‘Common ground’: CTV Atlantic commentator calls for empathy for Alberta

CTV News Atlantic commentator Steve Murphy speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about perceptions of Alberta on a national level.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: You piqued our interest by drawing attention to Alberta in your latest bi-weekly commentary, Murphy’s Logic.

What prompted you to weigh in on perceptions of our province?

Steve Murphy: I think three things probably sparked it.

As you know, there’s been a real resurgence in our national spirit, our patriotism, given what’s been happening in the United States.

The debate we’ve been having in the country about that relationship with America has reminded us as Canadians that much of your prosperity in Alberta is directly tied to the United States in a way that many of us just didn’t probably appreciate. Or more accurately, we didn’t think about it.

The third factor is this federal election campaign, during which we heard a lot of things said — some of it very, very hot, hot headed. I think much of what has been said is worthy of consideration, setting aside some of the tone, some of the volume.

I think Albertans are making some points that we as fellow Canadians should listen to.

MH: Some Albertans are making a point about separation – an element we will touch on in a moment.

But your primary focus here is Alberta maybe deserving more respect. In what light is our province being viewed outside its boundaries?

SM: I think some of the rhetoric that we have heard - and Politicians will be politicians, particularly during election campaigns, and we as journalists, we as citizens, need to keep the context of all of these comments in mind.

Some of the comments may be a wee bit hot headed, but I have heard people in our country dismissing some of the points that are being made, even perhaps overly enthusiastically, tonally, perhaps in a very abrupt or blatant fashion. Dismissing the comments without considering what’s actually being said, what’s actually at stake.

I did say, and I will repeat, that the talk about separation is frustrating to me as a Canadian. If I might be honest, it disappoints me to the point of being annoyed by it. But just because I don’t like the language, the volume or the tone doesn’t mean that I am not willing to consider what’s at the root of the argument. And that’s all I’m asking for.

I think if you want to find common sense, Michael, find some common ground. And I think as Canadians, we owe it to Albertans to get on some common ground.

MH: Do you boil this down to a conversation about the embrace and acceptance of pipelines and Alberta petroleum products flowing east?

How deep does this conversation go?

SM: I think it is quite deep. You’ll remember when Energy East was first being pitched 12,13, years ago. There was a good deal of support for Energy East on this coast where we have Canada’s largest oil refinery in my hometown, St. John’s, N.B., a refinery that is at tidewater that was capable of processing the product coming from Alberta had the pipeline been built.

In fact, the late owner of Irving Oil, Arthur Irving, was a great proponent of Energy East, as was the former Premier of New Brunswick, David Alward, and as were other political leaders in Atlantic Canada.

I don’t want to give you the impression that everybody agrees with this, because not everybody does. In a federation like ours, people are not going to agree on everything, but I think we can agree to listen to one another, to try to understand the arguments that are being made, to find some common ground and to offer accommodation where we can — reasonable accommodation for reasonable expectations.

MH: Post-election, there’s considerable debate here in our province over efforts to trigger a referendum on separation.

To what degree is it on the radar with residents of Atlantic Canada?

SM: I think it’s hitting the radar. And I think a lot of people are upset about it. Some people, frankly, are not very happy about it. I think we as Atlantic Canadians have gone through a lot of the turmoil that pertain to Quebec, the referendum in Quebec.

We are neighbors of the province of Quebec, and stood to become virtually isolated from the rest of the country had Quebec opted to separate. But what has happened in the years since the referendum is that Canadians have found reasonable accommodations to answer the needs, the demands, the hopes and dreams of Quebec.

That is why it does seem to me that Quebec should be first among the provinces to try to understand the hopes and dreams and aspirations and the expectations of the people of Alberta. This begins with listening. This begins with the search for some common ground. Specifically, I think it does begin with a fulsome debate and discussion about pipelines.

The latest numbers I’ve seen from Nick Nanos, who is our pollster of record here at CTV, indicate that there is support for pipelines in this country — growing support in Canada, including in the province of Quebec.

So the time is right to have this discussion, to talk about terms and conditions that might be brought to bear, and to fully involve the Indigenous people in these conversations — because they have the right to be involved, and we have the need to listen to them as well.

MH: Your commentary has been posted for a few days. What’s been the response to this latest segment of Murphy’s Logic?

SM: The response has been as you as you would expect. You do a program where people express opinions every day, there’s lots of enthusiastic response on both sides of the issue.

I would say, if I was going to use sort of an unscientific calculation, that I’ve had more people agree with the point I’m making than disagree with it.

But let’s be clear about one thing: There’s no support in this part of the country for the idea of Alberta leaving Canada. No one here wants to hear that.

I think there is some sense that it’s a message that we find disappointing, perhaps as I said, even somewhat annoying. But at the root of the frustration — if we can call it that — is a message that I think we owe it to everyone in our country to listen to.