Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper cautioned against the prospect of Alberta separation in a column Friday, writing that even voting just to “send a message” would represent a fraught approach.
“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 in the Calgary Herald.
“Besides, there is nothing resembling the credible leadership necessary to establish a new country.“
On Oct. 19, voters will be asked whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or whether the government of Alberta should hold a second, binding referendum to separate from Canada.
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Everything you need to know about the 10 questions in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum
Earlier this year, as his official prime ministerial portrait was unveiled on Parliament Hill, Harper called for Liberals and Conservatives to come together amid reinvigorated separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec.
In September, Harper backed the federal government’s decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States at the Canada Investment Summit, arguing that Canada needed to pursue “diminished reliance” on the United States in order to maintain its sovereignty.
Current Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also said he supports a united Canada.
Speaking in Edmonton earlier this week, he blamed the Liberal government for what he said was its role in seeding discontent, but said separating from Canada wouldn’t help resolve provincial grievances.
While many Albertans may feel alienated from Ottawa, Harper wrote in his Friday column that pursuing independence would pose “significant risk.”
“Whatever the results of the Alberta vote, it is incumbent upon Canada to move with immediacy and urgency to address the barriers, many self-imposed, to our long-term stability and prosperity,” Harper wrote.
“It is on this objective that I believe the passion and legitimate frustration of Albertans should also remain focused.”
Polling has consistently indicated that a majority of Albertans are in favour of remaining in Canada.
Separatist leaders have been trying to close the gap.
Alberta independence campaigners go for soft sell, even if they want a hard exit
They’ve argued that voting to hold a future, binding referendum would provide Alberta leverage against Ottawa when it comes to resolving its grievances.
Keith Wilson, a leader of a pro-independence group, often argues on social media that voting for the separation option is an opportunity to send a message that the “status quo with Ottawa is unacceptable.”
“For me, Oct. 19 is not simply a debate about staying or leaving; it is also about strategy. What position gives Alberta the strongest voice in determining its future?” Wilson wrote on Thursday.
“My case is that Option 2 creates leverage and strengthens Alberta’s hand at the negotiating table.”
UCP MLA Jason Stephan argued the same this week after he confirmed to CBC News that he has voted via a mail-in ballot for Option 2: “I’ve always supported having a referendum on independence because I want Ottawa to be compelled to fix the things that are broken.”
In his column, Harper disagreed with that argument, writing that “over two generations of Quebec politics were spent debating the goal of the separatists.”
“Most voting for it will do so just to ‘send a message,’ in other words, to keep the threat alive in the hope of retaining the benevolent attention that the province has recently been receiving from Ottawa,” Harper wrote. “I believe that approach is mistaken.”
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Cory Morgan, who heads the third-party advertiser Pathway to Independence, said the former prime minister’s comments were unsurprising, given his reputation as a federalist.
But he added that recent developments, such as those tied to the West Coast oil pipeline, could be seen as the referendum already sending a message and getting results.
“It is getting attention from Ottawa for the first time in decades,” he said.
Harper also contended that the federal government under his leadership helped stamp out separatist sentiment, including when it came to its approach to energy policy.
Poilievre also recently claimed that separatist sentiments were wiped out in Alberta and Quebec under Harper’s government — comments that received pushback from the Bloc Québécois.
Poilievre says Conservatives ‘wiped out’ Quebec separatism, despite PQ’s win in 2012
A spokesperson for Harper declined to provide additional comment.
