Election follow up: A proud Canadian’s heartbreaking breakup letter with Canada

Submitted by Mark Meincke of Okotoks

Dear Canada,

When I was a child, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was our Prime Minister, and when he instituted the National Energy Program, Alberta was devastated. My Dad was a successful business owner, who employed dozens and dozens of people. All his employees lost their jobs. We declared bankruptcy, and were foreclosed on. My Dad lost everything, so my parents, my sister and I lost our home.

Our family went from being successful, to living in our Uncles basement for a year. Our family spent a full year, with 10 people in a house that only had one bathroom. It was rough for all of us…but we made it through. Alberta eventually recovered, but our family never fully bounced back, and we still feel the pain to this day.

On October 21rst, you re-elected Justin Trudeau to be your Prime Minister.

Like you, I’m a proud Canadian, and have proven my loyalty by risking my life in a war zone to protect our country. I was wounded there, and have been suffering from those wounds for over 20 years. My family has also suffered from those wounds, and is still suffering today.

Canada, you elected a Prime Minister who said that Veterans were asking for more than the government is willing to give….so every day another Veteran who is desperate for help, takes their own life. Their cries for help continue to go unanswered.

Canada, you elected a Government who has openly declared they will destroy the Alberta energy sector, which will destroy Alberta. Your response…”Well, I guess Alberta should have diversified their economy…so tough luck”. You don’t seem to understand, that it’s more than the oil sector you’ve shut down. Hundreds of restaurants have already shut down, with hundreds more about too.. Downtown Calgary high rises are vacant, property values are dropping, and businesses of all sorts are evaporating with no end in sight.

Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs, have gone bankrupt, and have lost their homes. Suicide is on the rise, and mental health is on the decline. All of this pain…and you don’t seem to notice. Still…somehow it is US who is paying YOU equalization payments. How is this possible? If you won’t help us by sending the cash back in our direction, at least stop taking our money until we can get back on our feet….please!

Canada, you chose to replace the cleanest, most ethical oil in the world with Saudi oil. By doing so, you are supporting a dictatorship that kills homosexuals, and subjugates women. How can you be in favor of human rights, gay rights, and women’s rights….and yet support Saudi oil?

The result of your decision, is LESS clean, ethical oil, and MORE dirty, unethical oil. ZERO improvement will occur with carbon emissions, instead there will be MORE emissions, and LESS progress on human rights. Destroying the Alberta energy sector goes against all of your beliefs and morals…yet somehow you still justify your decision.

When we pleaded for help, you rolled your eyes. When Alberta warned you that our separtist sentiment was on the rise, you scoffed. When Justin Trudeau…the man who openly hates the west won the election…you cheered. You cheered for the devastation of the west.

I love you Canada..I love you so very much. I love you so much that I’ve given all that I have to give to you. I love you, but we are in an abusive relationship.

There is no pain so great as unrequited love.

A good marriage is one where each has an equal say. A good marriage is one where each respects the opinions of the other, even if they disagree. In a good marriage, each spouse not just allows for the individuality of the other, they support and encourage individuality.

Alberta has done all that we can to be a good partner to you. We have put bread on the table, paid your bills, put your kids through school, and supported your freedom to be whoever you want to be. But still, …you don’t love us back. You don’t even want to treat us as casual friends. Alberta feels more than just left out, we feel despised.

Dear Canada, the time has come for us to go our separate ways. We love you…SOOOO MUCH, but we now realize that you will never love us back. For most of my life, Separation was not a possibility, but now I realize it’s the only way we can survive.

Heart broken,

Alberta

(Written by Mark E. Meincke, blending his real life story with the persona of Alberta)

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Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

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By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.