Why Alberta wants out of Canada and how Trump’s ‘51st state’ idea fits in
The Canadian province of Alberta is set to vote on whether to initiate a legal process for potential separation from Canada. The debate is complicated by the province's economic reliance on oil and rhetoric from US President Donald Trump regarding Canada as a potential 51st state.
Why it matters
The potential secession of a major economic hub like Alberta would have significant constitutional and geopolitical implications for North America.
Alberta, the Canadian province of oil fields, cowboy country and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, is preparing to ask a question that would have sounded almost unthinkable in mainstream Canadian politics a few years ago: Should it begin the process of leaving Canada?Next month, the country's fourth-largest province will vote on whether its government should start the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.A “yes” vote will not make Alberta an independent country. There will be no new border posts on the Trans-Canada Highway and Calgary will not suddenly become the capital of a new nation.The October 19 vote itself is non-binding. It would simply open the door to a much bigger constitutional and political fight.
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