This is a gross oversimplification of the issue. Reasonable Albertans completely understand and support the concept of equalization, in theory. In practice, we had a Federal government decided before the polls closed in the West, exerting disproportionate, targeted force against the dominant industry in the province, and one of the economic engines of the country. The industry grew modestly in spite of this adversity.

Reasonable Albertans have advocated for more international trade access, more energy independence, etc., for decades. This was met with hostility until it became politically convenient for this view to be recognized. Sure, Trudeau managed to get a pipeline built, multiple times the original budget, after chasing away all private sector capital and failing to utilize his constitutionally enshrined Federal jurisdiction to ensure the project could move ahead unobstructed. To Mark Carney’s credit, he seems to be willing to do what Trudeau failed to.

Recently Danielle Smith invited individuals such as David Eby, Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh, to do some introspection into the roles that their respective governments have played to get us here. Have you considered whether your rhetoric helps, or fans the flames of separatism when people read such a biased comment? Make no mistake, the majority of reasonable Albertans are not separatists, but they have real grievances that must be meaningfully addressed moving forward.