[Alliance Fanatic]

Vive L'Alberta Libre! An interview with Bruce Hutton of the Separation Party of Alberta

By Pete Vere
web posted October 6, 2003

Over the past year, much has been written in the Canadian press concerning Western alienation. Nowhere is this sentiment more strongly felt than in Alberta – whose wealth and natural resources, many Albertans argue, has been plundered by central Canada since the time of confederation. As many Albertans have begun to discuss separation from Canada, the rest of Canada is finally taking notice. Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up with Bruce Hutton. Bruce is a proud Albertan who is currently organizing a founding convention of the Separation Party of Alberta for later this month.

Vere: To begin, why an Alberta separatist party?

Hutton: We cannot facilitate change under the current political system. For example, we've tried since 1874 to facilitate change with senate reform with no success. History dictates that there is just no chance for meaningful or successful change within the Canadian political system. The West has made nineteen attempts at senate reform in the last hundred years with not a single solitary change to show for it.

More importantly, confederation is an economic drain on Alberta. Ottawa continues to syphon off our excess revenues on oil and gas. What scares me as an Albertan is that these are non-renewable resources. If we don't use excess oil and gas revenue to diversify Alberta's economy today, then we will become a have-not province tomorrow.

Vere: How does Western alienation factor into this?

Hutton: Western alienation is a pretty large factor in all this. It brings a lot of separatists to the table. If we cannot facilitate change from within, then the only intelligent thing for us to do is get out. We've been trying to get into confederation for over a hundred years. It isn't working. Central Canada and Ottawa just don't want us.

Vere: So they want Alberta's resources, but not Alberta's citizens?

Hutton: Yes. This has been the history of the West – not just Alberta – since North America was discovered. We've been the hewers of wood and packers of water.

Vere: But given the presence of the Alberta Tories and the Alberta Alliance, isn't there a danger of splitting the conservative vote in Alberta?

Hutton: The right is always split. Yet none of these fractions offer a viable alternative. They are singing the same tune in that they all call for change, but there is no plan on how to actually bring about change when central Canada is so hostile to it.

Vere: How strong is separation sentiment among Albertans?

Hutton: There's been a few polls. One said 24 per cent of Albertans want to seriously consider it; another said 44 per cent want to discuss it. That's a huge voting bloc.

Vere: Does your party advocate a constitutional monarchy, a republic or some other form of replacement government?

Hutton: We haven't made any formal decisions yet. I imagine this will be decided at our upcoming founding convention. It may be a republic, a canton system or a constitutional democracy. These are alternatives being bandied about right now. However, I don't think it will be another monarchy.

Vere: Why not just hook up with the United States?

Hutton: Because it makes no difference whether we give our money to Ottawa or to Washington; we're just jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. We need to use our money to diversify Alberta's economy before we become a have-not province. We have no end use manufacturing in Alberta right now. When the oil and gas are gone, we immediately become a have-not province. And there's no question that oil and gas will either become obsolete or completely depleted in the future.

Alberta has carried the have-not provinces, of which there are currently eight, for some time now without any return on our investment. Last year we gave 9.98 billion dollars more than we took in. It cost Albertans nearly 10 billion dollars to remain Canadian last year. That's five hundred dollars for every foot of the Trans-Canada highway. It simply isn't worth it, especially when the West remains politically locked out of confederation.

Vere: Have you received much interest concerning your upcoming founding convention?

Hutton: There's interest. As one former Alberta premier said: "if Albertans haven't suffered enough, they have a God given right to suffer more." Personally, I feel that Albertans haven't suffered enough. In other words, life is good right now, but we don't truly understand the long-term negative consequences of remaining within confederation.

Vere: Were do you stand on social conservative issues?

Hutton: Our message is not left, right or center. There is room for diversity within the party, although we are right of center. Our message is economic. Quite frankly, there are currently no parties with any political conviction. They lead by looking over their shoulders to see what direction the public is going.

Vere: We certainly appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions. On a concluding note, how does one find out more about the Separation Party of Alberta? How would an interested Albertan become more involved?

Hutton: The easiest way to get a basic understanding of the party is to visit our website at www.SeparationAlberta.com. Our founding convention is also coming up at the end of October and we're looking for concerned Albertans to attend and share their input as to what direction we need to take. Please visit our website for more information on the convention, or you can email us at info@separationalberta.com.

Vere: Thank-you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.

Hutton: You're welcome.

Pete Vere, JCL is a canon lawyer and a Catholic social and religious commentator from Sudbury, Ontario. He now writes from Florida, where he and his family enjoy no state income tax along with life within walking distance of the Gulf of Mexico. His work has been published in numerous Canadian and American Catholic publications.

[Pellaken]

the party wants to ban porn, and terminate the human rights bill.
seems pretty right wing to me

[Cameron]

Going right, soon to do the loop and approaching left

[Jerry Potts]

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the party wants to ban porn, and terminate the human rights bill.
seems pretty right wing to me

Really. You must be very insightful because somehow you managed to read this in to an interview where nothing of the above sort was mentioned? Hmmmm. You seem pretty left wing to me.

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the party wants to ban porn, and terminate the human rights bill.

I challenge you to present one shred of evidence to prove what you stated is true. Unless you can back up your codswallop with FACT, not bluster, hearsay and conjecture, perhaps you had better stick to your potato politics.

[Jerry Potts]

BTW Alliance Fanatic,

What is the original source on this interview? Can you post a link? Thanks...

[Alliance Fanatic]

Here's the link to the website

http://www.enterstageright.com/

[Kai Hawatari]

Well, I don't think they have a chance. Quebec tried this and they had MUCH more reasoning then the Albertans do. I mean, the cultural gap is a big thing for the average voter, but money from the economy doesn't really hit the average joe too hard.

Banning porn? Well, I'm all for that.
As for the human rights bill... I haven't read the full official version but I HAVE read the simplified no-degree-required version and it doesn't seem to be a fairly solid document anyway. Too much of it is too vague to be of any use. Almost like an advert for how great and free Canada is (not to say that it isn't), rather than actually stating rules.

Maybe I'll make a thread about that. I don't have a clue if I'm right or not so it would be good to get some other opinions about it.

[Moderate Centrist]

Hello All,

Just wanted to restate my position that Alberta Separatism is a joke and will never fly.

Try selling it in Ft. McMurray - the Newfoundland of the west.

[Neal.F.]

Pellaken, on Oct 11 2003, 05:25 PM, said:

the party wants to ban porn, and terminate the human rights bill.
seems pretty right wing to me

Banning porn is a great idea. Make it a criminal ofense to peddle porn, either by selling the filth in stores or online. While it is virtually impossible to stop internet porn, they can find out who is behind the sites, try them "in absentia" and ban them from doing business in the jurisdiction, and even entering therein.

Drug dealers should be dealt with more harshly.

As for killing the Trudeau charter of rights, GOOD. that thing has enabled the axis of civil libertarians, left wing special interests and trial lawyers to use the courts to trump elected officials, and is doing immense damage to the country.

Alberta separation might fly, if the liberals (whether the be Liberals, PROGRESSIVE conservatives, or NDP) keep promoting immoral legislation.

[Moderate Centrist]

While pornographic consumption is not something that really interests me any attempt to ban it is a waste of time.

Like most crimes of vice the fault lies primarily with the public. If you don't like porn or are offended by it - don't watch, read or buy it.

Works for me.

I actually agree with laws to make it more difficult to purchase pornography but again, banning it is politically unwinnable.

Back to Alberta Separation - won't work.

[Gugsy]

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Banning porn is a great idea.

As MC said, if you don't like it, don't buy it. I don't like spaghetti, but hey, I'm not about to start a campaign to ban the stuff.

This is a free country, we're not in North Korea.

[Neal.F.]

Porn is harmful. It's not simply a "choice" . There's no "I'm OK , you're OK" It is the leading cause of marriage breakups. It causes people to be looked on as objects or receptacles, as opposed to human beings. It is degrading , and thus should be banned, and its purveyors face criminal charges.

We, asa society ban or curtail many things that are considered harmful. Thgis shoudl be no different....

Oh...how clumsy of me!!!! IF porn is indeed a leading root cause of divorce, then OF COURSE the slimy lawyers that run this country don't want to ban something that keeps their brethren specialized in matters of divorce busy... and rich.

[Alliance Fanatic]

I am against banning pornography, sodomy, or anything to that nature. I feel what you do in your own home is your own business. However I draw the line when people try to force their lifestyles on other people. I am against gay rights, gay marriage, and a pride TV. I am also dead set against sex ed programs, due to the fact that its the parents business to talk to thier kids about sex. One more point to make is that most teens have viewed pornography, online, or have bought a magazine like Playboy, Hustler, Penthouse, etc.

[Neal.F.]

AF, Banning those things may not be electorally popular but it is the RIGHT ( and to the right) thing to do.

However, I agree with you that homosexuals ought to keep what they do behind closed doors. I don't like it when heteros are all over each other in public either. A bit of decorum is in order.

If you have laws against sodomy, adultery and the like, you know that they cannot be enforced. the point is, having them on the books is a declaration by society that we have high standards, and these types of behaviour are not acceptable.

By legalizing things like that we are in effect lowering the bar, instead of raising it.

[Hugo]

The age-old voices of morality have been mostly crushed by secular humanism and by proponents of religion who seek to make it "popular" by being "progressive." Hand-in-hand with that, it has become the case that the question "is it moral?" has been largely replaced by "is it legal?" in our society, and legality has become de facto moral approval.

Therefore, I cannot applaud while the secular state and bleeding-heart liberals decide that good morals are henceforward to include drug abuse, pornography, pedophilia, incest, infanticide, sexual deviancy, prostitution and all kinds of profiteering from human misery, suffering and death.

If the Separation Party of Alberta wants to ban porn, and terminate Trudeau's myopic, egregious and thoroughly wrongheaded notions of human rights, great! Where can I pledge money?