Keith Gerein: Edmonton has dual anger — at Ottawa, and secession claims

Article content

Actor Val Kilmer died last week, reminding me of his performance as the title character (1995) for Batman Forever, where the Knights forced the Caped Crusader to be an option for existence—like some people in framed Canada’s federal election.

As the story progresses, the villain wants to solve the riddles of Batman’s heart, so he orchestrates a test of life or death, where the protagonist must decide on the spot whether he values ​​himself the most as Bruce Wayne or Vigilante. In the mind of the riddle, they cannot exist in an equal manner, so forcing an estimate of duality will ultimately lead to hero destruction.

Article content

The year the movie was released also had a big survival plot in Canadian politics. Identity became a currency again, as the Quebec sovereignty referendum ended with a huge victory in the “No” aspect. You can call it a victory for the “Solunity Defender”, except I don’t think anyone really likes to celebrate in the aftermath.

Article content

Thirty years later, we now find ourselves in a more crazy, confused and dangerous period that only increases our willingness to choose. It is in this context that another storm of sovereign showdown may be gathering. This time, the crisis was carefully planned about 3,500 kilometers west of Alberta, although it was exactly who was choreographing it was a debate.

This is most keenly expressed in the recent national column, former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, the son of Alberta’s longest-serving prime minister. He believes another liberal victory on April 28 finally sparked an estimate of Alberta’s heart, in which case our change of self as Canadians will transition from dual identity to duel identity.

Article content

Article content

Under such a framework, the federal election could even be described as a former recommendation, leaving all Canadians to comment when they care about the alienation of the West. In Manning’s estimate, in the column, it says that the vote for the Liberal Party is a vote for the division of Alberta.

A goal that can be achieved?

In recent years, I have often written about the scourge of superpartisans and tribalism. Among other unsettling effects, it can make compassion, distort negotiable conflict into all-or-nothing situations and divide us into completely separate echo chambers. In Alberta, like everywhere else, we live not only in twin identities, but also in different realities.

For many who are pushing for the referendum final, their information ecosystem clearly tells them that the victory of the liberals will make Alberta achievable goal. Who knows, maybe they are right.

The polls we see don’t suggest that they are, but maybe things have more bubbles under the surface than they realize.

Article content

(A recent survey by Angus Reid shows that 30% of Alberta will support leaving Canada if liberals win, which is not a number that should be ignored, but also feels like a steep climb in most territories.)

In the bubble of Edmonton, I don’t really like to join these levels.

Are you angry? certainly. Alberta has legal beef. C-69. Tanker ban. Affordability. Watch Quebec accepts annual equilibrium – some degree of derivation from Alberta’s oil and gas revenues and then bring obstacles to the new pipeline to increase Canada’s economic resilience.

Liberal leader Mark Carney is not clear about his energy policy and it doesn’t help, though I’m not sure if a better answer will move for separatist and separatist-slanted crowds.

Meanwhile, unless Ottawa is unexpectedly disastrous about the economy, it is hard to see another liberal victory, at least from this favorable point of view, to convince a large number of Edmontonians to revoke their Canadian citizenship.

Article content

Still, it’s an issue with Echo Chambers. It is easy to hear the content that has been reflected again and again, and it is not easy to hear the words of the next valley.

For example, many people in Alberta want other parts of the country to sympathize with our plight, which is a fair question, but we have never been particularly good at stepping on their shoes.

If we do this, we may find that there are many fearful Canadians right now who don’t necessarily tend to put Alberta’s grip on their election priority list. When they think of Alberta, I suspect they don’t particularly appreciate the final thoroughness during a national crisis.

Brinkmanship has almost never been a political strategy to win the heart, especially those who act as a fringe hail from the richest parts of the country.

(I mean, seriously, what are the plans to pose the same threat in every federal election? What will Alberta react if the rest of Canada asks us to stop electing conservative provincial governments?)

Article content

Conditional loyalty

Identity is a profound personal thing, for many in this city and province, of course myself included – it is frustrating to hear people claiming to represent people in Alberta that our loyalty to Canada is both negotiable and conditional. Or, we are interested in unity only if we decide on the terms.

Just as frustrated in these places, this is not the portrayal of Alberta as I know it. In addition to the often directorial anger, the self-righteous announcement of the nation’s decomposition in one of our most vulnerable moments also creates double anger at the statement of adulthood in our country.

This leads a part of me to think we should continue to vote. At least some people who promote this last message are obviously willing.

The economic damage that would be subject to may allow the Trump administration to sow obvious goals of fate, and the lingering uncertainty is not healthy.

So maybe it’s better to finally solve this problem – at least for a generation – and give Alberta an estimate. Let’s see whose echo chamber has the largest. (Although don’t do this in municipal elections this fall.)

Article content

But give a warning to supporters. In the movie I mentioned at the top, Batman finds a way to maintain duality, the Ridder’s plan fails and he is sent to a mad sanctuary.

Yes, this is just a comic book movie. But there is the fact that when you try to force people to choose between basic identities, don’t be surprised if they turn on those who are coerced.

kgerein@postmedia.com

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know – Add edmontonjournal.com and edmontonsun.com to your bookmark and Sign up for our newsletter here.