The loonie and the leavers
On October 19th, Albertans will answer a question no province outside Quebec has ever formally put to its voters: whether to begin the legal process toward a binding referendum on leaving Canada. The wording is deliberately indirect—this is a vote about whether to hold a future vote—and it sits alongside nine other ballot questions on immigration and the constitution. But its symbolism is potent. Under Premier Danielle Smith, a separatist impulse long confined to the fringes of her United Conservative Party has reached the mainstream, potentially impacting the broader Canadian economy and the loonie’s value. Prime Minister Mark Carney has...