Jeff Burgar
This coming federal election, we are predicting with a great deal of confidence, most of Alberta will vote for the federal Conservative Party.
Why the confidence you ask? Well, call it just a gut feeling! Or past experience!
Liberals or NDP may win a few seats in Edmonton or Calgary. They do lean that way provincially. But overall, Albertans vote Conservative.
The rest of Canada can’t understand why we do that. And most of Alberta can’t understand why Central Canada seems to love Liberals. For us in Alberta, it is easy to see why the Maritimes and Quebec support Liberals. It’s all about money.
The Maritime provinces always get a few extra dollars, a few extra benefits in social programs, a few bits of everything we in Alberta, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern British Columbia and Saskatchewan seem to miss out on. Or get in dribs and drabs.
Southern British Columbia might as well be Hawaii or the Caribbean. They just run on different clocks there. What takes a week to get done in most of Alberta can take a month in Kelowna or Victoria. Or any Carib island like St. Kitts. It’s hard there to get excited about politics. Unless somebody threatens to cut off the pogey or benefits, or kick you out of the park you sleep in. Liberals and NDP don’t do that.
Quebec? Just about everybody in Canada knows the province is scenic. Rich in hydro power and smart citizens. Even oil and trees. But for the most part, so rich they won’t allow much in the way of fossil fuel drilling. Much better to import from other countries by tanker than even let a pipeline cross their pristine soil. Exactly the kind of thinking bound to elect politicians who let them think cuckoo thoughts are OK. And are at the same time willing to keeping sending them money. Even more money in fact, than what Maritimers get.
We get all of this, why each region is so easily swayed by politicians who lie to them (voting reform just for openers.) Or leave the entire nation defenceless. Or like a political party bent on destroying Canadian mining and energy industries. Has little to no real ability to deal with opponents like Donald Trump. Are woke to the core. Will admit a million plus people each year and at the same time say they will house them, provide medical care, but not train those who lack useful skills or find them jobs. In general, any political party which generally enjoys turning Canada into a mess for those who have lived here for generations or who have just come to this country and are trying to be productive and contributing citizens. We get all that.
But what the heck does Central Canada, known as the GTA or Greater Toronto Area, or even the Golden Horseshoe, get out of voting for federal Liberals? Even while they have a provincial Conservative party under premier Doug Ford! What the heck is in that water they drink?
If anybody has an answer to this, please let us know. Maybe if we get it figured out, we can save this great country for all of us who live here and who want to live here.