The premise of my argument is that the borders defining Canada, Alberta, and your electoral district will change sooner or later regardless. While we’re at it, two-party electoral systems (and even what is currently understood as Western democracy) will also be subject to change. Change at faster or slower paces as local and global alliances fluctuate, like a giant Matryoshka doll of ever-mutating interests.
Old Britain makes for a convenient scapegoat, but is nowadays mostly toothless. Little more than entertainment at a table of much stronger, younger players who haven’t yet had the chance to screw things up as badly (emphasis in "yet"). I’m sure most people confidently believe that things will work out differently for them. “Ok, Grandpa!”
What’s the population of Canada right now, about 40 million? Not the best military in the world, but far from the worst. Relatively young, well-fed, well-fuelled. Able to defend itself, certainly.
A united Canada? Not a group I’d want to mess with. Engaging Canadians by force would be… something, wouldn’t it?
Still, Canada sits there; this vast, icy land with strategic reserves of… basically everything. If those resources happened to become “strategic” and you had to start making hard decisions to feed your own population, keep the gas pumps running, and so on… wouldn’t it be nice if you could, you know, play some divide and conquer? Rich province vs. poor province. French province vs. English province. Then maybe turn the population against immigrants, or certain “dangerous” ethnicities linked to other empires supposedly eroding the fabric of civilisation. Make a giant country with nearly unlimited resources feel “full” and “growing too fast.” Sorry, can’t house, clothe, and feed everyone. Alberta is just giving too much and getting nothing in return…
Maybe a 5-million-person nation with a shiny new passport would work better, right? And how to maintain its territorial integrity? Maybe it works better as a sovereign territory with close ties to a much bigger, much stronger country that can protect you from all the 35 million “horrible folks” surrounding you... What are they called again? Oh yes, Canadians.
This is certainly not the oldest playbook in the world on repeat. The British certainly didn’t do this pretty much everywhere. Nor the Prussians, the Spanish, or any other empire of old.
But North America is different. Divide and conquer wouldn’t work on you. Plus these are different times. No such thing as empires in North America. Only democracies, with two-party electoral systems, and nice folks. Unlike, you know, all those Canadians surrounding you and their electoral system that doesn’t represent you.
The next state, the Alberta state, this one will be different. Built for the people, by the people, with nothing but your best interests in mind. A Canadian state that could leave even the rich Scandinavian nations in the dust. The promised, well-oiled oil machine. Simultaneously Texas and Norway. Who wouldn’t want it? Who wouldn’t be trying to rush there as soon as possible? Who wouldn’t want to cut itself off from the 35 million people surrounding it to accelerate the process? Immediately, if possible?
Hopefully my point came across. I’m not trying to change your mind, by the way. I know that what I’m saying here requires a huge suspension of disbelief to even be considered, despite it happening over and over again all around the world, all the time. Honestly, this is the best defence of “just be patient” I can put together; from someone much less concerned about Canadian politics or its ties to Britain than about their own family members in a rapidly shifting world.
