Coyne defended referendums on electoral reform, including proportional representation debates in Ontario and British Columbia. Yet when Alberta’s frustrations with Confederation are put before voters, his enthusiasm for direct democracy seems to disappear entirely.

 

CBC

CBC At Issue panellist and Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne now routinely dismisses Alberta sovereignty discussions and referendum proposals as reckless political theatre.

Funny thing, though: when referendums involved taxes, electoral reform, or fashionable progressive policy experiments, Coyne used to speak about them very differently.

Back in 2014, writing in the National Post, Coyne praised British Columbia’s proposed referendum on a regional sales tax increase to fund transit expansion. He framed the vote as a major democratic innovation and explicitly compared it favourably to Switzerland and American states where citizens regularly vote directly on taxes and spending. 

Coyne argued that asking voters directly whether they consent to higher taxes was “only democratic.” He treated direct democracy not as extremism, but as civic modernization.

At the time, he praised B.C.’s use of referendums, recall laws, and citizen initiatives as forward-thinking tools capable of “rewriting the social contract” between governments and citizens.

Apparently Swiss-style direct democracy was admirable when the issue was transit funding and mobility pricing.

But Alberta voters asking for a referendum on the constitutional future of their province? Suddenly referendums become dangerous “stunts.”

Coyne has also long defended referendums on electoral reform, including proportional representation debates in Ontario and British Columbia. 

He criticized poorly designed processes and ballot questions, but treated referendums themselves as legitimate democratic mechanisms for resolving divisive public questions. 

He even defended referendums in the context of Brexit-era democratic debates, arguing public votes can be appropriate when societies are sharply divided on major national issues.

Yet when Alberta’s frustrations with Confederation are put before voters, Coyne’s enthusiasm for direct democracy seems to disappear entirely.

Quebec held two sovereignty referendums. Neither was treated by Canada’s media class as inherently illegitimate simply because voters were consulted directly. Nobody accused Quebec separatists of being “MAGA aligned” or foreign-controlled.

And despite endless insinuations about Alberta separatism being driven by shadowy American actors, Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said the RCMP found no credible evidence of foreign interference connected to Alberta’s independence movement.

The issue is not really referendums. The issue is who is asking for one.

When progressive causes seek direct democracy, it’s framed as citizen empowerment. When Alberta voters demand the same mechanism, suddenly elites warn the public can’t be trusted with major decisions.