The decision of who and which party to vote for is a very personal one, but one that we need more people to exercise when it comes to voting. It's always disappointing to see our low voter turnout come election time.
It seems there's a call for change at this election. At least, that's what I'm hearing in our area. Change can come in many forms. It can be a changing of the guard in our conservative country or maybe people are looking for the existing party to change how they do business and increase transparency. Either way, those who are following the election can see that the public is polarizing into different camps and there is definitely some ebbing and flowing going on in Alberta politics.
I'm seeing quite a bit of debate about the NDP since they seem to be making huge gains according to the polls. I don't like getting caught in opinions masquerading as facts or people spouting extreme doom and gloom propaganda. Especially since Alberta is just one province within an entire country -- we will have a major influence on the rest of Canada, but we're still only one part.
I think we can get a little glimpse of what our province could look like if we compare ourselves with political examples around the world. On the extreme left, an NDP government would have us looking more like the Dutch/Scandanavian countries, without the extreme tax levels they employ. Everyone there pays more, but the quality of life and satisfaction levels amongst the entire population are extremely high. A right-wing Conservative government vote will model our system closer to the U.S. where corporations get most of the breaks, but we wouldn't have the intense privatization of social programs. The economy would be humming, jobs given to workers and people dream of one day becoming as wealthy as those at the top. While neither is an excellent example of what we might look like, it gives us and idea. It's safe to say that Canada is a country that only leans slightly to the left or right of centre so we don't have to worry about becoming exactly like these other places.
Here's my opinion on the various parties in the Grande Prairie Smoky and Wapiti constituencies. I may not be 100% unbiased in my views since I'm starting to get a little jaded and frustrated with our economic situation. Although the government is working on digging us out of the hole they got us in, I feel we need to make some drastic changes in order to build a proper future for Alberta. I summed most of them up in my commentary on the budget. In any case, I can tell you that I proudly voted PC in the last few elections but this time around, I'm taking a lot of time to think about my decision.
Progressive Conservative
The PC party has been in power for 44 years and have done a fairly decent job at keeping Alberta's economic engine running. They've been criticized by many (including myself) for cutting (or not funding the growth) in education, healthcare, seniors' care and other social programs while leaving corporations and oil companies unscathed. Many were shocked... but they shouldn't be. Idealogically, conservative governments believe that people will thrive if the economy thrives and that is achieved by supporting small businesses and corporations. That's been great for making Alberta one of the most envied on the corporate level. Has that been great for the rest of us? We have an excellent education system, but one of the lowest rates of graduating students. We have one of the highest rates of population growth, but that is stressing out our healthcare system and social services. As a young province our culture and heritage is lacking and we focus more on our pioneer history than our First Nations. All advantages seem to be focused on subsidizing taxes for everyone, which means more money in our pockets, but little in the way of really standing out as an enhanced province.
There are other parties that have come up with plans to get us out our current situation. The common denominator is what they all call "mismanagement" by the government. We can only speculate whether any other government would or would not be in the same situation given the Alberta boom/bust cycles. After all it's human nature for us to get accustomed to the lifestyle from all that oil revenue. Is there a cause and effect relationship, or is the world economy just that much more unstable these days? Those are all factors that we must ponder as we go to the polls. I think it's fair to say that the policies that were in place did not work for us during this time of population growth.
In terms of my personal opinion of the PC Party, I think that Jim Prentice is making all the right changes and I also really like the candidates representing Grande Prairie. However, I have a similar feeling towards the party that others are having around Alberta: the party has a sense of entitlement and that raises questions of their ethics. Now don't take me wrong, there are some really great people in that party. As a past councillor though, I witnessed some first-hand arrogance by MLAs and cabinet ministers that left me with a bad taste. I could forgive those attitudes if I felt their decisions worked out to our benefit. As we can see, the province is in a heap of trouble. Truthfully, I just wanted to know that they were listening and would find a way to help deal with our problems instead of acting superior and dismissive. Again, this is no reflection on our local representatives. They have been great. I just don't think their party demonstrates their strength by letting large corporations and oil companies off the hook. If however, you constantly find yourself saying "the government shouldn't be competing with private industry" or something like that, this may be the party for you.
Wildrose
For many conservatives, the Wildrose party seems to be a strong alternative since they basically have the same philosophical principles as the PCs. Wildrose is calling for more transparency and accountability and have their own take on what should or should not be funded. Their 10/10 plan seems reasonable, but without projections of how that would have worked in the past and how it could work in the future, it's difficult to form a good opinion on it. In addition, I don't know much about their leader, Brian Jean, but I hear he is a big improvement over Smith, who made a controversial decision to cross the floor and join another party and set the party back few years. From what I hear, Jean is wanting to put into place some principles of what MLAs should be charging for on their expense accounts so that the average taxpayer doesn't get charged for reasonable everyday expenses that politician incur. Outside of those impressions, I find myself afraid to vote for a more conservative government in Alberta.
New Democrats
The NDP is hot on the trail of the PC party. This is a major swing in Alberta's political views. If you're the type that feels that we need to fund education, healthcare and social programs as a major priority then NDP might be the party of choice for you. This party is typically focused on more government control and more control (and usually costs) to corporations. The NDP is calling for higher corporate tax rates and higher oil royalties to pay for the needs of our growing province. The thing that scares most businesses about the NDP is their support of labour unions because they affect the bottom line profits. Personally, I'm not sure if they'd be great for our Alberta, but they'd be a strong opposition party since they typically act with a strong social conscience. Unfortunately, you can't vote for who you want as an opposition, only who you want to win. If they win, I see a better quality of life in the long run, but a lot of short-term turmoil (in my crystal ball). In terms of their party leader, Rachel Notley, she seems to be the strongest and most relatable leader out of all of them.
Alberta Party
People seem to be dismissing the Alberta Party as a viable alternative which is a shame. Yes, they don't have a federal party presence, but neither do the Wildrose Party and they came on really strong in the past decade. The Alberta Party is a centrist party, which means they're offering a balanced political view. They are also offering the ability for your local MLA to act independently of party policy, except on major issues like the budget. In theory, this sounds great, but I feel like they need to fine tune their policies first and really get a solid foundation built for their party. I've met several of their candidates from all over the province and some of them are extremely impressive, some are real duds. Some of their candidates' views seem right wing, while others seem left wing. That's the danger of allowing independence: you open the door to a mismash of politics which average out to a centrist view. But maybe that's what a true democratic government should look like: healthy debate over the issues and let the chips fall.
Greg Clark is the leader of the party and he has qualities that you'd like to see from your leader: smart, humble and relatable. It's not surprising to see these characteristics of someone in a young party who hasn't been corrupted by the system yet. The one thing I can say for this party is that they are in touch with what the general population wants from their government. The only apprehension about the Alberta Party is whether or not they can do what they say they can. This is a party I can support if they gain some traction. My views align well with the party and those of our local candidate.
Liberals
Slightly to the left of centre is the Liberal Party. They're calling for a more taxation for corporations, better funding for schools and healthcare. I also agree with a lot of what they're saying. This party, however, has not been good for Alberta in the past and people who lived through the National Energy Program of the 1980s and the recession it created will never allow this party to get into power again. Notwithstanding the past, the Liberal Party has served Canada well at the federal level and would probably do a good job in Alberta.
I personally find their leader, Dr. David Swann, difficult to relate to because he seems like so much of a politician: always looking for that angle to talk about what is on his agenda. Typically, if people became disillusioned by the Tories, they would swing to this party. In Alberta, this doesn't seem the case. Albertans are looking for an alternative, but they aren't looking for leadership from our Liberals and this party is in big trouble this election.
Conclusion
In summary, these are my thoughts on the current election. They're written down to help me decide how to cast my vote. If it helps some others, that's great news. If you find it unfair and biased, that's ok, write your own blog about it. I just hope it helps to motivate the undecided voter to get out and take part in the future of their province.
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