The above question might seem odd for an Albertan, particularly one who loves his country. But if one is also deeply concerned about global warming, it isn’t odd at all. The bitumen madness infecting this province’s government eventually drives a reasonable person to desperation.

The government’s recent speech from the throne serves as a good example. Under the topic “Economy and Budget;” two items refer to more pipelines and one to doubling oil and gas production. There isn’t a single reference to renewable energy even though the province has abundant potential for wind and solar and companies ready to invest in them.

It has even backed off on what marginal efforts it has made to fight global warming. It has terminated the limit on industry’s natural gas flaring, frozen the carbon pricing scheme for large industrial emitters, and imposed restrictive policies on wind and solar projects that have caused uncertainty among investors. And of course it tirelessly harasses the federal government for more pipelines, tankers down the west coast, etc.

And to gain leverage for its demands, it encourages the separatist threat. Perhaps Ottawa should call its bluff and invite the province to leave. Alberta separating would go a long way to solving Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions problem. The province, with only 12 percent of the country’s population, produces almost 40 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario produces about half as much with 38 percent of the population.

Not only would our emissions drop 40 percent but, without the province’s relentless resistance to climate change policies, we would have an easier time getting green measures accepted. Furthermore, the Conservative Party of Canada would be significantly weakened, removing yet another obstacle to the renewable energy transition.

I’m kidding, of course. My province separating is the last thing I want. Most Albertans love Canada and have no interest in leaving. The recent “Forever Canadian” petition underlined that. In response to a separatist attempt to petition the Alberta government into a referendum on leaving Canada, former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk spear-headed a counter petition asking, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?” The response was overwhelming: 456,365 Albertans signed, over 50 percent more than the referendum threshold, possibly the biggest petition in Canadian history.

I simply want the feds to show more spine. The fact is separation would be a disaster for the province and sensible people in the United Conservative Party know that. The dream of pipelines going north, south, east and west as our premier fantasizes about and Pierre Poilievre promises would be well and truly dashed.

Running pipelines north, east and west would be very much harder dealing with a foreign government, particularly one irate with you for breaking up the country. And as for running one south, the separatists might remind themselves that Washington nixed the Keystone XL, not Ottawa. America has some committed environmentalists, too.

So Ottawa need not allow itself to be diverted from our Paris Climate Accord targets by separatist grumbling from Alberta. We are committed to getting our emissions to at least 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and Prime Minister Carney should honour that commitment.