Would Alberta be considered "liberal" by American standards? (transplants, college)
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The definitions of liberal and conservative in Canada and the United States are very different, so I don't think it's really fair to compare things like that.
I think when it comes to issues like energy exploration Alberta is more conservative or open to drilling and mining than many US states. Also I believe Alberta is open to the Keystone pipeline which is also supported by most Americans except Obama and his environmentalist friends.
I think when it comes to issues like energy exploration Alberta is more conservative or open to drilling and mining than many US states. Also I believe Alberta is open to the Keystone pipeline which is also supported by most Americans except Obama and his environomentalist friends.
Environment ~ schmenvironment; only when it suits the man. Where I'm wintering in Florida just announced they're going back to coal fired power generation because it's now cheaper than natural gas.
I find it hard to believe that Alberta is more socially liberal than Vermont and Massachusetts but I agree that Alberta is not as conservative as many hardcore Republican strongholds. For e.g. Vermont was the first state to introduce civil unions which lead to legalizing gay marriage and is a leader in many 'liberal' issues like bringing green issues to the forefront, legalizing marijuana and assisted suicide for terminally ill. In terms of social policy, there are still many more people in Alberta who are against gay marriages, pro gun ownership, and want the death penalty but it's again not as strong as hardcore conservative states but certainly more than more left leaning US states. Alberta also helped elevate the Reform and Wildrose parties, which are far from Liberal institutions. Overall, Alberta seems like a small c conservative state by US standards.
I agree that Alberta is not as right wing as Texas but Texas is also projected to be a Democratic state in the future due to demographic changes in the population. I also agree that Calgary, definitely Austin, and many core parts of big cities like Houston and Dallas are not really that conservative at all.
To add to johnathanc, mikeyyc, and ChevySpoons: Alberta's population is now 4 million. Approximately over half of Albertans live in either Calgary (1.5 million) or Edmonton (800K +). Edmonton is neither socially nor politically all that conservative (hence the nickname "Redmonton") and Calgary is more fiscally conservative than socially right-wing.
Alberta's reputation for conservativism may stem from the fact that the PCs have held power since 1970. It's an oil/gas/natural resource economy and that is reflected in the provincial government policies.
However, I would guess that the province's reputation for conservativism is due more to the prominence of the descendents of the Social Credit Party: ranging from the Western Canada Concept, to the Reform party, to the Wildrose party.
The Wildrose certainly has some affinities to the right-wing Republicans known as Tea Partiers, in terms of social views (wanting to privatize healthcare)...and some significant differences (establishing a Heritage Fund to pay all Albertans $300).
It's also highly Alberta-centric. More precisely, it's a party whose elected MLAs, with one exception, are entirely rural and confined to southern Alberta.
When people think of Alberta, I suspect most are imagining Calgary or Edmonton, not Cardston, Olds, or Medicine Hat.
Last edited by Old Monkey; 02-19-2014 at 09:22 AM..
Reason: sentence clarification
The Wildrose certainly has some affinities to the right-wing Republicans known as Tea Partiers, in terms of social views (wanting to privatize healthcare)...and some significant differences (establishing a Heritage Fund to pay all Albertans $300).
It's also highly Alberta-centric. More precisely, it's a party whose elected MLAs, with one exception, are entirely rural and confined to southern Alberta.
When people think of Alberta, I suspect most are imagining Calgary or Edmonton, not Cardston, Olds, or Medicine Hat.
Indeed. It is true that in the recent provincial election, the Wildrose made inroads in rural southern Alberta, where the majority of the population tends to be Mormon or Fundamentalist Christian. Towns such as Cardston and Raymond are still officially dry under local option, and have neither liquor stores nor licensed restaurants. Churches are stuffed full on Sundays. Anti-abortion billboards abound.
Yet this is not the case for the cities. Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Fort MacMurray--they could not be more different. Liquor stores? Plenty. Licensed restaurants and bars? Everywhere. Abortions? Performed. Gay marriage? Celebrated. Gambling in casinos and on horse races? Popular. Churches? Half-empty on Sundays.
Alberta's cities, which contain the majority of the population, have a much different social makeup and attitude than the towns and rural areas do. Unfortunately, it's the conservative southern Alberta Bible Belt that most Canadians think of, when they think of Alberta. However, that region represents a minority of Albertans' social outlook.
How many "liberal" US states can boast a Gay Muslim mayor in one of their major cities?
Allison Redford is also a Liberal lawyer who worked for the UN for pete's sake.
There are tonnes of gay elected politicans in the US at many levels, Democrat and Republican, North and South. It's not as big as deal as you think. The major of Houston was gay and Houston is as big as Toronto and technically in the South.
Not quite as many major Muslim politicians I can find but they exist. But it's the same situation with Canada proportion wise if you think about it. Obama's father was also widely known to be Muslim.
You'll find minorities of all kinds that tend to do well in the US in politics, academics and business. I would even say that they are more successful than those in Canada based on what I've seen working in the business world in both countries. In my line of work (investing/consulting in/with private companies), I come across minorities with a 7+ figure net worth on the East Coast much more often than I ever did when I worked in Toronto.
Last edited by johnathanc; 02-21-2014 at 07:59 AM..
I'd put Alberta about on par with Oregon and Washington, but probably not as liberal as Mass and Vermont. I'd say only Quebec would compare to those states in Canada.
Both Washington and Oregon have very different politics within their borders. My wife is from Washington, and on there eastern half (dry side) of the State the population is heavily Republican, but on the western half (wet side), they are heavily Democrat.
Alberta is a big place as well, and like most provinces has different politics in different areas. Same goes for here in British Columbia with the dry areas being much more conservative than the wet areas. The coast and the interior rainforest part of BC are NDP all the way, but where I live in the Okangan they vote for whoever "keeps the socialist hordes behind the gates of Hell where they belong." This quote is, of course, from former Premier of BC who hailed from Kelowna.
When it comes to Alberta, the wettest part of Alberta (around Edmonton), is quite liberal even by BC Interior standards. Calgary is more conservative, but southern Alberta (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, etc.) is more conservative still.
Comparing Alberta to the States, Alberta has a flat tax, which would not fly in even some of the more conservative states.
Alberta as a whole is conservative compared to a typical state, but how conservative really depends on how you define your terms, or which measures you are looking at. There are many different definitions of liberal and conservative, and some of them even contradict other ones.
When it comes to Alberta, the wettest part of Alberta (around Edmonton), is quite liberal even by BC Interior standards. Calgary is more conservative, but southern Alberta (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, etc.) is more conservative still.
Alberta as a whole is conservative compared to a typical state, but how conservative really depends on how you define your terms, or which measures you are looking at. There are many different definitions of liberal and conservative, and some of them even contradict other ones.
While Edmonton itself is quite liberal, the surrounding areas are among the most conservative in the province. The wettest areas, around Hinton/Edson and east towards Edmonton are extremely conservative. While it's not a perfect measure, the CPC won Yellowhead riding (the aforementioned Hinton/Edson area) with about 83%.
There's much more of a rural/urban divide in Alberta than any geographic one.
I think your second point, though, is bang on.
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