The End of Canada?

[Chris]

And? Is that going to keep oil at over $100/barrel?

Doesn't address my point but secession might keep it higher, see the video.

[Ransom]

And? Is that going to keep oil at over $100/barrel?

Dr. Who....is that a Canadian dollar figure?

Because of increased US production.....oil per barrel....as far as the United States is concerned....is about $56

[Dr. Who]

Dr. Who....is that a Canadian dollar figure?

Because of increased US production.....oil per barrel....as far as the United States is concerned....is about $56

Exactly and no it's not a Canadian dollar figure. Market prices for oil are in US dollars.

[Common Sense]

They're just upset about the election results. While some Albertans do feel they've been ignored or would be better off without the rest of us, it's highly unlikely the "Wexit" movement is going anywhere soon.

[Ethereal]

Why?

Why do they need a reason? They have the right to their own political system. All people do. You ever read the declaration of independence? Those principles justify secession. And not just secession from the British empire, but secession from all political authority.

Because they’re unhappy with an election? That’s childish, but even if secession was legal, it wouldn’t happen.

Is it more childish than preventing them from seceding and establishing an independent political system that better represents their interests?

Why are some people so terrified of secession? What do they imagine will happen if political power is a little less centralized? People will begin feasting on one another's flesh?

[Ethereal]

Alberta is a bit like Texas, except that their oil is not in nice deep wells, it's mixed with sand and soil and has to be extracted at a much higher cost. Furthermore the tar sands are frozen for a significant portion of the year, also making oil extraction very expensive and equipment very hard to maintain. They have only four refineries with a combined capacity of over 458,200 b/d out of 3.9 Mbbl/d, so dirty bitumen has to be shipped south via pipeline, rail and truck. The minute the price of oil per barrel drops below $100, it is no longer economical to extract.

Not unlike Texas, half of the population is not from Alberta, but from other parts of Canada, there because of the oil industry. Otherwise, Alberta is an agrarian province like its two neighbors to the east, with agriculture and livestock being its primary industries. As the world shifts away from fossil fuels, it would not be in Alberta's best interests to end up on it's own trying to survive as an agricultural nation.

A good post. But shouldn't the people in Alberta decide what is in their best interests? Maybe they value their political independence more than they value some arbitrary level of economic prosperity. Maybe they are willing to exchange some economic growth for more political freedom. Why shouldn't they have the right to do so? And who possess the moral authority to deny them that right?

[Ethereal]

They're just upset about the election results.

You make that sound like it's a trivial concern.

[Common Sense]

You make that sound like it's a trivial concern.

It's not trivial. It's just fresh in their minds.

The recent defeat and subsequent frustration has probably influenced opinions in the short term. That will probably fade.

However, their frustration is real and somewhat justified. That's not trivial at all and it certainly needs to be addressed. Much like in the US, rural and "middle Canadians" feel like they've been forgotten and underrepresented. That's caused the same division that exists in the US, but perhaps to a lesser degree.

[donttread]

It's legal in CA for a province to secede.

Yet Quebec has been talking about it for what decades?

[Chris]

Yet Quebec has been talking about it for what decades?

Video discusses that. Quebec is being paid to remain a part of Canada. Is Quebec subsidized by the rest of Canada? clarifies that it's a matter of federal taxes being redistributed, Quebec the highest receivers, Alberta the highest payers.