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“Great events” are more important than great speeches to promote Quebec independence, Jean-François Lisée wrote in his post-mortem on the disastrous performance of the Parti Québécois under his leadership in the general election last October.

Lisée is right that the most important gains by the indépendantistes have been mainly in reaction to the actions of federalists. That’s why the present best hope for the revival of this province’s independence movement lies not with some charismatic new Québécois leader, but with the premier of Alberta.

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Jason Kenney is the head of Alberta’s United Conservative Party government elected in April on his promise to Albertans — and his threat to Ottawa — to hold a referendum on abolishing the federal equalization payments received by other provinces.

The referendum would be held in October 2021, unless two recently adopted federal environmental laws opposed by Alberta’s gas and oil industry are repealed, and the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion from Alberta to the Pacific coast demanded by the industry is built.