How Albertans became addicted to grievance

In my latest newsletter, I dig into the widely traded notion that Alberta’s grievances are “justified” and “understandable” — and challenge the wisdom behind it:

That’s why it’s not enough to simply beat the separatists. They have to be routed, their leaders humiliated, their cause scattered to the political winds. And that can’t happen unless we destroy the intellectual scaffolding that they’ve been using to build their movement for years now. That work falls largely to the Conservative politicians and pundits who helped erect it in the first place.

I also explore the latest contradiction in the “Ethical Oil” argument, one that’s exposed by the politicians and pundits who routinely use it but are also fascinated by how quickly a Middle Eastern dictatorship can build a pipeline through the desert.

Here’s the thing that the ethical oil enthusiasts still don’t seem to realize: they can’t have it both ways. They can’t simultaneously take credit for the regulations, standards and rule of law that supposedly make Canadian oil and gas more ethical and then complain bitterly when those are actually enforced. Either they abandon the argument and simply embrace the idea that we can learn something from the Saudis, the Russians and the Emiratis, or they accept the reality that democracy is sometimes less efficient than a dictatorship.

You can read it here — and you can always subscribe so it comes directly to your inbox.