So your opinion is that the "research" put forward in favour of separation should be taken seriously? Because that's what engaging with it is doing.

Does the Quebec versus Canada framing also have no basis in truth? Was Canada wrong for allowing Quebec to have the autonomy it currently has? Because that's what Harper's spent years arguing for, including with his Alberta firewall letter addressed to Alberta's at the time not separatist Premier. I mean, I personally don't think Quebec should be allowed to have and run its own pension plan, but it does. If that's something Alberta's demanding, can we really be surprised?

And the current separatist sentiment starts in the Premier's office. Every change to the citizen initiative law that enabled this referendum, from requirements that it be vetted for constitutionality to the lowering of minimum signatures required, was performed by Smith's government.

I keep meaning to watch Letterkenny, but always end up getting distracted by something else. Perhaps I'll give that a look.

I may or may not also be from small town Ontario, which may or may not be how I heard of Letterkenny.

I'll look them up. Wanna give me the Cliff's notes?

Yup, which is why we should have been diversifying decades ago. Kudos to Carney for doing it now, but like... this really shouldn't be the conversation in 2026.

They sound unique enough that I'll at least give them a look. And the fact that both leads in Collin from Accounts are a real-life couple makes it interesting on its own.

How does "Alberta should have more autonomy" translate to "Alberta should leave Canada"? That's the dot your line's missing.

There's no gymnastics required because every time Ottawa oversteps (their words, not mine), they get pissed off. And they usually think Ottawa is overstepping when Ottawa starts telling Alberta what it can do or not do with its resources. It happened in the 80's (NEP), it happened in the 90's (Kyoto Accord), and it happened in 2016 (no business case). The difference is in the80's and 90's the Alberta government itself wasn't advocating for separation. Smith, today, is doing exactly that, and all of the changes made to the original 2021 law that enabled this referendum were made by Smith's government.

This, twice. Give me Crown over Jack any day.

I mean, sometimes cheapest wins. As long as what you're walking out with is Canadian or at least not American. Personally my other options are Loblaws and Metro, and between the three of them milk is usually cheaper at Walmart, just as an example. And yes, I buy a Canadian brand.

Neither is getting ripped off by Loblaws.

Oh, I'm not faulting anyone. It's just an example of why this whole thing is lowkey dumb. If you're on a strict "buy Canadian" diet, you get half a good TV series. Having watched the whole thing before things got lowkey dumb, that's kind of a ripoff.

I would add: 3. Do your best, not someone else's.

If you're making $80k and living in Toronto you do not get to complain that the thing I can afford at $30k in rural Ontario is not doing the best I can, unless you're offering to pay for my relocation and support me until I'm also making $80k.

Reform party =/= Separatist party. He's been advocating for more autonomy for Alberta, not Alberta separation. Come Monday you'll get to see what an actual separatist party looks like.

All depends what they're buying. If you drink Coke or Pepsi, for example, that would be an American brand made and/or bottled in Canada. And this is why this whole trade war thing is dumb.

Also:

Most centrists gave up on the loblaws boycott after a month.

I didn't even know there was a Loblaws boycott. I only shop there if I have no other option.

No train for you!

That would have been the ideal, yes. Also acceptable: not being lazy and using that as a crutch for 30 freaking years.

I think it very much depends on your perspective, and also how old you are. Keep in mind I was 25 when the financial crisis hit. There really hasn't been a decade in my adult life where there hasn't been a once-in-a-lifetime event (I turned 18 and 9/11 hit). If I'm gonna wake up tomorrow with a chip on my shoulder, I have evidence. And if I let all of that shit define me, that chip on my shoulder's gonna be Ontario-sized.

And in about 15 minutes someone's gonna come by and tell me to avoid Loblaws. In about half an hour someone else is gonna come by and tell me to avoid Metro. Those are kind of the options in most of the country.