Part 1 of this article is available here: https://www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/albertas-future-part-1/
Let me be clear up front. I desire an independent Alberta. I have several reasons that I will articulate below. These reasons, I’m convinced, are grounded in Scripture and biblical principles.
Desires themselves, however, are insufficient if they are not acted upon. For each of these desires for the good of our homeland, we should be considering how we can carry out those desires and work toward a better future today. We don’t need to wait for a referendum to start cultivating a godly, prosperous, strong, and free society. Therefore, for each of the following desires, I present a few ways we can be engaged today for the good of our families and neighbors.
If Alberta is to be an independent nation, it needs to be full of nation builders, and preferably, of the Christian variety who do all that they do according to Scripture for the glory and honor of God.
So with that, here are some of the reasons why I would vote “yes” in a vote for Alberta’s independence…
1. A desire to conserve Alberta’s (Christian) culture and identity
The first article in this series argued that Alberta has a unique culture compared to the rest of Canada. Alberta is the most conservative of any region in the country. Of course, there are many factors such as industry and the rural regions of Alberta. But I’m convinced that Alberta’s culture has been principally shaped by Christianity as seen in its leaders such as William Aberhart, Ernest and Preston Manning.
Ernest Manning was premier of Alberta for 25 years (1943–1968). He was “a man passionately devoted to the Bible.”[1] He was staunchly anti-communist and critical of government involvement in society, preferring religious, individual, or corporate involvement in social issues. He continued to teach the Bible on the radio through his tenure as Premier and sought to live and rule according to Christian principles. As the longest serving Premier, he had a profound impact on the culture and identity of Alberta.[2]
This heritage and legacy should not be quickly forgotten or ignored. Rather than grounding Canadian identity on the Bible, as Manning did, what identity is cultivated today? Many would have a hard time defining Canadian identity today. Often, it is simply that we aren’t American. At worse, Canadian identity is touted as being progressive, secular, environmentally conscious, or other liberal or socialist values.
The future direction of “Canadian values” continues toward a Big Brother interventionism rather than personal responsibility based on biblical values. Our current Prime Minister has released a book called Value(s): Building a Better World for All. In that book, climate change is a central theme and serves as a critical lens in his thinking and desire for urgent and systemic changes to economic markets and society at large.
If Albertans want to preserve their culture and identity and reject this novel idea of liberal “Canadian values,” then they should return to their roots of limited government, personal responsibility, and biblical ethics. Alberta should uphold the preamble to our federal Charter which admits that we were founded upon the supremacy of God and the rule of law.
Apart from independence, what can Albertans do today? Teach history. Learn and tell Christian history and foundations of our province that has shaped it today.[3] Be active in reminding fellow Albertans that the “goodness” they seek to conserve was first developed by Christian principles. Not all cultures are the same, Christian culture has borne the best and sweetest fruit.
Canada has left this heritage. Starting in the 60s under Pierre Trudeau, there has been a purposeful mission to leave behind Canada’s Christian heritage for a new multicultural (i.e., religiously pluralistic), secular country. However, in a secular society with no transcendent God or absolute morality binding government and citizen, the government becomes god being law-giver, judge, benefactor, provider, and protector. Canada has foolishly exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a deified government which is powerless to save. The gods of men are a curse rather than a blessing. History will show that a home or church or society submitted to Christ and his word brings life, liberty, and goodness.
2. A desire to see Christian morality thrive
Like the previous point, a move towards independence is a move toward seeing Christian morality thrive.
Moral reform is far more difficult with Ottawa continuing to impose its globalist and secular agenda upon the entire country. Important issues like abortion, gay mirage, and LGBTQ “rights” are federal issues. Most conservatives today in federal politics won’t even touch these issues because they know it is political suicide. While the liberals have a monopoly on social values in Ottawa, it is a different story in Alberta.
Our current Premier, Danielle Smith, passed a bill prohibiting transgender surgeries for minors late in 2024. Sadly, the courts have recently granted an injunction pending a constitutional challenge. Now the Supreme Court may strike down this law—which is a righteous law and supported by the people of Alberta—as unconstitutional. How can social changes for good proceed with such interference by the antichrist culture of the progressive left entrenched in power?
A free Alberta would be much better situated to see moral reform, protecting marriage, our children, education, and allowing Christian virtue to thrive. Would it not be incredible if Alberta not only gained independence, but would outlaw the murder of children in the womb?
Apart from governmental change, what can be done today? We must strive to do what we can to cultivate Christian morality in our lives and communities in the little things.
I’ve lived in Alberta most of my adult life. In the last 20 years, I’ve seen a decline in the shared morality of Albertans. When I moved here from Ontario in my mid-twenties, people were noticeably nicer. My brother and I were amazed when we came to Alberta that we could cross the street or walk from the parking lot into Walmart and cars would stop and grant pedestrians the right of way. Sadly, this is no longer the case.
It is time that we all sought to live according to a Christian ethic in community. Allow pedestrians to cross. Let people out of the elevator before trying to come in. Stop and help someone in need. Say please and thank you. Gentlemen, open the door for ladies. Do business with integrity. Clean up your yard and fix what’s in disrepair. Put away the phone and take out the earbuds in public places, make eye contact and greet people. Listen attentively when someone is speaking to you. Use respectful language. Be punctual. Apologize sincerely and forgive graciously. Respect older people. Express gratitude. Speak well of your employer. Clean up after yourself. Practice patience. Serve in your church. Eat politely. Offer your seat to a woman or child or elderly person. Dress well for the sake of others rather than just personal comfort. Be respectful to other people’s property. Honor authority. Use proper titles. Be hospitable. Live with integrity.
You don’t have to wait for societal changes to implement these things in your life and family.
3. A desire for livelihood
I think it safe to say that a large portion of the independence movement in Alberta is fueled by economic factors. Economic factors are important. People are realizing that taxation and regulation are not the way to prosperity, especially when taxation and regulation are from an outside government without local representation. The American colonies rejected the idea that they existed for the prosperity of England. Similarly, does Alberta exist for the prosperity of Central Canada? The similarities are striking when we see that both the colonies and Alberta are grossly underrepresented in the government that rules over them.
People outside Alberta may presume that a push for independence is fueled by greed and an insatiable desire to be rich. This may be the case for some, but for many, it is a desire for livelihood not for riches. A person’s livelihood is their means of securing the necessities of life. Proverbs 30:8-9 says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
People in Central Canada reacted strongly when Donald Trump began to impose tariffs. They felt it wholly unfair that another government would impose punishing tariffs which would affect their livelihoods. The anger, frustration, and helplessness that many in Central Canada felt during that time is what Albertans have felt for decades. Policies in Ottawa continue to attack and undermine industries and therefore the livelihoods of many in Alberta.
Why are many in Alberta scraping to get by when countries like Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia live like kings? They build empires in the desert with money from the West. In Calgary, our roads are full of potholes, and we pay high prices for fuel, utilities, and groceries. A desire for independence is a desire for local control over the livelihoods and prosperity of the people living in Alberta.
What can be done today? Work hard. Value work. Train your sons. Invest in businesses. Shop local. Don’t rely on government handouts or other benefits. Give generously. View your livelihood as a stewardship from God to be used to please him and advance his kingdom. As John Wesley rightly said, “Earn as much as you can. Save as much as you can (i.e., be thrifty). Give as much as you can.”
4. A desire for freedom
At the core of the independence movement is a desire for freedom. The “ask” is not money from Ontario or Quebec. The “ask” is not handouts or tax breaks or preferred status. The “ask” is simply freedom. Freedom to chart a course best suited for the residents of Alberta.
Increasingly, power is centralized in Ottawa as the federal government gets bigger. Federal employees increased by 43% in the last decade.[4] Federal government spending has skyrocketed.[5] With more power consolidated in Ottawa. The provincial government in Alberta has had to go to court more than a dozen times to protect Albertans from Ottawa’s encroachment.[6] As the federal government gets bigger, provincial power and autonomy gets smaller. The corollary is that each province has less and less freedom.
Very few are concerned about the loss of freedom that comes with more and more government regulation and power. When did freedom lose its privileged place in our society? When did freedom no longer become a defining issue and something worth dying for? May I suggest that with the decline of Christianity came the decline in the value of freedom.
It is the Christian gospel which is true freedom, freedom from sin and death through the sacrifice of Christ (John 8:31–32). Christians were responsible for the end of slavery, the promotion of a free society, free markets, personal responsibility along with personal freedom. There is freedom in following 10 commandments rather than 10,000 man-made regulations.
What can we do now to promote freedom? A free society is predicated on a moral society. If people do not believe the gospel and submit themselves to Christ, they will need the constraints of the police and government to restrain sin. Christ sets people free from the bondage to sin such that we freely do what is pleasing to God. Christian liberty is the freedom from constraint to a willing righteousness for the glory of God (Gal 5:1, 13).
Christian, the gospel, not the law, is salvation and will set people free. Know the history of freedom. Remember those who fought for freedom in the World Wars or for American independence. And remember, with freedom comes responsibility. So take responsibility. Be responsible for your family, your needs, your church. Don’t give your responsibility to the beast (earthly government), lest it grow. By taking responsibility, we starve the beast, and gain freedom.
5. A desire for justice
The Bible speaks of true justice. Not a Neo-Marxist “social” justice that employs partiality to achieve equality of outcome. We should get rid of partial hiring practices, employment quotas, and varying standards depending on a person’s ethnicity or economic status. True justice is not a legalized robbery from the rich to give to the poor, taking from the “haves” to give to the “have-nots.”
Biblical justice, true justice, is about equal weights and measures. The native and sojourner are under the same law. The king and peasant answer to the same standards. True justice is judgments of right and wrong with no partiality. Lady justice is blind.
There are many injustices that have grieved Albertans for decades:
- “Equalization” payments that send billions every year to provinces like Quebec that have much larger economies;[7]
- Provincial sovereignty over natural resources (an agreement of Confederation) that is often not recognized by federal legislation;[8]
- Senate representation that grossly underrepresents Western Canada;[9]
- Interprovincial barriers for Alberta products like beef and oil;
- Federal government bias (cars over canola, dairy over oil) that favors a voter base in Central Canada over Western provinces.
When Albertans want a “fair” deal, they mean “fair” in a Christian sense of equal weights and measures and a blindness toward race, region or industry.
What should we do? Besides a push for independence, a desire for justice should cause people to use their voice and use their vote. Most importantly, our voice must be used to remind people that true justice only comes from reverence to the God of justice, the one who shows no partiality, and who gave us his law to govern human affairs fairly.
There can be no true justice without a return to biblical justice. Living up to the preamble of the Charter would be a great place to start, remembering that Canada was founded upon the supremacy of God and the rule of (his) law. Christians have long neglected God’s law and so have no standard to measure true justice. A reformation is needed to appreciate the place of the law in the Christian life, the Christian home, and society.
6. A desire for a future
The brain drain is real. While I’m firmly planted in Alberta for life as a shepherd of the flock, we’ve seen many families move to the US for more freedom and hope for the future. This is not entirely selfish, they have their faith and their children in mind. I wish they would stay here and fight for those values here, but I cannot blame them for heading south to do what is best for their family and future. While I’m committed to Calgary, Alberta, I’m expecting that my children would likely have to leave Alberta and head to the US if job and housing trends continue to deteriorate in Canada. It saddens me that we have a young population, are sitting on a gold mine, have a promising future, but people are leaving seeing no hope in remaining.
The desire for independence is a desire for a hopeful future. Most important, it is the desire to have a say in what that future looks like. It can be an opportunity to look back after 40 years and see if the socialistic values of Central Canada have built a better society than the Christian values of Alberta. Of course, this is assuming not only independence, but a reformation of the gospel.
What can be done? Regardless of a move toward independence, Christians should have an eye toward the future. Build today for your children and grandchildren. Invest in homes, land, and businesses. Build a legacy. Build a community that your children and grandchildren can flourish in. Cultivate a place that will always be home and where your children will long to remain in.
Conclusion
The desires articulated above are not “worldly” or sinful. They are good desires that God places within the hearts of men. They are desires in keeping with the mandate that God gave to Adam and reissued through Noah. Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion for the glory and honor of God. God’s image bearers are to be cultivators of homes and nations that harness the potential God has built into creation and make it beautiful and honoring to God, reflecting his glory, wisdom, and power.
Sin corrupts this culture-building endeavor and so necessitates a firm and robust commitment to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ that redeems and transforms. Christ’s coming does not nullify the cultural mandate given to Adam and Noah, it restores it, energizes it, and makes it possible. But all culture-building must be an outflow of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the tip of the spear. It must come first.
Christian, in your desire for Christian culture, Christian morality, a prosperous livelihood, freedom, justice, and a future, remember that these are all fruits of the gospel. The Christian home and the Christian church must and will proceed a Christian society. So live wholeheartedly as a Christian in your family. Cultivate a Christian home that honors and worships the Lord. Be part of a biblical church that proclaims the gospel without compromise. Be rooted in theology and practical Christian living. Get first things first and the rest will fall into place over time.
I do desire an independent Alberta, but more than that, I desire an Alberta that has yielded to the gospel of Jesus Christ and aims to please him. Let’s all pray to that end!
—Tim Stephens
[1] Finkel, Alvin, The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta [Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989]. p. 85.
[2] He was so popular that in one election, there were only three MLAs in opposition to the ruling government!
[3] I’ve mentioned before “Alberta in the 20th Century: A Journalistic History of the Province in 12 Volumes” by Ted Byfield as a great resource.
[4] https://globalnews.ca/news/10626474/canada-civil-service-increase-justin-trudeau/
Departments like “Women and Gender Equality Canada” have expanded significantly.
[5] https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/trudeau-government-increased-federal-employees-since-2015
[6] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-premier-says-14-active-and-proposed-federal-legal-challenges-show-breadth-of-ottawa-s-overreach-1.7159253
[7] Alberta contributes disproportionately, estimated at $15–27 billion annually (or $5400 per person per year).
[8] Federal climate caps, approval processes, and tanker bans directly target Alberta’s natural resources.
[9] Alberta has 6 senate seats compared to 24 each in Quebec and Ontario. A disparity much greater than the disparity in population size. Even New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have 10 senate seats each, even though Alberta has 5 times the population of these provinces.