Albertan by birth, Canadian always
By Lethbridge Herald on May 13, 2025.
Editor,
Open letter to Danielle Smith.
It has come to my attention through double talk about only doing what Albertans want, you have lowered the threshold for referendums in Alberta.Â
I believe you should read Jean Chretien’s book “Straight from the Heart.”
He concludes his book by stating, “I feel strongly that we did not build our institutions, our traditions, our history, our national pride, in short this great country Canada, to become the fifty-first state of America. If it becomes a question of national survival, to hell with privacy, leisure and the easy life. I will be there because I owe to Canada all the privileges I have received. Whatever our problems, I always conclude my speeches with one plain truth: Canada is the best!”
As to for myself, I am a proud Canadian first and foremost. I am an Albertan by birth, but Canadian always, no matter where I live.
I conclude this letter by stating, you may want power and whatever else you might think you need, but not at the expense of Canada.Â
If you do not like what we have here, you are welcome to leave, and, if you think about it, that is also because you are Canadian.
Earl Barton
Lethbridge
11-10
Then you don’t agree that under the constitution the provinces have been given certain areas to control their domains. It’s Canada first right. You’re letter is more anti Smith than anything. She is defending our/your right under the constitution to protect provincial autonomy. Ottawa is a long way from Lethbridge. I would suggest that you do not like the situation where the numbers for referendums have been reduced, but that implies that you may not like the possible upcoming question, but would be full on support if a referendum were held on some other issue you agree with. Such is life.
It’s one thing to defend the rights dictated by the constitution, another that increasingly demands Ottawa to essentially ignore the perils of climate change and bow to the dictates of powerful oil barons. Federal rules concerning emissions for example , are rightly overseen from a federal standpoint and sometimes lean toward uncomfortable viewing and fiscal headaches. Her concern over equalization is misguided, since payments come from the coffers of the feds not payments received from provinces. Unless you ignore the payments from which Alberta once received payouts, then so long as there are “have not provinces” in the current epoch, the system cannot be dismissed. Tweaked, for sure, as times do actually render different fiscal renumeration which would rightly require input from all provinces and territories. The threat of separation or more autonomy, is not helpful when the entire nation is still under an existential threat from the orange haired autocrat.
All my friends and family members feel the same way you do Earl and to hell with Danielle Smith and her Reform Party Dictatorship[ plans. We were all once proud Conservative Party Supporters and there is definitely nothing Conservative about her, and she isn’t fooling anyone. Treating us like morons is all she knows.
What’s sad are the gullible people who believe her lies.
Let’s have another straw poll here.
Click the – icon if you want Alberta to separate…
or + icon if you want AB to remain in Canada.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/bill-bewick-ottawa-can-mend-alberta-rift-by-following-the-constitution
Clarification for you. See if you can get by the hate for a strong woman.
Grasping at straws. To suggest that a person “hates” someone who happens to be a “woman” in the context of the letter, is ludicrous nonesense.
Could’t agree more, Earl.