework also recognizes complex issues—borders, debt, federal assets, Indigenous treaty rights and consent, and ongoing economic relations—that must be negotiated in good faith. But the key fact stands: a clear Alberta mandate compels talks. That’s not radicalism; that’s the rule of law.


    5) “Is it financially possible?”—what the APP plan argues, and what to scrutinize


    The Alberta Prosperity Project’s The Value of Freedom: A Draft Fully Costed Fiscal Plan for an Independent Alberta lays out a big-picture case that an independent Alberta could (a) retain far more of its tax base, (b) redesign programs to Alberta’s needs, and © leverage our energy, agriculture, and innovation advantages. The plan is listed among APP’s key resources and has been summarized in allied commentary. Treat it as a starting blueprint, not revealed scripture—then pressure-test each assumption.


    There are two especially hot files where the math matters:


    Pensions: Alberta’s 2023 analysis posited a very large asset transfer if we set up an Alberta Pension Plan. Critics—including pension experts—say that estimate relies on a favorable interpretation of the CPP Act and overstates Alberta’s entitlement. Bottom line: an APP may lower contribution rates if the asset share and demographics pencil out—but the transfer amount would be decided in negotiation (and likely litigation), not by Alberta alone. Don’t overpromise; insist on open actuarial hearings.


    Trade & pipelines: Independence does not erase geography. Our prosperity still depends on moving molecules to market. That means sequencing any constitutional process with concrete export capacity, investor-credible fiscal rules, and continuity of market access under successor trade arrangements. (Note: even inside Confederation we’ve paid dearly for delays—see Trans Mountain.)


    6) A practical roadmap Alberta can own


    Here’s a responsible, lawful sequence that respects the Court, respects Albertans, and keeps our economic footing:


    1. Legislate the question: Pass a provincial “clarity act” that defines a clear referendum question and what constitutes a clear majority (for example, a simple majority province-wide plus a regional floor), aligned to the 1998 Supreme Court reference.


    2. Publish the numbers: Release an Alberta “Green Paper” that itemizes:


    Net fiscal transfers (historical and projected).


    Transition options for taxation, currency, debt share, and federal assets in Alberta.


    Side-by-side pension scenarios (remain in CPP vs APP) using independent actuaries, with transparent sensitivity tests.


    3. Two-track diplomacy: While preparing the referendum, start technical talks with Ottawa on continuity arrangements (trade, immigration, benefits payment systems) that would be needed in any case to reduce risk and uncertainty. This is consistent with the duty to negotiate if a clear mandate emerges.


    4. The vote: Hold the referendum under Alberta’s election law with robust scrutineering and third-party audit. If a clear majority says yes, Alberta seeks negotiations under the Clarity Act framework.


    5. Negotiations & ratification: Negotiate the package—borders, debt, assets, Indigenous treaties and consent, pensions, and transitional compacts—then return it to Albertans for a final ratification vote.


    This is how grown-up countries do hard things: with law, with math, and with consent.


    7) The media test: from parrots to watchdogs


    And what do we ask of the press during this process? Simple:


    Disclose who pays you—appropriations, tax credits, big-tech deals—on every federal-policy story.


    Debate the numbers, not the people.


    Interview Alberta economists as often as Ottawa pundits.


    Correct quickly when facts change.


    If the national press meets that standard, great. If not, Albertans will keep building our own media and our own megaphones. We won’t wait for permission to tell the truth as we live it.


    Closing


    Alberta has been generous to Canada. We’re proud of that. But generosity does not mean servitude, and unity is not the same as uniformity. If Ottawa continues to treat our prosperity as a problem to be managed, and our voice as noise to be filtered, then the constitutional path to sovereignty—clear, lawful, democratic—remains open to us.


    We don’t fear the truth. We welcome it. And we’re ready to vote for it.


    Thank you for your support in this mission as well.
  • Greg Hogarth
    signed 2025-08-15 09:59:07 -0600
  • Rebecca Andersen
    signed 2025-08-14 12:36:03 -0600
  • Kari Egan
    signed 2025-08-14 10:31:17 -0600
  • vera watling
    signed 2025-08-07 22:28:26 -0600
  • Karen Comeau
    signed 2025-08-07 09:37:29 -0600
  • Shannon Hopf
    signed 2025-08-02 17:52:46 -0600
  • Lierin Shura
    signed 2025-08-01 09:06:12 -0600
  • Jessie Kratky
    signed via 2025-07-23 06:21:37 -0600
  • Trisha Latham-Trithart
    signed 2025-07-23 06:07:02 -0600
  • Damian Boucher
    signed 2025-07-21 11:27:12 -0600
  • Leanne Boucher
    signed 2025-07-21 11:24:52 -0600
  • Alexander Semak
    signed 2025-07-03 05:58:51 -0600
  • Rita Popovics
    signed 2025-07-02 22:13:22 -0600
  • Ivan Gramlich
    signed 2025-06-29 06:41:27 -0600
  • Paul Woodward
    signed 2025-06-28 11:00:40 -0600
    There is no choice if we want freedom and prosperity for ourselves and future generations. Watching our wealth and freedom disappear daily and the vote changing with mass immigration we have to act quickly. Get us out of this WEF, UN, WHO globalist driven communist mess before it’s too late !