What comes to mind when you think of Alberta? Rich province? Certainly. Lake Louise in Banff? Hopefully. Dirty oil? Unfortunately. But what may first come to mind is a load of gun-shooting, cowboy hat-wearing conservatives. While this image is undoubtedly hilarious, when I think of Alberta, the first thing that comes to mind is home. It is my home and I, like many other left-leaning Albertans, defend it when it is attacked by the rhetoric of Liberals and New Democrats alike.
If the Liberals or the New Democrats want a chance to form the next federal government, they can no longer throw their hands up in the air once the vote count hits Manitoba. With the proposed influx of western representation in the House of Commons for 2015, to scapegoat Alberta is to lose the election.
I shudder at the thought of fellow Albertans having no one to turn to but the Conservatives. NDP leader Thomas Mulcair remarked earlier that Canada is getting sick with the “Dutch disease” because of our dependence on Alberta’s oil. The recently-released 2010 comments of Liberal leadership frontrunner Justin Trudeau blaming Canada’s problems on Albertans controlling the “socio-economic” agenda are believed by many analysts to have directly influenced the recent Tory win in the Calgary Centre by-election. Both politicians have attempted to clarify their remarks, but — given their attitudes — where are progressive Albertans to turn?
The same situation occurred in the recent Alberta provincial elections, although for different reasons. When looking at the 41-year reign of the Alberta Progressive Conservative’s majority government, and with the current official opposition being the Wildrose movement, it may seem obvious why the NDP and Liberals don’t even bother campaigning for Albertans’ votes. Nevertheless, when one looks deeper into the reality of the Alberta elections, it was the power of the left that made the Conservatives win.
The Wildrose Party campaign and their defense of certain candidates defending white privilege and proclaiming that homosexuals will burn in hell stirred up a firestorm from Alberta lefties. Videos emtitled “I Never Thought I’d Vote PC” gained popularity and people voted strategically. In many ridings, liberal-progressive options were not viable, so voting PC was the best alternative. With the Liberal Party being run by a PC reject with robotic talking points and the New Democrats being unable to spread beyond their base in Edmonton, competency and a lack of funding were a major problem.
Moreover, Alison Redford, the newly elected PC leader, campaigned Red Tory-style, convincing many Alberta liberals to switch over. Thereafter, Redford delivered. Alberta’s first female premier is also the first premier to speak at Edmonton’s Gay Pride Parade. She also reinstated health-care funding for sex-reassignment surgery and is working towards increased funding for education. So despite her recent controversies, Redford has certainly brought a new wave of Red Toryism to Alberta. While it looked like another status quo election, it really redefined Alberta conservatism: fiscally conservative but socially liberal.
Which brings me back to the strong prospects for the New Democrats and the Liberals in time for the 2015 federal election. My advice? Of course, it’s time to stop the anti-Alberta rhetoric, but it’s also also time to give the positive rhetoric of Canadian solidarity some real teeth. Politicians need to stop smiling and running around without offering any policy proposals. This is a diverse country, which is undoubtedly what makes us great. So celebrate that and hope for a better tomorrow come 2015.
