Asking all English Canadians

[Tingkai]

The separatists have been around for years and they always remain a fringe element on the looney right. As for the AA party ( you would think that people would remember CRAPP), its support probably has more to do with some conservatives who are fed up with Klein, but can't bring themselves to vote Liberal or NDP.

[notyoueither]

Go ahead and laugh, Tingkai. Seperatists have never polled 9% out here. If they gain seats they will be in as good a position as the Liberals or NDP to replace the PCs as the government come the change, and the change will come.

Nevermind that you should admit that there is a problem when one of the provinces polls 9% for seperatism.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by notyoueither
It's not just that, Wezil. The 7% gain for the seperatists is almost entirely due to the rhetoric of the last election. It has nothing to do with policy, it has eveything to do with the PM of Canada using this province as a whipping boy during a national campaign.

I realise the cause would not be centred on Alberta's financial position, just as it is not finances driving the cause in Quebec. It is the combination of attitude and policy from the feds that contributes to alienation. Take the 7% increase from rhetoric and add to it the increase from a new NEP and the increase might even get the attention of smug easterners.

When some moron on some message board beaks off about rednecks, people can and do laugh that off. When the Prime Minister gets in on the act people say, 'WTF?'

You are right. Martin as usual was wrong (from a national unity point of view), but it plays well politically in this province.

The truth is that every single drop of 'redneck' or 'bad Canadian' serves to break down the identification of people out here with the nation. Drop by drop the support for seperatism grows. In short, Albertans see more and more to repel them from Confederation.

As the CBC, Globe and Mail and Macleans continue to tell us, you have to be an eastern Liberal to be a good Canadian. Haven't you figured that out yet?

It's not the money, despite what you may hear. We don't begrudge PEI or Manitoba some of the wealth that petrodollars have brought us, within reason.

I'm a long time resident of Canada's only other consistant 'have' province and I don't have a problem with equalization either. It is what good neighbours do, but I do not want to feel taken advantage of.

It's the insult on top of the money that will lead this province to cause a crisis.

And again, I fear both are on the horizon.