Alberta Stays the Course

Canada is a peculiar sort of democracy that tends towards periods of one party rule.

At the Federal level the governing Conservative party has no effective opposition with any realistic prospect of winning an election. It was this dynamic that allowed Stephen Harper to govern as if he had a majority even when he held a minority of seats for a number of years. With a newly minted leader of the Opposition New Democrats and an interim leader of the Liberal party, Harper's majority is unlikely to be threatened at the next election.  Prior to Harper, Jean Chretien rattled off 3 successive majority election wins due to an incoherent and divided opposition. He was finally forced from office by his own party in a move reminiscent of politburo politics.

At the provincial level, the Progressive Conservative Party held power in Ontario for 42 years until 1985. The New Brunswick Liberals under Frank Mckenna truly had one party rule when they won every single seat in the legislature in 1987.

Alberta is probably the most grotesque example of this sort of one party rule. The Social Credit party ruled a dynasty that governed Alberta for 36 years until 1971. They were replaced by the Progressive Conservative party that has ruled since (41 years).

It was against this background that the upstart Wildrose party rose to challenge the status quo in Alberta. Opinion polls showed the Wildrose ending the Tory dynasty right up until 24 hours before election day when Tory numbers surged. The PC's were returned to power with a majority thus extending their rule til around 45 year at the time of the next election.

The Wildrose party was a new movement and as such had it's share of kooks. One candidate said he had an advantage because he was white and thus could speak for everyone while minorities tended to represent their own. Another candidate said that homosexuals would burn in a ring of fire on judgment day.

Now I'm no Constitutional law expert but if indeed homosexuals are to burn in a ring of fire....I don't believe that to be a matter of Provincial jurisdiction under our Charter.

The Wildrose party was not ready to govern. However it is still unfortunate that they didn't do better. The Tories of Alberta have gotten too comfortable in power. This happens with all parties across the spectrum. Once they are in power too long, they stop serving the people and start serving themselves. They become lazy and corrupt because they get used to being in power. A sense of entitlement creeps in.

This is why change (for its own sake) is occasionally good in politics. Alberta is in an enviable fiscal position because they happen to sit atop a lot of oil, natural gas and coal. They are not there because of good prudent government management. In fact Alberta has run serious deficits recently despite their natural advantages.

The wealth of natural resources has made good government less important and the Tories have behaved accordingly. One hopes that the near death experience that they just experienced gives them a good wakeup call to sharpen their pencils and get to work. If not, there will be a seasoned and experienced opposition waiting to take power from them in 4 years. By then Wildrose should have gotten over their teething pains, expelled their more loopy members and be ready to win.