Funny how the wolves you feed can come back to bite you.
But Conservative Albertans have a legitimate grievance: I saw numbers today that showed a scenario where the CPC won the popular vote and the results still delivered a Liberal majority. Check out fairvote.ca to see what I mean.
Now, full disclosure. I’m not a CPC supporter (no duh, right?). But our system isn’t fair if it’s denying the voice of thousands of CPC voters, or even one long-suffering rural Alberta Greenie.
Instead of threatening other voters, we need to work towards electoral reform. That might mean a weighted ballot, or a number of MPs-without-riding added to boost the numbers of members of a party who received a significant portion of the vote and didn’t get any (or enough to properly reflect the popular will) seats. Or maybe we do away with political donations, and what each party receives is a $10 per vote stipend towards their next campaign. That way your vote will count as much as one in metro Toronto.
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No, only because I hadn’t planned on any American travel this year anyway. If I had, I’d be considering taking a loss and definitely changing my plans.
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I have no doubt that, if the Liberals make a significant gain in the federal election, despite veiled threats from certain entities, there will be UCP supporters in Alberta crying foul.
I’ve voted Conservative in the past. This current iteration, both federal and provincial, bears little resemblance to the parties of Lougheed or Stanfield. It uses attack, grievance and misdirection in place of policy. It thrives on ignorance rather than striving for understanding. And it relies on power and control, rather than support and respect.
Conservatives may still sweep Alberta. Political discourse is so charged and unpleasant right now that many people don’t even want to engage, and will probably vote the way they always have. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see a significant change in margins.
The day after the election, I expect to hear the howls of dismay from CPC supporters who see their party diminished by the vote outside Alberta. I’ll empathize. It’s how I feel all the time.
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A thoughtful essay. I confess I can get swept up in confrontation, and forget to flex the empathy muscle. However, sometimes I just feel I need to zone out with a bit of Solitaire.
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I agree that there’s good reason not to throw your faith behind any of the party leaders. But when it comes right down to it, that’s the nature of a democracy: we get the government we deserve. I think it’s human nature that, if a leader senses he or she can do no wrong in the eyes of their supporters, they’re more likely to trust their own judgment (or lack thereof) when facing problems. Choose the one whose actions most nearly reflect your own values, and if he/she gets elected, prepare to hold them accountable. Democracy is work.
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This sounds like a sensible, worthwhile initiative.
Let’s not turn a blind eye to the truly skewed weather patterns we’ve seen lately, with northern Alberta frequently experiencing drought and unseasonably warm temperatures while the rest of us are digging out from under a blizzard. Please don’t cut funding to research just because it may produce conclusions that you don’t want to hear.
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"Alberta parents have not been clamouring to restrict school boards' disciplinary power.”
Their words insist that democracy is their number one focus.
Their actions suggest otherwise.
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There’s a world of actions that could fall between intrusive mandated vaccinations and the NOTHING we’re getting from Alberta Health right now. Some simple leadership, in the form of statements such as “The vaccine is free, readily available, highly effective and has been virtually unchanged for decades”, or “Trying to achieve natural herd immunity will endanger the lives of immune-compromised people such as cancer patients, pregnant women and babies”, would be welcome. Saying the information is available on the government website isn’t leadership. Until this government puts the health and well-being of Albertans ahead of the need to avoid riling the anti-vaxxers who support them, the outbreak will worsen and it will be entirely on them. They want all the power? They get all the blame.
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Thank you for this story. Louise’s journey, and the support she’s received from her family, community, and Haying in the 30’s, are inspiring.
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Trouble is, no party is going to deliver this to us. They want power, and to appease their most generous supporters. JT tried -- but not very hard. CPC would never do it, because they don’t share power with anyone. The Liberals and NDP don’t have it on their platform anywhere.
The only way it’s ever going to happen is if Canadians demand it. (Probably not BEFORE the election -- we have a few other priorities first.)
It would require us working TOWARDS something, rather than attacking each other.
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