The prospects for Alberta remain in limbo while we continue to be in the control of the UCP. For 45 years the conservatives repeatedly jammed oil and gas down our throats. It’s been one disaster after another. The quality of life that Albertans enjoyed was vastly superior before oil came to town. Oil fuels the wars of the world, it fuels significant economic hardship on the developing world. Catering so largely to this one industry by people who have no idea or vision, has made us the most vulnerable province in the country. Diversification has been deliberately delayed by the UCP and earlier conservative governments. We need a vastly different and new path as a province and as Canadians.
Almost 50 Years of Conservative Government
For 50 years or more we have repeatedly elected the conservatives to represent us in Ottawa on the national stage. And they have failed us for 50 years. They have lied to us that when they would be in power things would be different for Alberta. But no, that has never been the case. Once they get there, they are swayed to support Ontario needs for the next election, knowing that Alberta is sewn up tight. They didn’t and don’t have to do anything to get the votes in Alberta. And we have never once changed. We are to blame for our own situation today.
That’s why they would stoop as low as low can be, by making a shady deal with the American president around Keystone, even though the USA had repeatedly rejected this project 8 years earlier. No Means No. We needed to respect that decision and move on. We could have completed TMX by now if the UCP and conservative provincial governments weren’t so corrupt. That is the plain truth.
In the past two years, and more precisely the last 18 months, the provincial support surrounding the pandemic was this — — -lay off 11,000 health care workers and return 4.5 billion in tax revenues to big oil. It took them almost a year or more to finally help small business and the help was miniscule. They never once addressed anything to do with rent abatement or any policy that would directly contribute to new employment opportunities. There are many investors around the world who would be eager to help Alberta (and every country in the world) to rearrange the base of their economies. It’s called the New Economy for a reason. Because it isn’t the same old responses to financial crisis which repeatedly fail.
No Vision and Lousy Leadership
Over all the economies of the world have held up very well but consider that it was the large companies of the world who could best respond because they had large work forces in place already and they were also all tech companies. They were not oil companies. They were not coal companies. They were all tech companies, who largely are in the climate change business already. Microsoft intends to be net zero by 2030 — -a full twenty years ahead of the Paris accord projections.
Something learned which has been eye opening — -it is the large tech companies with significant personalities that founded their companies who are taking the most aggressive stance on climate. These are men of vision who know how to implement large scale change. And believe me, the scale of change that we need to make by 2050 is staggering. Our conservatives haven’t got a clue what the word diversification means. Its a good buzz word and something to ramble about on the legislature steps, then head up to the sky palace to put a few beers and some champagne back with your buds, while people are dying and you laid off health care workers that might have saved some precious lives.
Chrystia Freeland, who will likely become the first elected woman Prime Minister in Canada is another great reason to vote Liberal. As the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister she holds significant influence over the direction of this country. She grew up in Alberta and understands it quite well. She has been working hard to keep our economy going while the pandemic continues and she did a terrific job of negotiating with the USA over free trade changes. She repeatedly stood up for Canadian interests handing Trump his hat last September when he threatened to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum. That took guts, unlike some other people who bought a presidential permit for Keystone knowing that the legal challenges would be huge. Kenney guaranteed the project for 7 billion and it would have cost us the full 7 billion if Trump had won the election. Maybe more than 7 because we would have taken a huge step backwards in the competitive shipping world.
Time to Stop Voting Conservative Dinosaur Parties Into Power
Being the black sheep has not worked very well for Alberta. Maybe it’s time to go with the rest of the country and have some serious representation in Ottawa. Liberal representation. We will achieve a lot with that decision. 12 seats. 4 in Edmonton, 4 in Calgary, 4 rural. Its easy, Vote Liberal. Its an x on a piece of paper. Easy. Your conscience will be better for it. No more hatred in your heart for no reason. Sometimes you have to take a risk and this is not a big risk, but it is an excellent opportunity for Alberta to move ahead.
What have we got to lose? If we go with conservatives again and they lose to the Liberals, which they will by a wide margin, we lose another 4 years of direct representation. The rest of Canada is going to send Alberta a message this time by voting Liberal all over the country. They are tired of our crying, whining and bitching about how poor Alberta carries everything. It doesn’t. We have less than 10% of the countries population. People cry about equal representation, we have that. We’ve had it since 1905 when we entered confederation. What we don’t have is enough people liberals who tend to be more moderate when it comes to most everything. We need moderates, it's the middle class of politics.
There is no way that the rest of Canada is going to vote conservative when they can see clearly how bad the UCP are in Alberta — -remember — -they have the same leadership group so why would the federal conservative party behave any differently than the UCP in Alberta. These guys are a disaster everywhere. They have wrecked the original Progressive Conservative Party that our seniors, our moms, and dads voted for. It is not the same party, nor do they have the same principles at heart.
A Liberal vote this election is the best vote you can cast, for you, your children, and your grandchildren. You can laugh, but I will give you several reasons why this time in history needs to be Liberal. Put everything else aside and just consider your family. You should vote Liberal because they are the only party that has consistently looked after families. That includes day care coverages. The conservatives don’t like kids including their own. They’ll kill the program. Every time a conservative government gets in power, no matter provincial or federal they always cut health care and then education and childcare when they can’t cut anywhere else. Always. Always. They have cut our economy to shreds more than once while I’ve been alive to witness it.
Liberals Are Moderates, Middle Class Politicians
The Liberals aren’t trying to steal your CPP like the UCP want to. The Liberals want to diversify our economies across Canada to prepare for the inevitable changes we must make due to global warming. The conservatives want to roll back all the time. Going backwards on anything, especially as a society is just plain dumb. That’s not progressive (like the Progressive in conservative party) They want to take coal from our pristine mountain watershed areas to the tune of about 16 million a year in tax revenue. Those areas are priceless. 16 million could never repair the damage they will do to our water. Water that is going to be increasingly precious due to global warming.
See where I am going? Why would any responsible government today entertain these dying industries? And the argument about China is not valid. We will worry about China once we’ve undertaken our own measures. We do what we need to and then we’ll worry about others. And remember, the last several years China has installed solar at twice the rate of the USA. They are participating towards greenhouse gas reductions according to the Paris agreement, just like we are. We all must do our part and stop pointing fingers. Maybe we will discover a breakthrough and can help China and India swing away from coal more rapidly. We are all neighbors now when it comes to global warming. Time is of the critical essence. China knows it and India will come around. Those two countries have the biggest challenge and we must assist them when we are able.
I have written frequently about Alberta and how it must transition. I also have a very good idea of what needs to happen during that transition. The UCP, therefore, the federal party, whose philosophy is identical, have no clue what to do. Instead, they declare war against the future through an energy war room. And use taxpayer money to go to war to destroy the prospects of Alberta. Why are they going to war I want to know? Who are they going to war against? Guess what — — it’s you and me they are trying to hold back by their antiquated thinking. Pitch them out.
You will suffer no difference at worst case scenario and at best you will vote Liberal the next election because they made an actual difference in your community. I know that’s possible. You can’t expect the results to be different if you keep doing the same thing. I also wish to say to those people under 70 years of age — The conservatives in Alberta have f**ked up so many things in the 50 years, and as a result the Liberals had no power to effect change in this province at all. Who should be blamed for the way it is? It wasn’t the Liberals who governed here and slashed health care over and over.
As I said, it’s time for a wholesale change and vote the conservatives out. Vote Liberal, I believe is the best vote, or NDP if you must. But this province will not reflect its youthful future if the conservatives are in power. The brain drain in Alberta has happened several times in the past due to our conservative government. We can do anything here that is done anywhere else. We can manufacture here. We can create jobs with ease. We have a responsibility to clean up the mess that has been made — — I’m talking tailings ponds across the province, but especially those near Fort McMurray. Also remediating close to 100,000 abandoned or inactive gas wells. Those need to be serviced to limit the escaping methane gases which are a greenhouse gas. That work should reassure oilfield service workers that they have a good future in the industry and that by the time they are no longer needed they will have had a chance to change their careers.
All of nature is intertwined. There is no exception to it, all things have dependence, and all things give independence. But the natural world that supports all the eco systems leaves us on the endangered list today and threatened with true extinction. Food security should also be a concern in Alberta as our climate is changing rapidly and agriculture remains one of our largest industries.
The earth may eventually recover from the effects of global warming. Unfortunately, though, we may not be here to see it. Now it’s widely reported that the permafrost in our arctic preserves is also at risk of melting. Some say that will be the final nail in the coffin. I don’t know whether it’s true. What I do know is this. If we do nothing, the outcome isn’t very good.
And a final word as a Liberal. I have listened to you all complain about Liberals for my whole life, but you never once thought to give them a chance. You complain and complain but they never hurt you. In fact the best years in Alberta over the last 50 have come when we have had a Liberal government in Ottawa. I’ve heard all the bullshit for years. But you never look inwards into Alberta for where our problems lie. That’s where they start and where they end. It would be a lot better if we had a Liberal government for a good spell. Maybe 50 years and get rid of and give up on the damn dinosaurs already.
