In between launching rockets, running roughshod over labour rights, and renaming things nobody asked him to rename, Elon Musk is now calling for the breakup of Canada.

The tech vandal apparently believes Quebec, Alberta, and Saskatchewan should cast off the heavy burden of being Canadian. (Yes, I know we should ignore tweets from twits, but this particular bit of idle musing merits closer examination.)

I’ve laid the blame for Alberta’s separatist sentiment at the feet of Premier Danielle Smith before, and I’ll continue to do so. Quebec’s separatist movement is a different matter, rooted in a distinct language, culture, and history. Alberta’s separatist rhetoric, by contrast, has been fuelled by political opportunism and nurtured by Smith’s willingness to pander to the less savoury elements of her own political movement.

For generations, Alberta governments have been remarkable factories of grievances. Its political leaders rail against equalization payments to other provinces, as though Alberta were somehow being singled out for treatment unlike that experienced by other wealthy parts of the country.

Yet according to StatsCan, Alberta is rich in terms of wages, income, and economic output — in fact, the richest in Canada on those measures. And the typical Alberta household ranks just behind Ontario and B.C. in median net worth.

In other words, Alberta’s complaints are not necessarily a product of deprivation. They are, at least in part, the product of a political culture that has learned to turn resentment into a rallying cry.

Canada is a nation built through compromise, argument, shared sacrifice, and the stubborn belief that we are stronger together than apart. Yes, we have real problems. Rural-urban divides. Economic transitions. Regional frustrations. Legitimate debates about how wealth, resources, and political power should be shared. But these challenges require leaders who listen, not influencers like Musk who provoke.

The billionaire’s comments aren’t really about Canada at all. They’re about Musk. His brand thrives on disruption, and when you’re the world’s richest man, I guess the nations of the world are just other platforms to play upon.

Imagine being so rich and yet so arrogant as to encourage a nation’s breakup. 

Here’s to never buying a Tesla, Starlink or using  ‘X’ again.