I have a confession to make: I am glad that the NDP took a majority of seats in the Alberta legislature on Tuesday night. I'm sure those words are hurting the eyes of some. But the truth is I was ready to give up all my political activities in the event of a PC comeback Redford style, or even a PC minority. Thanks to Notley and the gang, my faith in the system has been restored.
Canada has a system that favours incumbents and majorities, and at the provincial level, this is even more true, as each province has only one house of government. Legislation, no matter how obviously written for the benefit of the MLA's own pocket books or those of their donors, is almost impossible to stop or amend. Even Lieutenant Governors have grown too sheepish to protect the rights of all people, which is indeed their charge, leaving no checks on government graft, pork barreling, bargaining in bad faith, and chicanery whatsoever.
All we have to reform our provincial state of affairs is the vote. And on Tuesday night, the people of Alberta did their best to shake the sycophants and consensus blinded operatives from the workings of the state, if only for a brief moment in time. For that, all of us should thank them.
It must also be noted that on a more practical, bottom line level of thinking, "centrist governance" is a sham, and voters are slowly but surely growing tired of it. Whether we're speaking of the BC Liberals, the Ontario Liberals, the Alberta PC's, and, even, the NDP of Manitoba, "middle of the road" parties - regardless of whether they say they lean right or left - are incapable of the leadership needed to face the pressing concerns of the 21st century. Even a brief glance at each province's budget, rhetoric, and scandals quickly reveals that no one has a clue how to deal with crises in education, healthcare, land use, infrastructure, etc.
In fact I'm certain that each of these governments, their officers, representatives, and premiers, right down to their short pants wearing staffers, are painfully aware how ill equipped they are to deal with every portfolio. Which would explain why nearly all of them see no problem spending the vast majority of their time, and a great deal of public money, on spin, consultants, and advertising. After all, it's not a gravely immoral action or policy until you get caught, right?
Luckily for Albertans, they have made the first step in getting their province on a more honest track, namely by kicking the bums out. What comes over the next four years will be crucial, and it is here that I do share some of the concerns of my fellow conservatives, both the grassroots and establishment. I am certain that Notley is more than capable of doing math, but, as any economist will tell you, it's how you interpret the numbers that makes all the difference.
As I've mentioned before, it's long been time for Alberta to implement a sales tax. And if Notley simply eliminates all the corporate welfare the province expends while leaving tax brackets at the same level they are now, the provincial debt will shrink, the economy will right itself in time, and the job creators won't ship out to the living skies of Saskatchewan.
What she should take seriously is political accountability; the usual bans against corporate and union donations must be made. And she would do well to seriously consider implementing balanced budget legislation and a proportional representation system to enforce it.
In the end, Alberta's future is beyond any of our sight, regardless of what the doomsayers and trolls might be saying. A dynasty that had become a byword for graft, entitlement, and obtuse statements has been laid low by an unexpected surge and a final orange crush. Whatever our political belongings, it must be said democracy has been served well.
