I am reading an interesting book.
It is Canada and Her Colonies: Or, Home Rule For Alberta. It is a good book, well written, with cogent arguments. The author is and Edmontonian, Bromley Moore.
But that is not the most interesting aspect of the book.
What is interesting is when it was written and who wrote it.
An Albertan MLA wrote it in 1911. A Liberal MLA, the party in power at that time.
This book, arguing for Alberta Home Rule, was written 6 years after Alberta became a province. Only 6 years had passed, and a thoughtful, serious politician in Alberta was pointing out problems. Long before oil and gas were discovered. It was before Equalization. It was before the Wheat Board. It was even before canola was a serious crop. Even then, he was arguing that “something was wrong.”
The paraphrased referendum question, “Should we start a conversation about our relationship with the Rest of Canada?” is not a new question. It has been around since 1911.