In a 20-minute speech in Regina, Ottawa’s point man on Western Canada breezily dismissed all of Alberta’s longstanding concerns with the Canadian federation and suggested all would be solved because he, Stephane Dion, minister of intergovernmental affairs, respects us. Dion thereby managed the difficult manoeuvre of slapping our face while at the same time shaking our hand. 

Dion, using partially released and mostly Ottawa-funded polls, asserts that the West is no more conservative than the rest of the country. He ignores the fact that Albertans have consistently voted for the most conservative choice on the ballot in nearly every provincial and federal election for at least half a century. In short, Dion is openly rejecting the democratic outcome of Alberta elections in favour of polls paid for by Ottawa. 

Dion then dismisses the desire for greater provincial control over policy. Nearly every poll conducted for anyone can discern a noticeable difference in the levels of trust Albertans put in their provincial government compared with the federal government (note to Dion — trust in the provincial government is nearly twice as high). 

Further, the Canadian Constitution clearly delineates the division of responsibilities between federal and provincial governments. Over the years, Ottawa has taken over more than its share of these powers which is one of the reasons why the Alberta Six (of which I am one) recently wrote a letter to Premier Ralph Klein urging him to make greater use of our constitutional jurisdiction. We have suggested, for example, opting out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating an Alberta Pension Plan (which, according to the most recent Alberta budget, could offer the same benefits as the CPP at a contribution rate that is lower by as much as 10 per cent). 

In short, Dion is telling Albertans that their confidence in their provincial government is misplaced, the Constitution is wrong and Alberta should just accept that Ottawa should run things. 

Finally, Dion dismisses the need for democratic reforms by saying that western governments are no more democratic than Ottawa. But when was the last time Ottawa mailed a questionnaire asking citizens for their input on the future direction of policy, as the Alberta government has done twice in the last three years? And why has Ottawa refused to appoint the two senators that have been directly elected by Albertans? In short, Dion is telling Alberta that the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa knows better than the people of Alberta, not to mention the people elected by Alberta, what is good for them. 

This approach to Alberta should not be surprising. In fact, it is just what the Alberta Six predicted in their Alberta Agenda letter to the premier. The Liberals are merely continuing their federal election strategy of writing off Alberta in a ploy to gain or retain support elsewhere. 

The facts on this are well documented — the prime minister called westerners, and Albertans in particular, “different,” and everyone got the joke. The prime minister also said he “preferred doing business” with Canadians outside of the West, and we got the hint. The Liberal party then ran blatantly false advertisements about health reform in Alberta — which made the case by innuendo, something Allan Rock was unable to do by looking at the facts, that Alberta was moving away from a publicly funded health-care system. 

Then, just to be absolutely clear, a Liberal cabinet minister tarred the Canadian Alliance, its supporters and voters — 60 per cent of Albertans according to the latest federal election result — as “racists, bigots and holocaust deniers.” The prime minister lent his agreement to this assessment by his subsequent silence. 

Things got no better after the election. The prime minister said Alberta just needed a little bit of “tough love” and Dion all but accused westerners of “separatist blackmail” even though a majority of westerners, including the Alberta Six, have advocated policy ideas which can be accommodated within the existing constitutional arrangements — making Alberta stronger within the Canadian federation. 

Now Dion says he wants to “respect us” but only on his terms — he will respect us only as long as he does not have to listen to any of our ideas. 

Marginalizing Alberta was a successful Liberal strategy during the recent election, and now Dion has indicated the federal Liberals have no desire to change the strategy during their mandate. For Albertans, this means that they should approach any outstretched hand from Ottawa by assuming a defensive posture — because the sting of a slap will linger longer than the soft shake of the palm.