Separatism’s crushing referendum loss is all upside for the Canadian economy

As they say in basketball: Nothing but net.

A cloud of government-inspired political uncertainty has been hanging over Alberta’s economy for the past year – and Albertans just blew it away. Watch the instant replay. Check the highlights. Look at the score.

Three-quarters of voters, a rare landslide of popular agreement, cast a ballot against not just separation, but against holding a referendum on the subject. In addition, polls indicate that, of the small minority of Albertans who voted in favour of a future independence referendum, only about a third even want independence.

And now Albertans know it. Canadians know it. An entire world of investors knows it. We have the evidence. We have the receipts.

Ball don’t lie, and neither do ballots.

Federalism and separatism played an exhibition match to see if they should schedule a real one, and Remain absolutely dunked on Leave. Crushed them politely, magnanimously, definitively. Game over.

The separatist movement looks like boxer Roberto Durán after he prematurely conceded when he was being battered by Sugar Ray Leonard. No más, he said. No más.

The separatists won’t ever say no more, but it doesn’t matter. They aren’t about to stop trash-talking Canada, or fantasizing about referendum-neverendum, but who cares. We can all see the scoreboard.

The Alberta referendum by the numbers

International investors who worried about putting money into projects in Alberta, because the province might vote to turn itself into the landlocked Republic of Albertastan? Their worries have been buried six feet under.

Canada spent the past decade hamstringing development in the oil patch, with law, regulation and politics conspiring to impede the movement of additional oil to tidewater. It’s a real issue for Alberta, and a legitimate source of complaint.

But with the federal government now taking down roadblocks, and most Canadians onside with that, the separatist movement decided this was the ideal time to stand in the middle of the construction site and demand that tools be turned to erecting the biggest roadblock imaginable – an international border against Canada.

To which Albertans said: Hunh?

How would Alberta turning Canada into a foreign state make it easier to build a pipeline to Canada’s Pacific coast? How would landlocking Alberta smooth the export of oil, gas or anything else? How would it encourage investment? Lower barriers to trade? Grow the economy?

And why would Albertans want to leave their country for less than nothing?

It made no sense, and voters saw right through it.

You can’t show people an anchor and tell them it’s a kite. They’re not idiots.

Lawrence Martin: Canada mercifully escapes the hard right’s rage

The Republic of Free Alberta has been consigned to the remainder bin – by Albertans.

A detour that wasted a year of Alberta’s political life has been removed – by Albertans.

The separatists treated the province like their home barn, but once the puck dropped, they got run out of the building – by Team Alberta.

The referendum was a lemon, but the result is lemonade – made in Alberta, by Albertans.

Separatism may still carry outsized weight within the governing United Conservative Party, but that’s the UCP’s problem. Premier Danielle Smith may still find herself hostage to separatists, but that’s her problem. Among Albertans as a whole, it’s a fringe movement.

There’s a reason why separatists, rather than founding their own political party, tried to take over the UCP by stealth. Open separatists have never been able to get elected in Alberta. As I discussed in my previous column, separatism’s true level of support is, in percentage terms, in the single digits. In Calgary and Edmonton, home to seven of ten Albertans, it’s lower.

Alberta is a conservative-leaning province, and the separatists tried to polarize the electorate into believing that liberal equals federalist, and conservative equals separatist. A lot of the UCP bought it. Voters didn’t.

Robyn Urback: Danielle Smith is in a world of trouble

The camp of Albertans who desire a better country is large. The number of those who desire a different country is very, very small. QED.

Which means that Alberta and Canada can get back to business. The referendum secures national unity, thereby putting a more solid footing under the country’s bid to attract investment, greenlight promising projects and generally maximize the nation’s economic potential, for the benefit of Canadians.

The slogan of a long-running advertising campaign is: “We all play for Canada.”

The separatists wanted to break up Team Canada, but after a team meeting, it turns out that hardly any Albertan wants that.

The country and the province are free to move on to bigger and better things. Just watch us.