Monday, September 28, 2026

Albertan and Canadian

In a time of increasing division, we all need to practice understanding, respect, and seek unity.

By Wayne Prins, Executive Director

I grew up on a farm in central Alberta. Throughout my childhood and into my adult years, we enjoyed the most wonderful neighbour you could imagine. His name was Mr. Neil. He was a fascinating man who was always smiling, always had a story to tell, and would ask genuine and curious questions when I told him a story of my own. He walked his dog along the road in front of our farm, and we’d never drive by without stopping to say hello. The walking speed of Mr. Neil and his dog slowed down with age at about the same rate until you could barely call it walking anymore, but they’d still be out on the road making their way along. Everyone in the neighborhood loved Mr. Neil.

Mr. Neil was a successful geologist who worked in Alberta’s oil and gas industry. When Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau implemented the National Energy Program* in 1980, Mr. Neil and his family lost everything they owned. It was a devastating hardship, and he had to start over from scratch late in his career. When Trudeau died in 2000, Mr. Neil dutifully lowered the flag that always flew in his front yard to half-mast. But by noon the flag was returned to full mast—“Four hours is all that man deserved”—was the explanation, and that was the harshest thing I’d ever heard Mr. Neil say.

In a few weeks, there will be a referendum in Alberta. Among the many questions Albertans are being asked, there is one about Alberta’s future in Canada. I feel confident the vote will turn out to be a strong endorsement of national unity, but even if I’m right, I’m still sad it ever came to this.

The separatist sentiment in Alberta has a long history, longer than any living Albertan has been around, and the story I shared about Mr. Neil is just one of many examples of where this deep-rooted emotion comes from. For those who are not Albertan, even if you can intuitively appreciate what I’m describing, unless you grew up in Alberta, or spent a big chunk of your life here, it is very difficult to fully understand the sting of western alienation.

I also understand the frustration that those on the side of national unity feel toward those who would suggest that breaking up the country is the answer to their grievances. I share that frustration. But let me suggest that another lecture directed at Albertans about, “How dare you even think about breaking up this country!” isn’t particularly helpful. If your impulse is to lecture, I’d recommend you sit this one out.

The entire situation needs less anger, less lecturing, and less ridicule. What it does need is more mutual respect, more fairness, and more effort to genuinely understand each other.
This is true today, just as it’s been true for 121 years.

The flag that flew in Mr. Neil’s front yard was a Canadian flag. Although I hesitate to declare what he would say about this referendum if he were still alive, I knew Mr. Neil to be a proud and patriotic Canadian, just as millions of Albertans remain today. The greatest thing we can hope comes from these tumultuous times is a renewed commitment to civil discourse, mutual understanding, and an unshakable respect for all our fellow Canadians.

*If you don’t know what the National Energy Program is, please re search it. Every Canadian should know what it is, and you can’t hold an informed opinion about Alberta separatism without understanding the historic roots of it.

Albertan and Canadian

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