February 07, 2023
Introduction
This project is an investigation into the motivations for the Alberta Sovereignty Act, a mostly forgotten and largely ill-conceived piece of legislation by what can only be described as an overtly racist, hateful political party in Alberta, the UCP and their leader Danielle Smith. This premier rode into power on the last gasps, the final whimper from the hateful, racist, homophobic, neo-nazi, violence-prone Freedom Convoy. We do not say this lightly. Our comments are supported by the lawsuit from Treaty 6 First Nation against the Alberta government, Smith’s own comments and actions, and the outcry from various Indigenous groups across Canada. Indeed Premier Danielle Smith does not speak to the Alberta Sovereignty Act any longer. Perhaps leopards can change their spots.
Hate, however, and the hateful Alberta Sovereignty Act remains, and it is evil.
The Alberta Sovereignty Act, and the larger sovereignty movement in Alberta can only be described as hateful, homophobic, racist and evil in its motivations. The UCP is not permitted to attend Calgary Pride because this political party is homophobic. In this project we provide three examples of how these hateful forces and their motivations manifest themselves, mostly under the guise of freedom, in sports, the justice system and academic institutions, specifically in Alberta.
Canadians, however, are not free to hate. Hate laws exist in Canada for a reason. History is the reason, and racist, hateful institutions must remain checked. Efforts to uncover the hate is almost always met with stonewalling. These evil forces know when they are identified. When the spotlight swings their way, the only armour they have is to hide. Fine, a journalist’s work is complete when these forces remain hidden, closeted in the realm of conspiracy and propaganda.
The University of Calgary
Our first example shows how the University of Calgary, located in the heartland of conservative Alberta, is at the forefront among systemically racist academic institutions in Canada. The CACHE Project makes efforts, offers the University of Calgary an opportunity to speak to its role and give its opinion in the creation of the Alberta Sovereignty Act. The CACHE Project is inspired to undertake this effort in December 2022, when a colonialist, racist political science professor teaching at the University of Calgary Barry Cooper places himself into the public eye and spreads his hateful views on CBC’s The Current.
Please see the story at this link
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/alberta-sovereignty-barry-cooper-1.6678510
We followed up with Barry and notified relevant offices at the University of Calgary.
Below is a pdf of an email conversation we had with Barry. We copied the relevant offices, including the Students Union at the University. Barry uses racist colonialist theories to support his motivations as an architect of the sovereignty act. He references precisely the history that created the Canadian residential school system in the first place and the less than stellar history that Canada is attempting to reconcile. Barry references the systemically racist colonialist acts that Canada is founded upon and is struggling to make sense of today. Barry’s feedback to the important work that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is doing, is to dismiss it. This feedback confirms that he is an exemplary colonial, “old stock” racist and should not be allowed to spread hateful propaganda any longer. The University of Calgary has a responsibility to dismiss professors like Barry in order to check the hate. To our knowledge Barry Cooper, the self proclaimed architect of the Alberta Sovereignty Act, is still spreading hate at the University of Calgary. Meanwhile Danielle Smith would like us to forget about the Alberta Sovereignty Act, and that sad episode in Alberta politics.
Further to the above effort we have followed up with an open letter to Dr. Edward McCauley, the ninth president of the University of Calgary. Dr. McCauley began his term on January 1, 2019. The open letter contains 4 questions. We forwarded this letter to the University of Calgary president’s office, it can be downloaded as a pdf below:
- What is your view on the Alberta Sovereignty Act and how does your view impact your decision to uphold the efforts of reconciliation within the University of Calgary?
- Are you aware of a colonial “old stock” racist, Barry Cooper, teaching at the University of Calgary?
- Are you aware that there may be other professors who support the Alberta Sovereignty Act and may be actively propagating this hateful piece of legislation at your institution of higher learning?
- What do you propose the University of Calgary can do, if anything, that may mitigate the harm that is being done by professors such as Barry Cooper?
We have not heard back.
The Calgary Flames
Hockey is arguably Canada’s sport, and hockey in Canada is having its share of challenges as it undertakes the important work to remake its image in the face of sexual assault complaints among its junior players. The CACHE Project hereby acknowledges that as of January 2023, the Calgary Flames Hockey Club is the only team in the National Hockey League, in Canada, that does not have a land acknowledgement at the beginning of their games. A land acknowledgement at the start of a Flames game is one way to demonstrate a commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Please see the story for context and clarification at this link
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-flames-treaty-7-land-acknowledgement-1.6718225
We have followed up with an open letter to Calgary Flames Owner Murray Edwards, General Manager Brad Treliving and Coach Darryl Sutter with two questions, this open letter can be downloaded as a pdf below:
- Why does the Calgary Flames Hockey Club not have a land acknowledgement at the beginning of their games?
- What is your view on the Alberta Sovereignty Act and how does your view impact your decision to uphold the efforts of reconciliation within your organization?
We contacted the Calgary Flames, and asked them to forward the open letter to the named individuals within it. The reply from the Calgary Flames Hockey club is to state, again, as they continue to state, that “It is important to continue to learn from these conversations and ensure we speak with all seven Nations prior to any formal announcement.”
The conversation has already been had. What precisely is the subject matter of your conversations? What more could possibly be said? The “conversation” was published in December 2015, all 6 volumes. It is called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Could it be that a land acknowledgement would be deemed too offensive to Calgary Flames fans, and to the larger sports community in the City of Calgary? A straightforward answer to this question would be to have a land acknowledgement prior to every game in Calgary, immediately, like every other NHL team in Canada does.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
The last example we provide to exemplify the racist elements within the Alberta Sovereignty Act and its motivations for separation from Canada lies in the Alberta judicial system. Glenn Blackett, a Calgary-based lawyer with the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms represents the systemic racism within the judicial system in Alberta. It is commonly understood that lawyers lie, as a profession, and very little conversation can be had once they attempt to use the power of legislation to motivate hate. The final effort at conversation and dialogue takes place within the legal profession prior to violence.
Please see the story at this link
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/law-society-vote-the-path-couse-mandate-petition-1.6731399
The Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms can only be recognized as a veil for racist, hateful efforts to separate Alberta from Canada. Indeed, this organization is located in Calgary, Southern Alberta. Alberta is home for these operators. The mandatory Indigenous course called The Path, mandated as compulsory by the Law Society in Alberta was put at risk by the efforts of Glenn Blackett and others. Blackett “is one of many talented lawyers who work with the Justice Centre for Constitional Freedoms”. Every law society in Canada recognizes the importance of the 27th call to action in the TRC. It so happens that lawyers in Calgary are offended, and brave enough to voice their hate.
On February 6th 2023 the racist spectrum that this organization represents in the Alberta justice system failed. The Alberta law society voted to continue educating lawyers with the Indigenous culture course. We can only hope that evil forces within organizations like the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, like the Freedom Convoy, are finally placed into their cold, dark grave, a footnote of what happened once. Meanwhile Canada continues to move forward in its attempt to reconcile its history. These organizations will continue to fail in their efforts to motivate hate, and the evil that it is, within the province of Alberta, and in Canada. The email conversation with Glenn Blackett and the organization that he represents allows us to make these powerful statements in full force. Please find it below.
Conclusion
An addendum to this project: as Canadian journalists we respect the privacy of all Canadians, and all persons whom we interact with. Journalists in Canada are provided the right to protect their sources. When the situation is warranted we protect our sources to the fullest extent of the law. As journalists with The CACHE Project we abide by a code similar to that of a doctor, it is to “do no harm”. As such, the disclaimers at the bottom of the emails published on this webpage are meaningfully acknowledged, as are the revelations of specific contact information in the messages. However, we feel that the extraordinary and unbelievable circumstances, the larger conversation surrounding this project motivate us to publish these private messages. The larger conversation taking place in Alberta is one step removed from the violence, the pain, and the incredible amount of human suffering that happens when hate is allowed to manifest itself in society.
Finally, in the face of the constant onslaught from various powerful authoritarian regimes outside of Canada’s borders journalists must remain vigilant in their role as the cornerstone in the wall that protect the rights and freedoms we all enjoy as Canadians. The hateful motivations of the Alberta Sovereignty Act does not contribute to the freedom, nor the safety and security of Albertans or Canadians, quite to opposite. Our motivation for making this statement lies in the fact that the use of the Emergencies Act to quell the illegal acts of the hate motivated Freedom Convoy in February 2022, a precedent in Canada, was found warranted.
For more information, questions or concerns please contact us via our contact page here
CACHE Productions 