PJ The Belt - May 09, 2025


Alberta WALKS AWAY From Canada? Update! Referendum in 2025 - Trump Backing & Separation!


Episode Stats

Length

8 minutes

Words per Minute

159.41495

Word Count

1,297

Sentence Count

82

Hate Speech Sentences

2


Summary

There is a growing movement in Alberta that wants to separate from Canada. It s no longer just talk, it s real, and it s gaining ground in the polls and in rallies across the province. What used to be considered fringe talk is now mainstream, and over half of Albertans say it should be taken seriously.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Since the Kearney Liberals were returned to office, organisers of a push for a referendum
00:00:05.760 on the question of secession tell CBC News they've seen a surge in interest.
00:00:10.640 Citizens who want a separate Alberta are now calling for it outside the legislature.
00:00:18.640 If you enjoy these videos, please subscribe.
00:00:22.720 Well folks, there's a real shift happening in Alberta.
00:00:26.720 What used to be considered fringe talk is now mainstream.
00:00:30.640 Over half of Albertans say the independence movement should be taken seriously.
00:00:35.680 People are frustrated with Ottawa and tired of being ignored,
00:00:39.200 especially when Alberta contributes so much to this country.
00:00:43.280 From the oil patch to the foothills, more and more Albertans are asking,
00:00:47.760 why not go our own way?
00:00:49.920 It's no longer just talk.
00:00:51.760 It's showing up in polls, rallies, and it's got real political momentum behind it.
00:00:57.920 Something big is brewing in the West.
00:01:00.320 By the way, there is something going on in Canada that people here in the States don't really know
00:01:05.360 about. There is a move by a couple of provinces, primarily Alberta in the West, which has a lot
00:01:11.040 of oil. It's a very rich province. The premier has suggested that they're not getting anything from
00:01:17.360 the federal government. They're giving billions. At one point, the premier is a woman. Premier Smith
00:01:23.600 said that they've given a trillion dollars worth of mineral wealth to Ottawa, to the central
00:01:29.360 government, and have received practically nothing in return. 33% of Albertans want to secede from
00:01:36.400 Canada. And remember, Quebec tried to do that a couple of decades ago. It actually went to the
00:01:42.000 Canadian Supreme Court in 1998, and they outlined a process by which you can secede. It's the only
00:01:48.880 Commonwealth nation that allows a nonviolent process for secession. So I think Donald Trump
00:01:55.360 and this 51st state thing is playing into that, what's going on in Canada.
00:02:00.480 It seems totally out of the ballpark.
00:02:02.000 You need to chip off a piece at a time and do business with the very oil rich section of Canada.
00:02:08.000 Now, here's where things get really interesting. Donald Trump has hinted that he would recognize
00:02:13.280 an independent Alberta, if it chose to separate. That could mean direct US deals on energy, security,
00:02:21.600 and trade, bypassing Ottawa entirely. Alberta has what America wants, oil, gas, and a similar culture.
00:02:31.120 Some even talk about forming a US-Alberta association. If that ever happened, it could
00:02:38.560 reshape the political map of North America in a huge way.
00:02:42.160 But one of the things, even in the more moderate folks that I've encountered from Central and Eastern
00:02:49.280 Canada, their lack of understanding of the basic roles and responsibilities of governments and who
00:02:55.120 does and pays for what is remarkable. People come after me on Twitter and say, well, how are you going
00:02:59.360 to pay for your health care then? Well, we already pay for our health care, and we net pay at least
00:03:04.160 $20 billion a year to Ottawa that we don't get back. So we'll actually have $20 billion
00:03:08.720 laying around in our pocket to maybe spend a little more on health care. Thank you very much.
00:03:14.800 People think that the crown land in Alberta means federal crown. It doesn't. The only federal land
00:03:20.960 in Alberta is four national parks, four military bases, and a number of First Nations reserves
00:03:28.160 under the treaties. And when you combine that all together, the First Nations reserves only 1.31%
00:03:34.640 of the land base. And then the federal component is 20. Some people think that the federal government
00:03:40.000 owns the oil and gas here, all owned by the province, the water. The only thing the federal
00:03:44.640 government really has a responsibility for in Alberta is like running a passport office,
00:03:49.040 and they can't even do that. So it's remarkable to me the lack of understanding. Like Nova Scotia
00:03:56.160 has, and I'm not sure on the exact numbers, but I believe it's around $12 billion is their budget.
00:04:02.640 Almost $4 billion of that comes from Alberta. What's going to happen to Nova Scotia when we leave,
00:04:07.920 right? And if we leave, where Ontario is now going to have to pay that money. And the fellow from the
00:04:13.120 Toronto Star won't be so smug at that point. The reality is, is that Alberta is a tremendous asset
00:04:18.880 to Canada. We fund so much of Canada's activities. We ask so little, and instead we've just been harassed.
00:04:26.560 Could it actually happen? Alberta calling it quits with Canada after a 120 year long marriage?
00:04:38.240 Most Albertans apparently think so. We're looking at a majority of people who are right now looking
00:04:43.520 at Alberta separation as an issue that, that is real. It's certainly different from what we see in
00:04:49.680 other parts of the country where the numbers are lower. We don't see any other part of, of Canada,
00:04:54.880 where we reach such a high number of people who say this is, this is a real possibility.
00:04:59.120 Mario Canseco asked 1200 Canadians who had just voted to think about the effect a liberal win
00:05:04.960 could have in provinces where most people vote conservative, Alberta in particular. The pollster
00:05:10.880 found 65% of Canadians don't want Alberta to leave. What's changed? Well, in recent months,
00:05:17.360 Trump's talk of a 51st state has normalized a new challenge to Confederation. And then domestically,
00:05:24.240 those who've been keeping an eye on this stuff for decades have been warning that the idea of Alberta
00:05:30.480 separating is not feeling as fringy as it used to. Since the Kearney Liberals were returned to office,
00:05:36.960 organizers of a push for a referendum on the question of secession tell CBC News they've seen a surge in
00:05:43.600 interest. Citizens who want a separate Alberta are now calling for it outside the legislature.
00:05:49.360 Something that most people in eastern Canada fail to realize is that Alberta sends over 20 billion
00:05:54.800 dollars a year to other provinces through equalization. Most of that money goes to Quebec
00:06:00.400 and the Maritimes, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and so on. Yet they often vote against
00:06:06.640 Alberta's interest and block its energy projects. If Alberta kept that money, it could fund its own
00:06:12.880 programs even better, including schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Culturally, Alberta is just
00:06:20.320 a different world, built by ranchers, oilmen, entrepreneurs, and cowboys. It's a place that
00:06:26.960 values hard work, risk-taking, and independence. That's a sharp contrast to Laurentian Canada's top-down,
00:06:34.640 tax-heavy model, where government controls everything. Maybe it's time we stop pretending
00:06:40.320 this situation is working for everyone. An observer might say, when they look at the size of the
00:06:46.480 country, you know, second largest country in the world by landmass, and they look at the cultural diversity
00:06:53.840 and the economic diversity, is there sufficient homogeneity? Do we have enough in common
00:07:01.200 to really be a viable country to really be a viable country? I don't know. I've observed the cultural
00:07:08.880 variation from east to west. I've observed the cultural variation from, you know, the Vancouver
00:07:14.880 coastline to Alberta, and maybe he's right on that. But what I do know, for certain, having studied this
00:07:21.680 very carefully, is that there's little opportunity for my kids and grandkids in a future Canada with the
00:07:28.080 direction that the voters in eastern Canada continually decide for the future of this country.
00:07:33.680 Printing money over restrictions, governments supposedly going to keep people safe, which
00:07:38.800 just means take away their freedoms. And then I compare it to what opportunities and the prosperity
00:07:44.960 and the potential for achievement that exists if Alberta were to become independent. It's just,
00:07:50.560 the conclusion is obvious.
00:07:52.160 All right. Thanks for watching. Thank you for subscribing. Special thanks to those of
00:07:56.880 you who have donated to this project. It is much appreciated, and it helps me continue making videos.
00:08:02.560 See you on the next one. Peace.