Opinion: Is Alberta the real 'Distinct Society'?

Albertans are different, for sure — but in a good way?

For the 200,000 new Albertans that immigrated to Canada in the past 10 years, the words "Distinct Society" are largely meaningless. For the other 800,000 Canadians that swelled our population during this time, the words "Meech Lake" don't bring fond memories.

Today, these dated ideas and debates from Canada's first unity challenge seem like irrelevant history. But are there lessons for us?

And a million people in 10 years — why do they keep flocking to Alberta?

In a recent media interview in Ottawa, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet was asked if he had any tips for Alberta secessionists. When the widespread mocking laughter subsided, he said, "The first idea is to define oneself as a nation. Therefore, it requires a culture of their own."

So far, so good. But invoking a derogatory stereotype, he added, "I am not certain that oil and gas qualify to define a culture."

No laughs — this is serious truth.

Rest assured that Quebecers will elect a separatist government this fall, not because of rising independence sentiment but because on this issue they don't want to be upstaged by those hayseed oil and gas hicks out west.

What is striking is that the central ideas that drove the Quebec debate so long ago have receded in favour of "culture" and "nation." Sadly, these two terms have become meaningless, having been hijacked for political purposes.

Even Stephen Harper's later attempts to appease Quebec with the "Québécois nation motion" failed to connect.

But what if Blanchet is right? He just didn't look to the antecedent conditions necessary to develop a thriving oil and gas industry. After all, there is oil and gas under Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Quebec, and yet no industry. How do we explain that if not by real Alberta cultural differences?

Remember, Albertans developed the single most productive industry in Canada with the highest exports. It is also the most heavily regulated and taxed. It has the best environmental record in the world, along with the highest safety standards for its employees.

Meanwhile Quebec's claim to fame is dairy supply management and the federally subsidized Bombardier. So what is Alberta's real cultural secret?

Economists often wonder what causes some economies to succeed and others to stagnate. It turns out it depends on the degree to which the underlying legal and institutional foundations support personal freedoms to make economic choices. For example property rights, business and labour freedom, government integrity and judicial effectiveness.

All of these things together are termed "economic freedom," and studies routinely report the economic freedom of national and subnational jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, it turns out that in Canada, the province with the highest economic freedom is Alberta and the lowest is Quebec.

Further, seven of the 10 Canadian provinces rank below all 50 U.S. states.

This may surprise the layman but it confirms that Canadians, generally, don't really want economic prosperity and routinely elect governments that frustrate it. What exasperates Albertans is that in their misguided pursuit of MAID economic policies, they also want us to join the suicide pact.

So why do people continue to abandon Canada for Alberta? It has nothing to do with esoteric studies on economic freedom. Word of mouth confirms that this is the place where you can build a life for yourself and your family. If you want freedom, opportunity and personal responsibility this is the place to be.

Turns out Alberta is the only real distinct society in Canada.

William D. Marriott is a retired economist who specialized in public policy analysis of the oil and gas industry.