Would PR mean that federal Liberal Government would pay attention to "Alberta"? Let's hope not, if you mean Alberta Conservative government. A National Energy Plan is important.
- Tom Monto
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 6
In reference to Andrew Coyne's interview in April 2025, on the country's troubles and Proportional Representation,
at about 30:00
I say:
I don't know why Andrrew Coyne is saying Liberals would not have brought in NEP in 1980 if the Liberal party had had seats in western Canada . it was good policy , Canada is only major developed country without an energy plan.
and now in our present U.S. problem we are wishing we had such a connection across the ocuntry.
the NEP was popular among Liberal voters in Alberta (or it should have been any way), and should have been popular among voters across the country.
Liberal gov'ts do not ignore aspirations of Alberta - they do ignore the tinpot dictator/ petro-state aspirations of the Alberta Conservative governments, and they should.
If the Liberals ignore Alberta, If the Liberals "do not care about AB", I would say it is because of FPTP directly -
they have mostly written off AB seats as safe seats for Conservatives
and just don't care about AB voters at least as far as electioneering goes or as far as hopes for making advances in seats if it plays happy with the AB government.
because any move to placate the Alberta Conservative or UCP government is a move against Canada's aspirations as a nation and as a socially-caring place.
All such a government seems to care about is ensuring profits for oil and gas companies and ensuring exports to U.S.
And that policy is not even that popular within Alberta. the UCP was elected with only 54 percent of the vote in the last election so it is not like it is exquisitely popular even within AB.
actually in the polarized climate, a fed. Lib gov't playing happy houses with the AB UCP gov't will mean the fed. Liberal gov't might lose the support of the Lib. voters that they do have in AB!
So i think Coyne is wrong to say fed Libs ignore AB.
they do what Lib voters in AB want (generally) and that is to go against AB UCP gov't.
AB is more than just the UCP.
and ignoring the Alberta government is likely the best thing for the federal Liberal government to do -- both for its own political success and for the country as a whole.
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