National

File photo: B.C. Premier David Eby, left, speaks to reporters with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith during meetings with Canada’s other premiers at the Council of the Federation meetings in Halifax on July 16, 2024. Photo by Darren Calabrese /The Canadian Press Article content A vote for independence in Alberta would divide Canada at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening the country’s sovereignty and could pose headaches for B.C. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account or Article content Article content The trading relationship between B.C. and Alberta is estimated at well over $30 billion annually and “Wild Rose Country” is B.C.’s most important economic partner within Canada. Article content Ports in B.C. rely on railways, pipelines and highways that cross Alberta to move goods to and from the rest of the country, and there could be enormous challenges if these routes are disrupted. Article content Article content Premier David Eby has been reluctant to weigh in so far on the possibility of a sovereign Alberta outside of comments calling for national unity in the face of Trump’s 51st state threats. Article content By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Article content However, he’s not been shy about calling out his displeasure with outside actors becoming involved. Article content “It is a tired trope. It is a waste of time, and it is an attack on the unity that we have right now as a country standing up to the Trump administration, for political, partisan gains,” Eby said in April in response to former Reform Party leader Preston Manning’s column in the Globe and Mail suggesting a victory for Mark Carney’s Liberals in the federal election could lead to Western secession. Article content Conservative Leader John Rustad has been more supportive of Alberta’s grievances, saying Carney needs to “step up to the plate” after his victory. Article content The fires of separatism leading up to the April 28 federal election have been exacerbated in the weeks since by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s move to lower the number of signatures needed to trigger a referendum, from 600,000 to 177,000. Article content Article content A new Alberta Republican party has also been organizing to get those signatures in time for a 2026 referendum. Article content Article content Those developments could cause tension this week as the premiers of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are meeting in Yellowknife for their annual conference. Article content As that meeting began on Wednesday, Eby lamented separatism, without using the word “Alberta,” saying it’s hard to “imagine a worse time to be tacitly or overtly supporting voices” that want to break Canada apart. Article content Stewart Prest, a University of B.C. political scientist, said the challenge for Eby is to balance his belief in Confederation with an understanding of Alberta’s, and to a lesser extent Saskatchewan’s, concerns they aren’t receiving their fair share. Article content “If I were the premier, I would be finding ways to say that Alberta is heard and seen as part of Confederation, but also that this federation is stronger for Alberta’s presence than if Alberta is separated,” said Prest.