Don Braid: Smith's focus on Alberta separatism is all about keeping the UCP in power

National Post

13 hours ago

Separatism is no threat to Alberta, or the federal government, or Canada itself.
Article content
But it is an enormous threat to Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party.
Article content
A provincewide vote of, say five per cent, would bleed support from the UCP and bring the NDP back to power.
Article content
That threat drives major elements of UCP policy, from removing books in schools to making nine demands for change from Ottawa.
Article content
Article content
The UCP often governs 4.9 million Albertans for the benefit of a faction within the party.
Article content
Article content
At an event with federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday, Smith said Prime Minister Mark Carney should take separatism seriously. It's the fed's fault, after all.
Article content
'If Ottawa wants to work with me to cause that (separatist) sentiment to subside, then we need to materially address the nine bad laws that have created that negative investment climate,' she said.
Article content
'If they make the changes that we're requesting, then I suspect they can take the air out of that movement.'
Article content
Knocking a few points off a tiny separatist party's support is a weak rationale for moving the feds to action.
Article content
There isn't much of a market in Ottawa, or anywhere else, for the plaintive cries from Alberta the Oppressed.
Article content
On Friday, the government closed the books on fiscal 2024-25 with an astonishing surplus of $8.2 billion.
Article content
Originally, the finance department had forecast a surplus of 'only' $355 million (one that every other province would love to have).
Article content
Article content
That surplus grew madly because of lush revenue in major categories, especially oil and gas.
Article content
Article content
In 2023-24, the Alberta surplus was $4.3 billion; the year before that, it hit $11.6 billion. The only other province to book a surplus in 2024-25 was New Brunswick, with $41 million.