Articles of the Month

No, Alberta isn't full of Polluting Separatists...

The insane ramblings, which have blanketed Alberta's media within the past few months, give solidarity to the assumption that every Albertan is a Polluting Separatist. This, of course, is true in some cases, but definitely not all and most certainly not the majority. Although stereotypical judgments might portray the idea, it is not the truth.

The truth is that Albertans do care about the environment, and they do want to make changes which will reduce CO2 emissions, just not this soon and not this severe. The Kyoto Protocol which asks Canada to reduce its emissions to 6% below 1990 levels gives the impression of a baby step - a small improvement. This may be true in parts of Canada where the majority of the population does not depend on the oil and gas industry, but it is not true in Alberta. Although the estimates, which the Alberta government gives, may be grossly over-exaggerated (such as the loss of 45,000 jobs), the fact that Alberta will see the majority of the economic repercussions is not. Alberta will suffer most, and all Albertans want is a say in our fate as a population, not as a province. Alberta doesn't want to separate from Canada. Alberta loves Canada, but we don't want our economy to crash either. Global warming is a problem which should be addressed globally.

Accepting the terms and results of the Kyoto accord is a provincial problem, and Albertans should be given more than a representative to voice our concerns. We should be given a chance to decide for ourselves.