The spectre of Alberta separation is on the horizon. The path to independence is clear. The separatist offramp back to Canada’s federation is trickier.
Western alienation and disenchantment with Ottawa are long-standing and part of Alberta’s political DNA. Right now, the mood in the West is quite ugly. Ask people that live in the Prairie provinces the emotions they feel when they think of the federal government – anger tops the list at 35 per cent followed by pessimism at 26 per cent. Feelings of anger and pessimism towards Ottawa are the most intense in the Prairies, outstripping every other region of the country.
