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What would the economic impact of separation be? Separatism debate in Alberta legislature
May 22, 2025
Madam Speaker, the government continues to play footsie with separatists, and Albertans are worried. They’re already worried about the cost of groceries. They’re already worried about just making it to the end of the month. The government’s threat of separation is making it worse. Families know that this will only cost the province more and risk their paycheques being less. As the Premier dances with separatists, can the Finance minister tell us today: what would the economic impact of separation be?
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we've made it to question four the
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honorable member for Calgary Foothills
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madam Speaker the government continues
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to play footsie with separatists and
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Albertans are worried they're already
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worried about the cost of groceries
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they're already worried about just
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making it to the end of the month the
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government's threat of separation is
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making it worse families know this will
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only cost the province more and risk
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their paychecks being less as the
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premier dances with separatists can the
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finance minister tell us today what
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would the economic impact of separation
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be
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the honorable minister of finance Mr
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speaker it's you you can't model
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rhetoric i know the economists would say
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that i know I mentioned that in in our
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estimates but I would say this the
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entire country is under great economic
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strain uh I I believe in what the
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premier and our team has been saying and
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many is that Alberta stronger as part of
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a united Canada and I think the things
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that will make Alberta stronger will
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also make Canada stronger i think we
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have great allies around the table to
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ensure that we can attract investment
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continue to grow find new markets in
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egress and make life better for everyone
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the honorable member for Cy Hills
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well get given that even the mention of
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separatism can cause negative impact
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that's right given that the former
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finance minister confirmed that a
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provincial tax collection agency could
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cost 500 million a year given that an
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independent Alberta police force would
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be $1.4 billion over six years given
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that an independent Alberta would also
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require its own border patrols passports
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diplomatic offices separation would cost
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billions given that we are expecting
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Albertans to trust this government to
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navigate us through that process when
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they can't even manage healthcare what
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are the real costs of separation that's
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right
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the honorable minister of finance mr
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speaker I I believe the number I told
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you on uh colle tax collection agency
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was 1.1 billion uh higher higher than a
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half higher than that uh I think what's
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important to see here is I' I've had
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that conversation with Quebec and
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they've said uh you know if we were if
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we were allowed to collect and remit on
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behalf of the federal government we
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would encourage you to do it we're
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they've asked for that they they haven't
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uh haven't been granted that so I I
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don't see I don't see a need to pursue
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that when it comes to the the police
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initiatives under our Minister of Public
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Safety that is something about filling a
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gap that is required right now the
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federal government has came The
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honorable member for Calgary Foothills
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[Applause]
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given that First Nations outright reject
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the separatist agenda and given a
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disruption to Alberta's resource
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industry as we know it could cost good
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paying jobs and billions in revenues to
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the province that's right and given that
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this dangerous talk is all happening at
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a time when oil prices are already on
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the decline and this government is
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forecasting a $5 billion deficit with no
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path to balance can the minister right
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here right now state that the talk of
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separation is bad for our provincial
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economy
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the honorable minister of finance i I
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think what the country needs right now
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and I think what Alberta reads needs
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right now is certainty we're facing
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great global unrest uh economically
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we're seeing it here so that's that's
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what I propose everyone focuses on the
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only people I hear talking about in this
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house are from that side of the aisle i
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think if you if you want to talk about
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growing I know in the premier's first
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ministers meetings and I know in my
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conversations with federal colleagues
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everyone is saying the same thing
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support Alberta this is coming from the
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Maritimes unleash Alberta they're the
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answer not the problem
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here not the honorable member for
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Sherwood Park thank you Madam Speaker
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when DAO announced the path to zero
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project in 2023 it was a big win for
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Alberta and a credit to the NDP
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government for creating the prochemical
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diversification program and the current
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government for keeping ND policy in
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place and not screwing it up like they
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do with coal mining our east slopes and
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corrupt care scandal dao has announced
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it is pausing investment in Alberta
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until after 2028 when Trump's presidency
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comes to an end does the premier have a
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plan to replace those jobs or is she too
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tired celebrating her big wins
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the honorable minister of jobs economy
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and trade madam Speaker I actually met
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the president of DAO uh North American
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operations yesterday and he was dismayed
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that the NDP and the media were
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mischaracterizing their delay of the
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construction as a pause he pointed out
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the same thing I pointed out last week
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in question period madam Speaker they're
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spending $2.5 billion dollar employing a
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thousand Albertans this year and the
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project remains on track to be completed
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not only that all of DAO's partners
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continue to build their portions of the
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facility so m Madam Speaker through you
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to the chair it's not just a request
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from me now industry but also like it'd
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be more accurate
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the honorable member for
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Well given that DAO announced it pausing
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Hold on hold on order order
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you may start again from the top the
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honorable member for Sher Park well
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given that DAO announces a pausing $7
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billion in construction on the largest
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capital project in Alberta because of an
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economic uncertainty created by the mad
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king of the United States given that
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economic uncertainty is an industry
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killer it freezes investment and scares
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away businesses and workers the Minister
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of Finance just said that given that the
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NDP successfully supported pipeline
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development to diversify Alberta's
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market access with keep Canada working
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campaign how do the UCP think they are
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going to diversify Alberta's economy by
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threatening to separate from Canada
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the honorable minister of jobs economy
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and trade thank you Madam Speaker i
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think this is a time for us to be
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unified in promoting Alberta to the
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world into into promoting promoting the
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many competitive advantages of locating
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major projects here unfortunately the
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members opposite continue to
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mischaracterize this project as paused
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or cancelled when in fact it continues
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with $2.5 billion of spend with a
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thousand workers working on it madam
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Speaker through to the chair they should
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apologize and stop trying to harm
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Alberta's reputation for getting major
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projects done
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the honorable member for Sher Park
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[Applause]
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given Alberta voters understand the
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peril of pursuing a referendum on
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secession as a bargaining chip the
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uncertainty discourages investment in
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Alberta limits diversification of our
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economy and polarizes the rest of Canada
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against us i.e the costs outweigh the
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benefits given that there is no reality
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in which the provinces the other
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provinces the UCP want to separate from
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will grant Alberta a pathway to
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diversify the markets for our products
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notice the difference ndp keep Canada
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working ucp screw Canada how is the
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uncertainty they are creating with the
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threats of separation going to help
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Alberta in any way
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sure that was very parliamentary
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language at all honorable member
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um perhaps you want to drama thank you
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very much that's impossible the
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honorable member for jobs economy and
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trade uh Madam Speaker I don't know what
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to do with that except uh except to say
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that on this side of the house we are
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making the case that Canada is stronger
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with a strong Alberta and that is
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objectively true we are also a proud
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member of team Canada and have been on
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internal trade and labor mobility and
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even investment attraction when I joined
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team Canada on missions to Indonesia and
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the Philippines recently i would
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encourage the members opposite to get on
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team Canada and also on team Alberta and
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stop telling the world that our projects
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aren't being built when they are and
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that people are cancelling projects when
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they aren't
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[Applause]
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oh my gosh um honorable member
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second i'm actually surprised it took
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that long to do that um that concludes
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the a question period you have 30
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seconds or less and we'll continue with
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the rest of the routine
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