Imagine Alberta told B.C. “Your Okanagan wine, lumber and freight can’t cross Alberta unless you pay us royalties and satisfy our political demands.” Canada would call it outrageous. Yet when Alberta wants access to the Pacific, Ottawa effectively gives B.C. that kind of leverage. B.C. gets access east through Alberta. Alberta gets tanker restrictions, political conditions and negotiations over B.C. receiving additional economic benefits from our energy corridor. This is where independence changes everything. As a province, Alberta has to fight Ottawa for access to markets. As a country, Alberta controls its own territory, its own energy exports and its own negotiating leverage. B.C. needs Alberta too. Its goods need eastbound road and rail access through Alberta. Its economy depends heavily on Alberta energy. When Trans Mountain went down in 2021, B.C. was forced to ration fuel. An independent Alberta could put a simple deal on the table: You want guaranteed access east through our country? We want guaranteed access west to the Pacific through yours. No access west? Then don't expect unlimited access east. That is the leverage Alberta gains with independence. Two countries. Two trade corridors. One reciprocal deal.

On CTV News’ Alberta Primetime, Keith Wilson was asked why he personally supports Alberta independence. His answer: a better future for his children, self-government for Albertans and a clear constitutional path to achieve it.

The population numbers tell the story. Alberta will never control its future inside a system dominated by much larger population blocs in Central and Eastern Canada. It is time to stop asking for a better deal and start building our own future.