Alberta Party Policy Conference - I Smell Democracy in the Air

Tomorrow will see the first Policy Convention of the revitalized Alberta Party.  This is the next step of many stage that is the evolution of the Alberta Party as it fosters a civilized political revolution in our province.

The political culture in Alberta is changing faster and more profoundly than most casual observers realize.   Gerard MacLellan was at Reboot 3 last weekend and that reminded me about a blog post he did last August really captures the essence of the shifting ground in Alberta politics. He give 10 reasons why the Alberta Party will grow and make Alberta more democratic.

The recent opinion poll commissioned by the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta provides more evidence of a shift in the political culture of the province.  There are 76% of Albertans who believe we have a "pressing social deficit" that includes homelessness, wait times for health care and post-secondary education access.  We are confused when it comes to trading off jobs for protecting the environment as 48% believe environment comes first, 40% say the opposite and 9% can't make up their minds.

When it comes to moral issues the religious fundamentalist and social conservatives who want government to meddle in private moral issues are in the minority.  There are 75% of us who say people must make up their own minds on moral issues like same sex marriage and abortion.  We found in our Reboot Alberta values survey that using religion as a basis for making public policy decisions was the lowest ranking criteria.  We see lots of  political pressure coming from the social conservatives in the WAP and the PC Party that needs to be resisted and rebutted by mainstream Albertans.

The PC Party poll shows that there is a political shift in the works when Albertans were asked about leadership, competence and responsibility.  The PC take solace in the fact they are still the highest rated political alternative but the levels of support are not what they are used to and the indifferent-undecided responses are surprisingly high for a "one-party state."  For example 37% see the PC as best prepared to run government but after 40 years of doing it, why wouldn't they be. None of the Above or Undecided are the same or larger than the Liberals or Wildrose on this issue.  As for competence the PCs are only are 33% support after 40 years and 35% question the competence of all the parties.

I found an interesting political framing question in the PC poll when they asked which party would would describe as "extreme." The Wildrose is seen as extreme by 21% of Albertans and the NDP by 22%.  The PCs were perceived a extreme by 9% and 27% said no party was extreme or they were undecided.

On the other end of experienced competent leadership the Stelmach PCs get 28% support and after 40 years of governing Alberta, that is hardly a ringing endorsement.  All the other political party leaders only get 7-6% support for their record. The moving ground comes into play when 21% say none of the current leaders are given credit for a proven record of accomplishment. The measure of strong leadership and competence shows  a race between Stelmach and Smith each in the 20% range on both counts but Mason and Swann are both inconsequential.

The various leaders caring and compassion measures again shows a PC preference 20-23% but not a ringing endorsement as 16-17% say none on the above, the second highest number in each case.  Even as 30% of Albertans see Stelmach as a "regular person" over 15% for Smith, 12% for Mason and 8% for Swann. With 4 years of "Steady Eddy" leadership, only 25% see him as "reliable" and #2 is at 15% - None of the Above...more evidence of shifting political culture.

There are more interesting insights from this poll but that will be for another post in the future.  The reality is the PCs are no longer in free fall and the Wildrose has peaked.  The Liberals and NDP are inconsequential and not gaining from the fear of the ultra-right Wildrose and the tired and terrified PCs.  The political discontent is growing in the heads and hearts of Albertans as 45% of us do not trust any of the existing players to responsibly manage the future of the province.

What is emerging is a time for change but to what?  There is not a popular enough alternative and the status quo is unacceptable.  In that dynamic something reasonable, different and fresh like the Alberta Party may be seen as a place to park a vote, place a vote and send a message.  That is not as par fetched as the conventional wisdom of the main steam media and usual talking pundit heads would typically dismiss.  The local elections all over the province showed the yearning for change incumbents as well and presumptive alternatives getting  dumped or beaten by reasonable, intelligent and progressive alternatives.

What is certain is change and if the existing parties do not adapt quickly enough or completely enough, I would not be surprised by a minority government with an Alberta Party balance of power.  The Alberta Party was not included in the PC Party poll so we just don't know what impact they are having right now and they have a lot of work to do. Interest in them is coming from many surprising sources and they are about to launch into a leadership campaign which will raise interest and profile.  I am not making a prediction or engaged in wishful thinking, merely proposing a plausible possibility that this could happen by election time in March 2012 if the trends continue as they have in the past year or so.

Lest We Forget

This came be email from my friend Frank Smith and i thought it was well worth sharing on this Remembrance Day.  This is always a day of sad reflection and thanksgiving as I remember my Dad and his service in World War II

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,

Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN , not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,

Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN , not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.

 

It is the VETERAN ,

Who salutes the Flag,

 

It is the veteran ,

Who serves under the Flag,

 

THERE IS MUCH OWED BY THOSE OF US WHO NOW ENJOY THESE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.  

THANKS TO THOSE WHO DIED TO PRESERVE AND PROVIDE THEM

Another Progressive Calls it Quits on Ottawa

Keith Martin is the kind of caring, compassionate, intelligent and responsible politician we need more of.  Well he is done with federal politics, saying he can accomplish more "off the Hill."   Rabid partisanship and the totalitarian governing style of Prime Minister Harper has convinced him that our democracy is dysfunctional.

Sad that we learn of this on Remembrance Day, the time we reflect on the sacrifices of so many people just so we could enjoy our freedoms.  We need to reboot our democracy.  Citizens need to take back control, create alternatives to the current damaged and dangerous systems and get rid of totalitarian proto-facist political practices that are becoming normal.

Sad to see another good person in politics pass on any hope of making a difference through Parliament. 
Cynicism and disdain are not good enough any more.  Citizens have to rise up and revolt against those destructive forces that are destroying our democracy. Use it or Lose it Canada.

Albertans Most Open to Immigration - Go Figure!

There is more and mounting evidence that the Alberta image of a red neck radical Conservative political culture is misinformed. The recent election of Naheed Nenshi as Mayor of Calgary caused the central Canada and national media to buzz with the "News" of such countervailing evidence to the mistaken prejudice they harbour about what Alberta is really like.  I have lots of other stories and examples too but that is for another time.

Now we have the Leger Marketing poll of 1503 Canadians that shows Albertans as the most open of any group of Canadians to accepting immigrants without restrictions and limitations based on country of origin.  In Alberta 46% don't believe in any such restrictions.

In Ontario 29% believe there should be restrictions on immigration from some countries "to balance the mix." Quebec has the most liberal values in all of Canada but 35% of them also favour limiting immigration based on country of origin. This is the highest level of wanting restrictions in all of Canada. Only 25% of Albertans hold such narrow and restrictive views on immigration based on country of origin.

So Alberta is not the progressive back woods in Canada when it comes to welcoming newcomers from all over the world.  Part of this is because we need skilled workers here more than anywhere else in Canada. Part of this is also because the Alberta economy is relatively stronger than the rest of the country so perhaps we don't feel threatened by newcomers.

We can't discount the possibility that Albertans are just more welcoming, accepting and tolerant of immigrants and we don't really care all that much about country of origin as a deciding criteria.  Of course we have to get beyond merely being accepting and tolerant of newcomers.  We have to actually come to savour the benefits of diversity as we continue the great experiment of Canada.  We see this sense of savouring diversity in younger citizens already.  The point is Albertan's core values about immigration are about inclusion, diversity, freedom, fairness and empowerment of citizens so we can create opportunity of responsible prosperity. Those are mainstream values in the Canadian context too but Alberta does not get credit for holding those values, never mind  leading in them.

One has to wonder were the mistaken impressions of Alberta values and beliefs comes from, particularly  in the rest of Canada.    My sense is a main source has been because of the kind of politicians we have been sending to Ottawa, especially those Conservatives who are known to be fundamentalist and hardcore social conservatives.  With Jim Prentice quitting the Harper government and leaving politics, the last moderate progressive political voice in Ottawa is gone...not that he was ever allowed to say much in the first place. The ultra-conservative political voices "representing" Alberta get all the air time and media attention without any countervailing voices. Could that be a reason why Albertans are so misunderstood in the rest of Canada?  Just a thought.

Alberta Needs More Politicians Like Doug Griffiths

It was great to see Doug Griffiths at Reboot3.0 last weekend. I was disappointed I did not get much time to talk with him and catch up on how the progressives are doing in the Progressive Conservative Party.    Based on Troy Wason’s presentation at the Reboot3.0 political panel update on the State of the Notion of Progressive Politics in Alberta, the PC Party has started returning to a more moderate, less radical right-wing approach.  That is encouraging since they are in government.

Doug is the kind of thoughtful and courageous politician we need these days.  He is not afraid of engaging in meaningful and focused conversations with citizens.  His widely acclaimed and often sought presentation and now new book on “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” is but one example.  You can connect to the content on Doug’s blog www.douggriffiths.ca for more.  I strongly suggest you buy the book but from a local bookseller to ensure you don’t miss some of the points about supporting local enterprises.

I have read the informative and helpful column by Graham Thomson in today’s Edmonton Journal on Doug’s suggesting we have a public discussion on a consumption (a.k.a. Sales Tax) tax in Alberta.  Graham really positions Doug Griffiths as the kind of progressive, forward thinking and consciousness raising kind of politician we need in Alberta.  We need his kind of courage to speak up and create conversation spaces to overcome the democratic deficit induced by partisan and preservation politics that dominate these days.

According to Thomson, Doug is “…one of the bright lights in the Conservative caucus, not to mention one of the most idealistic.  Perhaps he is the most idealistic.”  We need politicians who are seriously into servant-leadership and dedicated to responsible fiscal management coupled with a personal character that is all about caring and compassion and personal responsibility.  Doug’s persistence in living his values with integrity is characterized in his determination to create a conversation space for a public discourse to explore a consumption tax in Alberta.  You have to read Graham’s column today to see the consequences of character coming up against the ignorance of mythology, ideology and a bit of the hypocrisy surrounding the subject of an Alberta sales tax.

There is a larger concern behind the issue of a consumption tax of not for Alberta. It goes to the definition and the health of our democracy.  George Lakoff (author of "The Political Mind" and other books) recently noted in a public lecture in Edmonton that government is there to protect and empower citizens.  Progressive values that define that sense of democracy are founded on empathy and responsibility, based on a belief of freedom and fairness for all.  That sentiment is at the root of Doug’s call for a conversation to explore how we make Alberta’s tax system more honest, accountable, transparent and fair.  

Sales or consumption tax aside, there is also another larger issue at stake here.  That is the current political struggle as to who will write the new operating narrative for the next Alberta.  Will we be progressive and forward thinking society or will we be more conservative and regress into the patriarchy of the past?  

My vote goes to a progressive, creative and forward thinking narrative for our future.  To do that we need more progressive politicians like Doug Griffiths, who believe in a positive generative role for government instead of seeing government as the problem.  We need to have progressive politicians who see a role for the marketplace but know that the competitive approach it is not always a substitute for good government – even in Alberta.   

Doug is not the only Alberta politician with these progressive qualities and values.  They exist in all political parties, including the Wildrose Alliance Party. For the record, I use Heather Forsythe as an example of a progressive in the Wildrose Party.  The problem is progressive politicians are far from being a majority.  They are also marginalized and far from the levers of real power in our provincial politics.  Like most Albertans these day, they are not listened to and their opinions don't account for much in setting public policy. 

We need to realize it is about more than politicians.  We we also have a duty as citizens to be informed voters but between elections we must be vigilant stewards of our democracy, freedoms, rights and responsibilities.  That includes pushing for and protecting the environment, the vulnerable in our society and leaving a positive legacy for future generations.  If citizens are not engaged in preserving, promoting and protecting democratic freedoms we forfeit any hope of good progressive government by giving away our political power to others. 

All of this political discussion is grounded in a set of moral issues.  All of politics is grounded in a set of moral issues.  Our values research provided insight on what Albertans use to measure, guide and drive the political morality of ourselves and our politicians.  The moral values we want to see in our politicians and ourselves are integrity, honestly, accountability, transparency, fiscal and personal responsibility and environmental stewardship.  Not a bad set of values to measure our political and personal morality as a society and as citizens if you ask me. 

How are we doing in measuring up to our values?  Not too well if you ask me – personally or politically.  But I am optimistic based on the successes of progressive candidates and increased citizen participation in the recent municipal and school board elections all over Alberta. A lot of incumbents lost in these elections.  Political change is happening and gaining momentum in Alberta these days. There is much more to do but I get the feeling that progressives are tired of being apathetic. Progressives also are coming to see a real and present danger to their sense of democracy if they continue to be disengaged in the political culture of our times.  Here’s hoping I am right!

So lead on Doug.  Keep up the good fight and keep the conversations going.