The Critical Compass Podcast - December 17, 2025


ALBERTA INDEPENDENCE SUPPORTERS： This is How We Will Win


Episode Stats

Length

6 minutes

Words per Minute

136.4356

Word Count

948

Sentence Count

55


Summary

In this episode of The Critical Compass, James and I discuss the challenges facing the Alberta Prosperity Project and the rest of the independence movement in the short and long-term. We discuss the benefits of using the Socratic method of questioning and the challenges we will face in order to grow the movement.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Welcome back to The Critical Compass. I'm James and I wanted to set up this camera for a
00:00:07.780 fireside chat, even without an actual fireplace. I want to discuss how the independence movement
00:00:15.460 will grow and some of the hurdles that each and every one of us will have to navigate,
00:00:20.960 especially how this will look from the outside. We've seen some big wins over the last month.
00:00:28.080 The Alberta Prosperity Project just submitted its updated petition and referendum question
00:00:34.000 and could be collecting signatures as early as January. We could be seeing a referendum in October,
00:00:41.940 which gives the majority of the year to help build the movement. Unfortunately, millions of dollars
00:00:49.280 will be spent to demonize the movement. The same tactics that were used on the Freedom Convoy
00:00:55.760 will be used on the Alberta independence movement. The key is for us to paint a positive vision for
00:01:02.800 the future without too much negativity that could be off-putting to those who are not convinced.
00:01:09.460 We cannot give any easy ammo to those who want to demonize the movement, so we should be mindful
00:01:15.900 of our tone and the way that we look from the outside. We cannot be a movement solely built on
00:01:23.620 the opposition to something. We must have practical solutions. While it is true that the push for
00:01:31.140 independence is a response to a broken system, a response to a broken Canada, we must also provide
00:01:38.740 the clear logic, the legality, and the path forward, or we will not be convincing anybody.
00:01:46.500 Within the movement, there are competing visions of what this path forward looks like, and it's worth
00:01:53.700 having these discussions to look at the underlying principles. For example, if we say we want a free
00:02:00.340 Alberta, well, what does that look like? Are we crafting a new, better system that is resistant to
00:02:08.100 corruption, or are we just replacing the exact same Canada that we're leaving? These ideas are worth
00:02:16.100 discussing without attacking each other in the process. Even while balancing out each of these principles,
00:02:24.020 we must still recognize the practicality. Not everything can be applied, and not everything will
00:02:30.820 resonate with the majority of Albertans. We still need to get a majority vote on the referendum, or this
00:02:38.420 is going nowhere. At the same time, we should be mindful of how our advocacy looks from the outside.
00:02:46.340 In the movement, there are some voices that are very loud and boisterous and get supporters very excited,
00:02:53.460 but does nothing to convince people on the outside. So there is a balance. We cannot be preaching to the
00:03:02.340 choir. We need to communicate outside of our circles. The question remains, how do we convince people to
00:03:11.700 support Alberta independence? Well, the first thing is realizing that you're not going to convince anybody
00:03:18.580 in a single conversation. You are essentially planting the seeds that will grow, that will help convince
00:03:26.580 people over time. So don't expect anybody to agree with everything you say there in the spot. You can't
00:03:35.220 become frustrated if they don't see your point of view. What can be useful is the Socratic method of
00:03:41.940 questioning. Essentially, you will ask somebody what they believe and why. And then through follow-up
00:03:49.220 questions, you will expose gaps in their logic, through those questions. It's their own answers that
00:03:56.500 will expose those gaps. For example, a family member might say, well, Albertans are just greedy and
00:04:03.700 their wealth only comes from the oil, not from hard work. You could ask, why is Quebec considered a
00:04:11.700 have not province worthy of 13 billion dollars of equalization payments each year when they have
00:04:18.820 billions of cubic meters of untapped natural gas that they're not developing? Why does Quebec continue
00:04:26.980 to import natural gas when they could be doing it themselves? When a family member answers, they will
00:04:34.260 have to contend with two points. One is the policy decisions in Quebec have prevented them from
00:04:41.220 developing their own resources. And two, a broken equalization system rewards provinces that refuse
00:04:49.300 to develop their own resources. As you can see, a simple question like this may dovetail into other
00:04:57.380 topics and may reveal more about Canada than what was intended. And that's the power of these questions.
00:05:05.300 If somebody calls you names, then just return to the logic. And if they start getting hostile and
00:05:13.060 dismissive, then it's a sign that maybe the conversation has reached its limit. But the key
00:05:20.260 is you've still planted those seeds. But by planting these seeds, these seeds might grow over time.
00:05:27.860 Some people you will convince and others you'll never convince. But the key is that you've given a larger
00:05:38.420 potential for this conversation to be productive. It doesn't matter if it's an in-person conversation
00:05:45.700 or an online discussion. We are all representing the cause. We must be the change that we want to see
00:05:53.380 and communicate a positive vision for the future that people are comfortable joining. That's the
00:06:00.740 only way we're going to get majority support in this referendum. Hopefully this video gives you a few
00:06:07.860 good things to think about. And if you haven't already, we filmed a 14-minute mini-documentary on the
00:06:14.820 2025 UCP AGM that highlights the rise of the Alberta independence movement and some of those big moments.
00:06:24.180 So it's worth checking out. We're going to be filming more content like that in the future.
00:06:29.860 And if you want to support this channel, like, comment, and subscribe. It helps the algorithm
00:06:36.180 more than you can know. And we also have a buy me a coffee link as well if you want to give
00:06:40.980 any actual donations. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next one.