Separatists say Alberta’s culture is rooted in traditional values. Many say those values don’t define them [Video]

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said earlier this month that if Alberta were to separate from Canada, it would first have to define itself as a nation with a distinct culture.

“I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture,” Blanchet quipped at a media conference. 

Alberta separatists are trying to make the case that Alberta, like Quebec, does have a culture that’s distinct from the rest of Canada — one rooted in traditional conservative values. But recent polling, and many people living in Alberta, paint a more complicated picture.

Many Albertans feel the separatists’ definition of Alberta culture leaves them out of the conversation, and one researcher says that could be driving people away from the movement. 

Republican Party of Alberta leader Cameron Davies, who calls himself an Alberta nationalist, says Albertans prize family values and freedom from government intervention.

He says Alberta’s culture is driven by risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit …