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Lunch with Alberta's Firewall Guys CALGARY - The last time I had dinner with a member of our vast and wealthy mandarin class, he and his wife went into the usual sales pitch about how, of course, a civilized person spoke French, and it was ridiculous that no one spoke French in Victoria, when in Europe, everyone spoke several languages, and speaking French is the mark of a cultivated people. I restrained myself, because one of his cousins is my best friend, but really, French? In almost two decades spent in a non-subsidized, actually competitive industry, calligraphy would have been just as useful. And by the way, for one of those decades I worked regularly in Paris, and the list of countries I've dropped into, to do some story or other is quite long. English? It works just fine, buddy. French is just another Ottawa shake-down. So I was in good company on Tuesday at the Ranchmen's Club in Calgary. The Firewall Guys, as they are called, are all about shake-downs and stopping them (hence "firewall"), and it was good to bask in their sanity. The Ranchmen's is one of the plainest private clubs I've visited. There is no ornate grand staircase, no crenellated ballroom and I didn't spot a slab of marble anywhere. A big old Remington stands outside the dining room and there is a good Canadian painting on every wall, but this is a club for people who get things done. Much of the success that is Alberta has been planned here, discussed extensively, and taken out to the folks, as Bill O'Reilly calls them. Then, their approval secured, executed with little delay. And planning and execution is what the Alberta Agenda, started by six men, three of whom I'm lunching with, is all about. On Wednesday, the Ralph Klein government struck the McClelland Committee which, like Klein's investigation into Alberta finances that resulted in a 20% tax cut, will tour the province, soliciting opinion on Alberta's role in Confederation. The Committee will report in July, the next steps are already planned. Chief among the Firewall Guys is Ted Morton, a professor at the University of Calgary, and Alberta's senator-elect. The mention of this senator-elect causes some mirth among the folks, since he's been senator-elect for quite some time, and is still teaching at the university. The mandarins may regret not burying him in the Senate. Morton makes a strong, rational case for Alberta becoming a leading partner in Confederation, outpacing Quebec, and even, Ontario. Why? It pays the bills. Nine billion dollars leave Alberta every year, bound mostly for Quebec and the Maritimes. That's $3,000 from every Albertan resident. "I don't like being milked," says political scientist Rainer Knopff, the most plain-spoken of the bunch. "And I don't like being milked uselessly and counterproductively. The money does not do any good. The areas that get the most money, do the worst, both compared to their neighbours in Canada, their neighbours in the States, and in the case of Newfoundland, Iceland." Not only that, Quebec is gearing up to demand a change in the equalization formula which will mean more money will flow directly from Alberta taxpayers into a political system which is not working. And not working it certainly is. Despite massive subsidies, in the past 20 years, Quebec's GDP has declined 20%, while British Columbia has grown 22% and Alberta has grown 51%. At the end of the war, Quebec's population was double both Alberta's and British Columbia's, it is now equal. Yet to many in the West, the weaker Quebec became economically, the stronger it became politically. Alberta is about to take a page out of Quebec's playbook. "We look at ourselves, and we see that we have a distinct political culture, we have a distinct mythology and style. It's different here than it is in the ROC," says lawyer Andy Crooks. "Ontario was settled by Loyalists who were beaten by the Americans and Quebec was settled by the French who had been beaten by the English," says political scientist Barry Cooper. "Their myth leads them to believe that the only way to hold the country together is through bureaucratic control. Alberta was settled by pioneers, who were self-sufficient. That myth is powerful. The 50% of Albertans who are from other parts of Canada, come here because of that myth." And more people emigrate to Alberta every single year. "Separation is not part of the discussion," says Ted Morton. "The word has never passed our lips. We want to strengthen the federation, not weaken it. We want to go back to the original founding principle of provincial autonomy, with responsibilities within Confederation. We believe that these founding principles are so flexible that they will see us through the next century and beyond." Nor is Alberta cheap. "The numbers do not drive Albertans to turn off the tap. Contributions to the United Way are highest here, our volunteer commitment is huge. We are not self-serving, we are a broad expansive generous community, and we assert that under the Alberta Agenda, that giving will increase in focus and discipline," says Andy Crooks. Given the folks approval, what are their first steps? "A letter to the RCMP terminating their contract, happy to hire them back as a provincial police," says Ted Morton. "Then we'll say, we have a flat tax, we'll just collect it ourselves and administer our own pension plan. Then, we'll say, 'We're going to pull out of the Canada Health Act, you can keep your 19 cents on the dollar, we'll run our own health plan, thanks.' Why not? Quebec and Ontario do." With that, the grand experiment in mandarin money-laundering will be over. Trudeau's Canada has been shown to fail, over and over again. "The next two years will be Canada's Hinge of Time," says Andy Crooks. Will we be a strong robust modern 21st century nation, or will we be a socialist backwater? Paul Martin may think he owns the future, but I think it's in the hands of the Firewall Guys.

© 2004 Elizabeth Nickson The material at this website is available only for personal non-commercial purposes, and it may not be reproduced without permission.