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Trudeau’s Liberals seem unable to grasp the perception of unfairness such blatantly discriminatory legislation produces

Kenney charged last week that Alberta is “under assault from other governments in Canada.” His United Conservative Party cited a survey showing 50 per cent of Albertans support secession, which Kenney said results from “a real tension that runs through the hearts of many Albertans.”

A recent Environics survey found 57 per cent of residents in Saskatchewan and Alberta agreed that “Western Canada gets so few benefits from being part of Canada that they might as well go it on their own.”

Grumbling is endemic to any country, but it’s remarkable how quickly Trudeau’s short term in office has eroded decades of effort to reassure Westerners about their place in Confederation. On Tuesday, both Notley and Kenney upbraided Toronto city Coun. Mike Layton, son of former NDP leader Jack Layton, for suggesting the city should sue oil companies for the impact of climate change.

“It’s clear that Mike Layton is out of touch with Canada’s economic reality and doesn’t see Alberta’s contributions because he has tunnel vision,” Notley tweeted.

Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia News

Kenney said he’d complained to Mayor John Tory about Layton’s “divisive” comments, adding: “The adoption of Coun. Layton’s motion would be seen by most Albertans as another example of a campaign to attack and vilify the essential role that our province plays in Canada’s economy.”

Layton’s remarks echo those of another municipal leader, Mayor Jack Crompton of Whistler, B.C., who came under intense criticism when it was noted that the resort town depends heavily on visitors burning fossil fuels to get there and lounge in their hot tubs, not to mention the fact Crompton ran a cab business to Vancouver airport and back.

Federal Liberals can’t be blamed for every local politician who puts his limitations on display, but their apparent indifference to Western interests acts as de facto approval for one-sided crusades by the ill-informed. It took 30 years and six prime ministers to put the notion of Western separatism to rest. It took fewer than four years of Trudeau Liberalism to revive it. Canada is the worse for their inability to learn from history.

• Twitter: KellyMcParland