Mike Francis

Husband, father, dungeon master, bagpipe player, history, public speaking and a citizen of Heaven! DM sans previous X interaction = block.

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

Saskatchewan fact: There are no mountains in SK. The closest one is Mount Brown, MT which is about 80km from the SW corner of SK. The easiest mountain to drive to is Baldy Mountain south of Harve Montana, and it is about 95km south from the Port of Willow Creek. #sask #Geography

[Wenda Ismay Toews🇨🇦 @ToewsWenda]

Oh Pierre, give it a break.

[Edmonton Police @edmontonpolice]

“I’m a police officer here in the city of Edmonton, and one of the most dangerous things I do is drive.”

Don’t speed. Don’t drive impaired. Don’t drive distracted. We all want to get home at the end of the day.

We are dead serious. Are you?

[Just Gus 🇨🇦 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈 @Gusinalberta]

Daily reminder to the ditchbillies of Alberta.

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

I am thankful for The Honourable Jason Kenney's analysis on these issues. Clear and thoughtful, from a person who has governed at the highest level of Conservative Canadian politics. In a world where MAGA madness is destroying Conservative credibility, his voice is important!

[Jason Kenney 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇮🇱 @jkenney]

Of course it would not be in the commercial interests of the federal government to suspend shipments on Trans Mountain (TM.)

But that’s not the point.

The point is that in a worse case scenario, such as an Alberta unilateral declaration of independence (UDI,) Canada would have enormous leverage, including the ability to block Alberta energy exports.

This is most obviously the case re: federally-owned TM. Apart from their ability to reduce or stop shipments, do you really think the federal or BC governments would continue to advance Trans Mountain optimization, which is currently the best bet that we have for increased egress?

Do you really think the federal government would maintain its MOU commitment to support the construction of a de novo West Coast pipeline? Even if it wanted to, federal paramountcy over interprovincial pipelines, grounded in 92(10)(a) would cease to exist following secession, so BC governments could find ways to block operation or construction of pipelines going through their territory, with Alberta having no recourse to Ottawa.

Currently all of our pipelines exports to the US pass through other Canadian provinces first. That includes the incomplete KXL route, which passes through Saskatchewan. Since the Republic of Alberta would be starting without an equivalent to the 1977 Canada-U.S. Transit Pipelines Treaty, Ottawa could also suspend the operation of those other pipelines, e.g. the Enbridge Mainline.

Canada and BC could also extract further concessions (eg tolls or tariffs) in order to allow Alberta natural gas to feed into the growing number of West Coast LNG terminals.

Separatists respond to these realities by saying “don’t worry - we’ll build pipelines to the US and export from there!”

First of all, who is “we?” What companies are going to risk tens of $ billions to spend years building a new system of pipelines in the midst of such massive political and legal uncertainty, including the risk of a Biden style abrogation of pipeline permits by the US?

Secondly, the separatists seem completely unaware that the left wing US West Coast governments have effectively blocked the export of carbon intensive fuels from their ports. That’s why US produced thermal coal is exported from the Port of Vancouver, BC. Strange but true: Canada’s West Coast ports are far friendlier to hydro carbon exports than West Coast US ports!

All of this (and much more) effectively gives Ottawa the clear upper hand in prospective negotiations over everything, e.g.:

-debt allocation;

- valuation & sale of federal assets (such as military bases, RCMP facilities, federal lands, including airports, etc.;)

- allocation of CPP assets;

- continuation of OAS / GIS benefits;

- termination of citizenship;

- visa and work permit exemptions for Albertans travelling to Canada;

- export access to the Canadian market;

- partition of Alberta per the predictable demands of democratic majorities in Edmonton, Calgary, Indian Reserves & elsewhere;)

- support for or blockage of Alberta’s accession to critical international bodies & treaties, like CUSMA, or IATA to allow for international flights, etc.; and

- countless other issues.

I agree that exercising its massive leverage in such a scenario would be damaging to Canada. But it would be far more damaging to Alberta.

Whatever grievances Albertans have with Ottawa cannot be remedied by becoming a landlocked statelet.

The vast majority of Albertans know this.

It is beyond absurd that we are going to spend the next several months, and possibly years to come, arguing endlessly over this.

[Forward Canada @fwd_canada]

Danielle Smith is pushing a separatism vote to save herself, and we’re the ones who pay for it.

This isn’t now just about Alberta’s future. It’s about her political survival.
#ableg #canpoli #abpoli

[Robb Fergusson 🍁🍁🍁 @robbfergusson]

@ABDanielleSmith It’s time for Alberta to scrap Danielle Smith, once and for all.

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

@ssikfandk 2000 Man is the greatest cover of all time. Imagine that, KISS led by Ace beat the Stones at Rock and Roll. That alone makes this the most important KISS album of all time.

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

@TheExtremeMusi1 Kate Bush!

[Courtney Theriault @cspotweet]

"I'd never do it, Premier Smith knows how I feel, she wants to I guess protect her 30% base."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggests Alberta's referendum is being held to ensure Danielle Smith keeps her job as UCP leader, and that leaving Canada would be a "disaster for Alberta".

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

@oldcanadaseries You're not a Canadian if you don't!

[Courtney Theriault @cspotweet]

'If Smith believes that it falls to her to put the separatist question on the ballot, then it would make sense for a general election to come before that'

Breakenridge: Smith doesn't owe separatists a referendum

https://t.co/2ZZ2r3fcvc

[Jason Scott 🇨🇦 @JasonOnTheDrums]

#ableg

This isn’t normal.

Danielle Smith is actively working with Alberta separatists to undermine Canada and our democracy.

Danielle Smith is an opportunist and a separatist:

Time to take a stand FOR Canada.

Cancel smith’s tainted referendum. Period.

[Hon. Thomas A. Lukaszuk @LukaszukAB]

“Former Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk is weighing in on the growing debate over the role of courts versus political popularity in Canada’s democracy.”

Do you agree that courts should stand above public opinion and political pressure?

[Larry Hubich 🇨🇦🇬🇱🇩🇰🇨🇺 @LHubich]

Any Canadian who is involved with these warmongering expansionists is a traitor and should be arrested and charged as such.

[Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield]

Good morning, from Canada.
This rainbow was a spectacular double arch, uncannily bright, but what I love best was how the rainbow's end silhouetted our rippling flag. The Maple Leaf, Forever.

[Larry Hubich 🇨🇦🇬🇱🇩🇰🇨🇺 @LHubich]

Alberta = Crimea
Canada = Ukraine
U.S.A. = Russia

[Mike Francis @Prairiepiper]

Happy Victoria day to my fellow Canadians!

[Edmonton Journal @edmontonjournal]

If a separatist group wants to fight this in court, they can pay for their own appeal. It is not the responsibility of Alberta taxpayers to subsidize a political project the government claims it does not even support.

https://t.co/vVQJpxwi88

[Red Deer AFA @AntifaDeer]

Yooo