One of Alberta's brightest lights, Danielle Smith, has written a thought-provoking column on all the talk coming out of Central Canada about raiding Alberta's cash-infused treasury.
Making such bold statements as "Egalitarianism is killing the nation" and that "Alberta, in the sunrise of its next century, cannot sit back and wait to be victimized," Smith's piece is a good synopsis of a growing sentiment among rank-and-file Albertans. In short, they aren't going to take it anymore. Those who've been reluctant to pay attention to this issue should take heed of her thoughts, especially the article's last paragraph:
The first choice of most Albertans, including me, is to reform the federation and keep the country strong and united. However, Albertans are tired of this province being the national whipping boy, held in contempt by Ottawa mandarins, denied its proper share of political power and dismissed as greedy by those who envy its prosperity. Forty years of federal abuse is enough -- it's time for Alberta to play hardball.
We are going to be hearing a lot more out of Alberta in the coming months, especially if Ottawa tries in any way to steal its money. And if Alberta's very legitimate gripes (which go far beyond Canada's broken equalization regime) are not properly addressed soon, things could get ugly.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:49 PM
