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Tom Monto

Alberta should be proud of its UFA government

Not only was the Alberta United Farmers of Alberta one of only two provincial governments to bring in proportional representation for the electons of at least some of its MLAs, but it was also collaborationist!


New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Labour) is applauded for reaching out to the Green Party for the formation of a coalition. She did not have to - she already had more than half the seats in the chamber, enough to pass any legislation her party desired.


The Farmers government in Alberta actually did the same thing almost a hundred years ago.


It had a majority of the seats in the legislature. But still it called on a Labour MLA elected in Calgary to join the cabinet and become Minister of Labour. Alex Ross and other Labour MLAs supported the Farmer government, even backing it when some of its own members rebelled due to the premier's lack of attention early in its life as government.


The UFA government also adopted Single Transferable Voting, the so-called British form of PR, for the election of MLAs in Edmonton, Calgary and Medicine Hat. (PR had been one of its campaign promises -- and it did not break its promise to the voters.)


The only other provincial government to do this in the history of Canada was Manitoba, when it brought in STV in Winnipeg (and much later in St. Boniface).


The UFA's act of collaboration and co-operation showed the best of the Alberta spirit.


Thanks for reading.

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