If Alberta votes yes to independence from Canada, it could become the 51st State of the United States of America. But what exactly would that mean for the rest of the country? And why is this happening?
00:01:14.100So I want to talk about this movement here, this Alberta movement first.
00:01:18.080And there's a lot of stories I want to get to here, but in the minutes we have, it seems to be growing.
00:01:23.900And there seems, this isn't just like internet chatter anymore.
00:01:26.720There seems to be a real momentum behind this.
00:01:29.100And this idea that Alberta could become the 51st state of the United States of America, low taxes, not have to deal with all of the green energy weird policies that's hurting farmers in Alberta and everything else.
00:01:41.260So what do you make of the latest moves here on the Alberta freedom movement?
00:01:44.460So a gentleman asked, what is the difference today?
00:01:48.720Well, the difference is today is we're bigger.
00:01:51.420Maybe we couldn't have had this conversation when we had a million and a half population.
00:01:55.740Maybe we couldn't have even had it when we had a three million population.
00:01:58.940Maybe we couldn't have had it when we were only generating $20 billion in revenue.
00:02:02.640Well, maybe we can have it now that we're generating $75 billion in revenue.
00:03:35.980So under law in Canada, because of the 1998 reference case in the Federal Clarity Act, it says that once there is a successful vote on a clear question by a province to succeed,
00:03:51.560then the other provinces, First Nations and the federal government are under a positive legal duty to enter into good faith negotiations as to the terms upon which the province will become an independent country.
00:04:04.700I do not expect good faith negotiations.
00:04:06.960I expect them to thwart things, force court applications.
00:04:12.920So, well, why am I optimistic that this could still happen then if I am of the view that the federal government may not enter into good faith negotiations?
00:04:21.140But the most important one is the United States.
00:04:24.300So paragraph 155 of the Supreme Court of Canada decision talks about this scenario, and it hints at if the federal government and the other parties don't enter into good faith negotiations,
00:04:35.760it doesn't preclude international recognition.
00:04:38.220It does not preclude other countries giving unilateral international recognition to Alberta in this instance, right?
00:04:46.180Well, the APP sent a delegation down several months ago to meet with a delegation of the U.S. State Department in Washington,
00:04:53.520and they indicated to that APP delegation that they believe that the Trump administration would be prepared,
00:05:01.400following a successful referendum, to acknowledge statehood independence of Alberta.
00:06:52.040So when you look at what are we talking about here today, we're talking about all the things that Quebec is already doing.
00:06:58.980And that is the question, is do we want to become more like Quebec in managing our own affairs?
00:07:05.600So a gentleman asked, what is the difference today?
00:07:18.220Well, the difference is today is we're bigger.
00:07:20.940Maybe we couldn't have had this conversation when we had a million and a half population.
00:07:25.420Maybe we couldn't have even had it when we had a three million population.
00:07:28.440Maybe we couldn't have had it when we were only generating $20 billion in revenue.
00:07:32.140Well, maybe we can have it now that we're generating $75 billion in revenue.
00:07:36.620One of the things I would ask you to just consider, because I think we have a different interpretation on some of the historical developments.
00:07:44.380When I look at Rupert's Land and then Northwest Territories and then Alberta,
00:07:49.320when I look at the increasing numbers of areas of jurisdiction Quebec has taken over,