ALBERTA-STYLE SEPARATISM AND "SCAPEGOATS"
Alberta-style experiment: books are being cleaned, immigrants are being squeezed.
Alberta is once again doing what it does best: going against the rest of Canada. And if yesterday the headlines were full of discussions about the province's plans to "cleanse" school libraries of "pornographic" content, today we are seeing something different-radical steps in immigration policy.
In schools, dozens of classic works have been cut, including "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. The government says: "the classics should remain, but no graphic novels." It sounds logical, but Edmonton Public Schools, fearing pressure, compiled a list of 200 books, which included everything from Atwood to Ayn Rand. The result? A public debate has flared up: where is that subtle line between child protection and censorship?
And while some argue about books, others are noticing a more alarming process.
“Too much, too fast”
Together with the discussion about school libraries, Premier Danielle Smith is holding high-profile town-hall meetings in Alberta. The topic of immigration is at the centre of attention. The halls are packed, crowds are applauding proposals to limit immigrants’ access to social services, and in some places there are even talks about deportation and negotiations… with Donald Trump.
Smith herself says openly: “When 150,000 people arrive in a year, it’s an overload for schools, medicine, and housing.” And then she suggests “bringing order” through her own system: fewer social services, more filters and control over those who has the right to live and work in the province.
So... first the federal government actually pushed the flow of people to Alberta, and now the province is forced to quickly “cut corners.” But it does so in the style of “emergency braking,” where immigrants are caught in the crossfire.
Provinces as states within a state
Canada is a federal country. But today it increasingly resembles a mosaic, where each province plays by its own rules. Quebec has been betting on the French language and special selections for decades. Ontario is trying to open up the labor market through interprovincial mobility. And Alberta? It seems to have chosen a course for a conservative experiment: puritanism in schools, strict control over immigrants, and rhetoric balancing on the brink of separatism.
As a result, an immigrant, choosing a province, finds themselves not just in “different programs,” but actually in different “countries” within Canada. Today you are nominated and issued a work permit, tomorrow — the new government closes the doors to social services or introduces new restrictions.
But what’s next?
On one hand, the logic is clear. Alberta is drowning in population growth, the systems are failing, and the easiest way out is to tighten the screws. On the other hand, this looks like a direct creation of the image of a "guilty immigrant", convenient for political games.
There are more questions than answers:
Do the provinces need so much autonomy if they start playing on radicalism?
Or, on the contrary, is this the only chance for regions to defend their interests, because Ottawa clearly lives in a different reality?
What will immigrants choose: the stability of Ontario, the uniqueness of Quebec, or the "American style" of Alberta?
And finally, will the whole country become hostage to the fact that one province decided to go its own way?
Bottom line: Alberta is having a strange experiment. Books are being cleaned, immigrants are being restricted, puritanism in schools is intertwined with radical demands at rallies. For some, this is a healthy conservative approach. For others, it is a dangerous step towards isolation and xenophobia.
And now the main question: Is the province showing the way to the future or is it pulling Canada back?
Oleksandra Melnykova, Canadian Immigration and Refugee Consultant.
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