A Globe and Mail investigation reports Alberta separatist figures proposed giving the U.S. access to fresh water and oil royalties in exchange for help with independence. Another separatist leader disputes it, and the investigation also reveals a Calgary meeting with Republican operatives from Michigan.
They don’t need it to be “technically” allowed by esoteric Canadian laws, or areas discussed primarily by law fangirls that find joy in digging through whether a comma in a sentence changes the meaning of a law or whatever.
They just need enough public support, optics data points and soundbites, to justify more forceful action from the Alberta government, and/or the US government.
It’s sorta like the trade dispute. The American side exclusively looks at the goods trade portfolio, and exempts the services trade numbers, because if you look at the ‘whole’ trade scenario, America is way “ahead” of Canada given how they frame trade deficits. They do that to have a data point / sound bite, simple concept, for the idiot base to latch on to and support their nonsense trade actions against Canada. They use that data point as the “real” justification for their actions, while implementing penalties based on totally bullshit official reasons (eg. “Fentanyl! We need tariffs because of Fent!!”). The “ends justify the means” crowd can then get on board, because even if the official reasons are clearly wrong/illegal/unethical, they think the ‘trade imbalance’ emergency warrants taking any action possible to address it.
If Alberta votes strongly in favour of separation, American fascists will feel emboldened to aid Alberta, and punish Canada. Technicalities of the law will not matter.
I looked it up. It is loosely write as you said, however that swings both ways.
There was something else I did notice. The provinces have to agree to the constitutional amendment required to allow Alberta to separate. All it takes is one Premier to say that the referendums were not done democratically. They would have to go through everything that was done in bad faith in front of parliament and be willing to pay the massive political cost of doing so.
The thing that is actually impossible is getting the First Nations to agree to leave Canada. I would guess they have claim to more than 75% of the land, leaving Alberta to be a fraction of the size it once was. Those treaties are a goddam mess and can basically never be modified.