Some of the economics of “freedom”

Have you ever heard of The Bank of Montréal? How about the Royal Bank of Canada, which for decades was, and likely still is, Canada’s largest business in terms of asset value—ever heard of it? How about Canadian Pacific Railway—now Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway—have you ever heard of it? These large, well-established businesses began in Montreal and, for decades, had head offices there. Not anymore. They, along with over 350 larger businesses (and many more, smaller ones) fled Québec because of the separatist threat. The two banks now call Toronto home. The railway is headquartered in Calgary. Separatists hollowed out the Québec economy and they continue to do so. That is an unassailable fact – not merely my opinion. Separatists owe you proof they will avoid similar losses. The American philosopher George Santaraya said, “Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it.”  

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta Federation of Labour agree with the estimate separation will cost Alberta 175,000 jobs. That number was calculated by University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Toombe, as far as I know, but both the Calgary Chamber and the AFL accept it. Try selling your house in an Alberta market with 175,000 fewer buyers. 

Extrapolate from 175,000 jobs lost among Alberta’s 5,000,000 people. That equals a loss of 3,500 jobs per 100,000 people. Medicine Hat, Redcliff, and Cypress County have about 85,000 people. Therefore, the job loss will be 85 per cent of 3,500, or about 2,975 jobs lost in Medicine Hat, Redcliff, and Cypress County. Calgary, with about 1,200,000 people, will lose about 42,000 jobs. Arithmetic does not lie. While separatists have faith, family freedom will be achieved standing in bread lines and in soup kitchens. The separatists will mitigate job losses by using some of the one-half trillion dollars they plan to borrow from Donald Trump’s MAGA Republicans. Ah, sweet separatist freedom – being unemployed and grossly in debt to a malignant, chaotic megalomaniac and his ignorant sycophants, and, ultimately, becoming their vassals. Vote to remain in Canada.

Gregory R. Côté, Irvine