Bigger question how do Americans feel about Alberta joint the USA??
Right now there is considerable tension between the province of Alberta and the Federal government in Canada. There has long been some regional animosities as Albertans individually pay money in to subsidizing the public expenditures of eastern provinces, notably Quebec. According to American geopolitical consultant Peter Zeihan:
“Right now, every man, woman and child in Alberta pays $6,000 more into the national budget than they get back. Alberta is the only province that is a net contributor to that budget — by 2020, the number will exceed $20,000 per person, $40,000 per taxpayer. That will be the greatest wealth transfer in per capita terms in the Western world."
The strongest economic base of Alberta is the oil and gas industry, whose crude is selling at a massive discount compared to American crude due to lack of port access. The supreme court of Canada filed an injunction against construction of a Kinder Morgan expansion to the west coast, and the province of Quebec has repeatedly blocked attempts to construct a pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick on the east coast. The situation has become so dire that the premier has recently purchased several thousand rail cars to move crude to market.
In a nutshell, Alberta is disproportionately footing the bill for provinces that simultaneously want to hamstring its economic development. The federal transfer payment system, known as equalization, massively benefits Quebec and the eastern provinces while contributing nothing to Alberta's rising provincial deficits. Quebec's economy has outperformed Alberta's in the last two years, while they have received over $20 Billion over the last two years... Alberta has received nothing from the system.
A rising minority in Alberta is now openly entertaining the notion of separating from Canada. Another very common sentiment is that Alberta should not only separate, but also actively seek US statehood. This would solve all of Alberta's current issues... port access would be very easily attained for its crude, its grain and other agricultural products would have easier access to American markets, and Albertans would save far more of their individual incomes under the current US system.
What would Americans think of such a thing? What type of debates would this stir up in the US if this were to actually happen?
