Investment decisions are based on where companies expect to succeed over decades, not on a single day's headlines. Meta had every opportunity to walk away if it believed Alberta had become an unacceptable investment risk. Instead, it doubled down with a historic commitment.

 

Liberal MP Corey Hogan has argued that Alberta's independence debate is damaging the province's economy and investor confidence.

In comments reported by the Toronto Star, Hogan said:

"This is a drag on our economy. This is a drag on investment and, you know, it's also going to really hurt communities if it goes forward."

The timing couldn't have been worse for that argument.

The very same day, Meta broke ground on a $13-billion AI data centre in Sturgeon County — the largest private-sector technology investment in Alberta's history and one of the biggest corporate investments ever announced in Canada. The project is expected to create roughly 3,000 construction jobs, more than 300 permanent operating jobs, and inject millions into local infrastructure and the regional economy.

If Alberta's separation debate is already acting as "a drag on investment," why did one of the world's largest companies choose this exact moment to commit $13 billion to the province?

Investment decisions are based on where companies expect to succeed over decades, not on a single day's headlines. Meta had every opportunity to walk away if it believed Alberta had become an unacceptable investment risk. Instead, it doubled down with a historic commitment.

Hogan is entitled to argue that separation would have economic consequences if it ever happened. That's a legitimate political opinion. But the evidence does not support the claim that the current debate is already driving investors away.

On the very day Hogan warned that Alberta was becoming a less attractive place to invest, one of the largest investment announcements in provincial history proved the opposite.