The ballots are still being counted, but one thing is already clear: rebuilding public trust will take far more than a referendum result. Whatever your position on the referendum, the concerns that brought Albertans to this point deserve serious answers. Affordability. Safe communities. Functioning health care. Public services that actually serve the public. Public trust will not be restored by dismissing those concerns or insulting the people raising them. It starts with the willingness to have adult conversations, answer difficult questions and acknowledge where governments have failed. What does it mean to live in a free and open democracy if citizens are ridiculed for questioning the direction of their own country? What does a kind and inclusive society mean if that kindness and inclusion disappear the moment someone disagrees? You cannot claim those values while treating people who challenge you as though they do not belong. That is particularly true of so-called leaders who ask for our trust while showing so little respect for the citizens they serve. To everyone who asked questions, had difficult conversations and voted: keep participating. Democracy requires more than casting a ballot. It requires room to disagree, challenge the status quo and consider a different future. You want citizens to believe in this country? Give them reasons to. Answer their questions. Take their concerns seriously. Show them that the freedom, respect and inclusion you speak of extend to them, too. This should not be this difficult or controversial!