Alberta Premier Daniel Smith has estimated that separating from Canada would cost approximately 400 billion dollars in upfront expenses, with an additional 25 to 50 billion dollars required annually to establish and maintain independent government services.
Smith presented the figures at a press conference, saying she wanted to be very realistic about the costs and inconveniences people would face if they decided to vote for independence. She noted that 170 billion dollars of that total represents Alberta's share of the national debt alone.
An independent Alberta would need to renegotiate all trade agreements worldwide, establish trade offices, set up a postal service, regulate telecommunications and banking, and create numerous other federal services from scratch, according to the premier's assessment.
A professor of economics who reviewed the estimates believes the total cost could be even higher, potentially exceeding half a trillion dollars. He argued that the reaction of international capital and trade markets would be severe, leading to additional financial consequences.
Alberta separatists dismissed the 400 billion dollar figure. One prominent advocate responded by saying the province could pay off the entire amount within eight years, pointing to Alberta's resource wealth and arguing that complete freedom would be worth the investment.
The separatist movement has proposed that within three to five years of independence, Alberta could eliminate both federal and provincial income tax entirely, funding government services through resource revenues and other economic advantages.
However, the economics professor cautioned that separatists have not fully factored in the cost of creating an entirely new national government from nothing. The debate over Alberta independence continues to divide opinion in the province, with polls showing a significant minority supporting the idea.