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Time to grow up

“I’m taking my ball and going home,” yelled the young child to his peers as he stomped across the playground with his bottom lip extended and tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I’m taking my ball and going home,” yelled the young child to his peers as he stomped across the playground with his bottom lip extended and tears streaming down his cheeks.

We all know that kid, spoiled, does no wrong in his parents’ eyes and if he’s not allowed to do whatever he wants, he’ll throw a temper tantrum and leave. That’s equivalent to the Alberta separatist movement these days, which is not only as ridiculous and juvenile as that kid, but completely unrealistic.

We had the opportunity to converse with Alberta senator Doug Black (See Page 1 of this week’s Town & Country) over the phone last week and asked him about his thoughts on the separatist sentiment in the province, that seems to fester every time the prime minister opens his mouth.

While he said there has to be a better solution than separation, he does consider Alberta to be distinct society, like Quebec, and as such he would like to see a similar relationship with the federal government recognizing that distinctness.

The sentiment seems to be kicking into high gear with the introduction and passing of bills to ban tanker traffic on the west coast and to reevaluate the environmental assessment process for large projects, which Black fought hard to defeat, but was unsuccessful.

It’s nothing new, these separatist ideas have been around for decades and typically get more into the mainstream right after conservatives lose an election or a decision. That’s just the problem though, now separatist language is being used by leading politicians in the province.

Premier Jason Kenney and his cabinet have been whinging on about the threat Trudeau is to “national unity,” never actually using the word separation, but still planting the seed.

During the recent provincial election we had two candidates in this very riding who advocated for separation. They were on the fringes, so to speak, but when the silver-tongued leader of the government starts spewing off this nonsense, it should be cause for alarm among citizens.

Provincial rights, they shout, until a province like Quebec or B.C. rejects their pipelines, then it’s all about why the federal government never stepped in. Small government indeed, until you want special treatment.

It’s just time to grow up, that’s all. Be the black sheep if you must Alberta, but be part of the family and stop talking crazy talk.

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