I.
Dissatisfaction of Western Canada
1.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Premier Scott
Moe wrote an open letter to Ottawa demanding the cancellation of carbon tax,
the federal government’s commitment to negotiate a new equalization formula as
well as commitment to promote oil exports for SK and AB.
2.
Alberta
Though 70% of Albertans love
to be and are proud of being Canadians, 71% think Alberta is not treated with
the respect it is deserved, and more than 30% think they will be better off as
a country. Former northeastern British Columbia Conservative MP Jay Hill said the
present federal government was an illegitimate government elected by Ontario,
and Jason Kenny the premier would like to fight for fairness (see below the
tables of election results) in Canadian Constitution and make Alberta great
within Canada with a better deal and bigger changes[i].
On Facebook, the “Wexit Alberta” page reached 28,000 likes and “Vote Wexit”
page 250,000 likes by Friday.[ii].
Table 1:
Conservative Seats in Western Canada
|
|
Total MP Seats
|
Conservative Seats
|
|
AB
|
34
|
33
|
|
SK
|
14
|
14
|
|
MB
|
14
|
7
|
|
BC
|
42
|
17
|
|
Total
|
104
|
71
|
Table 2: Liberal
Seats in Eastern Canada
|
|
Total MP Seats
|
Lberal Seats
|
|
ON
|
121
|
77
|
|
(Toronto)
|
(50)
|
(45)
|
|
QB
|
78
|
40
|
|
Atlantic
|
32
|
26
|
II.
Reasons for Dissatisfaction
1.
Political
Inequality
The way the Confederation is
set up favors Eastern Canada with most seats of MP given to ON and QB. As shown
above, the total seats of Western Canada are still fewer than Ontario.
2.
Economic
Inequality
Every Alberta man, woman and
child contributed $5,147 to the rest of Canada. Ontarians each contributed
$1,179; British Columbians, $1,162; and the good folk from Saskatchewan each
gave $323, with Quebec the overall largest provincial recipient of
equalization. It is asserted that every year $20-25 billion more are pumped net
into other provinces in the form of health care transfers, social transfers,
and equalization transfers, with nearly 50% given to Quebec[iii].
3.
Other Issues
1)
Administrative
Monopoly
There are many areas that
government controls but tend to lose efficiency and charge a consistently and increasing
high price. These areas include but are not limited to: electricity, natural
gas, water and public transportation (such as aviation).
2)
Special Interest
Groups
(1)
Milk Capitalists
Milk capitalists have acquired consistently a high
price and a high profit by controlling the market and deterring the US milk
suppliers from entering the market. It is noticed that one major reason Maxime
Bernier lost his MP seat is due to that his platform has angered the milk
capitalists in addition to the fact that a marketing company was paid to
destroy the image of the People’s Party.
(2)
Labor Unions
Due to its legitimacy, political correctness and its
strong organization structure, this mass organization is said to have kidnapped
the society and the government, and high wages and high benefits have scared
away investors and caused the shortage of workers in buses and hospitals.
(3)
People on Welfare
Deliberately
While refugees can take high subsidies living in
hotels, while drug takers can get drugs free in stations built for them and
take cheques regularly, new immigrants and small business owners can hardly
make ends meet. CBSA said that since April 2017, only 398 of the 32,173 illegal
immigrants have been deported since April 2017[iv].
3)
Subpar
Productivity
It is note that the gap in productivity between an
average Canadian and an average American has jumped from 17% 20 years ago to
100% now. “The Canadian sector is struggling with subpar productivity, with
ramifications that promise slower growth and a declining standard of living for
Canadians in the absence of renewal.” What the country needs, is a focus on the
four Cs: capital availability, competition, connectivity and technological
complexity[v].
4)
Debt
In Canada's case, household
debt is around 170 per cent of disposable income. In other words, the average
Canadian owes about $1.70 for every dollar of income he or she earns per year,
after taxes[vi].
Government Debt in Canada increased to an all time high of 671.25 CAD Billion
in 2018 from 651.54 CAD Billion in 2017[vii].
III.
Possibility of Independence for Alberta
First, Alberta would need a political movement pushing
a political party, presumably the ruling party, to hold a referendum vote on
separation. But before that referendum was put to the people, the House of
Commons would have 30 days to determine whether the question on the referendum
ballot was “clear.” According to the Clarity Act of 2000, members of Parliament
would also consider “whether the question would result in a clear expression of
the will of the population” regarding separation.
Then the province could hold
the referendum.
Once the vote was in, the House of Commons would
look at the referendum results to determine whether there is “a clear majority
of the population of that province.” This would not only take into account the
vote for and against, but also the voter turnout.
After all that was completed, negotiations to amend
the Constitution allowing Alberta to separate would begin[viii].
According to Emmett
MacFarlane of Waterloo University, secession on economic grounds wouldn’t
likely get international acceptance.
IV.
How the Federal Government Could Treat the West
While it is difficult for
the west to be independent, the western provinces have the political force to
unite together, and if Aboriginal people can also be united, an economic
separation could be very likely.
As AB has oil projects
affecting everywhere in Canada to end the awkward price situation that we lose
on both ends of oil products, as AB is the largest contributor to the national economy,
Ottawa needs to listen to AB.
V.
Changes Needed
As international capital is deterring
Western Canada from setting up oil processing facilities, Western Canada needs
to get united. It needs to carry out free trade first with a free flow of
materials, labor, capital, entrepreneurship and technical know-how.
Secondly, all administrative
monopolies need to be removed so as to encourage competition, which may bring
forth both a reduction in cost and a comparative advantage for businesses with
expertise.
Thirdly, capital and
technology need to be introduced from other countries both to break the
economic deadlock and to raise the industry benchmark.
Fourthly, a fair and even
distribution is necessary so as to reward the diligent, the innovative, the
efficient and the effective. The interests of those special groups should be
restrained if they harm the whole society.
VI.
Conclusion
There are reasons why
Western Canada is dissatisfied, Ottawa needs to listen to their voice and find
ways to correct the problems.
[i] Carolyn
Kury De Castillo: New Alberta separation group meets in Calgary: “It’s time to
take control”, Global News, 10 Aug 2019.
[ii] Adam Toy: This
way to ‘Wexit’: Navigating Alberta’s theoretical secession, 25 Oct 2019, https://globalnews.ca/news/6084684/this-way-to-wexit-navigating-albertas-theoretical-secession/.
[iii] Licia Corbella:
Quebec gets $1.4B more of our money; in return, Alberta gets kicked. Calgary
Herald, 18 Dec 2018, please also take time to view the article by clicking the
link https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/corbella-quebec-gets-1-4b-more-of-our-money-in-return-alberta-gets-kicked;
Interview with Mount Royal University Professor David Taras, 10 January 2019.
[iv] The Dead Canadian Economic and Social System (in Chinese), Teacher
Zhang Living Overseas, 28 Oct 2019.
[vi] Stephen S.
Poloz: Canada’s Economy and Household Debt: How Big Is the Problem? Bank of
Canada, 1 May 2018, please also take time to view the article by clicking the
link https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2018/05/canada-economy-household-debt-how-big-the-problem/.
[viii] Adam Toy: This
way to ‘Wexit’: Navigating Alberta’s theoretical secession, 25 Oct 2019, https://globalnews.ca/news/6084684/this-way-to-wexit-navigating-albertas-theoretical-secession/.
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