Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper published a column in the Calgary Herald on Friday, October 2, publicly warning Alberta against the path of separation. "No one will be surprised to learn that I am against separation. That would involve much risk and be extremely difficult to bring about," Harper wrote. "Besides, there is nothing resembling the credible leadership necessary to establish a new country." He cautioned voters that even casting a ballot just to "send a message" of discontent would be a "fraught approach."
The timing is tight. On October 19, Albertans will vote on the province's most sensitive question in decades: should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the government of Alberta hold a second, binding referendum to separate from Canada? The referendum puts 10 questions to voters, covering the constitution, immigration and separation. With less than three weeks to go, the atmosphere is already tense.
Notably, the voices against separation come from Alberta's most prominent conservatives. Current federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, himself an Albertan, stated clearly in Edmonton this week that he supports a united Canada. He blamed the Liberal federal government for seeding the discontent, but said separating from Canada "wouldn't help resolve provincial grievances." United Conservative Party MLA Jason Stephan of Red Deer-South took a middle line: he voted in favour of proceeding with a legally binding referendum on independence, while saying he hopes to see Canada united if Alberta is "treated fairly."
This is not Harper's first unity speech this year. Earlier this year, as his official prime ministerial portrait was unveiled on Parliament Hill, he called for Liberals and Conservatives to come together amid reinvigorated separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. In September, he backed the federal government's decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States at the Canada Investment Summit, arguing Canada needed "diminished reliance" on the United States to maintain its sovereignty — a striking position from a former prime minister once known for his pro-American stance.
CBC Edmonton is partnering with the University of Alberta Students' Union on a post-vote livestream discussion about what happens after the referendum, with panelists including former premier Jason Kenney. Elections Alberta, meanwhile, has reached a compliance agreement with Forever Canadian, the pro-unity campaign group, requiring it to disclose referendum advertising expenses and contributions — where the money comes from and where it goes must be on the record.
The subtext of Harper's column is blunt: separation is not a bargaining chip. A protest vote is easy to cast and hard to take back. For Albertans, the ballot on October 19 weighs more than it looks.