Canada wisely nixed populism, Mallick, Oct. 23

I’m deeply saddened and insulted by Heather Mallick’s column shaming Albertans for standing up to this current atrocity known as the Liberal government.

I was born and raised in Ontario and, after joining the military, was transferred from North Bay to Cold Lake, Alta. I have never lived in a province where people are so proud to be Canadian first and Albertan second.

How you cannot see the optics of this current plight is beyond me. How does Quebec run in a federal election with a provincial party? And how can they say we don’t want your dirty oil but we’ll take your dirty oil money?

Have you any idea what it’s like to see thousands of people out of work? Do you know why they feel upset? Let me tell you. Here’s fat and happy Quebec sitting there at the table waiting for their equalization pay and here’s Alberta waiting on the tables.

So the government says, “OK, Alberta, we’re landlocking your prime income and going to prevent you from shipping your oil out of Canada, but you still have to pay the other provinces more money than you make.

If you haven’t grasped the mental picture by now, you probably won’t. If you’re a Liberal, you’ll refuse to even try to picture this scenario.

Ian MacKenzie, Cold Lake, Alta.

Encana teaches Canada, and Kenney, a tough lesson, Mallick, Nov. 4

Heather Mallick’s column on Encana made me as angry as I’ve ever been regarding the total lack of knowledge regarding Canada’s energy industry in mainstream media, and how the past four years of government policies have created the current resentment in provinces that have strong economies in the natural resource sectors.

The West is in a recession driven entirely by misdirected legislation by the federal government. Are Canadians naive enough to believe that shutting down a Canadian industry eight times the size of the auto sector (and has contributed more than $600 billion to the Canadian federation), while the international oil and gas industry is thriving, will do anything other than transfer wealth and jobs to countries like Nigeria and Saudi Arabia?

Western Canadians are not disputing climate change, but destroying an industry that is a major supporter of the quality of life for every Canadian without any net worldwide climate benefit is not the answer.

J. David Rushford, retired oil and gas executive, Calgary

Western alienation about demonizing memes more than Canadian reality, Nov. 3

These are sad times out here in western Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had preached inclusiveness after his first mandate and has not delivered on many fronts.

Born in Montreal and living in the West since 1974, I love this country. I now realize it is too large for our interests to be respected and governed by eastern Canada. The 3,500 SNC-Lavalin jobs, Bombardier and the auto sector have always taken precedence over the devastating loss of 100,000 oilfield jobs here in Alberta.

The Liberals bought a pipeline but the tanker bill pushed through by the last Liberal majority will ensure Western oil remains landlocked.

I am not painting all eastern Canadians with the same brush, but to re-elect the corrupt Liberal government does not speak well about the moral compass of eastern Canada.

The West wants out is real, and you ignore it at your peril. There are Canadian-signed treaties that would allow an independent Alberta’s resources to reach the coast and we would be happy to take our 11.6 per cent of the national debt.

I think Western Canada has a nice ring to it. Quebec blocking Energy East and eastern Canada just wanting Alberta’s money has gotten old out here.

Alan M. Pugh, Edmonton

If Canada had voted using a proportional representation system, where seats were separately allocated by province, the coloured map of Canada would look a whole lot different (and unified) than the polarized colouring we see today.

In Alberta, 70 per cent voted Conservative, but 30 per cent voted for more progressive parties. Under proportional representation, that would have given more progressive parties 10 seats, including about five for the Liberals.

And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would have been able to appoint a minister from Alberta. Too bad he didn’t think this through before he broke his promise on electoral reform.

Eileen Shannon, Dundas, Ont.

There are people in our great country who believe the current federal Liberal government is to blame for the recant of Western separation.

The federal government did not start this. The people in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan who voted for populist politicians instead of looking at the bigger picture started this. Now, you have these three blaming everyone else instead of finding solutions.

These guys think that Canada is there to only serve themselves. Such selfishness should not be tolerated and they should all be called out for it. It was the same in 1980, when Alberta refused to share their oil resources with the rest of Canada. Shame on these premiers for inciting divisions in our Canada.

Bruce Compton, Pickering

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