Western Standard - Keith Wilson and Tanya Clemens launches 'Alberta's Done Waiting' campaign [FULL ANNOUNCEMENT]

00:00:00.000 good morning everyone how are we today fantastic so nice to see so many friendly faces here

00:00:06.560 nice to have the media here we appreciate you coming out today we really do we will have you

00:00:10.640 out of here quickly this won't be a long presentation today you'll have lots of time

00:00:14.880 to get back to your offices to write glowing reviews about what we're talking about here

00:00:20.480 today but thank you so much for coming out today uh before i introduce um uh tanya and um keith

00:00:27.200 today I want to just give you some of the ground rules we'll be doing they'll

00:00:29.660 be talking to you for a few minutes here today and afterwards we will have the

00:00:33.440 20 to 25 minute Q&A and apparently they will be doing some scrums if you'd like

00:00:38.000 to ask them some questions afterwards now we did send out a media advisory to

00:00:42.500 many of you if we missed you well done you got here today we appreciate that

00:00:48.560 but I do have some media advisories with background information here that you can

00:00:52.080 use and contact information for Keith I know I've spoken to Keith and Tanya

00:00:56.820 today about being available to you anytime you want to talk to them they're

00:01:01.780 available to chat with you so be sure to get in touch with them and they would

00:01:05.820 appreciate that I do appreciate you coming out here and hearing our side of

00:01:09.780 the story there's always two sides of the story I was in broadcasting for 35

00:01:13.580 years I know there's both sides we appreciate you telling our side of the

00:01:17.940 story today by the way there's also some media backgrounders in the back page on

00:01:22.560 the back of the room if you'd like to pick those up with information about

00:01:26.100 what's happening here today what will be discussed and a little bit about uh our speakers here today

00:01:31.700 you know it's been an interesting year i think a lot of you will agree very interesting going

00:01:36.020 back into 2025 i look back until january of this year on the second of january when we started a

00:01:43.060 petition campaign in the province and i saw a lot of friends and great people thousands of them

00:01:47.700 standing out in the snow for months collecting signatures on petitions i admire those people

00:01:53.380 greatly. We know what's happened since then, but we do have a question coming up, and I don't know

00:01:58.020 whether any of you have checked your phones recently, but four months from today is the

00:02:04.660 referendum. It's hard to believe, and the time will come quickly. It'll go by about as fast as

00:02:10.940 summer will, because you know pretty damn soon it's going to be Labor Day, and this is going to be

00:02:15.140 over quickly. We'll all be planning our Halloween costumes pretty soon. It won't be very long,

00:02:18.960 right so we've got a lot to do there's a lot of third-party advertisers aboard

00:02:23.680 that we're very proud of here this one we're very excited about today and it's

00:02:28.980 going to be amazing to see what happens over the next four months so again thank

00:02:32.920 you for coming here today we do appreciate it so what I'd like to do now

00:02:36.840 is introduce the co-leads and what we're doing today with let Alberta decide in

00:02:42.300 an amazing campaign they've got coming up over the next four months so like to

00:02:46.140 start off by introducing a man that a lot of you know already. He's becoming one

00:02:50.440 or become one of the the main voices in the Alberta independence movement. He's

00:02:55.140 really stepped up over the last little while and we appreciate that very much.

00:02:59.100 You've probably seen him on media across Canada and the United States as well. So

00:03:03.960 I'd like to introduce one of the co-leads of Let Alberta Decide, Lawyer Keith Wilson.

00:03:10.940 Thank you everyone for coming out today. As John's noted, we're four months away from

00:03:22.220 a historic opportunity for Alberta to chart a new course towards independence. And what's

00:03:30.020 really important is that as Albertans reflect on their options over the next four months,

00:03:37.700 that they have accurate, clear, authoritative information on the reasons why I believe and

00:03:47.560 Tanya believe that Albertans should vote for option two on October 19th, which is to trigger

00:03:54.080 the formal process for an independence referendum.

00:03:57.740 So to help Albertans make an informed decision, we've started this new group, this new independence

00:04:04.360 organization called let alberta decide and we also have our campaign that alberta's done waiting

00:04:14.280 canada is unique in western democracies in that our supreme court of canada in the 1998

00:04:21.320 reference decision laid out a legal pathway for a province to move towards independence

00:04:28.360 after holding a clear a clear vote on a clear question with a clear majority so why is it that

00:04:36.840 i as an albertan as a lawyer and as a father believe that this is the right course for alberta

00:04:45.240 to move towards independence and i'll say this that we know many albertans know about the

00:04:53.480 unfairness of equalization the federal constitutional program that results in

00:05:00.520 tens and tens of billions of dollars being sent to ottawa that never come back to the benefit of

00:05:07.640 albertas but it's more structural than that the way the electoral structure is in the constitutional

00:05:14.680 structure of canada alberta never gets a voice we won't get a voice we can't have a voice

00:05:20.520 because decisions are always made in ottawa as determined by the wishes of the voters in quebec

00:05:27.400 and ontario so we have a structural problem and we have effectively we're treated as a colony

00:05:37.240 where we send the money and we're told what we can do we're told what we can't do

00:05:42.760 we saw this with the national energy program under trudeau senior

00:05:45.960 basically the net zero and climate policies of of of Justin Trudeau were essentially and have been

00:05:55.100 a national energy program 2.0 and what we're seeking to help Albertans to think about

00:06:04.180 is does Canada still work for Alberta does it make sense for Alberta to continue to be ruled by

00:06:12.980 Ottawa have decisions that affect our lives our communities our economy our

00:06:17.660 children made by Ottawa you know I really do believe that much like those

00:06:25.520 of us who have children and you know when you have a child and they're 10

00:06:31.320 years old it makes sense for them to continue to live at home but when

00:06:36.560 they're 21 or 22 or 24 and they're still in the basement it's time for them to

00:06:42.440 move out. In other words, they can achieve a greater potential by going out on their

00:06:46.780 own, and they don't need you to care for them and to protect them. I really think that that's

00:06:52.160 what's happened with Alberta. It might have made sense for Alberta to be in Canada and

00:06:56.800 supported by Ottawa as occurred from 1905 up to the 1940s, but ever since our economy

00:07:04.060 started to mature, that we developed our oil and gas industry with the third largest reserve

00:07:09.400 of oil in the world we've outgrown our relationship with ottawa and it's time for us to set out on

00:07:16.600 our own independence allows albertans to make decisions that affect albertans so instead of

00:07:25.240 going to ottawa and asking for permission for things we have the opportunity before us depending

00:07:31.880 on how Albertans vote, to elect the politicians here in Alberta that will make the full range

00:07:39.960 of decisions that affect every aspect of our lives and our economy.

00:07:48.920 So our central message is that Alberta has the resources the world needs,

00:07:55.640 the people and the expertise to develop them, a young entrepreneurial workforce,

00:08:01.880 strong agricultural base, deep energy experience, stable institutions, and a long record of

00:08:09.400 competence and contribution. Again, it's my view and Tanya's view, and I think a view of an

00:08:16.720 increasing number of Albertans, that Canada no longer works for Alberta. We've outgrown the

00:08:22.380 relationship, and we have the ability to venture forth and achieve greater things by being

00:08:30.120 unconstrained by ottawa of course our relationship with the rest of canada would not end we would

00:08:36.680 just be in a position of leverage to negotiate a new relationship with auto with ottawa and the

00:08:43.160 rest of canada instead of the situation we have today where we're told what we can and can't do

00:08:49.480 so our our campaign will also address some of the difficult questions this is a serious decision

00:08:54.520 that needs to be made and we will work with other organizations such as the alberta transition

00:09:00.040 Council that I also co-founded with and co-leading with Dennis Kalma, who is in the room today.

00:09:08.360 And we're working on a white paper that will be released at near the end of July.

00:09:12.840 And the purpose of the white paper is to describe the transitional steps,

00:09:17.320 what would be involved in Alberta moving from a province within Canada to an independent

00:09:23.480 country so important work ahead we're going to use a broad range of campaign techniques

00:09:32.840 including reaching out and making ourselves available to the news media as well as using

00:09:39.160 social media meetings digital strategies and information and supporting volunteers

00:09:49.720 as we all work together to get people thinking about their future,

00:09:54.640 the future for their children and their grandchildren,

00:09:57.080 and how, in our view, they would be better off in an independent Alberta.

00:10:04.380 The bottom line is Alberta has tried for decades.

00:10:10.420 We helped elect Mulroney,

00:10:12.520 and we saw that no fundamental change to the Constitution.

00:10:17.480 There were serious attempts. The Meech Lake Accord, the Charlottetown Accord, they all failed.

00:10:23.720 Even our opponent, former Premier Jason Kenney, admitted in my debate with him in May that the Constitution is unamendable.

00:10:33.580 And so I don't know how those who are advocating that Alberta should stay think they're actually going to change things.

00:10:41.860 I've challenged them many times to show us your plan.

00:10:45.140 They don't have one because I don't think it can be changed.

00:10:49.260 Independence and a referendum consistent with what the Supreme Court of Canada said is the only pathway for change.

00:10:58.420 So we also sent, you know, the Reform Party to Ottawa.

00:11:04.360 We helped elect and had a prime minister, Prime Minister Harper from Ottawa.

00:11:08.980 We sent Jason Kenney to Ottawa.

00:11:11.360 nothing changed in 2021 we have a province-wide referendum here in alberta on equalization it

00:11:17.840 passed with over 62 percent support premier kenny wrote a letter to the prime minister requesting

00:11:23.120 a constitutional conference he was denied he wrote a letter to the other premiers requesting

00:11:27.520 a constitutional conference he was denied it ended the matter in other words the only vehicle forward

00:11:34.480 for Alberta to achieve systemic change to address our grievances remove the constraints upon us and

00:11:42.480 allow Alberta to achieve its potential is a vote for independence with that I'd like to introduce

00:11:48.400 Tanya Clemens if you don't know who she is Tanya is a fourth generation southern Alberta farmer

00:11:56.720 she's a former junior high school math and science teacher she's a mother and an Alberta

00:12:02.800 independence advocate she was raised on a family farm with roots in the blackie area dating back to

00:12:09.360 1909 and she holds a degree in science and education and she has come to the conclusion

00:12:20.400 like me that her children and her grandchildren will have a better more prosperous future a

00:12:27.600 a freer future by being in an independent Alberta.

00:12:31.860 And with that, I'd like to invite Tanya

00:12:35.260 to say some words.

00:12:44.880 Good morning, everyone.

00:12:46.220 Before I begin, I'd like to thank everyone

00:12:48.340 who has taken the time to be here today,

00:12:50.420 including members of the media from across Alberta.

00:12:53.080 Whether you agree with us, disagree with us,

00:12:55.620 or are simply here to better understand

00:12:57.480 why this conversation is taking place I appreciate your willingness to listen

00:13:01.860 and to help Albertans engage with the ideas we're discussing today one of the

00:13:06.960 questions I've spent a lot of time thinking about over the last few years

00:13:10.140 is this how many times can Albertans ask for change before we have to admit that

00:13:16.200 the change we're asking for may never come because that's what really brings

00:13:20.940 us here today this isn't about anger resentment or division what brings us

00:13:26.720 here is a growing recognition that alberta has spent generations trying to improve its place

00:13:32.240 within confederation and many of the same concerns remain unresolved that recognition is what led

00:13:39.200 keith wilson and myself to launch let alberta decide we're trying to reach the people who feel

00:13:44.560 something isn't working but aren't convinced about what comes next because that's where i was i had

00:13:51.840 questions, I had concerns, and before I reached any conclusions, I wanted to

00:13:56.640 understand why so many Albertans felt increasingly frustrated with the

00:14:01.020 direction of our country. For most of my life, I believed Alberta's future would

00:14:06.580 be secured within Canada and that meaningful reform was possible. I

00:14:11.160 believed Alberta could achieve a fair and lasting place within Confederation if

00:14:16.740 just elected the right governments, proposed the right reforms, and made the

00:14:21.540 arguments. I wanted very much for that to be true, but over time I found myself

00:14:27.700 looking less at promises and more at outcomes. And when I did, I found myself

00:14:33.780 asking whether Alberta could still achieve meaningful change within Canada.

00:14:39.420 I think the honest place to start answering that question is with Alberta's

00:14:43.820 history, because for decades Albertans have sought reforms aimed at securing a

00:14:50.060 stronger voice within Canada. We have really tried. From the Reform Party to the Firewall

00:14:56.780 Letter, from the Fair Deal Panel to the 2021 Equalization Referendum, Albertans have repeatedly

00:15:03.340 tried to improve their position within Confederation. At some point, Albertans have to ask whether

00:15:09.740 decades of asking for change have produced meaningful results or whether we're being

00:15:15.180 asked to keep faith in a process that never seems to deliver them. In many ways, Alberta

00:15:21.740 arrived at this conversation only after trying everything else. If decades of advocacy, reform

00:15:29.340 efforts, constitutional proposals, and democratic mandates have failed to produce meaningful change,

00:15:35.740 what reason do we have to believe the next attempt will be successful?

00:15:39.340 Albertans have been extraordinarily patient, but at some point we have to evaluate outcomes

00:15:47.620 rather than promises. And Alberta is done waiting. There's another question we have

00:15:53.160 to be willing to ask. What if we do nothing? Because doing nothing often feels like the

00:16:00.140 safer option, but doing nothing also is a choice and one that comes with consequences.

00:16:07.720 future is going to be shaped and changed whether we actively participate in that process or not.

00:16:13.640 The real question is whether Albertans will have enough influence over that future

00:16:17.800 or whether we'll continue adapting to decisions made elsewhere and far away.

00:16:24.040 For me, the certainty of where Canada is headed concerns me far more than any

00:16:29.560 uncertainty of what Albertans could achieve if they were free to choose their own future.

00:16:34.600 every path carries risks but too often we scrutinize the risks of change while barely

00:16:41.180 acknowledging the risks of staying exactly where we are after studying this issue and being deeply

00:16:47.840 involved in this conversation i have reached my own conclusion alberta is capable of governing

00:16:53.780 itself and shaping its own future i reached that conclusion not because i became focused on what

00:16:59.900 Alberta might lose, but because it became increasingly interested in what Alberta might

00:17:04.660 gain, greater control over our economy, our resources, and the decisions that shape our

00:17:11.080 future along with the responsibility that comes with that.

00:17:16.420 Which brings me to the question that I think matters most.

00:17:19.900 What kind of Alberta do we want to leave behind?

00:17:23.720 Because this conversation is ultimately about the people who will inherit the consequences

00:17:27.820 of the decisions that we're making now. I spend a lot of time thinking about the next generation,

00:17:33.500 about my children, my students, about whether young Albertans will enjoy the same opportunities

00:17:39.340 that previous generations have enjoyed. And when I think about that question, I find myself

00:17:44.780 returning to something that farmers understand very well, stewardship. By being Albertans,

00:17:51.900 we have been entrusted with Alberta and our responsibility is to leave it stronger

00:17:57.420 than we found it for the generations that follow if we genuinely believe alberta's future matters

00:18:03.740 then we have a responsibility to examine every option available to secure that future even the

00:18:10.540 ones that make us uncomfortable and even the ones that challenge assumptions we've held for most of

00:18:16.060 our lives and that's why i believe alberta is worth having this conversation not because the

00:18:23.020 future is guaranteed but because the certainty of where canada is headed concerns me far more

00:18:29.740 than the uncertainty of what albertans might achieve if they had the opportunity to choose

00:18:34.300 their own path alberta has always been built by people willing to think differently take

00:18:40.300 responsibility and believe they can leave something better behind than what they inherited

00:18:45.740 i think we owe the next generation that same willingness and that's ultimately why keith and

00:18:50.620 I launched Let Alberta Decide. Because whatever conclusions Albertans ultimately reach, it

00:18:56.520 should be Albertans who decide it. Thank you very much.

Western Standard - June 20, 2026

Keith Wilson and Tanya Clemens launches 'Alberta's Done Waiting' campaign [FULL ANNOUNCEMENT]

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