It may be a bit of mischief, but it’s certainly well-deserved, as the Alberta NDP are moving a motion in the legislature to have the government condemn separatism. The ostensible goal for the denunciation is because talk of separatism is bad for the economy – it drives away investment, no matter how low corporate taxes are (and you only have to look to Canadian history to see how the two referendums in Quebec saw the country’s financial capital move from Montreal to Toronto, even though Montreal was a more tax-advantageous environment). If Alberta hopes to diversify their economy, they need to ensure that they aren’t driving away investment in a similar way.

It’s also about jamming Jason Kenney to an extent, because while he has stated in the past that he’s not a separatist, he’s also winked and nodded to them in a fairly constant fashion, and used his own rhetoric to fuel their arguments, up to and including his ridiculous “Fair Deal Panel.” But with the rise of separatist parties, both federally and provincially in the prairie provinces, there are concerns about them gaining political traction – particularly as the so-called “Buffalo Party” gained a fair number of votes in last week’s Saskatchewan election, and it may have some people in Alberta worried. Granted, the Conservatives in the province should likely be more worried because they’re likely to peel voters away from the Conservatives, which may allow the NDP to come up the middle provincially, but there should also be no doubt that letting these separatists get any kind of political traction – even a handful of seats – would be sending the wrong signals to markets. Having Kenney denounce them in a way that they can’t spin as winking or nodded to them may be a way to take some of the wind out of their sails – but it could also expose divisions in Kenney’s own caucus (which is partly where the mischief comes in). Nevertheless, even if the movement is headed by a bunch of swivel-eyed loons who have no chance of success, they can cause a lot of damage along the way, and should be taken down at every chance.

Good reads:

• Political leaders have been sending out condolences for a random stabbing attack in Quebec City on Saturday that killed two and wounded five others.
• Chrystia Freeland is back on the job after a negative COVID test after the app alerted her that she was a potential contact.
• The government is considering the creation of a centre to declassify historical national security files, particularly for researchers.
• A Canadian soldier has died after being shot during a live-fire exercise over the weekend.
• Mi’kmaq chiefs in Nova Scotia are responding to rumours that the fisheries department would seize their lobster traps (which the department denies).
• As the review into workplace harassment at Rideau Hall gets underway, there are rumours that Payette and her inner circle are demanding staff swear loyalty to her.
• Kevin Carmichael points out that Canadian business leaders are going to have to deal with risk management regardless of who wins the American election.
• Chantal Hébert makes note of the NDP’s support for the Bloc’s motion on demanding an apology for the October Crisis, and sees the dynamics behind it.

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