Ah, there is nothing like election time to lift the spirits and fire the engines.
Ah, there is nothing like election time to lift the spirits and fire the engines. In our household, we thrived on the campaigns, the disasters and the victories and all the twists and turns on the way to delivering Alberta's first-ever NDP government.
My husband is never far from his smartphone, but over the election period, it was common to see both of us ignoring everything else, hunched over our phones and devouring the latest election coverage on news sites or Twitter. So it was until the end, when we both watched in disbelief as Rachel Notley gave her gracious and eloquent victory speech last Tuesday, thanking people for electing her as premier.
My husband and I met and married in a whirlwind, and so, came to learn certain facts and personal beliefs only after our marriage. Shortly after our wedding, we found ourselves passionately arguing on a social topic. All of a sudden, we stopped and stared at each other as if to say, ‘Crap, how could we have not known these things about each other before we got married?!'
Luckily, we shared more in common than not, and in other cases, we learned there were some topics we were better off not discussing (you'd better not say the words ‘affirmative action' in our home lest the whole place explodes).
But I feel I have become a more thoughtful, more reasoned person thanks to these debates - it has forced me to clarify my own beliefs and discard others. Similarly, I feel that Alberta can only benefit from the debates that have taken place in conversations in the coffee shop or on Facebook exchanges during this quick but exciting election season.
For so long, Albertans - along with the rest of Canada - have seen themselves as dyed in the wool Conservatives. When I moved here, I was surprised to hear even people that were from lower-income backgrounds voice their belief in laissez-faire capitalism and the importance of low taxes for all. But Alberta is changing and the young urban centres of Edmonton and Calgary reflected that with their whole-scale embrace of the NDP and its vision of progressive taxation, more stable funding for key services like health care and education, job creation, an increase in upgrading capabilities, and the desire to ensure Alberta was getting its fair share in royalties.
Yes, some of the candidates look young and some definitely lack polish and the experience of politics, (in large part due to the party's haste to run candidates in every riding in a very quick-moving election). However, this may mean that they can actually relate to the concerns of everyday Albertans, unlike Prentice, who - despite his attempts to paint himself as a blue-collar, regular Joe - moved in worlds far removed from the rest of ours. Hopefully, these new MLAs can rise up to meet the challenge of governance.
It's always a tricky balancing act, making sure that taxes are not prohibitive or will unfairly hurt businesses, but also making sure that the province has well-funded services, no matter the price of oil. I believe that balance is struck by the cooperation of multiple parties, all representing their constituents to the best of their abilities, not from a single party dominating the discourse for 40+ years. With the mix of parties and new representation in the legislature, and with the input of engaged Albertans, I feel like the next four years may only mean good things for this province.
