Klein warns Ottawa of separation threat

[Asher]

Originally posted by obiwan18
Secondly, I don't support BC seperation. I think Canada just has to give more political clout to the West so that we stay.

Well, that's the problem. They haven't been doing that.

Hell, they're refusing to redraw federal election lines in Alberta. We've been having a huge boom in population, but we don't get any more say.

Ridings are supposed to have 70,000 people, several in Calgary have 120,000 and rising and the Liberals still don't want to redraw them.

Then we elect a senator, Chretien goes and appoints a Liberal cronie to represent Alberta instead of who we elected.

[Az]

The day the ME joins together as a single country, we'll talk about it...

aren't you supposed to join france, or something, Frogger? I remember that this was pondered once by quebec?

[DanS]

What is the current support for separation in Alberta and BC? Any polls taken?

[Ben Kenobi]

Same with BC, especially ridings in the Lower Mainland. One of the ridings in Surrey has the most people of any Federal Riding in Canada.

Overall, BC is not too bad because the North keeps their boundaries as the population shrinks. It just means the people in the Lower Mainland have less say in the government.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DanS
What is the current support for separation in Alberta and BC? Any polls taken?

I think in Alberta it's something like 10% right now.

The same poll revealed that ~50% of Albertans would favour separation if there's not "significant reforms" by 2010 though.

[DanS]

And what's the current numbers for Quebec?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by DanS
What is the current support for separation in Alberta and BC? Any polls taken?

Marginal. 10% range...

[Asher]

There aren't separation numbers, but alienation:

According to a January, 2001, poll, Alberta has surpassed Quebec as the hotbed ofalienation -- 47% to 30%

Albertans already contribute more than any other Canadians to the cost of
maintaining a unified nation -- $2,600 per capita annually for transfers and
equalization versus $1,800 per second-place Ontarian -- but receive
measurably less influence over federal policy. Indeed, federal policies on
not only the environment, but also on social programs, language,
immigration, criminal justice, firearms and a host of other issues, are not
just opposed by most Albertans, but are offensive to them.

[Ben Kenobi]

It's too bad we couldn't convince more of those Ontarians to vote Alliance, because this would actually implement some of the reforms necessary to keep BC and Alberta in confederation.

[chequita guevara]

We don't want you. It's easier to exploit you if you aren't a part of the US. Go ahead, secede. We'll chew you up and spit out the peices, but we won't take you over. B.C. is the only part of Canada the US government considers worth picking up in the yard sale.

[KrazyHorse]

Too bad the Albertans left the PC in a huff and pushed a far right-wing Western agenda that nobody else in the country is willing to vote for.

It's like separatists complaining that nobody in the rest of Canada votes BQ

So, how does this splice with the CA's latest poll numbers? running 4th place, aren't they?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
B.C. is the only part of Canada the US government considers worth picking up in the yard sale.

Alberta has oil. They might be worth something to us at the yard sale.

[Asher]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
We don't want you. It's easier to exploit you if you aren't a part of the US. Go ahead, secede. We'll chew you up and spit out the peices, but we won't take you over. B.C. is the only part of Canada the US government considers worth picking up in the yard sale.

Why would the US government *NOT* want the oil of Alberta, and why would they want BC?

[Shi Huangdi]

B.C. would not be a good fit for the US because they are way too far removed from the US politically, they had a NDP government. Alberta would probably have political views closer to that of the US mainstream.

[Asher]

It doesn't make much sense that the US would want a province that's elected socialist governments and historically fiscally irresponsible, compared to a right-wing province with billions of barrels of oil and HUGE US investment numbers...