Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is stepping into the Alberta separation debate with a direct message: the frustration is real, but the consequences of acting on it would be severe.
"Those frustrations are real. They are deeply felt and they cannot be dismissed," Farkas said in a recent address before arguing that some are exploiting that anger to push the province toward a decision it cannot take back.
Partnerships on the Line
At the centre of Farkas's argument is how much Alberta's economy depends on its ties to the rest of Canada. Energy, investment, jobs all of it, he says, is built on relationships that independence would tear apart.
"To choose independence would be to walk away from partnerships that help create opportunity, investment and jobs here in Alberta," he said.
What the Economists Say
Moshe Lander, a senior economics lecturer at Concordia University and an Alberta resident, has been making the same case. His argument is that the damage doesn't wait for a referendum it starts the moment separation becomes a credible possibility. Businesses making decade-long investment decisions don't sit with uncertainty. They move on.
A March 2026 survey by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce found that 83 per cent of Alberta business owners believed separatist rhetoric was already increasing the risk of recession and driving investment away from the province.
Looking at Quebec
Farkas pointed to Quebec's sovereignty debates as a warning. The uncertainty those campaigns created capital flight, shaken investor confidence, years of instability took a generation to work through. He argued Alberta would face the same, and would be foolish to assume otherwise.
Bigger Than Economics
Farkas pushed the conversation beyond dollars and cents.
"What kind of country do we want to be? Do we retreat from one another or do we rebuild a stronger federation together?" he asked.
Calgary as Proof
He pointed to Calgary itself as the counter-argument. The city is one of the fastest-growing in North America. One in three Calgarians was not born on this continent. More than 240 ethnic origins and 165 languages are represented across the city.
That kind of growth reflects a belief that this place still delivers. And that, Farkas argued, is worth protecting.
Source: Public remarks by Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas
