As an well-travelled Albertan, I heard the collective cheer from the rest of Canada when the price of oil started slipping in 2013/2014. Most of those cheering didn't understand that all commodities go through cycles. 1/

The loudest cheer came from those who saw this as the beginning of the end of Alberta. A particularly strong cheer came from Quebec and Ontario. We were accused of having been short-sighted, and going long on oil 2/

The world's demand for oil currently sits at 100,000,000 barrels per day. I wrote out the whole number to emphasize its size. Year-over-year demand only shrank twice in the last 50 years ('08 crisis and COVID19 crisis) 3/

We were also shamed and told we should have diversified our economy. Meanwhile, those shaming us, had failed economies of their own and were betting on a utopian "green" future. We were the only net contributor of transfer payments. 4/

Eastern Canada has access to markets, infrastructure, educated work force, cheap resources, infrastructure, R&D capabilities, schools, energy, yet their economies still stagnate. Is that why they want Alberta to fail? Is it just jealousy?

Albertans heard the rest of Canada loud and clear. We now have a stronger separation movement than even in the Trudeau Sr. era. This is the beginning of the end of Canada.