ANALYSIS: Smith Touts Alberta as ‘Bastion of Liberty.’ How Does It Measure Up?

When Premier Danielle Smith announced her new plan to strengthen bodily autonomy, property, and gun rights, she repeated phrasing she has used before about Alberta being a “bastion of liberty” or a “bastion of freedom.”

People from other parts of Canada are increasingly moving to Alberta, and while jobs and many other factors are at play, Smith also attributes some inflow to freedom-seekers.

“I have people who come up to me from British Columbia, from Ontario, saying that that’s one of the reasons why they chose to come here,” Smith said in a Sept. 25 interview with the Western Standard about her amendments to the province’s Bill of Rights.

“I think people will continue to want to come to Alberta. We can be that little bastion of liberty when others might be turning a different direction,” she said.

Smith is a self-proclaimed libertarian, and as such has championed individual autonomy and political freedom. But the image of Alberta as a “bastion of freedom” predates her tenure and ties into a certain independent “cowboy” stereotype that “has resonance in the political culture” of the province, says Marco Navarro-Génie, president of Alberta-based think tank the Haultain Research Institute.

The province’s motto is “strong and free,” and it’s emblazoned across the base of the Alberta Coat of Arms.

Whether Alberta fulfills its promise of freedom depends on the definition of freedom, Navarro-Génie told The Epoch Times.

In the 18th century, there was a push for freedom of expression and religion. This classical liberal idea of freedom sees any limitation on government as an expansion of personal liberty, Navarro-Génie said. Today’s “small-c” conservatives often value religious freedom, and “have often also attempted to expand the sphere of individual freedom by reducing the burden of taxation,” he said.

So having limits on government and taxes could be among the measures of freedom. Smith’s Bill of Rights amendments focus on personal liberties such as the right to refuse vaccination and to own a gun.

Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said in a Sept. 25 post on X that Smith’s amendments are “playing to her base” ahead of a November leadership review and that they won’t have much of an impact. His predecessor, Rachel Notley, similarly dismissed Smith’s invocation of the Sovereignty Act last year as a “stunt.” The act lays out a process for Alberta to refuse to enforce certain federal laws.

Limitation on Government

Alberta has historically positioned itself as a fighter for provincial freedom from federal “overreach”—and Smith’s government has taken a strong stance on this as well—but it’s not the only one.

“Quebec has always been very sort of jealously guarding its provincial jurisdiction,” Navarro-Génie said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has also looked to exercise provincial jurisdiction to the fullest degree, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are increasingly doing so as well, he said.

In her fight against Ottawa, she has limited the agency of municipal governments and received some criticism for that. For instance, municipalities cannot forge independent agreements with Ottawa on housing or gun confiscation.

At the same time, the Alberta government has a minimized role in some affairs within the province compared to other provincial governments. It is the only province and one of the few jurisdictions in North America with a deregulated electricity market. It is also one of the provinces where auto insurance is private.

It’s the best province for red-tape reduction, according to a report card published by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses earlier this year.

Taxes, Economic Freedom

Regarding lower tax burden as a measure of freedom, Alberta fits the bill.

“With no sales tax, payroll tax, or health premiums in Alberta, Albertans generally pay lower taxes and keep more of their earnings compared to other provinces,” says the TurboTax website.

TurboTax notes that Alberta has the highest basic personal amounts in Canada. That is the amount of income one may earn before having to pay income tax. “For the 2023 tax year, the Alberta basic personal amount is $21,003, while the federal basic personal amount is $15,000,” it says.

Alberta is the top scorer in Canada for economic freedom, according to the Fraser Institute’s most recent assessment for North America. Although Alberta is the highest-ranking subnational jurisdiction in Canada, it is in 31st place for all of North America. It has fallen since its pre-2018 spot at the top of the index, which it held for seven years.

Personal Freedoms and Conscience Rights

Smith’s recently announced plan to amend Alberta’s Bill of Rights focuses on personal freedoms. She made the announcement on Sept. 24, and the amendments are expected to be tabled the first week of November. They focus on bodily autonomy, particularly the right to refuse vaccinations and other medical treatments, as well as property and gun rights.

The right to refuse vaccination ties into backlash against pandemic mandates and a national debate over freedom and the limits thereof. NDP Leader Nenshi says this kind of freedom is not a priority.

“She’s focused on people who refuse to get a vaccine. She is not focused on parents who want the best care for their kids or for those struggling with mental health and addiction who continue to lack access to critical services. Albertans aren’t focused on these ‘priorities,’” he said on X.

The Alberta NDP told The Epoch Times it has no further comments beyond what Nenshi said.

Smith received similar pushback from some quarters last year after her comments on Texas and Florida as “bastions of freedom” from pandemic mandates were publicized.

“They’ve been able to create little bastions of freedom, and we can create a little bastion of freedom in Alberta, as well,” she said, according to FortSaskOnline, which reported on Smith’s remarks during a visit to the town of Gibbons on April 11, 2023.

Amid pandemic mandates, some Canadians called for greater freedom while others called for greater control. This dichotomy is seen in branding research Alberta did in 2009 as well. While it found the positive brand attitudes Canadians held toward Alberta include the impression of “freedom,” it also found the negative brand attitudes include a perception of “no controls.”

It found Alberta had a reputation for self-reliance and entrepreneurship, but also for “being less tolerant, less compassionate, and less environmentally careful as ideal.” Some Albertans surveyed said this is merely a perception, while others said the province did have room to improve on these points.

The divide over pandemic restrictions could be seen in the urban versus rural regions of Alberta. Mayors of the province’s two major cities of Calgary and Edmonton often clashed with the provincial government, urging stricter controls.

When it comes to religious freedoms, outcry came from some groups who said the province unfairly limited the freedom to congregate. A report by the Washington-based Family Research Council (FRC) released this year ranked Canada as third among Western nations for Christian rights violations. It featured several examples from Alberta in which pastors were arrested or churches fined for holding ceremonies during the pandemic.

The provincial government implemented vaccine passports and other lockdown measures that faced pushback. Smith crusaded against pandemic restrictions during the 2022 UCP leadership race.

During her first press conference after she was sworn in on Oct. 11, 2023, she said she would strengthen legislation so Albertans can’t be “discriminated against” on the basis of medical decisions.

“This has been an extraordinary time in the last year in particular, and I want people to know that I find that unacceptable,” Smith said. “We are not going to create a segregated society on the basis of a medical choice.”

She said her Bill of Rights amendments will prevent such restrictions in the future.

The NDP and organizations such as Amnesty International have said Smith’s policies regarding gender transitioning and sexual education for minors are restrictive. The policies limit the rights of minors, they say. Smith has said it is about protecting minors and strengthening parents’ rights to choose for their children.

She also spoke of her government’s commitment to providing free choice for parents when she announced funding for new schools last month. Part of the funding will go toward new non-profit private schools and a Charter School Accelerator Program.

Flock to Alberta?

Smith said in her interview with the Western Standard that Alberta’s high level of freedom could attract many to move there.

Statistics Canada data released Sept. 25 shows that Alberta was the fastest-growing province in the second quarter this year, increasing by about 46,200 residents. While many come from international migration (70 percent), the net increase in interprovincial migration was significant: 20.9 percent.

Texas and Florida have been top destinations for migration within the United States in recent years. Commentary on why people are flocking to these states generally include reasons such as affordability and climate, but freedom is also a key reason, some say.

Those two states score well on the Cato Institute’s “Freedom in the 50 States” index. Cato research fellow William Ruger made the connection between freedom and migration in an interview on C-Span in November last year.

“There is a correlation between freedom and what we might call out-migration or in-migration,” Ruger said, adding that besides factors such as climate, cost of living, and access to nature and amenities, freedom is “something that matters to people’s choices.”

He made the case by noting that New York—which ranks last in overall freedom—has been losing citizens and states like Florida have been gaining them.

“People are moving for freedom. They’re moving away from more state control,” Ruger said.

Florida ranks second for overall freedom as well as economic freedom in the United States, after New Hampshire. Texas ranks 17th for overall freedom but higher (6th) for economic freedom. The overall ranking includes economic as well as personal freedom.

Alberta has drawn comparisons to both states, including when Smith made her comments about those states being “bastions of freedom” to emulate.

Conservatives have especially tended to flock to Republican states in recent years. According to a 2022 survey conducted by news company Axios and research firm Ipsos, 51 percent of Republicans would rather move to Republican or red states than Democratic or blue states (20 percent).

Nearly 60 percent of Republicans said they thought about moving to a state that reflects their political and policy values.

Alberta has a particular draw for conservatives as well, Smith said. The province has voted for Conservatives federally and provincially relatively often, she said, and that gives her the confidence to propose legislation like the amendments to the Bill of Rights.

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