Maybe this is why Danielle keeps her cards close to her chest.

“Blacklock's Reporter
Minding Ottawa's Business

Monday, January 26, 2026
RCMP Feared Lougheed Run
The RCMP in a secret 1981 memo feared Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed could lead the West out of Confederation. Western separatism “lacks a dynamic leader” but might succeed with a charismatic organizer like Lougheed, wrote the Mounties counter-terrorism unit.
“An individual who is considered a potential leader is the premier of Alberta, Peter Lougheed,” said the memo. “He has voiced disagreement with the separatist position and declared himself ‘as a Canadian first’ on numerous occasions. It is thought however that by actions in the oil pricing negotiations, he harbours latent thoughts of independence.”
“There is one ingredient lacking to make Western separatism a viable force,” wrote the RCMP. “According to numerous editorials and studies, there lacks a ‘dynamic leader,’ a René Levesque of the West.”
“If Lougheed or someone of his stature agitates for Western independence, it could become a reality,” said the memo Western Separatism. The partly censored document was released through Access To Information.
“Whether the West secedes from Confederation, only time will tell,” wrote the counter-terrorism unit. “What could be important are the events that occur in the interim. In an emotional situation, tempers could flare and the build up of frustration could result in violence.”
Groups named in the memo include the Alberta Farmers Union, Canada West Federation, Saskatchewan Taxpayers Association and Western Canada Concept, a short-lived independence party that elected a lone member of the Alberta Legislature in 1982. “Since the federal election of February 1989, feeling politically alienated from Ottawa and exploited by the East, the activities of the Western separatist movement have been on the increase,” wrote the RCMP.
“The victory of the Pari Québécois in 1976 was seen as a possible spur to Western separatism,” said the memo. “It demonstrated how a properly organized and funded party with the right leader could possibly lead a province out of Confederation.”
“Discontent in the West has not developed overnight,” said Western Separatism. “Although numerous groups have come and gone, their raison d’être have basically been the same: discriminatory freight rates between East and West, feeling of alienation, exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of Eastern industry, inadequate benefits acquired in relation to monies contributed to Ottawa, and overall domination by Eastern interests.”
The document concluded Alberta was likelier than other Western provinces to agitate. “Indications are that Western alienation could grow stronger especially in Alberta,” it said.
Footnotes attached to the memo stated RCMP postwar monitoring of independence groups in the West dated from the 1946 founding in Saskatoon of the Western Canada Federation, a small group launched by local tax objector Russell Smith. “The membership of the Federation was purportedly 400,” wrote the RCMP.
By Staff”