Four Alberta Conservative MPs have come out with a declaration that calls on political leaders in Canada to do something about the growing national unity crisis and the economic devastation that Alberta, and western Canada, is facing.  

The Buffalo Declaration, so-called because historically, the area that is now called Alberta and Saskatchewan was once going to be named Buffalo and made into a single province, was signed by the Alberta MPs, including Banff-Airdrie's Blake Richards.  Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner, Medicine Hat-Cardston- Warner MP Glen Motz and Peace River-Westlock MP Arnold Viersen.

Richards said the four worked on coming up with a declaration to challenge political leaders, including those running for the Conservative leadership, that would ensure the future unity of Canada while recognizing that Alberta is not currently an equal partner in confederation.

"Albertans, including many people in our riding, are hurting right now," Richards said. "We're frustrated, we're angry, we're disappointed and that's a natural reaction to what we're seeing right now.  We seem to have a federal government that just doesn't care about the situation in Alberta and this is something that, over the history of Canada, has been a problem."

Richards said the message they're hearing from Albertans is simple.  "We will be equal, or seek independence."  Albertans, the four MPs feel, are feeling disconnected from, and disrespected by, the rest of Canada.  Many Canadians are either unaware of the struggles the province is facing, or fail to understand the source of those frustrations.

"A lot of Albertans are talking about the idea of separating from Canada,  I'm a proud Canadian and I want to try to make this country work and save that from happening.  The idea behind this was to offer a set of solutions that would be a structural change that would ensure that, no matter what party, no matter what governments is in power, that the entire country is treated equally, and that's not the case now.  This is a series of proposals that layout ways that we think confederation can be fixed so that it works for all Canadians, including Albertans."

Richards said the recommendations in the Buffalo Declaration must be taken seriously by any leader who wants to ensure the future unity of the country.  

The four main challenges the MPs suggest in the document that the province is facing include never having been an equal partner in Confederation, being a culturally distinct region, a fact that has not been recognized, being physically and structurally isolated from Canada's economic and political power structures, and being treated as a colony rather than an equal partner in confederation.

The declaration calls for, among other things, the government to acknowledge the devastation of the National Energy Program in the House of Commons, eliminate or phase out equalization and to retroactively lift the cap on the fiscal stabilization fund.  

The full document, and all recommendations called for, can be found here.  

Richards concludes by saying, "One say or another, Albertans will have equality."

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