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To the Editor:
I attended your meeting and found it very interesting to say the least. I am a separatist and will support your cause but, for different reasons. If there is any province that should leave Canada it is Newfoundland. There are so many issues I don't know where to start.
Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 by 1 percent over the United States. The ballot of this vote was sealed, and kept secret from the public for decades for reasons I don't understand.
In 1949 Newfoundland had 40 million dollars in the bank, a substantial amount at that time, but nothing compared to the wealth of natural resources signed over to Canada. Ottawa owns Newfoundland’s resources and has given her a very bad royalty regime unlike Alberta, which does well in retrospect.
Interesting statistics from the Gulf War indicate that 90 percent of Canada's armed forces come from 5 percent of the population, i.e Eastern Canada. We should tell Mr. Klein this!
Ottawa has very efficiently created a cheap labor force for the rest of Canada by turning Newfoundland into a welfare state but Mr. Klein would rather think Alberta's jails are just full of "Eastern bums." I wonder what the real numbers are.
Ottawa has destroyed the fishing stocks on the Grand Banks; they give fishing quotas to the European community so they can catch baby fish, so that Canada keeps good trade relations, at the expense of our own people.
The province of Quebec makes $1-billion per year from the Upper Churchill hydro project which is a well known rip-off for Newfoundland. The Lower Churchill is soon to cost 12 billion to build. I wonder how Ottawa will reap all the revenues from that!
The iron ore that runs the steel mills in Central Canada comes from Labrador City. The largest nickel deposit in the world was just found in Labrador but for some reason the ore will be going to Sudbury. Why can't they build these industries in Newfoundland? Simply because Newfoundland would not stay a welfare state then. Places like Ontario and Alberta would not have a cheap labor force, maybe the indigenous population would have to work or maybe Mr. Klein would soon realize that Mexicans don't like -40 too well.
Newfoundland, with a population of 500,000, should be very rich, but it has been the same problem since day one -- lack of capital investment, mass exodus and crooked politicians which end up creating a cheap labor force for the rest of Canada. That is real smart Canada, real, real smart!
I hope Quebec or Alberta do separate and force the country to split apart. It has already been considered. Newfoundland would have 5 hard years and then should be self-sufficient with the amount of resources that are there.
I think it is all very interesting and I will support your cause even though I am moving to the state of Washington in a couple of years. The boom in Alberta will not last for too long, and I don't think I want to be here after it ends. Take care. I hope to hear a positive response in the near future. I will be joining the Western Canada Concept soon.
Norman Dalley
Western separatism has been a constant thread running through the Western Canadian, and especially Alberta, media these days. Some examples:
A poll that was conducted by CTV on February 27, 2003 resulted in the following answers to the question of
"Is separation from Canada a viable option for Alberta?"
Yes: 1334 votes at 60%
No: 884 votes at 40%
We used to be happy when the yes side of that question garnered 25% or maybe 35%, but never has there been such a response as over 50%.
Ed Note: If this article doesn’t make you want to come to Red Deer to present Premier Klein with the justification for his "separatism" remarks, what will?
By Charles Gordon, Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Western separatism -- gosh, how long has it been? So long that we'd forgotten how much fun it always is.
We in the dreaded Eastern Media have a great time yacking about how mad the West is at the East and how the East takes the West for granted. And it's all true and good to remember. After the discussion we go back to being a country, better for the exercise, not more united, but better informed.
The new one starts with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein in his government's throne speech last week. He said: "Alberta's ability to be a partner in Canada is compromised by the current federal government, which does not listen to the people of this province."
After the speech, Klein elaborated. Alberta, he said, can't be part of the Canadian family "if big brother down there in Ottawa doesn't want you to be part of the family."
That got the separation talk going, which caused Klein to undertake a further explanation the next day.
"I wasn't talking about separation at all," he said. "I want to quell that. I don't like that kind of talk. But the federal government needs to be aware there is that kind of talk out there."
This was all good for some headlines -- although not a lot of them, considering that there was also a federal budget going on, not to mention a pretty good threat of war.
The good thing about the western separatism discussion is that it is an argument without a real threat. Nobody of any consequence in the West means it. They just talk, as Klein did, about how other peple mean it. There's a few serious soreheads and they form a movement -- the Western Canada Concept, the Confederation of Regions; what were some of the others? Then the dreaded Eastern Media (that's us) get wind of it and send scouts out to have a look or, if we're in a hurry, make a phone call. Then we report breathlessly about this real threat which isn't really a real threat, just someone like Ralph Klein talking about what other people are talking about, and the country has a nice little fright, like going to a scary movie.
Then we get on with our business, some of which consists of worrying about Quebec separatism.
That's less fun because more Quebecers really mean it and every few years put together a referendum to frighten the heck out of the rest us.
Then they go back to quietly enjoying being Canadians for a few years, mostly neglecting to mark their enjoyment by choosing a federalist party to govern them.
You can see how this must annoy the western separatists, all two dozen of them. Their complaints are just as serious as Quebec's, but nobody takes them seriously for longer than a couple of editions.
That's partly because westerners have been too well-behaved. When they become angry, they find a political outlet for the anger within the traditional culture -- such as the Diefenbaker Conservatives in the late '50s and early '60s, Reform in the '90s, and the CCF and NDP intermittently.
The West has been too creative politically within the existing system to be taken seriously as a separatist force. And Ralph Klein is too clever to be taken seriously as a separatist.
Sometimes it's hard for central Canadians, never the most sensitive of creatures, to know what all the fuss is about. This was especially true in the '90s when the West turned against the Mulroney Conservatives with a vengeance, claiming neglect when in fact the Governor General was a westerner, so were the major members of the cabinet and the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
There were dark mutterings about the lack of an elected Senate, but everybody down here assumed that nobody could be serious enough about that to really care. Could anybody actually have real feelings about the Senate?
For the West, the unfortunate thing is that the separatists, such as they are, get the big headlines every few years and when they recede, as they always do, the issues recede too. Since many of the issues, forgetting the Senate for a minute, are real, it's not good for them to recede. They recede and are forgotten by those in power in the East who could do something about them. Then the forces of alienation begin rumbling again.
When we finally get a glimpse of them down here, it is as separatism, which we laugh off. That's why it will never go away, even though it will never go anywhere. Thanks anyway, Ralph.
[end of article]
Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour and moral courage it contained. That so few dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.
John Stuart Mill
He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
Thomas Paine
He is the best sailor who can steer within the fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obstacles
Henry David Thoreau . American essayist, poet and philosopher, 1817-1862
It's amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites.
Thomas Sowell
We should...be able to see that our interest would be best served not by asking the state to promulgate our values but by forbidding the state to promulgate any values at all. If the state can espouse some value that we love, it can, with equal justice, espouse others we do not love.
Richard Mitchell
If you think we are free today, you know nothing about tyranny and even less about freedom.
Tom Braun Source: Radio Show, Spirit of '76 -- Voice of Warning
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1749-1832)
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
William Pitt, (1759-1806), Source: Speech, House of Commons, 18 November 1783
by Douglas Christie
The time has come for Western Separatism and the place to really make a start is in Alberta.
On March 29th at 3 p.m. the Provincial Tory party is debating Alberta’s place in confederation. Naturally, like in every major political gathering, the Ottawa mafia has its covert and overt representatives. The overt ones are directly on the government payroll and clearly will be federalists. But the more covert ones are those who are really playing two sides of the street. They will be "staunch P.C. supporters" who are able to pretend they have Alberta’s interests at heart. In this category you will find all those people who will settle for anything less than Independence, for example, the leader of the Alliance party, Stephen Harper, and the Alliance executive (though not necessarily its members), the Alberta Resident’s League, the various re-confederation advocates who regurgitate the Elmer Knudsen/Walter Kuhl rhetoric of the 60s and 70s.
With such halfway houses, Albertans hardly need federalists to keep them in line. Some of this latter group (which is far larger than the first) are actually well-intentioned. The more astute among them however really just use separatism and the threat of it to posture and exploit people’s frustration without ever really meaning to do anything about it. They use people’s emotions as stepping stones to what they think is power, but is actually only a position in the Ottawa mafia hierarchy. This category has included many notables from the past who are now taking their federal pensions and retiring, such as former Reform party Members of Parliament. The Reform/Compliance party has become irrelevant and will soon go the way of the Progressive movement. They all seem to negotiate with a rubber knife to the throat of Ottawa. Meanwhile, time passes.
Which brings me to the real present and exciting possibility we are able to achieve our goal.
Today, February the 27th 2003, we can announce the receipt of 810 signatures on our petition. We also announce our plans for the events of March 29th, 2003. That is when the Progressive Conservative party's annual convention will be held in Red Deer, Alberta. We will be having a meeting in the North Hill Inn, which is located on Gaetz Avenue, Red Deer. We will be commencing our meeting at 10 am on March 29th in preparation for a march from the curling club, up the hill to the Capri Convention Center. We will have a live pipe band, which will play us along the sidewalk. We will all be carrying placards and banners as well as Alberta provincial flags. We hope to have approximately 250 people. We hope that you will come, help us to prepare this event, make it a real pageant.
Our goal is to rally a people's movement to the cause of Independence for Western Canada. We hope to have some celebrities on our side. We want to invite everyone to buy themselves an Alberta flag and bring it with them to this great occasion. You'll need to have a flagpole to which to attach your flag. We will spend some time prior to lunch discussing our plans for the day and preparing our placards. We will then have lunch and prepare for our march. Sometime around 2:30 p.m. we'll set out for our staging position to begin our march. We would like to have everyone in attendance familiar with our peaceful and respectful approach to the convention. We hope that everyone will realize that we must be on our best behavior and show both courtesy and respect to all those in attendance .Our goal is to respectfully ask the premier of Alberta and the party that at the present time forms the government, to respect our wishes and give all the people of Alberta a choice. We therefore must realize that we do not go there with any partisan intention, but as honest citizens, seeking the right of a referendum.
I have been talking to many of the organizers who have sent out books of petitions to their friends. I urge everyone to make sure the books are completely filled out and there are no empty spaces on any page. I further urge everyone to make sure that the books are sent in as quickly as possible. We must obtain 10,000 signatures in order to make our petition credible and acceptable to the Premier or someone in the provincial Progressive Conservative party. Obviously this target is difficult to meet. We must however realize that having declared our intention it can only be humiliating to fail to achieve it. I'm asking each and every person who has a petition to get 10 names upon it and immediately send it in. We will be posting periodically the number of petitions and signatures that we have received.
Our plan in regard to each of these petitions is to send to every person who signs it, a letter. This letter will enclose another petition. It will also enclose a membership application form. It will also enclose a request to each signatory to donate some money to help the petition and our cause grow. What each person who signs that petition must realize is that they have "pledged their sacred honor." These are the exact words that are inscribed on the petition itself.
This means that they have made a commitment to do something about it. This does not mean risking their lives, property, or security. This does not mean breaking the law. This means making every effort, spending some money, spending some time, to achieve the most important goal that any of us could ever desire. That goal is the formation of a new nation. We will therefore ask every signatory to do something to make the petition a success. They must carry it to their neighbors. They must get more signatures every day. They must arouse themselves from their apathy and overcome their fear. They must take the message to everyone in the province. This is how people power works. By this means we will create a network of all the signatories. That is why it is so important for us to get the petitions as quickly as possible. If you want our cause to succeed, send those present petitions in quickly! We know there are a great many more out there that are either half finished or all finished but they have not been sent to us. Therefore I ask each of you to do your part.
We are in communication with some people within the Progressive Conservative party who look forward to receiving our petitions as support for their desire, which is the same as ours, to have a referendum in the province on the option of independence. We must realize that all people of goodwill are basically our friends on this issue. Therefore we must trust them to do the right thing, as we ourselves must do the right thing and create a future for our descendants in this great land. We will keep you informed with updated messages and on this web site when new petitions are added to our numbers. The sooner you send them in the sooner they can be recorded. Your efforts will help to encourage others. We will also tell you of any new developments as we learn of them in preparation for this great day.
Yours for independence,
Douglas Christie
What about my pension?
I have just returned from 10 days touring Alberta. The enormous enthusiasm of the people of Alberta has been a pleasant change from the smug confusion of British Columbia. Albertans are awakening everywhere to the possibilities of their independence. Our petition for a referendum is growing by leaps and bounds.
Everywhere I have heard the average person assigning without a doubt. There exists throughout Alberta more intellectual in political vitality than anywhere else in the country. Apparently someone has been asking , "what about my pension"? This standard question is entirely an indication of the ignorance of the average voter in western Canada. At the present time the people of Alberta and British Columbia pay their own tensions with the taxes are paid in the province. They also pay the pensions of many citizens and other provinces as well.
You see in every year Alberta gives to the federal treasury $9 billion more than is returned to the people of Alberta for everything that those people consume including their pensions. This means that if Alberta was independent and suffered even with the current rate of taxation, their pensions would be maintained and the province would save $9 billion a year. That would mean that the province of Alberta could even pay higher pensions without an increasing taxation. All the pensions of the people of Alberta could be practically doubled without a tax increase if that $9 billion state in the province of Alberta and didn't go to Ottawa where it does now and never returns.
To put another way she just Alberta was independent you could have the same level of tensions at the same time is reduced the tax burden on Albertans by $9 billion per year. Can you imagine the benefit to the economy of Alberta is $9 billion a year was reduced from the tax burden of the taxpayer of Alberta and yet all the pensions of Albertans remained the same. This would mean and enormous increase in the purchasing power of the average Albertans without any increasing taxes. This great possibility will never be achieved if Alberta remains in confederation. The choice of independence is in the interests of every pensioner and every Alberta taxpayer.
Western Canada Concept -- Advocating Western Canadian Independence since 1974