If AB separated, I’m not sure the US has anything to bring to ABs table?
If Alberta became the 51st state, the US would gain another wealthy state nearly as big as Texas, the US would replace Canada as the second largest country on Earth, and the US would gain the third largest oil reserves of any country after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Adding Alberta’s oil production of 3.5 million barrels per day to the US oil production of 10 million barrels per day would make the US by far the largest oil producer in the world, well ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia. It would be like having another Texas but with far fewer people and much more oil and gas. It would pretty much solve the US energy supply problems for the foreseeable future since the US could be counted on to exploit those resources and move them to market regardless of anybody trying to stop it.
From Canada’s perspective it wouldn’t be very good since Canada would lose 90% of its oil reserves It would lose much of its oil refining and petrochemical industries and become a heavy net importer of crude oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel from the US. It would also lose 35% of its farmland, and 60% of its beef cattle, and BC would be cut off from the rest of of Canada. The federal government would lose much of its tax revenue and would be unable to fund its generous revenue equalization payments to Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces any more. Universal medical care would be much harder to fund. The Canadian dollar would drop drastically as a result of the loss of oil export revenue.
Albertans would notice that their taxes went down and that the GST disappeared completely, along with carbon taxes. Their new US dollars would buy a lot more than their old Canadian dollars did. Gasoline prices would go down to US levels. They would all rush out and buy even bigger 4x4 trucks than they already drive.
I don’t think most Canadians realize just how important Alberta is to the Canadian economy. They just know that Albertans are richer than other Canadians for some inexplicable reason and feel resentful about it.
