Alberta
Jann Arden’s Rant Will Only Fuel Alberta’s Separation Fire
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Lee Harding
In a fiery takedown of Alberta sovereigntists, Jann Arden may have poured gas on the sovereignty fire instead of dousing it. Lee Harding argues that her vulgar swipe ignored Alberta’s raw deal in Confederation, from lopsided equalization to federal overreach, and only deepens Western alienation. Rather than shaming Albertans into silence, her outburst might push them closer to the exit.
The singer’s foul-mouthed tirade won’t shame Alberta into silence. It’ll only push the province further toward the door
Jann Arden’s recent tirade against sovereigntist Albertans will probably do more to motivate them than set them back.
In an online rant, the Calgary-born-and-raised singer lowered public discourse a few notches.
“Hey, Alberta. Hey, you bunch of fu-king separatist wackos. How you doing? Feeling good about yourselves? You’re an embarrassment to this country. Everything you have, everything that you have enjoyed, cherished and benefited from, comes from being part of one of the greatest countries on the planet.”
Ha! Arden only embarrassed herself with her rudeness and ignorance.
Canada has been milking Alberta for a long time. In a 2024 study, the Fraser Institute showed that from 2007 to 2022, Albertans contributed $244.6 billion more in taxes and other payments to the federal government than they received in federal spending, more than five times as much as British Columbians or Ontarians. The other seven provinces were net takers.
Alberta is carrying Canada’s load by doing many things right, only to get zero respect and little benefit in return. For the past 10 years, Ottawa has done everything it can to undermine the energy sector through regulation and taxation, and encroach on provincial jurisdiction through legislation. Rather than feeding and protecting the goose that lays the golden eggs, it would rather pluck out its feathers.
The imbalance is nothing new. Since Confederation, most Canadian provinces have enjoyed jurisdiction over their natural resources. However, Alberta and Saskatchewan didn’t get that until 1930. When equalization began in 1957, Alberta received payments for eight years and never again. Quebec has been paid every year.
Ottawa went the route of more taxation, programs and debt, while Alberta took a more conservative approach. Its capacity to spend rose and fell with the price of oil. Just when Alberta hit another good wave, Ottawa launched the National Energy Program in the early 1980s—just to remind them who ruled the country and to whose benefit. Alberta got reduced profits and Eastern Canadians got cheap gas.
Alberta has been stuck in an abusive relationship for a long time and is wondering if it wouldn’t be better to be on her own. In the background is another suitor named Donald Trump, who would relieve Alberta of those pesky equalization payments and onerous regulations. The province would become the “cherished 51st state” instead of some western challenger to Central Canadian dominance that always needs to be put in its place.
Arden can’t see any of this. And her vitriol does nothing to make Albertans want to stay.
“You guys have your head so far up your as-es that you obviously can’t see what pri-ks you are,” Arden ranted. “The way you are treating your fellow citizens, your fellow Canadians, you guys are a bunch of creepy little pri-ks…
“Alberta will never separate from Canada. It’s never going to happen because people like me are going to stand up, throw their shoulders back, and keep fu-king yelling and keep standing up for what I know is right.”
Oh? Should Albertans stay because an insulting singer inspires a screaming mob? Will they suddenly find gratitude?
No. Abused Albertans have had enough. Their wants are not only reasonable, they’re good and fair policy. Canadians and their federal government should treat Alberta with proper respect, care about its grievances and feelings, and appreciate how they’d be a whole lot worse without her.
Lee Harding is a research fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
Albertans, not Ottawa, should shape Alberta’s future. The Alberta Next Panel is hitting the road to engage directly with Albertans and chart a path forward for the province.
Albertans are frustrated after 10 years of punitive policies, enacted by the federal government, attacking Alberta’s economy and targeting its core industries.
Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the Alberta Next panel will bring together a broad mix of leaders, experts, and community voices to gather input, discuss solutions, and provide feedback to government on how Alberta can better protect its interests, defend its economy, and assert its place in Confederation.
The panel will consult across the province over the summer and early fall to ensure that those living, working, doing business and raising families are the ones to drive Alberta’s future forward. The work will include identifying solutions advanced by Albertans on how to make Alberta stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada that respects and empowers the province to achieve its full potential. It will also include making recommendations to the government on potential referendum questions for Albertans to vote on in 2026.
It will consider and hear from Albertans on the risks and benefits of ideas like a establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, using an Alberta Provincial Police Service rather than the RCMP for community policing, whether Albertans should consider pursuing constitutional changes, which (if any) changes to federal transfer payments and equalization Albertans should demand of the federal government, potential immigration reform that would give the provincial government more oversight into who comes to the province, and changes to how Alberta collects personal income tax. Albertans will also have the opportunity to put forward their own ideas for discussion.
“This isn’t just about talk. It’s about action. The Alberta Next Panel is giving everyday Albertans a direct say in the direction of our province. It’s time to stand up to Ottawa’s overreach and make sure decisions about Alberta’s future are made here, by the people who live and work here.”
“Right now, there is a need to restore fairness and functionality in the country. Years of problematic policy and decisions from Ottawa have hurt Albertan and Canadian prosperity. I am honoured to be asked by Premier Smith to participate in the Alberta Next Panel. This panel is about listening to Albertans on how we build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, to which I, and the Business Council of Alberta, are firmly committed.”
Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the panel includes 13 additional members, including elected officials, academics, business leaders and community advocates:
- Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta
- Brandon Lunty, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont
- Glenn van Dijken, MLA for Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock
- Tara Sawyer, MLA-elect for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
- Bruce McDonald, former justice, Court of Appeal of Alberta
- Trevor Tombe, director of fiscal and economic policy, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy
- Adam Legge, president, Business Council of Alberta
- Andrew Judson, vice chairman (prairies), Fraser Institute
- Sumita Anand, vice president, Above and Beyond Care Services
- Melody Garner-Skiba, business and agricultural advocate
- Grant Fagerheim, president and CEO, Whitecap Resources Inc.
- Dr. Akin Osakuade, physician and section chief, Didsbury Hospital
- Dr. Benny Xu, community health expert
- Michael Binnion, president, Questerre Energy
Albertans have a choice: let Ottawa continue calling the shots—or come together to chart our own course. What’s next? You decide.
Key facts:
- Town hall dates and sites, along with other opportunities to participate in this engagement, are available online at Alberta.ca/Next. Exact locations will be posted in the weeks ahead of the event, and Albertans will be asked to RSVP online.
- The panel’s recommendations will be submitted to government by Dec. 31, 2025.
- It is anticipated that the panel will add additional members in the coming weeks.
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From LifeSiteNews
A government survey revealed strong public support, particularly among parents, for restricting or banning sexually explicit books.
Albertans are largely opposed to their children viewing pornography in school libraries, according to government polling.
In a June 20 press release, the Government of Alberta announced that their public engagement survey, launched after the discovery of sexually explicit books in school libraries, found that Albertans strongly support removing or limiting such content.
“Parents, educators and Albertans in general want action to ensure children don’t have access to age-inappropriate materials in school libraries,” Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare, said.
“We will use this valuable input to guide the creation of a province-wide standard to ensure the policy reflects the priorities and values of Albertans,” he continued.
READ: Support for traditional family values surges in Alberta
The survey, conducted between May 28 to June 6, received nearly 80,000 responses, revealing a widespread interest in the issue.
While 61 percent of respondents said that they had never previously been concerned about children viewing sexually explicit content in libraries, most were opposed to young children viewing it. 34 percent said children should never be able to access sexually explicit content in school libraries, while 23 percent believed it should be restricted to those aged 15 and up.
Similarly, 44 percent of parents of school-aged children were supportive of government regulations to control content in school libraries. Additionally, 62 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that “parents and guardians should play a role in reporting or challenging the availability of materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries.”
READ: Alberta Conservatives seeking to ban sexually graphic books from school libraries
The polling results come after the Conservative Alberta government under Premier Danielle Smith announced that they are going ahead with plans to eventually ban books with sexually explicit as well as pornographic material, many of which contain LGBT and even pedophilic content, from all school libraries, on May 27.
At the time, Nicolaides revealed that it was “extremely concerning” to discover that sexually explicit books were available in school libraries.
The books in question, found at multiple school locations, are Gender Queer, a graphic novel by Maia Kobabe; Flamer, a graphic novel by Mike Curato; Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson; and Fun Home, a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.
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