Alberta in its 115 years since achieving province-hood has elected only five different parties to be government.
The Liberals 1905-1921
friendly to Alberta's farmers, the backbone of society and economy at the time. At the time politics was between two main parties the Liberals and the Conservatives. The Liberals found backing among farmers due to its opposition to the Conservative party's strong ties to eastern manufacturers, accused of charging too much for necessary farming tools, and to its strong ties to the Canadian Pacific Railway, seen by farmers as a profit-making machine for eastern investors.
The United Farmers of Alberta 1921-1935
Finally seeing the Liberal government as a party machine with intent to remain in power at any cost, Alberta farmers decided to enter politics directly. In their first general election, they took a majority of seats in the Legislature. Quickly bringing in reforms such as minimum wages for women, drought relief for southern Alberta farmers, and a form of proportional representation - STV - in the cities and a majoritarian system in the rural lands - Alternative Voting. It stopped short of challenging the banks, although many new farmers in Alberta were struggling under heavy debt loads due to start-up costs of pioneer farming and over-extension during high prices of WWI. (Before it was out of office, the UFA joined with other farmer and worker parties to form the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation - a precursor to today's NDP.)
Social Credit League 1935-1971
Where the UFA stopped short of challenging banks, the SC led by crusader William Aberhart had no qualms. was immediately beset by opposition from the old-line parties - the Liberals and Conservative - and from the farmer movement - defensive about its inability to placate farmers' desires in this way. When the SC government moved to impose demands on banks, the banks fought it in the courts and in the small towns - closing down bank branches. The private media berated the government, which in turn evoked a law to force publication of the government's side of the story and potentially impose other restrictions on press freedom. This law was overturned in the courts. Still the government moved to replace the now-absent bank branches, establishing a government-run banking system, the Alberta Treasury Branches (today's ATB). It also circulated provincial money, putting much needed purchasing power in the hands of impoverished families.
After Aberhart's death only eight years after coming to power, Ernest Manning took over. The Depression was over and he moved the party and government to the semblance of a conservative government. Protestant, white, church-going, rural-based and tradition-bound, his government modernized as little as possible, and fought the federal government on social programs such as national health care. With Big Oil coming to Alberta (starting in 1946) and images of 1960s hippies and groovy times beamed into living rooms, he could not hold Alberta back from a future led by an urban-centred "modern" party. And after 36 years in power, it was thrown out of power, never to return.
Conservative 1971-2015
In its 44 years in power in Alberta, the Conservative government had many faces.
Peter Lougheed was modernizing, opening Alberta to modern (for the time) urban lifestyle. But as a Conservative movement it was not bent on grassroots democracy. It supported business so much so that it was prepared all through its history to give mass bail-outs to corporations. At the same time keeping taxes low for both rich and poor but mostly of course for the rich. The good economic times of the 1970s allowed Premier Lougheed to do this while also giving good support to education, health care (at least compared to the previous government) and the arts.
The tighter times of the 1980s forced new premier Getty to either raise taxes or cut social spending. (Guess which he did.) He apparently never even dreamed of increasing royalties on oil corporations.
This resolve to back the oil companies and big business over the needs of common folk hardened with Premier Ralph Klein, 1992-2006.
And so on, until it became clear to enough voters that the government did not have their best interests in mind. By then the Conservative government was going through many premiers in quick succession.
The New Democratic Party, 2015-2019
Led by energetic charismatic - and diminutive - Rachel Notley, this party was what many Albertans - tired of the old oil game - wanted. Adequate minimum wage and daycare supports and well-provided schools, public healthcare, parks. Much needed fixing and long-overdue reforms were done in the short four years this party was in power.
Conservatives once again - under new name UCP 2019-
Under Premier Kenny, it has worked assiduously to undo the progress made by Notley's government. Again Big Oil and Big Money has the reins. With support of most private media, it is giving more money to big business and highways while cutting support for teachers and healthcare. Like Aberhart's SC government it finds the federal government slowing its reforms, and like Aberhart is contemplating having its own police force. The outlook for pro-environmental protestors would be bleak under a Big Oil-government- controlled police force.
How much reversing-reforms Albertans will accept - and how much power they will allow Kenny to grab and use for the benefit of Big Money - is the open question.
Meanwhile, signs of climate change are seen monthly. Oil, although not as important as farming once was to Alberta's economy, is seen as critical to our very high standard of living and our conspicuous consumption. Can Alberta shed its reputation as producer of dirty oil when pipeline leaks - massive amounts of oil spewed into the ocean or the countryside - are news on a monthly basis?
The course of the present government - or whatever succeeds it - will eventually answer these and other questions.
Thanks for reading.
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