World's Worst Separatist Strikes Again

There’s a word being thrown around like rice at a wedding lately, but people seem to have different ideas about what it means. So let’s start with a definition just to all be on the same page.

Democracy [dih-mok-ruh-see] (noun)

A system of government where power belongs to the people. Citizens either participate in making decisions directly or vote for representatives to run the country on their behalf.

The word comes from the Greek words demos (the people) and kratos (power).

Seems pretty straightforward and no mention of judges in there anywhere. Some believe we would be better ruled by appointed experts making decisions on our behalf and they call that democracy. John Lithgow’s character, Dick, from the show Third Rock From the Sun once famously declared in frustration, “what’s the point of having a democracy if people go around voting wrong?”

In Canada, we now have judges to make the necessary corrections in a development that not only undermines democracy but the administration of impartial justice as well. 

This works great if you agree with the judge’s political biases when ruling over provincial legislatures, but it does beg the question, who appoints the judges? That would be the Federal Government in Ottawa. The framers of the Canadian Constitution way back in 1982 thought of this and included an opt-out, a democratic safety valve in case a generation of activist judges happened to come onto the bench. It’s called the Notwithstanding Clause and it's necessary because our provincial legislatures regulate and licence all of our private property as well as raising and spending vast amounts of our tax dollars. Without our elected provincial legislatures representing our democracy, we could quickly find ourselves without any rights at all. It's easy to forget now, but the reason we evolved this form of government over the centuries is our blood soaked history of endless civil wars stretching back to King John signing the Magna Carta at sword-point.

(If you're interested Google, the Peasants Revolt, War of the Roses, English Civil War, Revolutions of 1848, French Revolution, American Revolution, Canadian Rebellions of 1837 … )

We should not be so quick to abandon our ancestors hard-won elected legislatures simply because we did get the government of our choice. Democracy means accepting the loss and getting a rematch in four years because we have collectively learned to use ballots instead of bullets.

Into this fray steps Danielle Smith, world’s worst separatist, trying to get a pipeline built and announcing a referendum to consult with Albertans on whether to hold another binding referendum on Alberta’s future. This is actually kind of politically brilliant.

Danielle’s strategy, like most politicians, is to play for time until things happen. In this case, her deal, since her democratic election win of 2023, is no separatism if we get pipelines built. The future prosperity of Alberta is assured when we get our goods to market, and working people with full bellies do not break up countries. When Canada works, the fire boiling the separatist pot will die off. 

The thorny political trap Smith faced was this: playing for time left her open to attacks from both the left and the right for failing to pursue their hobby-horse issues. The real separatists demanded Smith’s allegiance while threatening her job, a power they do not and never did have, no matter how gleefully the national media amplifies their boasting. The anti-pipeline activists, in return, call Smith a separatist, a traitor and every evil name in the book, calling for her head in an unholy alliance with Alberta separatists.

Armed with her implementation agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Danielle has broken the trap. Convinced of federal support, the Premier has declared herself and her government to be Canada First. Snatching away Naheed Nenshi’s Captain Canada Cape, the UCP forces the opposition leader to find a new line of attack, or become ever more unhinged and divorced from reality.

Oh, and we have a timetable for building a pipeline. Not a bad day’s work.

The only problem: an unelected judge unwilling to risk the people voting the wrong way, or any way at all.

The solution is a carefully worded referendum question designed to allow democracy to happen while respecting the court’s authority to make an incorrect ruling. The people will, of course, vote to keep Alberta within Canada, exposing both the weakness of the separatist movement and the chicanery of the NDP in trying to profit politically from separatism.

Thank you, Danielle Smith. Thank you, Mark Carney.