When you have a problem and a solution, you don't have a problem anymore. When you have a problem and no solution, you have a way of life. This aphorism, shared by a barber near Ottawa's Prime Minister's Office, now applies to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She has created a problem of her own making by letting loose a rabid dog in her backyard to keep Ottawa at bay, but now the dog is biting her.
Smith's Big Mistake
If Smith had any political acumen, she would have rejected the separatists in her own United Conservative Party caucus. She would have never embraced separatism or allowed a referendum on Alberta separation. She would have followed the path of Peter Lougheed, Ralph Klein, and Jason Kenney, who fearlessly defended Alberta's interests within Canada. Instead, she has offered a convoluted 37-word statement that places the country and Alberta at risk, stirring division and anger that will last for months and potentially years.
Polling Shows Strong Opposition
Her referendum to destroy Canada will not succeed. According to an Angus Reid poll, nearly 70% of Albertans would vote no to leaving Canada, and nearly 60% believe Smith has handled the issue poorly. Half of the province wants her to resign, but she likely will not due to her political illiteracy.
Lessons from Quebec
This situation was avoidable. Recent history in Quebec could have guided Smith. Karl Belanger, a friend and former NDP strategist who helped Jack Layton achieve a historic breakthrough in Quebec in 2011, notes that Smith has made Alberta separatism a permanent feature of politics. He states, "She's in over her head. She created this monster by campaigning on it for the UCP leadership, but she's lost control. She's trying to please everyone, but she's making huge mistakes for her political future and national unity."
Separatists Will Not Disappear
Belanger emphasizes that Quebec separatists never moved on, and Smith has given them a platform and tools to organize and keep fighting. "It won't disappear. Maybe you get a pipeline through B.C., but it won't disappear. That's not what this is about. That's the mistake she's making."
Secessionists Emboldened
Smith has legitimized the separatists and their mission. With money, organizers, and credibility, they are unlikely to give up. Belanger adds, "She's enabled them. She made it easier for them to get this going. She was using it as a bargaining chip against the federal government, but it's backfiring big time. She was playing with fire, and it's burning right now."
Danielle Smith created a problem for herself without a solution, and for Canada and Alberta, she has created a way of life.
