Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and one of her ministers are calling on the province’s electoral officer to sign off on a proposed referendum question on separation.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press

Robert Pattillo served as chief communications officer at seven major Canadian corporations, including Bank of Nova Scotia, through the 1980s and 90s. He also served in other roles at Scotiabank in the 2000s and now works as an independent strategist.

A separatist movement is brewing in Alberta, and it is quite unlike others.

In its nearly 160 years as a country, Canada has faced only a handful of credible separatist movements. Few have been about money or the political aspirations of individuals hoping to shape a future, as in the case of Alberta. Instead, past separatist movements have been more in defence of a unique culture rather than any personal ambition.

Danielle Smith, Alberta justice minister want separation referendum question approved

Consider Louis Riel. He led the Red River Rebellion in 1869 and later the North-West Rebellion in 1885, but the central issue was the protection of the culture of the Métis as a distinct people. While things didn’t end well for Riel, the province of Manitoba rose from the ashes of these failed conflicts and today is led by Premier Wab Kinew, the son of an Ojibwe chief from the Onigaming First........

© The Globe and Mail