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A huge amount of academic research into ''western alienation'' has been, and continues to be, researched at Canadian universities. The concept is bedrock to studies of Canadian history and political science.
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I understand this. I lived there, I heard the "Onterrible" jokes and wore them with grace.

The concept of an independent Alberta as an identity is a fringe matter, not equivalent with generalized notions of alienation and grievances related to equivalence within confederation on a policy level.

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It is certainly a 'thing'. Saying it is not just shows your ignorance.
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I am aware of recent political movements, yes. Like the Western Independence Party.

However, they failed to even get enough signatures to properly form. Their platform is to "basically remove Alberta from confederation" (the party founder's words). But note: there was no Alberta before confederation.

Alberta business owners having a beef with Ottawa leadership is not the same as a common and foundational identity across Alberta that desires independence. That latter notion is in the extreme minority. Fringe stuff. For instance, the support between the WIP (and aligned groups) is similar to the support for the province's Communist parties.

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Toronto is much much younger than alberta, formed by the government of ontario

if age is a disqualifying factor, hating on toronto cant be a fundamental part of the canadian identity

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If you are Canadian, you should be familiar with the running nation-wide joke that "everyone hates Toronto".
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If you don't think it's a thing then you're either not from here, or haven't been paying attention. The average Canadian's opinion of Alberta is also very telling, with most of the rest of the country seeming to despise the province, or think it's some sort of regressive backwater.
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Since you decided to take things in a personal direction, yes. I have lived and worked in Alberta. I have had family in Alberta. I have friends in Alberta. My partner is from the west, and we visit regularly.

That's some bad karma, pretending you can read someone like that and attempting to beat them down with your ignorance and then claim to be a victim.

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Meanwhile our Prime Minister was raised in Edmonton...

No, it's not a thing.

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You're being incredibly silly with your arguments. If you talk to anyone in the country outside of Alberta you're very likely to hear a negative tone when talking about them, especially if they are liberal. Our governments have very much fostered a hostile relationship with Alberta and has done very little to address their concerns. Anybody surprised by Alberta wanting out has had their head in the sand.

I don't think them leaving the country is the right solution, but this is what happens when people feel ignored for a long time, they go with the nuclear option of leaving. It's very clear that a lot of people in Alberta feel mistreated, and the governments should be working to hear their concerns and make changes. But sadly they seem to do the opposite and ignore them and continue to make negative remarks about them which furthers the problem.

In fact their behaviour is similar to the dismissive behaviour you have been showing in these replies to the other user.

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Bullshit. This is purely CPC and UPC propaganda that doesn't survive contact with reality.
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That doesn't make any sense, that's like saying because Trump was raised in New York and he's now president, that New York identity isn't a thing.

I think the dismissive attitude here is proving my point.

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No, it's not proving anything of the sort. You're trying to claim that the average canadian despises alberta, and that's simply not a thing. It is in fact invented whole-cloth.
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According to this poll (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/poll-canadians-living...), nearly half of Canadians think that: 1) Alberta is not a welcoming place 2) Albertans don't care about other Canadians 3) Alberta is not a place they would feel comfortable living

And noticeably, the opinions of the Albertans are generally different from the rest of the country! How curious for a place without an identity of its own, as you claim.

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You said “despises”. Your evidence falls wide of the net.
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And you have no evidence at all
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You're the one making a claim.

I've never experienced this myself despite living here for years, working in oil/resource/agriculture-adjacent sectors most of my life, and spending a few years in Ontario. It is, in my experience, purely CPC/UCP propaganda. I certainly wouldn't have spent january pushing edmontonians out of their parking lots if I despised them lol

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