Pensions, passports and misinformation: What each side says the other gets wrong about Alberta independence

Would Alberta seniors lose their Canadian pensions if the province separates? Would Albertans lose their Canadian passports?

Even these basic questions are disputed in Alberta right now as both sides gear up for a referendum on the question of independence this October.

Separatist supporter Wendy Fitzpatrick said pensions were the biggest point of concern she heard from older Albertans while gathering signatures, and she believes the pro-Canada side is spreading misinformation on that.

“Old people in general are misinformed about the CPP and the old age pension,” said Fitzpatrick.

“Seniors think they’re going to lose it if we separate, but we can’t lose something we’ve already paid into. They can’t take that away from them.”

In Alberta, both sides of the separatism debate have accused the other of peddling misinformation, and some questions simply don’t have clear answers yet since the path to dividing a 158-year-old country would naturally be complex.

CBC News set up listening stations at separatist and pro-Canada events to better understand what factual points the two sides disagree on. At the federalist event, people said the pro-independence side is wrong about the economic benefit separatism could bring. We’re using what we heard at both events to guide further reporting leading up to the October referendum.

Fitzpatrick was at a Let’s Talk Alberta event just outside Brooks, one of dozens of perogy dinners the pro-independence group has been organizing in community halls across Alberta. In this case, the kitchen was too small, so pizza filled the tables instead.

CBC News asked attendees: What’s the biggest thing the rest of Alberta gets wrong about separatism?

Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only one to flag pensions as a source of disagreement.

Seniors in Alberta have already earned their pensions; they have a right to them, event attendees said. Canadians can even get their old age security cheques while living overseas if they lived in Canada for at least 20 years after turning 18.

As for a Canadian passport, several people at the event said that Canada doesn’t force anyone to give up a Canadian passport when they become a citizen of another country today, so why would a person gaining an Alberta passport be different?

CBC News doesn’t have answers on each of these points yet, but we’re looking into it. Some questions might not be settled unless Albertans vote for separation in a future referendum that actually triggers negotiations with Canada and the other provinces.

To hear from pro-Canada supporters, CBC News set up at the Forever Canadian lawn sign giveaway at the Renfrew Community Association in Calgary. The lineup to get lawn signs stretched out into the rain.

What do they believe the separatists are getting wrong? The most common response was that independence will lead to a stronger economy and better quality of life.

The pro-Canada crowd at the event didn't believe an independent Alberta can reduce taxes or promote oil and gas the way separatists claim, not when Alberta would be landlocked and will face huge startup costs to establish itself as an independent country.

“Separating will do more harm for oil and gas. No way there will be a pipeline if Alberta is separate,” wrote one pro-Canada supporter on the CBC News comment board.

“Too many people have not done their research on what separatism will cost financially and emotionally,” wrote another.

“Stay to be proud that we fixed any problems,” wrote Chantelle Valliere, who brought her two children to the event.

Tami Savage was a volunteer at the event and previously helped collect signatures. It’s her first time being involved with a political campaign.

“There's a lot of talk on the separatist side about how we get the short end of the stick all the time, but there's a lot of information that isn't taken into account,” she said. “We get a lot of funds for health care. I think we get a lot of funds for education. I think we have a lot of good leadership skills coming from Ottawa.”

It’s also a myth that support for separatism is widespread, said Layne Sebastian, an electronics technician whose family has lived in Alberta for generations.

“It just boggles my mind that we're allowing a small percentage of people to have that big of an effect on a province. Statistically, a good 70 per cent of us don't want to separate, and that even a good half of the people who actually claimed to be on the side of the separatist don't actually want to separate — they just want to get [a better deal federally].”

Back at the separatist event, organizer Chris Scott said the biggest myth is that separatists are primarily focused on the economic benefits of independence. For many of them, that’s not it, he said. It’s about self-determination — about deciding your own course as a people.

On the CBC News comment board, another supporter wrote that it’s a myth that an independent Alberta would not have access to ports; the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says landlocked countries can’t be blocked or taxed for access.

Max Diaz, who moved to Canada from Chile, said the biggest myth is that separatists are racist. Many in the independence movement are immigrants themselves who don’t like the way Canada has been changing since they arrived, he said.

And Sheane Meikle, who later spoke at the event about the history of Alberta’s relationship with the federal government, said the biggest myth he hears is that separatists want to join the United States.

“That's a real misnomer because only about five per cent of people that want to be independent want to join the United States,” Meikle estimated. “We do not want to become part of the States. Why would we change one federal government for another?”