Albertans should not be surprised when parties, organizations, or special interest groups opposed to independence cite facts and figures supposedly weakening the rationale and merits of . These attacks are nothing more than “scare tactics” meant to entice the voter to vote the same as they have for decades. For example, one of the arguments against independence one might hear is, “38% of Albertans voted in favour of equalization, i.e., sending money to Ottawa.
Such an argument is flawed for a few reasons.
1.Equalization and Independence are not the Same Issues:
Equalization concerns fiscal transfers and issues of taxation. This is confusing for many people, and they are often unaware of how it affects them directly. On the contrary, the question of independence is plain, “Does one want a rule by law, freedom, and justice, or does one want to be ruled by unjust governance, unfair deals, and corrupt politicians?”
2. 62% of Albertans Voted for Ending Equalization
To argue “almost 40% of Albertans voted in favour [the recent referendum] of sending money to Ottawa” is the same thing as saying, “almost 60% of Albertans didn’t vote in favour of sending money to Ottawa.” Moreover. Less than 1/3 of the voting public voted.
3. Time is Dynamic:
It is a fallacy to assume that just because 40% of Albertans voted for equalization at once, that they will do so again. Elections are cyclical precisely because people’s preferences and decisions change. The vote to end equalization was almost a year ago. Much has transpired and changed since then. Bank accounts have been frozen, assets have been seized, and peaceful protestors have been incarcerated. People’s emotions, sentiments, and feelings change according to what’s happening in the country.
4. More Education is Needed
Suffice to say, equalization is a more complicated topic than expected, and the question on the ballot was poorly worded as well. The APP strives to educate all Albertans on the merits of independence and issues like equalization. Success means stopping politicians from taking advantage of uninformed or confused Albertans.
To that end, we are advocating for a referendum on independence to give Alberta the leverage to chart a new path forward. A successful referendum on Independence gives Alberta, for the first time, the leverage to negotiate with Ottawa and the other provinces from a position of strength. Finally, although the data needs to be updated, based on the most recent polling reported by Mainstream research on October 19, 2021, 47% of decided voters polled already favoured independence; that was before the momentous events of the past two months where The House of Commons once again proved it acts dictatorially. As such, we invite all Albertans to join our journey towards a free and prosperous Alberta.
Please consider signing the petition for a referendum on independence on our website via this link under the education section.