The separation referendum is being stalled by a referendum to stay within Canada, where the petition to start it has already received enough signatures to start the referendum at 456K signatures.

Polling for separation is laughably low. This is not something that will happen, and not something legally feasible because of Treaty rights, and other numerous legal barriers. Smith herself has admitted she herself does not support separation, but has felt backed into a corner by her base as she fears a party split handing the NDP a win next election cycle more than she does the referendum succeeding, as she sees the former as a far more likely scenario. This can already be seen with the variety of right-wing parties in Alberta as opposed to the province’s left-wing being much more unified behind one party. Basically all this is an issue that could solved by implementing proportional representation in the province.

The pushback is currently being coordinated, it has only been a week since the back-to-work order, I personally feel it is way too early to judge a lack of action, but regardless students have been pushing back in the meantime the labour movement sorts things out on their end.

I do appreciate being distinguished as an individual and not as a part of the government or the worst of the crowd that voted them in.

So you’re hating on all of us because one person generalized? Curious.

The AB gov’t effectively just told Albertans that they have no rights, just privileges subject to the UCP’s whims by using the not withstanding clause twice. Where’s the pushback beyond talk? Smith is trying to normalize its use, and contribute to stripping our rights federally, straight from the playbook down south. Poilievre literally just said he’d use it.

We’re in an uncertain time and suffering at the whims of an American madman, and AB has sided with him. I think it’s safe to say YOU haven’t, and honestly most Albertans haven’t, but your gov’t has.

We live in a democracy, and like it or not, we’re defined by our gov’ts. The majority may not have voted for Danielle Smith’s UCP, but the majority absolutely did not vote to stop it.

Ya gotta understand, you live in the most American province in a time when America just started a trade war with us and threatened annexation.

For fuck’s sake you guys are up for a referendum next year to separate which could lead to the destruction of both AB and Canada. Honestly, I think there’s a good chance it’ll pass simply due to voter apathy. We’re in a threatened country, and even within our country, Alberta is threatening it.

Alberta has made it clear, maybe not you or yours, but Alberta has made it clear it doesn’t want Canada. I lived in AB for over a decade, and it’s full of good people. But good people mean nothing when they do nothing.

It’s like the old joke about lawyers: it’s just 90% who make the other 10% look bad.

The separation referendum is being stalled by a referendum to stay within Canada, where the petition to start it has already received enough signatures to start the referendum at 456K signatures.

Polling for separation is laughably low. This is not something that will happen, and not something legally feasible because of Treaty rights, and other numerous legal barriers. Smith herself has admitted she herself does not support separation, but has felt backed into a corner by her base as she fears a party split handing the NDP a win next election cycle more than she does the referendum succeeding, as she sees the former as a far more likely scenario. This can already be seen with the variety of right-wing parties in Alberta as opposed to the province’s left-wing being much more unified behind one party. Basically all this is an issue that could solved by implementing proportional representation in the province.

The pushback is currently being coordinated, it has only been a week since the back-to-work order, I personally feel it is way too early to judge a lack of action, but regardless students have been pushing back in the meantime the labour movement sorts things out on their end.

I do appreciate being distinguished as an individual and not as a part of the government or the worst of the crowd that voted them in.

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

I have absolutely no stake in this, but that’s not how I read it.

They are stating it’s something they are encountering with some frequency and then they are giving a concrete example and analysis to hopefully illustrate what they are experiencing.

I’m sure you are familiar with the experience of being frustrated with someone’s behavior or actions, but then have a hard time coming up with more than a couple of examples when prompted.

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

I haven’t been keeping score, but everything OP said matches what I’ve noticed. I used to come here on my Beehaw account and literally couldn’t see the downvotes since Beehaw ignores them, but since I switched, the mass downvoting anytime anyone from Alberta posts is very noticeable. More broadly, people seem to largely be doing one of the shitty things I left Reddit and moved to Beehaw for: using the downvote button as “disagree” instead of what it should be: “not contributing to the conversation”.

I wish more instances removed downvoting; it just accelerates the move to an echo chamber, furthering polarization. I honestly don’t understand what they add.

If it’s hateful/prejudiced, then report it for removal. If it’s incorrect, then ratio them in the comments with your thoughtful response.

Except I am giving facts? The guy said that the NDP was in control of the province for a “long time” before Lougheed was premier. The Alberta NDP never held government before 2015, the Social Credit Party was the ruling party in Alberta for nearly 40 years before Lougheed was premier. This is something that can be easily found through a Google search. He also claimed that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and did nothing to do so afterwards, which is also provably false. The Heritage Fund was founded by Lougheed’s government to save money for investment in sectors, and it was following premiers that squandered that fund to the infamy it holds today.

So in the midst of implying my intelligence is lacking by stating that the schoolboards here have somehow failed me because I made a simple comment he disagrees with, he also spouts outright misinformation. I gave facts. I gave facts about the current state of affairs in regards to the teacher’s strike in response to someone falsely accusing people here of doing nothing, followed up with my opinion on what can be done, and then was greeted by further insults by someone who was blanketing Conservative views on me from the start for the very nature of where I’m from because they met some people that hold those beliefs.

Me saying “the rest of country turns it’s brain off”, may have been a little more loaded than I realised, I will take accountability for that, honest mistake on my part.

Hear Hear!

---

To all Albertans who aren’t living in ideology ( ANY ideology: I now think they’re damned mind-parasites, trying to destroy our world, the same as rabies-viruses collaborate to do-so, to the lives they infect ),

& there are many, gratitude to you for your culture of saying what you mean, & meaning what you say, which much of the rest of Canada could benefit significantly from…

I’ve never been there, but an Albertan made a big impression on my mind, decades ago, at an accessibility meeting, then I knew some former-Albertans & they were good people, too, years later.

Also, there was a program running in Afghanistan, & what it did was it got Afghani people to be employed outside of the drug-industry, & outside of the endless warlordism…

They sometimes literally paid people to move hills, by hand, if that’s what it took to get people out from the cycles which kept drowning their country…

It was winning…

( then Trump signed an agreement with somebody to pull the US out from Afghanistan, gutting everything )

I don’t know what that program was called, but it took an Albertan to run it.

( read about it perhaps 1.5 decades ago, in some newspaper ).

Gratitude for that, too.

---

ALL of our provinces & territories have ideologues, who try to increase their importance/significance through making themselves look bigger than they are, right?

We need to out-compete the ideologues.

That is how we win Natural Selection!

---

Namaste, & Kaizen, fellow Canuckians!

_ /\ _

More broadly, people seem to largely be doing one of the shitty things I left Reddit and moved to Beehaw for: using the downvote button as “disagree” instead of what it should be: “not contributing to the conversation”.

This is splitting straws. This distinction never made sense anyway

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

Nah bruv. There’s a world of difference.

4. Upvote and Downvote Responsibly

Upvote: Content you find useful, interesting, or entertaining.
Downvote: Content that is off-topic, unhelpful, or violates community guidelines—not just because you disagree with it.
Why it matters: Misusing the voting system can lead to valuable posts being buried.

What’s the fucking point of comments at all if anyone who raises a contrasting opinion is downvoted into invisibility?

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

It stalled nothing. If either got enough votes it would go to referendum, they just beat the separatists to the punch to turn the question into a positive (from our perspective) from a negative. If neither got enough votes it wouldn’t go to referendum.

The danger now is that the positive got enough sigs, almost 200k more than necessary, that I’m worried Albertans will become complacent as Canadians do, and figure “it got so many votes it won’t pass so why bother”. Just. Like. Brexit.

We’ve literally seen this play out less than ten years ago. Don’t let your guard down, this isn’t about the number of people who want to separate, it’s about using the apathy of the majority.

Also, if you believe Smith is only trying to ‘placate’ her base and you believe her, wake the fuck up. don’t let your guard down.

Edit: Apologies for being harsh there, I’m tired of this world and it gets to me sometimes. Nothing against you. I understand where you’re coming from and truly hope you’re right.

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

I want to say this loud and clear in a post here for everyone to see, but there is an issue here with people having this giant hate boner for Albertans. Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

It doesn’t matter if you’re politically on the same side as people elsewhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if you present facts to people who are provably wrong on the most basic of things they say, it doesn’t matter if you treat them with dignity and respect by mentioning things with good intentions and not insulting people. You will still get labelled as the bad guy for the very fact you’re Albertan.

I made a response to a comment on this post in the community. My comment was responding to someone who called Albertans “HUGE pussies” for “giving up our rights”.

In my response to said comment, I basically said that the notion that we’re “simply giving up” is completely false, using the following facts:

1. Students have been staging walkouts:

• CBC: Calgary students among thousands across Alberta taking part in provincewide walkout
• Global News: Alberta students walk out of class in support of teachers forced back to work
• OkotoksOnline: High River students walkout in support of teachers

2. The AFL (Alberta Federation of Labour) has stated that they will retaliate against the back to work order with a “general strike if necessary”

• Global News: ‘General strike if necessary’: Alberta unions declare intent to bring down UCP government
• CPAC: Alberta Union Leaders Respond to Smith Government’s Back-to-Work Legislation
• CityNews Calgary: No general strike yet as Alberta labour unions mobilize against Smith government

3. The UCP has faced a dip in the polls resulting from the back-to-work order

• CTV News: Majority of Alberta Gov’t Report Card respondents feel province headed in wrong direction
• Angus Reid: Teachers’ Strike: Most Albertans side with teachers as they criticize UCP’s handling of education
• Calgary Herald: ‘Reputational challenges’: New poll shows public support for Smith, UCP has dipped amid teachers’ strike (Yes I know it’s PostMedia, it’s still relevant and correct in this case)

I went ahead and said that statements like this that blanket Albertans as lazy, dumb, and inept do not help relations between the province and the rest of the country, especially when the actions being taken showcase the exact opposite.

For this, I was labelled as a conservative myself when I’m registered with the NDP provincially and federally, had myself and those around me insulted, and was told I was uneducated by someone who spewed blatantly incorrect information as they did so, and I was the one looked down upon in the entire interaction simply for where I’m from.

I suggested that in order for the NDP or Liberals, or anybody to win over Albertans, they need to address issues here. I gave the example of canola farmers suffering, and how the feds can tariff imported cooking oils to encourage consumers to choose a domestic alternative and/or have marketing campaigns to support canola farmers by increasing their domestic sales.

For this, someone insinuated that I am dumber than them simply based on what they assumed to be the school system I attended. The very same person who said this confidently made another comment where they claimed that the NDP was in charge for a “long time” before Peter Lougheed, and that Lougheed ran on diversifying the economy, and ditched the effort afterwards.

This is provably false. The NDP formed government for the first time in 2015, it was the Social Credit Party who came before Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives. Lougheed also established the Heritage Fund , which was made specifically to save money for investments in other sectors of Alberta’s economy, the disaster of the fund came with the following leaders.

However, calling someone out for getting their facts wrong, and showcasing a current example of tariffs working to protect domestic goods gets you downvoted if you’re Albertan, with the very people insulting your intelligence getting upvoted as they spew their nonsense.

Apparently explaining working-class issues and what left-wing parties can do to better reach those who normally vote Conservative is treating Alberta as “special” and forcing “everyone else to adapt” to us. Clearly the “majority” of people in Alberta are “hateful morons” and “insular xenophobes” .

Why do people continue to blanket me with the thoughts of a few bad apples they met? Are they more prominent here, sure, whatever, I can agree to that. I can agree that people here can be some of the worst you’ve met, I would know, I live here.

But me and the good, well-meaning people I know, especially those here who are marginalised or among the over 750,000 people who voted for the NDP the last election, do not appreciate having blanket statements made against us simply because we live here. I am pro-abortion, I am pro-immigration, I am pro-expanding healthcare, pro-creating public alternatives, pro-trans rights, anti-privatisation, anti-separatist, and yet sure, I’m a Conservative tip-toeing a line because my thoughts slightly deviate from the norm.

Hate the government, hate the jerks, do not hate me simply for where I’m born and the fact that I live here. I do not do this to you, I do not insult people for where they live or were born, and don’t make blanket assumptions about the entire population of an area based on who’s in power where they live. Why then is it seen as acceptable for this to happen to me?

I am an Albertan who doesn’t want special treatment, but for fuck sake, it is reasonable to want to be treated with respect.

Edit: I don’t know why the numbered lists are showing all as 1’s, I have them properly numbered in the text of this post.

No, the reason that a volunteer army of 6000 was able to collect 456,000 signatures to STAY in Canada is exactly because Albertans are NOT apathetic. The only reason you even hear about the ‘separatist movement’ and the wingnut Republican Party of Alberta is because the press giving them oxygen. There is very LITTLE appetite for separation here. Disgruntlement about the way AB gets treated by the federal government, yes, but separation, no. Its already dead. They wont get enough signatures to cause a separation referendum and this silly movement will die once and for all.

I’ve lived here more than 40 years and I have yet to meet ONE person who thinks separation is a good idea. And Ive seen a site promoting it, but the whole site used AI “Albertans” to present its arguments - not a single real Albertan. No one will even admit to creating the site, and no one is willing to go on national media and say they are heading up this movement. Its bullshit from a few wingnuts who are pretending they have momentum. They dont.