The demand for Canada’s western province Alberta to become a separate country has become more intense. Separatists claimed on Wednesday that they have gathered so much support that a referendum on independence can now be held. According to separatist leaders, they have submitted around 3 lakh signatures to the election officials, whereas 1.78 lakh signatures were required for this. Movement leader Mitch Silvestre called it a historic day and said that now the fight has reached the next stage. However, gathering so much support does not mean that the referendum is confirmed. The Election Commission will first have to verify these signatures. This process is currently on hold due to court order. If the voting goes in favor of Alberta, then this province can leave Canada and become a separate country. According to Al Jazeera, if all legal hurdles are cleared, the province could vote on secession along with a major referendum scheduled for October 19. Voting is also planned on the same day on other issues like constitution and immigration. In the survey, only 30% people are in favor of a separate country. If this proposal reaches voting, then people will be asked a direct question whether Alberta should separate from Canada and become an independent country. But surveys show that currently only about 30 percent people are in support of it, which means passing the referendum is not easy. However, separatists believe that this figure is going to increase during voting. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she will go ahead with the vote if the required signatures are met, but she herself is not in favor of seceding from Canada. The roots of this separatist movement are very old. Alberta, home to about five million people, has long considered itself separate from the rest of Canada. People here believe that their culture, economy and politics are different, but decisions are taken sitting in Ottawa. Why does Alberta want to separate from Canada? The demand for becoming a separate country in Alberta, Canada has not suddenly arisen. The feeling of resentment and separate identity that has been going on for many years is working behind this. The biggest reason is economic. Alberta is a state rich in oil and gas. About 84% of Canada’s total oil production comes from here. People here feel that they earn more, but the rest of Canada benefits more. They complain that tax money is spent in Ottawa, while their voices are rarely heard when making decisions. The second big issue is the conflict with the central government. There is resentment in Alberta regarding the decisions of the government sitting in Ottawa. Especially regarding rules related to environment and climate. People here believe that these rules harm their oil and gas industry and are made without understanding. The third reason is identity and politics. Alberta is considered separate from the rest of Canada. The politics here is more conservative, whereas liberal ideology has been dominant in the center for a long time. Apart from this, there is also a feeling that the central government has more control over their resources. Many times decisions on issues like pipelines, energy projects and exports get stuck, which increases anger among the local people. Trump government accused of promoting separatists Meanwhile, Trump government is accused of promoting people demanding a separate country. Several reports have claimed that US officials meet and help separatist leaders of Alberta. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was angered by these news. In February this year, he had called President Trump and asked him to respect Canada’s sovereignty. Carney said he hoped the U.S. government would not interfere in Canada’s internal affairs. According to a CNN report, separatists are considering Trump’s return to power as the right time to separate Alberta. Some separatists are also talking about making Alberta the 51st state of America instead of making it an independent country. In February, a billboard was also installed on the highway between Calgary and Edmonton, calling for Alberta to join the United States. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant also recently said that Alberta is a natural partner of America and the people there are very independent-minded. He also said that Alberta has an abundance of natural resources and that the United States could work with an independent Alberta. Quebec tried to secede from Canada twice. Quebec’s separatism in Canada is older than Alberta’s. This is not just politics, but an issue related to language, culture and identity. The biggest specialty of Quebec is its French language and distinct culture. The people here consider themselves separate from the rest of Canada. They have believed that to save their language and identity, it is necessary to have more autonomy or to become a separate country. This is the reason why referendum has been held twice in Quebec. The first occurred in 1980, in which people voted against separation. The second one took place in 1995 and was a very close contest. At that time, about 50.6 percent of the people voted in favor of staying with Canada, while 49.4 percent wanted to separate. That means Quebec was almost going to separate. Separation has become difficult in Canada. After this result, the Canadian government has made it clear that now the path of separation will not be easy. In 1998, the Supreme Court gave a big decision. It was said that no province can separate from the country on its own. For this there should be a clear question, there should be a clear majority of the public and most importantly, there should be talks with the central government. After this, the Clarity Act was brought in the year 2000. This law tied the entire process into rules. This means that now no province can separate itself by holding a referendum like this, everything will be done only in the prescribed legal manner. The situation today is that the demand for secession in Quebec is not as strong as before, but it has not ended either. ————————— Also read this news… BJP government in Bengal, fear of return of people to Bangladesh: Bangladeshi minister said – Hope they will not be forcibly sent, Border Force on alert. After BJP’s victory in West Bengal elections, Bangladesh government fears that people may be forcibly deported from India. Now Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has issued a statement regarding this. He said that it is hoped that the incidents of forcibly sending people across the border from India i.e. ‘pushback’ will not increase. Salahuddin Ahmed said that he does not want anyone to be pushed from India to Bangladesh by labeling him as an illegal migrant. In view of this, the Border Security Force of Bangladesh has been asked to remain alert. Read the full news…
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