Canada West Foundation

09/05/2026

“This is perhaps the most consequential vote that Albertans will have in their lifetimes.”

ICYMI: Gary Mar, the President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, joined QR Calgary this week to discuss Alberta in Confederation, a non-partisan research initiative examining the economic, trade and constitutional realities of Alberta separation from Canada ahead of the October 19 provincial referendum.

“The purpose of this paper is to give Albertans the information that they need to draw their own conclusions about which way to vote,” he said.

The report draws on the work of economists, constitutional scholars, business leaders, former public servants and policy experts from across the country, providing Albertans with evidence-based analysis of some of the most consequential questions raised by the referendum.

Listen to the full interview (starts 1:04):

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3dEqUMuW4CyO6j7hJN7rPF

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-in-confederation-the-economic-trade/id1066415378?i=1000787677507

Read the report: https://cwf.ca/research/publications/report-alberta-in-confederation/

Alberta in Confederation examines the economic, trade, constitutional realities and implications of Alberta’s separation from Canada ahead of the October 19 referendum.

09/04/2026

Webinar Registration: Ahead of the October 19 Alberta referendum, Canada West Foundation is hosting a live panel discussion on the realities of separation.

The panel will include contributors to Alberta in Confederation, a non-partisan research initiative that brought together economists, constitutional scholars, business leaders, former public servants and policy experts.

Join us for a live discussion of the report’s findings.

📅 Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
🕤 Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am MT (11:30 am to 1:30 pm ET)
💻 Location: Online (Zoom)
📍 Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TlN9SyhKQxalUuJAizFzKw #/registration

The questions before Albertans are significant. Our goal is to provide a clearer picture of what separation could involve, so Albertans can make their own informed decisions.

Read the report: https://cwf.ca/research/publications/report-alberta-in-confederation/

09/03/2026

What would separation actually mean for Alberta? A new report from the Canada West Foundation examines the economic, trade and constitutional realities, and the implications of Alberta's separation from Canada ahead of the October 19 provincial referendum.

Alberta in Confederation, an insightful non-partisan research initiative, draws on the work of economists, constitutional scholars, business leaders, former public servants and policy experts from across the country, providing Albertans with evidence-based analysis of some of the most consequential questions raised by the referendum.

Read the report:https://cwf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Alberta-in-Confederation-Report.pdf

Contributors to Alberta in Confederation include:

🔵 Dr. Ted Morton, former Alberta cabinet minister and professor emeritus at the University of Calgary, examines Alberta's constitutional position within Confederation and how it has evolved since the era of Peter Lougheed.

🔵 Dr. Dwight Newman, Canada Research Chair in Rights, Communities and Constitutional Law at the University of Saskatchewan, analyzes the constitutional processes and legal realities surrounding separation.

🔵 Dr. Audrey Doerr, a political scientist and former public servant specializing in Indigenous policy and Canadian federalism, examines Indigenous rights, treaty relationships and their implications for Alberta's constitutional future.

🔵 Dr. Greg Anderson, professor of political science at the University of Alberta and former policy analyst with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, explores the trade, treaty and international-relations questions that would arise for a sovereign Alberta.

🔵 Dr. Paul Boothe, economist, former deputy minister and Officer of the Order of Canada, evaluates the fiscal implications of separation, including debt allocation, pensions, social program portability and monetary policy considerations.

🔵 Lennie Kaplan, former senior manager with Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, analyzes the potential economic and fiscal impacts of Alberta separation on public finances, government operations and economic growth.

🔵 Dr. Herb Emery, economist and Vaughan Chair in Regional Economics at the University of New Brunswick, examines labour mobility, migration and Alberta's workforce dependence on workers from elsewhere in Canada and abroad.

🔵 Jeffrey J. McCaig, chairman of Trimac Transportation Group, examines the practical implications of separation for businesses, transportation networks, investment and supply chains.

🔵 Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, provides a business and investor perspective on certainty, competitiveness and Alberta's long-term economic future.

Learn more: https://cwf.ca/research/publications/report-alberta-in-confederation/

08/28/2026

Open banking has the potential to reshape how Canadians access and share financial data.

Open banking is a regulatory and technical framework that lets consumers and small businesses securely direct their own financial data, account balances, transaction histories and product details to selected third-party providers, such as financial technology (fintech) apps, budgeting tools, lenders or comparison services.

The latest Frontiers in Tech brief, written by Billy Truong and Margi Pandya, explores how Canada's long-awaited open banking framework could create new opportunities and questions for consumers, financial institutions and fintechs.

Read the full brief for more.

Open banking promises to let consumers take their financial information with them and force established banks to compete for their business.

08/24/2026

On the topic of Alberta separation, the Canada West Foundation sought out people with the expertise to ask the right questions and the experience to test the answers against facts and evidence rather than emotion.

In the third of a series of op-eds for the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal, Canada West Foundation President and CEO Gary G. Mar highlights the diverse expertise of the authors contributing to our upcoming report on separation.

Our contributors come from different backgrounds and, importantly, don’t agree on everything. Nor should they.

On October 19, Albertans will not vote to separate from Canada. They will choose whether the government should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada. Before making that choice, Albertans deserve more than just confident predictions from either side.

They deserve a clear understanding of some of the questions, the evidence behind the answers, the uncertainties that remain and the choices that would follow.

Read the full commentary to learn more about our contributors:

The Canada West Foundation sought out people with the expertise to ask the right questions about Alberta separation and the experience to test the answers against facts and evidence rather than emotion.

08/20/2026

Newfound momentum is driving Canada toward focused development in the Arctic.

Canada’s northern territories have received increased national attention in recent years, as geopolitical threats raise concerns about natural resources, defence, infrastructure, Indigenous engagement and regulatory processes.

These have become essential nation-building topics as the federal government eyes economic opportunities and strengthened sovereignty in the Arctic.

To discuss the opportunities and challenges at play in the North, on June 9, 2026, Canada West Foundation convened a private roundtable discussion in Calgary with Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and leaders from government, Indigenous organizations, industry and capital markets.

Read the full report to learn more about the current state of Canada’s North and what’s needed to make Arctic ambitions a reality.

We extend our sincere thanks to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Hatch and WSP for their generous sponsorship of the Roundtable on Arctic Sovereignty and Infrastructure.

As newfound momentum drives Canada toward focused development in the Arctic, this report highlights the opportunities and challenges.

08/06/2026

What happens when a long-dormant border dispute intersects with trade negotiations?

Canada's unresolved maritime boundary dispute with the United States in the Beaufort Sea has received little attention in recent years.

But changing trade dynamics and upcoming CUSMA discussions raise questions about whether the issue could return to the policy agenda.
In a special Building for Tomorrow brief, guest contributor Lawrence L. Herman explores:

💠 Why the Beaufort Sea dispute remains strategically and economically significant

💠 How deteriorating Canada-U.S. relations may affect efforts to resolve it

💠 What options Canada could consider, including renewed discussions on joint development

Read the full brief for a closer look at the implications for Canada's Arctic future.

Canada’s unresolved boundary in the Beaufort Sea has been dormant but could resurface amid ongoing trade negotiations with the United States.

07/30/2026

Washington's new 50 per cent tariffs take effect August 19, but their impact will not be felt evenly across Western Canada.

Roughly 14 per cent of B.C.'s exports to the U.S. fall under the new tariff lists, the highest concentration of any province.

Meanwhile, energy and potash exemptions leave only about one per cent of exports from Alberta and Saskatchewan exposed.

The result could be a widening economic gap between energy-producing and non-energy provinces as the Canada-U.S. trade dispute evolves.

Read our latest policy brief to understand what these tariffs could mean for Western Canada's economy and trade outlook.

Washington's latest 50 per cent tariffs are set to widen the gap between an energy-insulated Alberta and Saskatchewan and an exposed B.C.

07/28/2026

The Canada West Foundation is bringing together economists, academics and policy practitioners for a comprehensive report to be released later this summer on what Alberta separation would actually mean.

On the question of separation, it’s not a straight yes or no answer. The ballot gives two options: keep Alberta a province of Canada or direct the government to begin the constitutional process for a future, binding vote on separation.

That second option doesn’t pull us out of Confederation; it opens the separation door, while the first option closes it.

In the second of a series of op-eds for the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal, Canada West Foundation President and CEO Gary G. Mar discusses the accumulated grievances that led Alberta toward this referendum conversation.

Our report isn’t built to land on a predetermined answer. Some contributors think Alberta’s grievances are legitimate, but that separation is still the wrong remedy.

Others start from a different place. What they share is rigorous, evidence-based work and a willingness to have their assumptions tested, including by each other, with one goal: leaving readers better informed, not persuaded.

Our next two columns get into the work they’re doing, including who’s on the research team, the substance of the report, what separation would actually mean and the economic, trade and constitutional realities of leaving Confederation.

Read the full commentary to learn more about Canada West Foundation’s research project.

On the question of Alberta separation, it's not a straight yes or no answer. Whatever happens on referendum night, the grievances that got us here still need to be tackled.

07/22/2026

Western Canada is quickly emerging as a data centre hub, with several companies investing heavily in developing digital infrastructure across the region.

These developments have spurred policy discussions on everything from economic competitiveness and energy system supply chains to data sovereignty and governance. On April 30 and May 1, 2026, the Canada West Foundation brought government, industry and community partners together at two roundtables to discuss the future of data centres across the country and, in particular, the 300 megawatt (MW) Bell AI Fabric data centre in Saskatchewan.

This Engagement Insights report, authored by Aaron Manz and Charles De Land, reflects many of the ideas and perspectives shared by participants during the roundtable events.

Read the full report to learn more about the data centre economy in Saskatchewan and the broader implications of data sovereignty and digital infrastructure: https://cwf.ca/research/publications/data-centre-strategy

We extend our sincere thanks to our roundtable partner, the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan (CIC), for its ongoing support and partnership. In addition, we thank the following organizations for their generous sponsorship of the Building a Data Centre Economy in Saskatchewan and Data Sovereignty & Digital Infrastructure roundtables: Bell Canada, Fortinet, ESTI Consulting Services, Finning Canada, GenSystems, MAX Power Mining and Steel Reef.

This report captures policy discussions around the future of data centres and data sovereignty in Canada and their economic and societal value.