Alberta Premier Danielle Smith shakes hands with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Calgary, on May 15.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Candace Laing is president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Shauna Feth is president and CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce.
Growing up on the Prairies shapes how you think about your neighbours. One of us grew up in Alberta, the other in Saskatchewan. The two provinces are among the closest partners in Canada, grounded in a shared pragmatism, business-mindedness and neighbourly spirit.
We were both raised with the understanding that good neighbours do not have to agree on everything, but they do have to keep showing up for one another. We were also raised with common dinner table or coffee row conversation centring on the region’s frustration with the federal government. Discussions range from constraints on economic potential and Western Canada’s place and priority for the rest of the country. Now, Alberta’s October referendum question on separation is the newest development.
The province will decide whether to hold a formal referendum on negotiating an exit from Canada. To some, a vote on another vote may feel inconsequential, but the impact is serious. These processes are drawn-out campaigns with months of all-consuming political discussion.
Today, we’re talking business, not politics.
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Businesses crave certainty, especially after a year of painful trade disruption and an even longer streak of economic competitiveness challenges across Canada. Alberta’s referendum adds a new layer of uncertainty.
And Oct. 19’s vote could still only be the beginning of another cycle of uncertainty, with the possibility of an actual referendum on separation to follow, and investors waiting years for the dust to settle before getting off the sidelines. In the interim, businesses must make payroll. They have to hire or lay off. Farmers, energy producers and small-business owners do not have the luxury of going tools down and pausing decisions.
This is not merely an Alberta concern. Every region of the country benefits when capital flows into Canadian projects, when supply chains operate efficiently, and when businesses are confident enough to expand and hire. The economic consequences of uncertainty do not stop at provincial boundaries.
While many of the policy goals underlying frustrations in Alberta are ones the broader business community has championed and shared, the reality is that road to separation comes with heavy tolls. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab has research showing business confidence down from usual levels for seven consecutive quarters and, at best, flatlining. The Alberta Chambers also has new research showing more than four in 10 Alberta businesses say political uncertainty is already affecting their operations.
Canada is not perfect. Recognizing that imperfection is not an argument for separation. It is an argument for renewal, and our democracy is strong enough to handle it constructively.
The business case for Alberta is that our federation – as imperfect as it can be – offers integrated trade infrastructure, a stable currency, established legal frameworks, common defence, risk-sharing mechanisms and access to tidewater. Trying to replicate that would be complex, risky and costly.
Alberta’s economic success is an engine of Canada’s economy. One out of every six dollars generated in the Canadian economy comes from Alberta. That is true and not acknowledged enough. And too often, Alberta’s ambition has exceeded Canada’s willingness to match it. The resources sector is not the only example, yet it’s a symbolic one.
On behalf of Canada, Alberta is ramping up to produce and trade record amounts of clean and conventional energy, acting as the proponent for a catalyzing pipeline project, and collaborating with Indigenous partners to build. Even while some are questioning the province’s place within the federation, Alberta businesses are still stepping forward to strengthen Canada’s economic security.
The federal government seems to be understanding that Alberta cannot forever be discouraged from ambition and, in fact, that we need more of this ambition right now in all regions in order to build a stronger Canada. Ours is a country founded by builders. Our future won’t be built without the conditions for ambition to flourish once again: restored business confidence, navigable project approvals, survivable regulation levels, competitive taxation and governments with a “yes, and” approach to building a stronger economy.
When Albertans cast their ballots, they should be able to do so knowing there is a valued place for them in Canada. That their contribution to this country’s prosperity is recognized, appreciated and needed. That Canada’s future depends on Alberta continuing to succeed.
The progress on improving that relationship we’ve seen so far isn’t enough and could be fleeting. We should be focused on trust levels improving for all who have lost faith in the federation, whether they be business owners, workers or voters. Across Canada, the federal government must show that project greenlight timelines won’t take so long that profit projections end up abandoned before they’re started.
The strongest business partnerships endure because both sides continue investing in them. Alberta isn’t asking for anything more than a fair shake.
On a personal note, we are business leaders who built our careers on the Prairies. Given the chance, we would not have done it anywhere else. It’s home. And being Canadian freed us to feel at home everywhere across this country.
Across the West, we’re confident businesses are ready to build anew after this referendum closes. Thankfully, public policy is changeable through our democracy to better our communities, livelihoods and a feeling of belonging.
Without question, we can renew this partnership and improve upon it. Like good neighbours, we must choose to honour the relationship and keep it strong. Because a Canada without Alberta is no Canada at all. And we have a lot to gain, together.