US source but a solid read.
As a former Albertan, there’s still a lot I like about the province, such as lots of people who are educated, principled, and hard working.
Of course, that’s not everyone, and even among the well-educated are many engineers who think in black and white and lack much of the education from the humanities that would give perspective on history. The oil industry is also very powerful, full of arrogance about the industry, dominated by US business, and tends to celebrate good times from high oil prices as a sign of their own excellence while blaming hard times from low oil prices on the rest of Canada and “liberal policies”.
Calgary and Edmonton are also both much more politically diverse than the rest of the province and are pretty socially conscious and have a lot of people who dislike that about the province’s politics.
I just worry about Albertans being specifically targeted from outside Canada via US social platforms and oil industry professional networks to undermine unity and foment separatism.
Not that true as Danielle Smith ain’t that quiet.
UCP has majority only thanks to FPP. There’s plenty Albertans who’d vote different but feel trapped between two parties (Liberals are a non-existent entity there). I can guarantee you that anecdotally and from pure math majority government of AB represents views of 30% of it’s population, meaning 70% did not vote for tham. And of those 30% representation only a very vocal minority is driving separatist talk… We can all thank FPP for that.
fun fact: Conservatives use preferential elections internally 🤔
Seems odd. To be consistent, they should jail opposition candidates and stuff ballot boxes and murder traitorous opposition to the one true leader. I propose a new model : The Thunderdome. Two go in, one comes out, until the leader is chosen.
UCP has majority only thanks to FPP.
As much as I would like that to be true, the UCP got 52% of the vote last election. So even under MMP they would have got a majority government.
look at the math: 60% turn-out, of which 52% voted UCP… that makes it ~31% at best. Which is my point. With FPP whoever is not willing to vote for any of the “major contestants” doesn’t feel like their vote matters. So you’ve got 70% who did not vote for UCP for one or other reason
Now think about this fact: last election conservatives knew they were threatened by NDP, so you’d expect all the UCP loyalists to show up, but in fact turn-out is lower and results are way worse than prior election. In other words if we assume that those 70% contain more UCP supporters (or secession folk) I can’t find plausible evidence to support that. So that’s their entire electorate give or take a few thousands. The rest wants nothing to do with them. If it wasn’t for FPP, AB governance would look very different. But like I said earlier - none of the parties (NDP included) is willing to change that.
none of the parties (NDP included) is willing to change that.
The NDP got to form government due to vote splitting, and should the UCP split vote splitting would hand them the election again so I wouldn’t be that surprised.
Albertan fuckers need a damned education.
Trudeau jammed Two pipelines through BC when Harper didnt because that moron tried to do it illegally.
Trudeau put some of the most critical environments on the planet at risk for Alberta’s pocketbook.
Trudeau put some of the most critical environments on the planet at risk for Alberta’s pocketbook.
Well, Canada’s pocketbook. Let’s not pretend that that oil money doesn’t finance a whole lot of Canada’s economy.
Not as bitumen being shipped offshore it doesn’t.
that tone is rather inflammatory. See my other post for more details but bottom line is that governing party was elected by about 30%-ish of population and they (UCP) intentionally promote more, shall we say, extreme (or, “uneducated” as you say) portion of the electorate. So painting entire AB with one brush is the same form of uneducated rant you’ve accused Albertans of. They are (like the rest of the country) trapped in FPP resulting in… this. And every party that grabs the power immediately abandons idea of changing to proportional representation because they know they are not majority despite the appearances.
Being nice got us to this point, and it clearly isn’t working. Time to change tack.
change tack to what? Antagonizing and pissing off “the other”? Mobilizing progressives, helping them gaining ground - for sure. Name calling and trolling is not going to help.
They put the profit of US oil companies over the entire ecosystem of the Northern Pacific Ocean. The actions of Alberta, Harper and Trudeau put literally all life on earth at risk.
If the pacific ocean life dies, we all die.
Did it, though? Alberta has just been another part of Canada, so nice vs. mean didn’t enter into it the way it would if there were actual sides.
It’s rural Alberta specifically.
When the only part of Alberta that doesnt vote conservative is Edmonton , it’s not just the rural areas.
Calgary, Edmonton and rural is roughly the 3 equal thirds of the province.
UCP won all but 3 Calgary seats. Calgarians should be pressuring their UCP MLA’s, especially given the internal divisions within the party, and their slimming majority. 🦗 🦗
As someone in Alberta I’m not convinced the people didn’t slide to the alt right along with the party. Basically, it’s the Wildrose party in all but name. The crazies ate the short sighted moderates who merged with them to avoid losing again.
Nobody hates on Jason Kenney like they should. He killed this province. Whether he and/or Smith are symptoms of the same disease rotting the floor boards out of the USA aside.
No they didn’t. Calgary has 25 seats, 14 of which are NDP. In 2023 there were 5 more that were lost by fewer than 1100 votes combined, which would have changed the outcome of the election. This was the best head-to-head showing by the NDP in Alberta ever.
And with high-visibility Calgary-centric Nenshi as leader, It’s entirely possible that that balance flips.
Calgary isn’t as conservative as you might want to believe.
Certain Canadians need Alberta to be all yokels so they feel better about electing Doug Ford before he had any redeeming qualities.
A bunch o’ ridings were gearing up for recall campaigns before the federal election got called. A whole lot of folks were distributing literature and rallying volunteers until folks refocused on the federal election.
Once the election is done, I’m pretty confident that’ll ramp up again - the UCP ain’t getting less corrupt. Check out abresistance.ca for info.
Half of Calgary too. The seats in Calgary were very close calls for a UCP victory.
Grew up an hour south of Calgary, definitely the rural folk.
Fuck Preston Manning, Marlaina Smith, and Jason Kenney.
I wish Alberta were quiet.
I’m not sure I would call them quiet about it.
What’s a threat to Canadian unity isn’t Alberta, but it’s pushing Alberta isolation like this that’s doing it.
It seems like only 20% of Alberta actually wants succession, and a lot of it is conditional on BC joining them, which is basically a nonstarter for BC anyways.
The threat to Canada is Alberta feeling isolated and articles like this furthers such sentiment.
Yes. It’s been a pretty fringe movement. The new thing is just that they might have enough support and organisation to actually win a few seats somewhere.
It seems like only 20% of Alberta actually wants succession
I get your point but Alberta’s government, chosen by Albertans, are putting unity at stake. So while I agree that public support isn’t favourable to this ones specific decision, the people in power are testing the waters and this also matters a lot, so the article isn’t suddenly invalidated just because it’s the wishes of a minority. It can still be dangerous.
Oh I agree that Alberta’s premier is part of the problem. But she’s also a greater problem for Alberta in general on a wide variety of issues.
I just think that it’s unfair to bash the entire province for the views of a minority that’s so small that they make Quebecan separatism feel like they’re only an election away from a super majority.
From what I can tell (though maybe I’m reading things wrong since I’m not an Albertan) is that Albertans are just frustrated with having no control over their own province and being jostled around by Ontario just because it’s a larger and better established province who’s entire attention is occupied by Quebec when not looking inwards.
That said, I do also think that a massive amount of Alberta’s problems are entirely self-inflicted, what with how much the resource companies are getting away with such low taxes and doing nothing to value add the resources Albertans are practically giving away to the US at a discounted price.
I just think that it’s unfair to bash the entire province for the views of a minority that’s so small that they make Quebecan separatism feel like they’re only an election away from a super majority.
I think the intent here is not to bash anyone, let alone the collective on its entirety. You can read “Alberta is a threat to Canadian unity” more as “Alberta’s Government is a threat to Canadian unity”. And if next election cycle the people of Alberta decides to re-elect Danielle Smith, then you’ll have your awaited answer on whether albertans themselves, as a collective, are also a threat to Canadian unity.
Western alienation has been around for decades and decades.
It’s difficult to consider something a threat, when it’s become the status quo.
I hate to say it but compared to Quebec we almost don’t care if they leave or not, cuz they’re being petulent children about it.
I have many friends from Alberta. I don’t hate Albertans. But damn your politics are stupid.
No the people are stupid also. Complain about government then vote same government in again and again.
Fuck AB I hope they leave. AB would be very VERY tiny cause they can’t secede lands that aren’t theirs eg. indigenous territory.
Are you attempting to help the American propaganda machine? Because that’s how you do it. Fuck people who think like this and spew that nonsense on social media
No, but I am sick and tired of hearing Preston Manning and Marlaina of AB whinging and crying for them to leave. Fine leave then dipshits. It’s not that easy though.
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