Annexation, Eh?

Today, back home in Alberta, people are voting in a referendum that isn’t quite a referendum, essentially a vote on whether there should eventually be a vote on leaving Canada.

For readers in Spain, this requires a little explaining. Alberta separatism comes with oil, old grievances against Ottawa, memories of Quebec, a dash of Brexit and, increasingly, the enormous neighbour immediately to the south.

From my perch in Spain, I tried to explain how my home province arrived at this peculiar moment, and why Europeans might find some of it oddly familiar.

The piece appeared in English as “Annexation, Eh?” in SUR in English, particularly appropriate for its British expat readership:

Read “Annexation, Eh?” in SUR in English

And in Spanish as “¿Anexión, eh?” in Nueva Tribuna:

Leer “¿Anexión, eh?” en Nueva Tribuna

Sometimes the interesting thing about a referendum isn’t the answer. It’s how the question made it onto the ballot in the first place.