Alberta independence referendum: why the “inclusive Canada” pitch fails

The Alberta independence referendum on October 19 is a choice between a Canada that says it is inclusive and an Alberta that wants to run its own affairs. After watching the unity campaign and the reaction to my own criticism, I don’t buy the inclusive part. The pitch is “we can disagree”, but the moment you do disagree, the tone changes fast.

I was born in the Soviet Union, so I know what happens when one party and one narrative start to dominate. I’m not saying Canada is the USSR. I’m saying people here have never had that experience, so they don’t recognize the early signs.

What the unity campaign is telling Alberta voters

I watched two pieces of campaign messaging back to back. The first was from an Alberta NDP figure in Edmonton. It opened with Thanksgiving, family and gratitude. Then it moved to the line that “Alberta’s future belongs to Albertans, not billionaires south of the border”, and then to the claim that Danielle Smith and the UCP are “selling Alberta short”. The video closed with the instruction to vote for remaining in Canada and no on the other nine questions.

I came to this country to build something and maybe get rich, a Canadian version of the American dream. Hearing that billionaires are the enemy is not what I was promised. It’s the same script I heard in my childhood.

The second piece was from Calgary’s mayor, Jeromy Farkas. He argued that separation would scare off investment, create uncertainty about our currency, pensions and trade, and put jobs at risk. He pointed to Statistics Canada numbers and new jobs in health care, construction and public services.

My response is simple: fix the infrastructure first. Calgary’s main water supply line has been a problem for years, and no mayor has solved it. The people running things keep blaming Trump and tariffs instead. If Albertans can pay for everybody’s bills across the country, we can pay for our own pipes.

“Alberta includes everyone” — unless you disagree

The clip I found most revealing came from another Alberta politician who had just voted. She said she voted no to “divisive, cruel, cynical politics” and yes to Canada. She added that her Alberta “includes every one of you who make it your home.”

I’d put it this way: everyone in Alberta can call it their home, except the people who disagree with her. Saying yes to Canada and framing everyone else as cruel is virtue signalling. Voting for change is not cruelty. It’s democracy.

I also keep hearing that we are the divisive ones. Asking a question on a ballot divides nobody. Telling the people who vote differently that they are cruel does.

What happened when I criticized Carney online

I ran a test. I posted a critical comment about Mark Carney on Threads, which is probably the most hostile platform out there, and waited for the replies.

The argument was about whether Carney can call himself an Albertan. He grew up in Edmonton, and I’m fine with that being a fact. What I said was that he is a World Economic Forum guy telling Alberta to stay in Canada. The replies didn’t answer that. They went after me:

• I was called a Russian troll and told I’m “not even Canadian”.
• I was told Carney is “more Canadian” than I am because he was born here.
• Others said immigrants who support Alberta independence should move to the USA.
• Some accused me of being a bot or a paid agitator.
• One person said they would contact my employer to cancel me.

That last one is almost funny. I’m self-employed. I’m an independent contractor in real estate, paid only for what I close, with no salary and no boss to call. My brokerage, eXp Realty, is a big company that started in the United States, and I trust it respects freedom of expression.

There was almost no actual argument in those replies, maybe one or two comments. This is the “elbows up, inclusive” Canada in practice. The message to an immigrant is clear: come here, stay quiet, vote Liberal and be grateful forever. If you integrate and form your own opinion, you become a problem.

Identity is a choice, not a birthplace

I don’t judge people by where they were born. Both of my kids were born in Calgary, so they are Canadians and Albertans, but that’s because of my decision, not theirs. Carney being born in Alberta wasn’t his choice either. He was a kid.

What counts is where you choose to live and what you choose to support. If you put no effort into something, you shouldn’t get credit for it. I’d also point out the irony that some of the same people who call me a foreigner have called me a colonizer. I wasn’t even here. I just showed up, the way Carney says he did.

I also feel misled by what I was told before I came. I paid international student fees, roughly three times what a domestic student pays, for a “Canadian education”, and in my college there was barely a Canadian in the room.

Why this vote matters beyond money

The unity side wants this to be about greedy Albertans. It isn’t only about money, though the economic case is real. It’s about whether Alberta can steer its own future, or whether Ottawa and the single-party politics around it will keep deciding for us.

I think Canada became successful because of a capitalist mindset and the settlers who were willing to be uncomfortable. They came from the UK and France to cold, empty land and built a country. Too many Canadians have become comfortable, and comfortable societies decline. That is how great nations fade, Rome included.

I also worry about where this atmosphere leads. If it keeps getting more hateful toward people with common-sense views, I can imagine a day when conservative Albertans feel they have to look south for safety. I hope it never comes to that.

Alberta still has the entrepreneurial, risk-taking roots to do something different. They’ll call us separatists. I don’t care. A little discomfort in defence of freedom, equality and respect is worth it, and that is why I’ll be voting on October 19.

Igor Ryltsev, REALTOR® — eXp Realty Calgary · 587-889-8393 · igor@igorryltsev.com