‘I’ve become Canadian in Calgary’: Newcomer weighs Alberta’s separation debate

CALGARY — Alberta’s separation debate carries deeply personal implications for immigrants who chose Canada and built their lives in the province, including what an independent Alberta could mean for their citizenship, legal status and sense of Canadian identity.

For Dozie Anyaegbunam, who moved from Nigeria to Calgary with his wife and two young children five years ago, the issue is deeply personal.

“My identity at its core really ... I’ve become Canadian in Calgary,” Anyaegbunam said.

Now a Canadian citizen, Anyaegbunam says the possibility of Alberta eventually becoming an independent country has him wondering whether his family would have to start over again.

“If this place ceases to be Canadian anymore ... I need to find my place in Canada again. And it’s like, where is that place in Canada?

“I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he said. “Do we have to restart the whole process of finding a province that is as lovely as this and then start building our life again?”

Exactly what separation would mean for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents would depend on future laws and, in some cases, negotiations with Canada.

The Alberta Transition Council, a pro-independence initiative, proposes creating Alberta citizenship and says its preferred outcome would see eligible residents retain Canadian citizenship.

Its transition plan also proposes temporarily recognizing existing permanent resident status and continuing valid work and study permits.

But some elements — including how Canada would treat Canadian citizenship and mobility between the two countries — could not be determined by Alberta alone.

‘Plunge their lives into uncertainty’

Avnish Nanda, an Edmonton lawyer who has worked on immigration cases and has publicly opposed aspects of the referendum, said that uncertainty could weigh heavily on newcomers.

“It’ll plunge their lives into uncertainty,” Nanda said. “What’s being signalled to a lot of immigrants or people who are new citizens in Alberta is that if Alberta does achieve independence, there’s no guarantee that they would have status here as citizens.”

Under Canada’s Clarity Act, a province cannot unilaterally secede. A clear vote in favour of leaving Canada would lead to negotiations, and lawful secession would require a constitutional amendment.

Beyond the legal questions, Anyaegbunam said the debate also touches on a less tangible issue for newcomers: belonging.

Anyaegbunam is the creative director and host of The Newcomers podcast, which explores what happens after immigrants arrive in Canada and begin establishing their lives here.

“We talk so much about the numbers of people coming in. We don’t talk enough about what happens when they come here,” he said.

“There’s identities, belonging. There’s building a community. There’s a ton of things that happen to you in those first 10 to 15 years of when you land here.”

Anyaegbunam said he also wants to see more dialogue around separation, a topic he discusses on the podcast.

“I do accept that I probably don’t have full context of some of the things that people are aggrieved about,” he said. “I accept that, but I do think that we can have a conversation.”

He worries the debate has become increasingly polarized.

“When you spend time looking at what’s going on, there’s a lot of half truths. A lot of it is turned into a shouting match,” he said.

“I do think we’ll lose more if we separate than if we stayed together.”