The Alberta Transition Plan is now complete and available on the Alberta Transition Council website. Its purpose is not to argue every political question about independence, design Alberta’s permanent constitution, or pretend that every future negotiation can be predicted in advance. It answers a more practical question: If Albertans ultimately decide to become an independent country, how do we get from here to there in a lawful, orderly and workable way? The Plan maps that pathway in detail—laws, courts, banking, pensions, taxation, trade, borders, transportation, policing, health care, First Nations and treaty relations, international agreements, government administration and the other functions that have to continue through a transition. One of its most important findings is that Alberta would not be starting from scratch. The institutions, people, infrastructure, businesses and public services that Albertans rely upon already exist. The task is largely to preserve what works, transfer or replace federal responsibilities where necessary, negotiate the relationships that cross borders, and build the limited sovereign functions Alberta does not presently need as a province. In other words, the primary change is to the constitutional order and the governmental relationship between Alberta and Canada—not to ordinary life. The objective is deliberately unremarkable: Government continues. Courts remain open. Pensions and benefits are paid. Banks operate. Businesses continue. Goods and people move. Essential services remain available. Ordinary life continues—but Alberta becomes responsible for its own future, under a government elected by Albertans and possessing the full constitutional authority of an independent country over its laws, finances, institutions and national decisions. Fair warning: it is a detailed, technical and occasionally boring read. That is probably a good thing. It is a transition plan, not a mystery novel. But for anyone who has seriously wondered “How would this actually work?”—the Plan is intended to provide the answer. You can now read the full Alberta Transition Plan at the ATC website. albertatransitioncouncil.com…

CUSMA is another reminder that Ottawa does not negotiate for Alberta. It negotiates for Ottawa. An independent Alberta could pursue a direct trade deal with the United States based on shared energy security, food security, jobs, and economic growth.