The Alberta Referendum in October is part of a process, and the process is my friend.
Question #10 requires selecting one of two options. The first is to remain a province. The second is not to separate, but to begin a process.
I can vote on Question #10 with the second option, Option #2: I can ask to start the process for constitutional change.
A vote for option #1 is a vote for the status quo. Option #2 starts the process and starts the many conversations around constitutional change. It is not a vote to leave Canada; it cannot be that. It is a vote to begin a process mandated under the Clarity Act.
The Remainers scream that Option #2 for Question #10 is a vote to leave. That is not true; the rules and processes referred to in the referendum require a vote to start a process of change. Now, that process might result in Alberta leaving, but it is not a foregone conclusion.
The Leavers scream that it is a vote to leave. It may suggest that leaving is a good idea, but again, it is a vote to start a process.
I am eager to start a conversation, and this would be the process.
Alberta and other provinces have good reason to re-federate our confederation.