Commentary
While Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tries to maintain a balancing act between sovereigntists in Alberta and federalists, Prime Minister Mark Carney is walking a tightrope between factions within his own party that is no less precarious. The risk in trying to placate disparate views for too long is having a faction break away in discontent. Carney can only maintain equilibrium for so long before he finds himself forced to stand solidly on one side of his party or the other.
Canada is entering a unity crisis unlike any seen since the 1995 referendum in Quebec. Support for provincial independence is at an all-time high in Alberta, and a referendum on unity has been scheduled for October. While the vote presented to Albertans will be non-binding, a vote rejecting federalism would rattle Canadian stability and set the path for a Clarity Act-compliant referendum on provincial separation. Support for independence in Alberta is still well shy of a majority, but things can change quickly, and the movement must be taken seriously….