(CCN) — With Albertans headed to the polls Oct. 19 to vote on whether the province should hold a referendum to secede from Canada, a Catholic non-profit organization offers insights and perspectives on how to understand the issues at play from a Catholic perspective.
While some observers see the roots of Alberta’s separatist movement in the tradition of independence and self-reliance of the North American “Old West,” others say it dates to the 1930s, “when Ottawa blocked the provincial Social Credit government’s proposed monetary reforms,” says Matthew Marquardt, executive director of Catholic Conscience.
However, these sentiments surged during the global energy crisis in the 1970s, when the Liberal government created Petro‑Canada in 1975 and the National Energy Program in 1980, Marquardt explains in an article on the Catholic Conscience website.
“Ottawa justified these measures to protect national economic stability and energy security; Albertans perceived them as federal interference with and the appropriation of provincial wealth and the right of self-determination,” Marquardt says.
“Many Albertans argue that Ottawa has manipulated the definition of ‘national interest’ to suit itself, overriding constitutional provincial autonomy as a matter of federal political convenience,” he says.
The COVID pandemic, the carbon tax, and polarization on social issues in recent years — as well as Alberta’s close economic ties with the U.S. petroleum industry — have only widened the rift.
“For many Albertans, these policies have represented not just disagreement but an existential threat to their economic identity and future,” he writes.
Marquardt explains that the Alberta Separatist movement is not “one centralized group or figure, but subsists as a loose coalition of civically active groups with an overlapping objective of sovereignty.”
“Many of these groups clash on their fundamental goals and their approaches to secession,” he adds.
Grounded in the foundational Catholic social teaching principle of the inherent dignity of every person, Marquardt identifies subsidiarity as the “fundamental principle … at the core of both Catholic teaching and the grievance between Alberta and the federal government.”
“Many of the sources of friction feeding separatist sentiment can be viewed as questions of subsidiarity,” he writes.
Referring to Pope Francis’ “Fratelli Tutti,” he underlines the priority in Catholic social teaching of promoting both solidarity and unity over “fragmentation,” and “bridge-building and reconciliation” over “rupture.”
“Albertans should consider if the separation conversation undermines Canadian unity as a country at time when unity is of prime importance,” he writes. “The point is not to ignore grievances, but to look for ways to address them without breaking communion in the face of outward threats. Unity founded on proper values is a moral good.”
Marquardt asks whether Alberta’s secession would promote “the common good and the flourishing of all people, and not only those within Alberta.”
“Such a project would seemingly tend to undermine national unity and, with it, economic stability, treaty integrity, social peace for many people, and interprovincial cooperation,” he writes.
“Indigenous Nations are constitutional actors whose rights, land titles, and jurisdictional authorities predate both Alberta and Canada. Their relationship is with the Crown, not with a province, and their treaty rights are protected under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982,” he clarifies.
Should secessionists win the vote Oct. 19, “independence could take years to implement, Indigenous groups could have standing and authority to significantly delay, challenge or stall the independence project,” says Marquardt.
The impact of secession for vulnerable communities also seems to have been absent from the public conversation, he points out.
“Has evidence been provided to show that institutions will become more stable in an independent Alberta compared to within a united Canada?” he asks. “Any referendum that risks destabilizing the federation must be evaluated through this lens.”
Stewardship, he adds, is an important element to this debate.
“Alberta’s natural resources are a gift, but they also need to be managed responsibly,” he writes. This includes long-term planning to protect future generations and ensure sustainable development.”
Read the full reflection on the Catholic Conscience website.
