Unity Bus brings pro-Canada campaign to Cold Lake

Former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk brought the Forever Canadian campaign’s Unity Bus to Joe Heffner Memorial Park, where supporters gathered to meet him and pick up campaign lawn signs.

The province-wide tour comes ahead of Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, when voters will be asked to choose between remaining a province of Canada and beginning the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on separation.

“It’s important to bring it to every community, to remind Albertans how important it is for us to be Canadian, and how you cannot be Albertan without being Canadian, or you can’t be Canadian without being Albertan,” Lukaszuk says.

He encourages all eligible Albertans to participate, describing the referendum as a decision that will shape how the province and its residents are remembered.

“It really will define us as a province. It will define us as Canadians. But most importantly, this vote will define us as who we are as human beings . . . One day, children will be studying [it in] history books and [we] will be judging us on how we act and how we behave here. Second thing is, you know, we’re often busy with our own lives, but we live now in very unstable geopolitical times,“ he says.

Lukaszuk argues that internal division could make the country more vulnerable during a period of global instability. While acknowledging that Canada has problems that must be addressed, he says leaving the country would not resolve Alberta’s concerns.

The visit to Cold Lake also carried special meaning because of Cold Lake’s connection to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Lukaszuk praised Cold Lake’s waterfront and recalled visiting the community for its annual fish fry. He also emphasized the importance of 4 Wing as a Canadian military and NATO base, saying Canadians rely on the personnel stationed in Cold Lake to protect the country during turbulent times. He noted that members carry the Canadian maple leaf while serving, reflecting their pride in Canada.

Cold Lake resident and campaign supporter Cathy Olliffe-Webster says her national identity was central to her decision to attend.

“I’m Canadian first, and I believe in Canada. I love Alberta, and we have to win this referendum,” Olliffe-Webster says.

She had previously met Lukaszuk in Edmonton while picking up a lawn sign. She and her husband also helped collect signatures for the Alberta Forever Canada petition.

Olliffe-Webster, who grew up in Ontario and has lived in different parts of the country, says she has always considered herself Canadian. She believes some Albertans have been told that the province has being treated unfairly, creating resentment toward Ottawa and other parts of Canada.

Lukaszuk says many people attending tour stops expressed disbelief that a campaign defending Alberta’s place in Canada was even necessary.

“You know, this really empowers people. I bet you dollars to donuts that these people never met each other, and now they’re making friends and they’re making connections,” says Lukaszuk.

For Lukaszuk, who immigrated to Canada as a child, leading the campaign was also a way to repay the country for welcoming his family and giving them a chance at a good life. People across Alberta have shared deeply personal stories about what Canadian citizenship means to them.

The Unity Bus had travelled almost 40,000 kilometres by the time it reached Cold Lake, taking Lukaszuk into communities he had not encountered during nearly 15 years in elected office.

Lukaszuk hopes the tour will encourage Albertans to reflect on their Canadian identity, and the potential harm separation could cause locally, provincially and nationally.

Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week.