Conservative elder statesman Preston Manning says he’s baffled that some view Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as anti-Canada given her vocal support of Confederation.
Manning says he seen opinion polls outside Alberta that suggest that many see her as a separatist.
“I can’t believe some of these polls that have been taken in Ontario, for example, that indicate 60 per cent of Ontario voters thought Danielle Smith was a separatist,” Manning said Wednesday as he discussed his upcoming “Alberta and the West” virtual forum beginning Saturday.
“Despite the legislation that’s been passed here, despite speech after speech that has been given on this, how did that happen? Well because the secession angle, it’s controversial, it’s negative and it gets more play.”
Manning, who is 84, said Smith will discuss Alberta continuing to grow as a strong and sovereign province within Canada on the first day of the forum.
“I do think people do want more information on what are the pros and cons of these various options,” he said. “The premier presumably will expand on what exactly is meant by a sovereign province within the federation.”
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Smith has called a referendum for Oct. 19 on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or whether it’s time to hold a second, binding referendum on starting the legal process to separate.
Manning is the former federal opposition leader and founder of the Reform Party — a political movement in Western Canada that grew out of voter dissatisfaction with Ottawa and the perceived lack of attention that was being paid to the west in the late 1980s.
He is co-hosting the event, sponsored by the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education, with former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell.
The event is to hear from groups for and against secession, and is meant to inform Alberta voters looking for information about the referendum.
Manning said the organizers all have opinions on the future of Alberta, but aren’t stating them publicly and will let the public make up their own minds.
“We’re not taking a particular position even though we have one and we’ll vote by secret ballot on Oct. 19,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I’m a democrat before I’m a conservative, an Albertan or a federalist.”
The separation question is one of 10 Albertans will vote on. The other nine focus on immigration and the Constitution.
Smith called the referendum earlier this year. She has said enough Albertans now view separation as a legitimate response to federal interference in provincial affairs and it’s time to put the issue to rest once and for all in a vote.
Critics, including the Opposition NDP, say Smith is inflating and legitimizing the grievances of a small sliver of discontented Albertans in order to mollify hardline separatists in her United Conservative Party.
Manning, who helped create the Reform Party in 1987, with the slogan “the West wants in,” never advocated for separation when he was in office. But he understands there are some Albertans still unhappy about how things turned out.
“The fact that there was not a sufficient response from the federal government or Central Canada to the argument that the West wants in … when you reject that or ignore it, what you produce is this secession reaction,” Manning said.
“If getting the West in didn’t work, trying to get it out will get the attention.”
if you think he is dumb ! just look at a liberal supporter… now that’s worse!!!
Baffled is his normal look.
I’ll vote for the future binding referendum. I’ll vote YES on most of the other 9. In a future binding vote, I’ll vote to remain in Canada.
manning is irrelevant.
choose option A and vote NO on the other 9
I stopped being baffled by some people’s lack of sense long ago.
Smith just lost a by-election because of her plotting against the Independence Movement.
The eastern media claims that the independence movement is small but we turned a by-election on its head didn’t we.
He is baffled everytime he looks in mirror.
Ontarians believe Smith is a separatist because the media is left wing and Smith isn’t so the media relies on Ontarians being gullible and so the story goes on and on, la la la
poor old sod
True democracy you say?
You have been fooled I say.
Danielle is not a supporter of seperation. However she is something the NDP and fellows fear even more. She is a strong supporter of true democracy. Something the Left only see as useful when it will achieve their desires.
But media have whipped out their brushes and have painted her as a Canada hating monster. Say, how much money did the Federal government gave to the media industry?
Well… ol’ Preston never was the brightest light in the closet.
It is the NDP and their rhetoric oc falsehoods trying to slither their way back into power to finish what Notley started!
Strange Manning thinks we should trust Smith. Jumped parties 2x now, from Wild Rose to Conservatives and from being a UCP in favor of separatism to supporting Carney. Smith cannot be trusted.
He’s still alive? Who knew?
Well Preston it sounds like maybe you have missed Danielle’s tongue in cheek comments everyone else has noticed regarding separation. She has brought that assessment on herself.
Of course, Smith is a separatist. Just pay attention to what she does, not what she sys.
The only question is whether she want to be governor of the 51st state or the queen of Alberta. I suspect the US wouldn’t give her much choice in the matter.
Another elderly politician. We just have to look south of us to witness the results of elderly leaders having control over government policies. His exorbitant salary for being a paid propagandist for Danielle Smith also shows that Conservatives will sell themselves for any cause that pays them. I’m disgusted with the two of them. Perhaps Ms. Smith is not a separatist, but she sure is bending over backwards to enable and encourage them. I really don’t see a difference between her facilitating the separatists and being in league with them.
Hope this guy and the premier bang into each other head on.
Really Preston you are dumbfounded by this. The Reformers and Wildrose are the two entities that basically destroyed the Conservative Party across Canada. They were and are viewed as western separatists and far right wing! Of course Smith will be perceived as a Separatist because she did nothing to stop this stupid referendum that she hopes to win her some political points in Alberta while the rest of Canada laughs at her and calls her a traitor. She can say all she wants about being a part of a Unified Canada but the damage has been done already.
Just look at how Quebec is perceived across Western Canada. The only reason that Quebec has so much say is the amount of political seats they carry in the parliament and the federal parties have to cater to them to stay in power. Until that changes Canada will stay divided and the west will always lose until all western provinces actually work together but we know that will not happen anytime soon.
So Preston look in a mirror and realize your words really do not mean much to true Conservatives and are just the fridge separatist minority that have destroyed the Conservative Party across Canada.
Her words say it in a nutshell. She wants a sovereign Alberta.(within Canada). She should want a strong Alberta in a confederation of provinces within Canada.
This is because the far-left doesn’t listen to the gov’t, nor do they have the ability to form their own opinion. One of them spews nonsense, they all jump on that bandwagon. Just like our tax dollar funded media.