Alberta Fact Check: Would B.C. embargo trade with an independent Alberta? Not likely

Subhead:A trade embargo between B.C. and an independent Alberta would likely hurt B.C. more — Alberta could still ship resources south to American customers, while Canadian goods needing West Coast access would be blocked without Alberta's rail cooperation.# Opponents to Alberta’s in dependence movement often like to imply if Alberta chose to become independent, British Columbia would cease all trade and diplomatic relations. The neighbouring province would go off into a self-destructive fit of pique and leave Alberta stranded from all access to the West Coast. During a debate with Keith Wilson, former premier Jason Kenney said independence would turn Alberta into, “a landlocked commodity-driven economy that would need to find a way to ship its resources to the rest of the world,” calling it “the single most dramatic act of economic suicide in modern history.” Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander said , “...you're going to be able to negotiate free passage to the ocean for pipelines with now a Canada that's going to be resentful…” The independence debate landscape is rife with variants on the point. A scorned Canada would use B.C. to vindictively starve Alberta should the province choose independence, possibly driving it into the arms of the United States as trade funnels even more into a north-south direction. Statements from newly minted B.C. Conservative Party Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay indicate political leadership in B.C. could be more pragmatic in the event of Alberta’s independence. Amazon-embed:B0GXDXZ6LX

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