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To Michael Solberg, being an Albertan and Canadian are inextricably and extraordinarily linked.
“Alberta is more than just a province. It’s a place in Confederation that I think makes it great,” he said.
It’s part of why Solberg is a key member of the Vote To Stay campaign, an organization comprised of various people from across Canada united around the idea that Alberta’s place is in Confederation.
Among those affiliated with the initiative include former Premier Jason Kenney, journalist Jen Gerson, who broke the news of the Elections Alberta data breach, and Travis Toews, who served as the finance minister in the Kenney government.
“We had been reading as a group kind of the tea leaves on this for some time. We kind of collectively, through kind of monitoring the public policy discussion, predicted that we’d likely end up in a situation where Albertans were going to be asked to vote on our place in the Confederation.,” said the Calgary-based Solberg, whose father Monte is also part of Vote To Stay.
The Vote To Stay campaign is one of many advocating for Alberta to leave ahead of the vote on Oct. 19, which will see Albertans answer 10 referendum questions.
Arguably the most consequential of those questions asks if Albertans want to remain in Canada or start the legal process towards a binding referendum vote regarding the province’s place in Canada.
Since Premier Danielle Smith announced the vote last month, several prominent figures have offered their voice in support of Alberta’s place in Canada, including prime minister Mark Carney and official opposition leader Pierre Poilievre.
The Calgary-born Poilievre, who leads the Conservative Party of Canada, was in Calgary over the weekend to launch his party’s campaign to keep the province in Confederation.
“After all we’ve been through for the last decade, Albertans are not even looking for an apology or compensation. They just want these things to stop happening,” said an impassioned Poilievre, who said Liberal government policy has consistently led to significant frustration in the province of Alberta.
The speech also saw Poilievre stress that those supporting the separatist cause are our neighbours, and not adversaries. It’s that particular message Solberg says is worth taking under advisement.
“While this is a heated debate with high stakes, it should be built on a foundation of respect and a foundation of understanding that we are, in fact, are neighbours and we are all Albertans together,” said Solberg.
All polls seem to indicate at this time that Alberta will overwhelmingly vote to stay in Canada, with the separatist vote being roundly defeated.
However, Solberg says it’s vital people understand the importance of their vote in this incredibly high stakes matter.
“Even the mere potential of leaving the Confederation will send shock waves through the global economy,” he said. “This is not a legally binding question. It sets the stage for one. But that should not remove the onus of public responsibility that I would charge that each of us have to go out and cast our ballot.”
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