The Wexit movement in Western Canada.

[Pappywinkle]

*removed*

[hobbyguy]

wexit has no chance in BC..

Don’t be so sure of that, apart from the Skeena-Bulkley riding, everywhere from Kamloops north to the Yukon border, especially the East and West Peace regions, are definitely taking a good hard look at wexit..... It’s not only British Columbians from the central interior and the northern that are looking into wexit, I went out to dinner with friends from Victoria last night who are taking a serious look at wexit. The movement is much stronger than certain people realize, or are willing to acknowledge.

Ummm... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Canadian_federal_election#/media/File:Canada_Election_2019_Results_Map_(Simple).svg

See that Orange/Red/Green wall along the coast?

Plus very few ridings in BC did anything but vote split the "left" allowing the Conservatives to win. Even here in Kelowna less than 50% of the vote. Only 2 ridings in BC were over 50% for the Conservatives (and one Conservative win was 31%).

There just is no way for a BC referendum on wexit to get through.

I could see a weird scenario where Alsask is bordered all around by Canada and the US... and landlocked. BC would have huge leverage in that scenario... Horgan and his class clown Heyman would love it... excise taxes and carbon taxes on every barrel exported through BC ... just imagine the fun the BC NDP would have figuring out how to steal Alsask's $$$ and waste them on pet projects.

[Hurtlander]

Outside of the true blue areas that simply don't like that we don't have a Conservative federal government, there's no appreciable support for separation in BC, and anecdotal conversations between right wingers doesn't change that.

Firstly there is appreciable support for separation in rural BC, especially from Chetwynd north into the Peace region..
Secondly, it’s got little to do with the lack of a Conservative federal government, it’s got more to do with western rural Canadians feeling disrespected and alienated by the eastern Canadian establishment, most of whom happen to be Liberals..
Thirdly, the last thing I could ever be accused of is being a “right winger”.. go back and check my past posting history. I’m a centrist who has a very strong dislike for Justin Trudeau and his contempt for rural western Canadians, and his complete lack of understanding Canadian rural life and rural living in general...
The eastern establishment, most of whom are Liberal, simply don’t appreciate western rural Canadians and everything we contribute to the Canadian economy such as agriculture, oil, gas, mining, forestry etc.. Western Canadians are tiered of being a cash cow for Ottawa and getting very little in return when there’s an economic downturn.

[jimmy4321]

I think we need a cautionary tale, what part can we use as a test subject?

[Hurtlander]

I could see a weird scenario where Alsask is bordered all around by Canada and the US... and landlocked. .

Ummm you do realize that there’s lots of ocean front real estate in Manitoba....
To set the record straight, I’m not personally sold on wexit.. but I’ve spent many hours this winter discussing wexit with wexit supporters down at the local watering hole. All I’m trying to do here is point out that the wexit movement in parts of BC, most of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and a good portion of Manitoba is very real and larger than you realize.

[Gilchy]

Ummm you do realize that there’s lots of ocean front real estate in Manitoba....
To set the record straight, I’m not personally sold on wexit.. but I’ve spent many hours this winter discussing wexit with wexit supporters down at the local watering hole. All I’m trying to do here is point out that the wexit movement in parts of BC, most of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and a good portion of Manitoba is very real and larger than you realize.

Shipping through Hudson's Bay in the winter is a *bit* of a challenge.

Maybe let's refcus the conversation though, as I'm actually curious and not intending to be dismissive: what do you believe separation would bring in terms of benefits to rural residents, and the West in general?

Alberta has its specific issues and focus relating to O&G, but outside of that more broadly speaking what would a potential "Wexiter" be looking for?

[Pappywinkle]

There’s nothing in it for western provinces except Alberta. They need other provinces for it to be even remotely viable, so publicly lumped BC, Sask and Manitoba in with their wexit narrative from the get go. Alberta would be a complete dud on its own and the organizers knew it.

[hobbyguy]

There’s nothing in it for western provinces except Alberta. They need other provinces for it to be even remotely viable, so publicly lumped BC, Sask and Manitoba in with their wexit narrative from the get go. Alberta would be a complete dud on its own and the organizers knew it.

I agree. I get really annoyed at pundits who talk about "western alienation". What is BC? Chopped liver? Not feeling alienated here except for being alienated by twits like Kenney.

I understand the feelings of economic angst being felt by my fellow Canadians in Alberta. But they have to realize that the world is changing. If you don't change with it... you will be left behind.

Alberta has tremendous potentials in other economic areas. So does Saskatchewan.

Here's a thought... maybe the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the government of Canada should buy out Chevron's LNG stake as partners - develop an LNG port specifically for Alsask natural gas. Maybe look at something similar in conjunction with Quebec or Nova Scotia.... Now something like that would be both unifying, constructive, and secure a huge whack of jobs....

[d0nb]

Like the rest of Canada, Alberta’s well-being depends far more on its relationship with the US than with the other provinces.

Obviously, Alberta would be much richer and freer if it were to become a US state, but even as a separate country, it would do better than if it continues to allow its fate to be determined by the federal puppets of Quebec and Ontario. The babble about Alberta becoming landlocked is meaningless – it already is.

In the short term, taking measures like pulling out of the CPP might help to firewall Alberta from Ottawa’s endemic corruption, incompetence and anti-Alberta bias, but statehood should be the endgame.

[Gilchy]

Like the rest of Canada, Alberta’s well-being depends far more on its relationship with the US than with the other provinces.

Obviously, Alberta would be much richer and freer if it were to become a US state, but even as a separate country, it would do better than if it continues to allow its fate to be determined by the federal puppets of Quebec and Ontario. The babble about Alberta becoming landlocked is meaningless – it already is.

In the short term, taking measures like pulling out of the CPP might help to firewall Alberta from Ottawa’s endemic corruption, incompetence and anti-Alberta bias, but statehood should be the endgame.

How would Alberta be much richer and freer if it were a State?

[Ka-El]

In the short term, taking measures like pulling out of the CPP might help to firewall Alberta from Ottawa’s endemic corruption, incompetence and anti-Alberta bias, but statehood should be the endgame.

So you're a big supporter of the Bloc as well then

[Omnitheo]

What does “taking a hard look at wexit” mean?
Scoping out fiscal and tax policy? Planning a new currency and foreign policy? Lol

It means designing a graphic for a passport that assumes all of BC (including Vancouver island ) is going to follow AB out of Canada.

[Babba_not_Gump]

I could see a weird scenario where Alsask is bordered all around by Canada and the US... and landlocked. BC would have huge leverage in that scenario... Horgan and his class clown Heyman would love it... excise taxes and carbon taxes on every barrel exported through BC ... just imagine the fun the BC NDP would have figuring out how to steal Alsask's $$$ and waste them on pet projects.

I think you're missing one important factor here.
Yes, BC could have some leverage here on exports from Alberta, but Alberta would have even bigger leverage, petroleum products flowing down that pipeline destined for the refinery in Burnaby. Where does YVR get most of their jet fuel from?
Alberta could shut the taps off and not be bound by any Canadian supreme court judgement. They would have southern BC on its knees in a week.
I think Alberta would have the Lower Mainland over a barrel.

[Pappywinkle]

Yes, BC could have some leverage here on exports from Alberta, but Alberta would have even bigger leverage, petroleum products flowing down that pipeline destined for the refinery in Burnaby. Where does YVR get most of their jet fuel from?
Alberta could shut the taps off and not be bound by any Canadian supreme court judgement. They would have southern BC on its knees in a week.
I think Alberta would have the Lower Mainland over a barrel.

I think you're overestimating BC's reliance on pipelines between BC and Alberta, and underestimating Alberta's reliance on the same. There are plenty of refineries in Washington able to supply Vancouver if Alberta threw a fit.

Turning off the taps to YVR and Burnaby would be annoying to BC and be absolutely devastating to Alberta.

[hobbyguy]

I could see a weird scenario where Alsask is bordered all around by Canada and the US... and landlocked. BC would have huge leverage in that scenario... Horgan and his class clown Heyman would love it... excise taxes and carbon taxes on every barrel exported through BC ... just imagine the fun the BC NDP would have figuring out how to steal Alsask's $$$ and waste them on pet projects.

I think you're missing one important factor here.
Yes, BC could have some leverage here on exports from Alberta, but Alberta would have even bigger leverage, petroleum products flowing down that pipeline destined for the refinery in Burnaby. Where does YVR get most of their jet fuel from?
Alberta could shut the taps off and not be bound by any Canadian supreme court judgement. They would have southern BC on its knees in a week.
I think Alberta would have the Lower Mainland over a barrel.

Nope. BC controls the ports where Alberta's imports and exports go other than crude and gas that goes south.

Yes, Alberta could reshape the petroleum products supply for BC, but that really isn't a problem when you consider that the world has an oil supply glut. BC can import oil just like Quebec does.

If it got really tight for BC, there are options - especially with shale type techniques - with 2 basins in particular that have promise but have never been a priority to develop. The Nechako basin and the Bowser basin. But given the world oversupply of oil, that is highly unlikely to be necessary.

BC is a customer for Alberta oil resources. A customer in an over supplied market is not something to be ignored - even if it is a small one like BC. It is a two way street. If Alberta plays games with BC oil supply, there are plenty of other sources. Indeed, there might be a short disruption, and a price impact, but the oil market would very quickly adjust.

Alberta's problem is really a lack of oil customers - which in part is due to shipping restraints. However that is a short term problem. That lack of customers isn't going away, and is likely to get worse fairly quickly. Every time an electric car gets sold, or a city bans plastic bags, or a truck fleet converts to CNG, or a ferry converts to LNG, or a new ICE model comes out with better fuel mileage, or a mass transit line gets built, and now maybe even aircraft switching to electricity - Alberta loses potential market for its oil products. Yup, none of that happens overnight - but it is the trend, and a growing trend.

The OCD affliction in Alsask with oil will eventually be their economic undoing if they don't switch gears.

That's what "Wexit" is really all about. The world is changing, and Alsask doesn't like the changes. There is nothing BC or Canada can do about that. It is time for Alsask to accept reality.

Appearances can be deceptive. Brexit seems a good idea to some people, but when you dig deeper, it has already cost the UK economy $140 billion +/-. That's without the costs of an actual Brexit. The actual Brexit will cost far, far more than that. Untangling trade and supply chains that are integrated, trying to negotiate new trade and supply chains, and on and on....