Separation Anxiety

Kristi Lee (0:00)

Hi there, I hope you're well. We've got another episode coming along, but in the meantime, I'm really excited to tell you about a project I've been quietly involved with, a new Canadian investigative series launching this week called Separation Anxiety.

Danielle Paradis (0:20)

There's a referendum this fall, and independence is on the ballot. Sort of.

I'm Dani Paradis.

Tim Querengesser (0:27)

And I'm Tim Querengesser. We're two Alberta journalists who've covered this province's politics for years.

Danielle Paradis (0:33)

This summer, we drove around Alberta talking to separatists.

Kristi Lee (0:38)

Before you hear the trailer, I want to quickly explain why this show matters so much to me. Alberta is holding a referendum on October 19th, and one of the questions asks whether the province should take steps towards a legally-binding vote on separating from the rest of Canada. Yep, it's the referendum about whether to hold another referendum, based on a political idea that, up until the last few years, was largely dismissed as pretty fringe and unrealistic. Now it's on the ballot. How did this happen? And what does the rest of Canada need to know about it?

My friend, the award-winning journalist Danielle Paradis, wanted to find out.

If her name's familiar, it's because you've heard it in a few of our episodes here. She's also a podcast producer, writer, indigenous educator and all-round firecracker. Regular listeners might remember her podcast, The Place That Thores, about how indigenous peoples are dealing with climate change. Well, she won gold in the digital publishing awards for that. So when she told me about separation anxiety, of course, my ears pricked up. Danielle tells me she spent most of this past summer driving around Alberta with fellow journalist and writer, Tim Querengesser, talking directly with Albertans on the ground who support the separatist movement. Danielle and Tim really wanted to understand what's behind the push for separation, the frustrations, fears and hopes that have led to these people deciding Alberta would be better off splitting from Canada.

They met people at freeway overpasses waving flags in rural cafes, churches and Tim Hortons, not to argue with them, but just to listen. They wanted to find out would separation actually address these people's concerns. Spoiler alert, no. And if Albertans vote no to another referendum on separation, will that settle this issue once and for all? Also no, not even close.

What these journalists uncovered was surprising and revealing, and it has implications for all Canadians across the country. And I know, I know, you don't come to Canadian True Crime for provincial politics, but there's more than meets the eye here. This issue does have a criminal justice component. The RCMP is currently reviewing whether actions taken by the Alberta Premier and members of her government in relation to the Separation Push could amount to treason under the Criminal Code. But here's the main reason I'm backing Separation Anxiety. Canada has been my home for 17 years now. I like to know what's happening here, and strong, independent, grassroots local journalism is how we get a clearer picture of that. Not through spin and propaganda, sound bites and social media noise, but by reporters with boots on the ground and local communities talking to real people. But that kind of journalism is under pressure right now. Newsrooms are shrinking, local coverage is disappearing, and the ad revenue that once supported Canadian journalism is increasingly being siphoned off by giant US tech companies. And the podcasting industry has its own challenges too. We know audiences are still growing, and we know they genuinely love investigative limited series. The problem is that publishers are not funding these shows like they used to, because they get a better return on investment from personality driven shows that churn out episodes year round. See podcasts on Netflix.

So when Dani Paradis told me about Separation Anxiety, a project driven entirely by curiosity and passion, I decided, why not me? So I'm proud to say that Canadian True Crime has helped finance this series, using the ad revenue we earned, thanks to you listening to our episodes and subscribing to our premium feed. The podcast is called Separation Anxiety, The Alberta Referendum. It's got really distinctive artwork, a blue background with a large red Canadian flag with an Alberta sized hole in it.

Episode 1 is out right now. There's links to find it on your favourite podcast player in the show notes. Here's a little taste.

SPEAKER_4 (5:15)

I had a great upbringing and life was good. It was like Mayberry in the 1950s. But that Canada is no longer here. It vanished decades ago. The rugs being pulled out from under us.

Tim Querengesser (5:27)

You're under the thumb of Ottawa.