Alberta deserves an apology

By Letter to the Editor on November 4, 2020.

So Bloc Québécois leader Blanchard is demanding the federal government apologize for having invoked the War Measures Act 50 years ago to reign in the FLQ separatist group in Quebec who were on a kidnapping and murder spree.

He criticized the lack of support for his motion by the Conservatives.

Blanchard told reporters that, “You cannot pretend to be deeply in love with Quebec without respecting the desire of Quebecers to receive some apologies from Her Majesty’s government – that attacked the dignity of a whole nation.” 

I think it is appropriate to make a few minor changes to his statement from an Alberta perspective.

Let’s frame the National Energy Program in the same light.

Premier Kenny is demanding that the federal government apologize for invoking the National Energy Program 40 some years ago whose sole intention was to strip Alberta of its wealth, economic power, and growing political muscle.

You cannot pretend to be deeply in love with Alberta without respecting the desire of Albertans to receive some apologies from Her Majesty’s government.

He criticized the Block Québécois for refusing to call for an apology over a law that attacked the dignity of a whole nation.

The National Energy Program destroyed wealth, jobs, marriages, families, and lives in Alberta but no such support would come from Blanchard because Quebec, Ontario, and other provinces were the given billions of dollars stripped from Alberta families.

Alberta is long overdue some reconciliation on the part of the rest of Canada. 

John MacLaren

Medicine Hat

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