Braid: Farewell to Steven Guilbeault, a founding father of Alberta separatism

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault at a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons at West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK / Hyungcheol Park/Postmedia

Braid: Farewell to Steven Guilbeault, a founding father of Alberta separatism. Steven Guilbeault is gone, but, oh, the wreckage he leaves behind. No single politician, apart from ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau, did more to create today’s separatist movement in this province. The former environment minister’s extremist climate policies, coupled with massive expansion of federal power, imprinted a fixed belief that Liberal Ottawa despises Alberta and can never be trusted. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s program is appealing for many, but the separatists don’t believe a word of it. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans now reject Canada. In some extreme cases, they hate Canada. They would have us join America or establish an independent Alberta with help from across the border. Their rejection of Canada is that profound. For millions of federali...