Ted Morton and Ken Boessenkool on whether the referendum helped the cause of Alberta autonomy
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Twenty-five years ago they rewired the province’s political thinking with their landmark “Alberta Agenda,” a.k.a, the “firewall” letter: a manifesto for the premier to assert sovereignty within a systemically inequitable federation. Days after Alberta’s referendum on some of the same issues they raised — but also going drastically further in considering separation — Brian Lilley speaks with letter-writers Ted Morton, who went on to become a provincial cabinet minister, and Ken Boessenkool, now a strategist and lobbyist. With voting results showing a hard no to separation and more narrow losses on questions of greater provincial powers in justice, social services and regulation, they discuss whether Premier Danielle Smith’s tactic helped the cause of a more assertive Alberta, or set it back. (Recorded Oct. 23, 2026)
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