The history of Alberta politicians provoking resentment against Eastern Canada goes back at least to William Aberhart, who was the province’s premier from 1935 until he died in 1943. Bible Bill decried the “big shots” who he saw as responsible for the penury of the masses during the Great Depression. The Alberta government itself was nearly bankrupt, due in part to the refusal of the federal government to grant Alberta and Saskatchewan control over their natural resources when they entered Confederation in 1905. Years of drought further weakened the province’s agriculture-based economy.

Aberhart had a legitimate beef, even though it is fair to label Aberhart a demagogue for his authoritarianism and fast-and-loose playing with facts.

After his death, Alberta politics settled into the somnolence of 28 more years of Social Credit governance, a sleepy state enhanced by the prosperity brought on by the discovery in the late 1940s of massive oil deposits. 

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Thirty-six years of Social Creditism were followed by the even longer reign of the Progressive Conservatives, who, first under Peter Lougheed, were advocates of Alberta receiving its fair share of petroleum revenues. Lougheed’s gripes were well-founded, and over his 15 years in office, he achieved most of what he sought to accomplish.

Neither Aberhart nor Lougheed threatened to separate Alberta from Canada. For all the resentment they stirred, they knew the province was better off in Confederation than as a landlocked fiefdom outside it.

The one blip during those years was the byelection win in 1982 of the avowedly separatist Gordon Kesler. Kesler’s complaint focused not on money but rather on opposition to the metric system and official bilingualism. His election created a tizzy in Eastern Canada, but nine months later, Kesler was soundly thrashed in a general election, and life returned to normal.

Today, Alberta is Canada’s wealthiest province with the country’s lowest taxes. The province’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is one-third higher than that of Ontario and 47 per cent higher than that of Quebec. Yet, aided and abetted by Premier Danielle Smith, resentment towards the federal government is now at its highest level ever. There are grievances – mostly about federal equalization payments and lengthy approval processes for major resource projects – but every province has grievances. 

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The difference in Alberta is the long history of politicians fomenting an attitude of resentment that is profoundly unChristian. A clear-eyed view of the situation would be one of gratitude for the resources that have enriched our people and drawn hundreds of thousands here from across Canada and around the world. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola called ingratitude “one of the things most worthy of detestation” and labeled it “the cause, beginning, and origin of all evils and sins.” Ingratitude signifies a spiritual crisis that can only be healed through a humble reverence before the Creator of all.

One could conclude that politicians are fomenting resentment and ingratitude for their self-aggrandizement, and one would not be far wrong. However, there is more to it. Politicians have constituents, and some constituents carry more weight than others. 

Alberta is not a one-industry province. Agriculture, forestry, tourism and manufacturing are all major contributors to the provincial economy. However, non-renewable resources are the most volatile industry subject to wild swings in petroleum prices and employment levels. 

A recent report by the Business Council of Alberta stated that per capita GDP in the province has fallen by 10 per cent over the past 10 years. Various factors, including federal regulations but also changes within the industry itself, have moved many jobs from oil and gas to less lucrative sectors of the economy. The era of high-paying oil patch jobs is fading.

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If anything, this gives the petroleum industry even greater weight in Alberta politics. Industry and politicians want to keep the economic fires burning with new megaprojects and pipelines. The provincial government’s deliberate fomenting of separatism not only assuages its radical base but also gives it a bargaining chip with the federal government. The stronger the separatist impulse, the more Ottawa will be forced to bow to the province’s demands.

A CBC poll in May found only 30 per cent of Albertans supported separation, while 67 per cent opposed it. A referendum is unlikely to lead to Alberta leaving Canada. But that doesn’t mean the resentments fuelled by the Premier will have no lasting effect. The ghost of Bill Aberhart hovers over this process, and the antics of our current premier can only further cement a spirit of division.