Separation likely the elephant in the room as western premiers meet

B.C. Premier David Eby joined his Western counterparts for a meeting in Yellowknife with the spectre of separation looming over the gathering.

Premiers from Western Canada and the Territories are meeting in Yellowknife on Wednesday and Thursday under possible northern lights and the spectre of separatism rumblings from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

B.C. Premier David Eby commented on the separatism talk on Tuesday, a day ahead of the conference.

“It’s really unfortunate that at this moment when Western Canada is stepping into the spotlight that there’s any discussion at all about leaving Canada,” said Eby.

The agenda for the annual two-day conference focuses on trade, tariffs, energy corridors, arctic sovereignty and housing.

“Western Canada has a lot to share with the rest of Canada about removing internal trade barriers and working together,” Eby said.

But legislation recently introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that will make holding referenda easier in the province is being criticized as fanning the flames of western separatism.

UBC political science Prof. Steward Prest said separation is expected to be the elephant in the room during the conference.

“I think if they’re not talking about it, they’re all keenly aware that its lurking in the background,” said Prest Wednesday.

The tension is fueled by concerns the west and its energy-rich provinces don’t get their fair share of support from Ottawa. On Tuesday, western business councils pushed for the feds to kickstart the economy, including by ditching a proposed emissions cap.

B.C.’s business council doesn’t support western separation, but its president Laura Jones thinks legitimate points are being raised by the movement.

“We do support listening and I think there are some really legitimate concerns being expressed by Albertans – about oil and gas in particular,” said Jones Wednesday.

Smith has said she doesn’t support separation, but also hasn’t rebuked the push for a vote on it.

“It opens the possibility that we are simply going to back into a unity crisis without any kind of conscious thought about how badly this could go for everyone, including Alberta,” said Prest. “And not to put too fine a point on it, it could go very badly.”