Calgary Sun Letters to the Editor, June 22, 2026: ‘Bad move by chiefs’

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‘Absurd in the extreme’

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The Assembly of Treaty Chiefs (AOTC) have unanimously called for the RCMP and auditor general to look into the possibility of laying charges of treason against Premier Danielle Smith and some members of her UCP party. This move by them is absurd in the extreme. Smith has done nothing more than extend the forum for all Albertans to have a voice on how they feel about the treatment we have received from Ottawa and other parts of Canada. And Smith has always declared her wish to keep Alberta within Confederation, with more defined sovereignty rights. What the AOTC has gotten wrong is that for as much as they complain their rights are being ignored, they are working hard to stifle and even to deny the rights of all Albertans to have their say. With numerous polls regularly reporting the larger percentage of Albertans do not want to separate, the question is why the over-the-top stance? For anyone here who is still undecided on any question that will be posed on the Oct. 19 referendum, this push by the AOTC to colour Smith and the UCP as traitors may just be the thing that aids in the decision-making. Not the best move on their part.

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KEN PELLAND

(Whatever one thinks of Smith, treason is a stretch)

Weighing the evidence

(Re: ‘Here’s a reason,’ Letters, June 20) Lysander Masi’s comprehension skills are in need of improvement. He doesn’t understand I am asking the ‘remain’ side to give reasons to stay in Canada. Masi’s specious argument that people look for reasons to do something. He overlooks a facet of human behaviour that almost all people weigh the pros and cons of a decision before acting, should I or shouldn’t I. He does make a point at the end of his letter after he makes some asinine comparison about stubbing one’s toe. As for the $400 billion, it could be money well spent to remove Ottawa’s chains from Alberta. Investments in Alberta are already being scared away as a result of the Liberals’ anti-development legislation. Cenovus CEO Jon McKenzie made that clear some time ago at the Global Energy Show. I am leaning towards independence and the reasons given. I’m still open to be persuaded, but letters like Masi’s and others are doing a lousy job of making an argument to remain.

JEFFREY ANDERSON

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(In four months, Albertans will have their own say)

Quiet, J.T.

We suffered 10 years of the idiot prince doing his best to destroy and embarrass Canada. Please back off of the entertainment articles, cartoons, and, most of all, editorials telling us it’s OK to interact with the U.S. I appreciate his perspective may be different with the California Gurl as opposed to the Orange looney, but I really don’t need his advice.

STUART WEEKS

(Feel free to let any advice from the former-PM fall on deaf ears)

Laying blame

I understand where the separatists are coming from and I don’t blame them. I blame Ottawa instead for causing separatist movements to form in Alberta and western Canada, citing figures like Mark Carney and Justin Trudeau for invoking the carbon-tax that assaults the petroleum industry and rips Alberta off from equalization payments, as well as the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau for invoking the N.E.P., causing the Western Canada Concept to form in the early 1980s. All three of these behaved like communists. Justin Trudeau proved he hates Alberta when he saluted all provinces and territories and omitted Alberta on Canada Day 2017 150th birthday. That was no accidental slip-up, he did that on purpose. Carney said he wants to invoke the New World Order, in Davos, turning Canada into a dictatorship by invoking Bill C-22, censorship. I resent elderly Liberals in eastern Canada, especially in Atlantic Canada living comfortably at our expense. They are out of touch with the west. We don’t need the Laurentian elite telling us what to do. Many Canadians are voluntarily emigrating from Canada to other countries like Costa Rica, Panama, and the U.S./Florida where they pay little to no taxes, have more freedom, and are away from Liberal tyranny. The real traitors are the Liberal government and its members. I also blame the voters who voted Liberal in the last federal election.

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KEITH DREBIT

(Plenty of blame to go around?)

The Gumslinger

Blue Jays star pitcher Kevin Gausman chews up batters like he chews up his bubble gum, then slings it to the turf after another great inning. Therefore I offer up this nickname… Kevin Gausman ‘The Gumslinger!’

TERRY TOLL, Campbell’s Bay, Quebec

(Catchy)

Don’t blame Smith for everything

At an event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on June 15, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi came down on Premier Danielle Smith. He claimed she had fuelled economic uncertainty and instability in the province by giving separatists the opportunity to include the issue of Alberta’s secession in the October referendum agenda. However, this decision had been maturing for many years and became an inevitable result of Ottawa’s long-standing infringements upon the province’s interests. After numerous unsuccessful attempts by Alberta, which is, by the way, the country’s largest net contributor, to negotiate a review of federal policies toward the province with the Canadian government, Smith proved herself a true premier who listened to her people and gave them the opportunity to take their destiny into their own hands. The number of signatures, which is about two times more than the minimum threshold required to hold a referendum, speaks for itself. The people want this separation, and they are prepared to face the challenges that will arise on this path because, once they have overcome these difficulties, they will gain a new Alberta, strong and independent. The October referendum will settle this matter once and for all, and no-one will be able to claim Alberta’s secession was triggered by the poor decisions of its government. Every Albertan will cast a vote proving independent Alberta is what the people have been striving for and dreaming of for decades.

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PAUL MCKAY

(Will you consider the matter settled ‘once and for all’ if the vote doesn’t come out the way you’re hoping/expecting?)

Trump’s concern

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s concern with Canada is not so much of an economic nature; it is much more a national security issue for the U.S., as Mark Carney is constantly meddling with Chinese military stationed in Canada. No U.S. President will tolerate this in the long run. And, it will not matter on what side of the political aisle this U.S. president will be part of. President Trump has given Iran the opportunity to do the right thing. If the Iranians violate the deal with the U.S., Trump will destroy the entire economy of Iran, and they will not be able to export one lousy barrel of crude oil.

CASPAR PFENNINGER

(If it were that easy, Trump’s first foray into Iran would have gone much more smoothly)

Welcome pause

Thank goodness there seems to be a pause in the ongoing conflict in the Mideast, and let’s hope it leads to peace. The worst wars are always about different beliefs, and, in the end, no-one wins. Iran must cede in its hopes to obtain a nuclear bomb. No-one should ever have a device like that if only their belief is to use it on Israel or whoever will not follow their doctrine. Sixty-day timeline to discuss this issue. It takes a well-trained crew one day to assemble a bomb with parts at hand. Peace, love.

KEN UHREN

(Hopefully there’s some sort of breakthrough)

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