Alberta will not be made an island
By Lethbridge Herald on January 20, 2026.
Editor:
When reading posts on social media these days concerning our province of Alberta, the separatist’s movement continues to reference change. The “take back our province from Ottawa and bring about change” narrative is so out to lunch because their agenda is to join the US. We have been voting for the same political party for over 40 years and now they say they want change? We are the only province in Canada with no sales tax and if we are not doing well because of Ottawa, why haven’t we brought this about? Also, if we are suffering in this province because of Ottawa and the east, why haven’t we attempted to amalgamate with BC, for instance? We would certainly have a bigger say in federal politics. The reasons are clear to me why we have not implemented a change all these years and it is because we are not doing as badly as our provincial government says we are. And the separatists see an opportunity with Danielle Smith and the UCP party at the helm of our government to push their narrative. I laugh when I read about how we are being abused by the feds when it comes to transfer payments. Maybe these people don’t understand that these payments by the” have” provinces like Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan and Ontario were implemented when the Constitution Act of 1867 was drawn up. It was later modernized in 1957 (Equalization plan) and 1982(constitution). They are intended to share the wealth so that all provinces have similar levels of public services, like health and education. We receive health payments from the federal government through the Canada Health Transfer so we are getting some of our equalization payments back. Last year the UCP government opted out of the National Dental Plan offered by federal government because it infringed on provincial jurisdiction and it wants local control. Alberta is the only province to opt out so there again, we must be doing not bad! So, all this rhetoric about Alberta being neglected by Ottawa is just that, rhetoric. And those posts on social media knocking our province and declaring war on Ottawa are most likely posted by computer generated bots from outside our province or country on behalf of the separatist movement. They main focus is unrest so that the separatists can fulfil their agenda. But unlike these separatists, we adults are smarter than a fifth grader and will not fall to their whim.
Kent Perry,
Lethbridge
5-4
I will agree that the separatists are out to lunch but to say we get back some of our equalization payments through the health transfer is equally as hair brained. That’s our taxes that we pay just like every other citizen of canada. If they did away with equalization all that would do is maybe raise the transfers a little bit as it would go up for every province in Canada. Health transfers are not equalization payments and don’t equate it to them.