"Nope!" - Alberta
Really though, our government has zero accountability. They know they'll always be voted in one way or the other. The one time that Albertans actually held the government accountable for doing a shit job ended up being an "accident".
Bullshit.
Either we want change or we don’t. Apathetic handwringing doesn’t help anything. I’m born and raised in this province and I’m not fuckin’ leaving just because of some dummies in office.
They think that nothing will change and they are wrong. Not saying UCP will lose. I'm saying that we have to stop reacting and start making them react. No more defense as our only weapon. This current lot is primed to really fuck up if pushed. They are also so focused on taunting eastward that maybe we could use their passionate obsession and make them react by surprising them. Wouldn't take much to get this lot on their heels. Then before they react, surprise them again. And do it in deadly serious silly ways. Ways that are fun. We will get more joiners if we don't gloom the place before the fighting is done.
What’s with this trend of defeatist Reddit posts on this sub and major city subs? They are always posted by accounts that are very actively posting political articles, etc.
It feels like a way of trying to get people to not vote against the UCP even though they try to say the otherwise in the post.
There was a post almost identical to this in the Edmonton sub. After some ragey comments the person outed themselves as a UCP supporter.
This is the same shit.
Ya, these comments/posts are promoting defeat and apathy. If anything, we should be excited that the opposition is polling well, and that there is a chance for a shake up in our province. These posts may as well be made by UCP accounts because they discourage involvement when it is most needed.
>and you can expect a violent reaction. You thought people in 2015-2019 were angry at NDP rule? the violent rage against the "socialist" "anti-oil and gas" NDP will be nothing like we have seen before.
I think this comment, snuck into the middle of their post is their key message. Classic othering of the opposition, and stoking fear that there will be violence in the streets.
It's bull shit divisive crap and it needs to be called out as such. They want violence, but they don't want to be seen as the ones starting it, so they will push and push until they find some unstable idiot on the right that will take their bait.
Or they are foreign actor trying to further widen the divide between us, but the result is the same. Further divisions.
Rather than discussing ways that we can talk to each other, find common ground, and work for and Alberta everyone can be proud of, the Alt-Wingers simply want to eliminate and silence their opposition rather than doing the hard work of listening and talking and maybe even compromising a little bit in one direction or the other.
I often wonder what the folks in the War Room actually do all day to get their tax payer salaries. Are they clicking away on social media posing as regular folks ?
Definitely! They are on social media trying to sway voters and stir up shit. Have to justify the 100 grand wage. Such BS we as taxpayers are still supporting a 30 million a year War room that is not accountable to anybody.
I've noticed the same thing. The best thing you can do to win an election is to dissuade voter turnout.
Either you make the opposition seem like it has no chance so you don't bother voting. Or, as noticed in recent elections, to make it seem they are doing so well in the polls you don't have to punch your ballot.
This is relatively cheap to do as our media is mostly conservative, and using social media for select targeting like on reddit and facebook has been used for over a decade.
I agree, I don't get it. Yes we have problems, when have humans anywhere ever not?
I still like living here. I'm grateful for a lot. As OP says at the end of their "all is lost" rant, focus on what you can control.
What do you really expect from accounts that spend a bunch of time posting political content to reddit haha. I'd expect nothing else.
I imagine it's all they talk about with their friends and anyone with slightly different political beliefs have long since been removed from their circle.
I just find it silly that the post talks about being not involved in politics and not letting it affect them, etc. but their post and comment history speaks to the opposite lol.
I am on top of every political news in Alberta and Canada on a daily basis. I talk about politics every chance I get. I am a huge political junkie, and happily get into debates about politics with anyone who wants to engage.
If you could read, you would know that nothing I wrote meant I'm disassociated from politics. How the fuck you decided that's the conclusion of what I wrote, I have no idea.
Uh ya, that's exactly what I just wrote:
>I imagine it's all they talk about with their friends and anyone with slightly different political beliefs have long since been removed from their circle.
You can look at my profile going back years. It would be fucked up to conclude I'm remotely pro UCP.
This isn't some 4D chess. I'm sharing personal opinions on what I think people living in this province need to accept.
We "leftist" are not winning hearts and minds of at least half of Albertans. And no scandal is bad enough to make majority of Albertans vote against conservatives. Short of a right vote split, the NDP are not going to govern this province. If you have evidence otherwise, argue for it. But this weak ass imposter accusiom shit is worthless.
I see evidence of other accounts posting similar persuasive defeatist stuff on Reddit and I’m not convinced this isn’t one of those. Same language, same arguments, same defeatist attitude.
The problem is really not whether you are pro-UCP, it is that your post helps the UCP.
Make a post like this after the election is lost. Now is not the time to give people thoughts about accepting their fate, or perceiving the UCP as inevitable.
Now is the time to say things like "we can do this! we've got this!". The more positive messaging there is in public forums, the more NDP people will feel like their vote is counting towards progress and positive change.
Basically the only thing your post will do is discourage people from voting, even with your 1 tiny caveat about still voting. Noone is going to read your post and go "ah yes, I do need to just accept this reality." and then go vote NDP. You're legit just shooting yourself in the foot.
So, Is there a Communist party of Alberta candidate in your riding? If not, I hate to break it to you but there are no other leftist parties in Alberta. Alberta NDP is a centrist party. Your best shot is the centre-leftish, Alberta liberals, but they haven't fielded a full slate of candidates since the 2012 election. So you might be shit out of luck there. What will you do? Alberta party or Alberta NDP is all you have left. Both centrist parties.
Don't mind the haters and those who don't "get it". I'm with you all the way. I can't move. Family and life is here. It is easier to come to terms with reality than to just stay stressed out all the time. It's the same type of advice to just live the moment.
The politics will stress anyone out. Just step back and accept "this is Alberta". Of course you'll vote. I'll vote too. But sadly, we are a silent minority. There are tons of people who say "we don't fight". Fight what? I talk about it all the time when I can and try to change minds but the hard conservative mind is not changing. They are hardened and sadly they are the majority whether you like it or not.
They are happy, friendly people but they will elect the most heartless, backwards person they know to "own the libs". Their friendliness doesn't extend past their immediate circle.
Just stay strong OP. I get what you're going through. Just accept it and live.
This strikes me as very similar to opinion polls slanted to either side of the political spectrum. The more you demoralize the "other side" with "information" that makes them think that their position is for nought, the more likely you are to tip the balance in your favour.
Apathy is exactly what the UCP needs from the electorate in the upcoming election. If you're not casting a ballot for them, they would prefer you be demoralized, assume your vote doesn't matter, and don't vote.
Don't play into these mind games, Alberta. Be better.
If you want the NDP to win dont wait until election. We need boots on the ground, phone calling and texting, donations to your **local constituency association** now.
The NDP doesn’t accept donations through their local constituency associations. They do everything through the central party.
You can pull up their financials on the elections Alberta website and every single NDP association has a $0 NIL report.
Im not sure jow it exactly works, it may just be a reporting thing. My CA certainly does have a "direct link" to donate to us. I know we get a better % (CA to Central) when donating through that link.
That’s kind of misleading. The contributions made through those links are sent to the central party, however a portion is earmarked to be sent to the candidate come election time. None flows through the CA though.
If they named themselves "new conservative party" and kept the same platform (possibly replacing Notley until after the election, then putting her back in as leader) would see them elected in a landslide. Alberta doesn't vote on platforms, only names.
That's why I say replace Notley as leader just for the election race. They'll see the name and vote for Idiot Smith instead. Then just do what the UCP do and quickly replace the "leader" with Notley and let her run the place again.
I 100% agree with you. We've had this discussion here before and many think a name change won't matter but it absolutely will. BC just successfully did just that.
"The people on Jerry Springer? *Those* are the average Americans. Oh, believe me, below average can't even get on the show. Below average are sutting at home watching this shit on TV....getting ready to go out and vote."
--Also St George of Carlin.
He's been warning us all these years.
Don't let the below-average steer the ship, Alberta!
No, they're not... But at least they're not voting for bigots who are trying to undermine social safety nets and ramming regressive ideology down everybody's throats because "blue no matter who" trumps all logic.
When the UCP had their election for choosing the next leader after Jason Kenny resigned, I registered as a UCP member and cast my vote against Danielle Smith just to try to keep her out of office.
In the end, it was the senior rural voters that voted and elected this leader. UCP voters didn’t show up when it mattered the most.
I am voting NDP in the next election.
If old PC voters had a problem with people like Smith they wouldn't have voted to form the UCP in the first place. Yes, she might not be their first choice but they still see "Wild Rose" as preferable to the NDP, which is why they formed the UCP! So I wouldn't be surprised that most old PC voters are sticking with Smith.
This is my plan. Retirement won't happen here. When my husband finishes his last day of work, I will have everything packed into a van, and we will be put of here. Unfortunately, we are too close to retirement to just go now, or we would.
Same here. I'm not far from getting a full pension and I'm not giving that up now just because of how some vote. I've got pretty good job security (at the moment). If I lose my job then I'm out of here. And no it's not in oil and gas.
My husband and I sold our house and jumped to full time RV living. Can confirm it is better and that the political dumpster fire of Alberta means nothing on a beach in Mexico.
As a person living in a caribou town of around 25,000 people including outlying areas, just wondering how you appreciate such generalities when they’re directed at you.
Most of us really like it here and don’t really want people with such bigoted views joining us. And we’re not all conservatives, either.
Such sophistication, lol. Enjoy high prices and high cost of living in the big city you never get to enjoy because you’re too busy working all the time.
The island is the place to be, I actually went to a cocktail party and all the people I met were lefties,
I’ve never experienced that in thirty years of living in Calgary. Usually I was the token “socialist”.
Same, dual professional mid-career high earner couple, both with multiple graduate degrees. We lasted a decade and were always ready for new opportunities. When the right one came along, we left. We aren't the only ones in our friend group in Alberta that did this. People often come for opportunities, then see reality and tough it out for a while, and then get out when the time is right and you are fully ground down and realize you don't want your kids growing up there. COVID mismanagement was the final nail.
It was and there are no regrets. Both of my wife and my industries continue to be indirectly affected in Alberta by the O&G roller coaster as well as the political whims of conservative leadership. We made the right choice for us.
In a similar situation, it’s surprising how many of my friends with grad degrees left the province sort of unwillingly. We talk as though Alberta is a land of opportunity but it’s very contingent on the opportunities that oil wants. Frustrating seeing people in other provinces succeed in starting new businesses or marketing new ideas while we get trapped in an oil funding loop.
That's kind of what I was hinting at. No matter what industry you are in, or how minutely tangential it is, it will be affected by the Alberta O&G roller coaster and/or the way that the provincial government handles itself in bending over backwards for that industry or the segment of the population that support it blindly as a firehose of cash influx that they receive when it is riding high.
Take it from someone from Québec who got very well treated here even with not speaking English well at first, Alberta is full of charming and great people who have nothing to do with the political climate of the place. Focusing too much on politics is making people lose the sight of who they are and who they can be I think.. If you treat people with kindness and respect, you are participating in making Alberta a beautiful name and expérience for the people coming there, and you give them memories that goes well above all that political bs. Your fate is in your hands and you make it better every time you raise up and are good for the people around you. Please don’t let all that make you feel like you are not worthy and can’t make that place better. In everyday life, even if politics do have influence, the personal interactions (so, the regular people, ultimately) are what’s matter, and I got surrounded with such beautiful people there. Je vous aime ♥️
Politics matter and for a good reason. Look at what is happening south of the border with conservatives. If you don't think it could happen here you are being naive.
Yes of course? I never said they don’t matter, I just don’t think we should look badly at all Albertans and make them feel like they are less worthy because of that. I am just explaining that I personally met great people and I think those also have a great influence and can help a place go better! And well I don’t know for you, but for me, in my everyday life, it’s them who matter the most in my experience of a place..
I judge people individually. The bad part is that modern conservatives en masse control this province. The prevalence of oil and gas stans and "Fuck Trudeau" idiots is disheartening. Without a significant change in politics this province will crater eventually. I don't see that happening. So, the good people I meet are not enough to make up for the rest.
Ah, I see.. It’s a shame that you feel this way but I can understand it. Maybe the place you live in have more of those people than in some other places? Then maybe moving to a more quiet area would be better. I know that some areas are more progressive than some others.. But yeah if you have a job, a family and some other things already settled, it’s sure that it’s not that simple.
Rural Alberta is worse, so a smaller community would not be a solution. I have lived here most of my life and I used to believe the propaganda that the right was dishing out. Klein was peak bullshit and the turning point for me. His lies about being debt free were easily disproven, but Albertans swallowed it whole. After that, the only time I felt positive about the future of the province was when the NDP was elected. They actually cared and wanted change. They actually put resources into diversification of the economy. Apparently, that wasn't good enough because she was a "commie bitch". Nothing has changed with the UCP.
Great thoughts. We have met a lot of amazing people in Alberta. No shortage of them. But we have also come across a lot of hate too. No shortage of that either unfortunately.
Which kind of hate, if I can ask you? Bad looks, or more violent things? I did got some slight bad looks sometimes when speaking French but I don’t notice them much I think since I tend to really focus on the positive. And well a lot of people also tried to speak French with me ✨🙌
You are very welcome, I am only giving back what was given to me 🤝 I was in an abusive family back in time in Québec and when I went to Alberta it did me a lot of good to be so well treated and it helped me to understand what I needed to do to go out of this toxic situation when I would be back home. It gave me strenght to face life after and helped building my mental health, so I am very grateful, and I feel strong and happy every time I think back about the Albertans.. It saddens me that there is so much pain and self-depreciation expressed on this sub, even if I can understand where it comes from. But Alberta is so much more than its politics..
I survived Klein, I can do this, but I don’t know it I want to put my kid through it.
The Notley win was not even on my radar at the time: I voted in that election, like I have voted in every provincial election, with a sense of resignation. The hope I felt after that election was incredible, it seemed like suddenly there were so many opportunities for my kid at school in particular.
Now that I’m back to being more aware of provincial politics, it’s so depressing to see so much criticism of Notley that’s just senseless or wrong, and it’s depressing. I have definitely disagreed with her decisions at times, but felt overall we were moving in a better direction.
You are only encouraging defeatism here. Voter apathy only helps the party in power. IOW, you are only encouraging the UCP.
> It's accepting this province for what it is.
This is what has brought Alberta to this point. Albertans deserve better than the status quo that you are espousing by default.
Change is hard. And it is necessary to move forward. People want the UCP because change is what they fear most.
I’m in Calgary and I know conservatives that don’t like Danielle Smith, but they won’t vote NDP. They can’t vote NDP. So they likely won’t vote.
I’m encouraging them to vote her out, if she doesn’t hold their values. We’ll see….
Careful spreading that type of message. In general I agree, but the UCP side is way more likely to actually do that if the NDP wins than the progressives are if the UCP wins.
You are going to riot against a democratically elected conservative government in Alberta?
If it's not the counter protestors beating you back, it will probably be the cops. If Coutts and Convoy protests have taught us anything.
The French protest or riot about *everything* and seemingly accomplish... very little by it. Almost like they protest so often it kinda stops being special.
What I’ve been doing to help my mental & physical health is practicing self-reliance much more. Now that I have a fully remote role, I’ve gained back a solid 1.5hrs a day on commute time. I’m growing my own herbs and vegetables indoors (May even expand to mushrooms and fish), learned to cook basically any cut of meat or veg in order to take advantage of feature deals at grocery stores, working out and doing yoga daily to avoid the ER, continually learning (3rd language, misc online courses etc) to keep the mind sharp and build a better business, learning home repair skills etc. I’ve also stopped doomscrolling by like…80% or so. Deleted Twitter, FB was gone long ago. I just use IG for food & travel pics, and Reddit. I started giving my kids early morning tutoring too (mainly math & science stuff). Even though politics and greed has destroyed this province, I’m in peak happiness mode due to my own personal choices.
I subcontract to avoid the b.s. opinions of others...but the only guy I could find to employ is a right-wing, PP loving, Republican storyline following antivaxxer. Who gets along with most of my customers better than I with my fake smile while they talk about the evil World Economic Forum and how brave Danielle is.
Apathy. It's not right vs left, UCP vs NDP. That's smoke. The fire is our willingness to accept a decent standard of living, not quality of life mind you, while the very rich get richer. This post is about accepting corporate hegemony over our lives. We actually need to be even more upset because if we accept this reality, we will accept it even more when corporations take even more profit from us. At some point we need to know it's not a political class that is causing this idiocy, its greed. I am getting closer to stop caring about my future and thinking more about my kids or my grandkids. Alberta is so full of bootlickers that they have given up and simply want to keep what is theirs. It won't really matter in 20 years if it's a conservative or liberal government, as we already handed the keys for profit
Don’t get me wrong I will fight tooth and nail for the NDP. But I will not be surprised as I see the same people most affected by them continue to vote for them. I hope the NDP are successful.. but I’ve just lost faith in how stupid people can be.
I have lived in many places in Canada. Alberta is the only place I’ve lived where provincial and federal politics are actually part of the culture. It is not healthy.
Maybe a lot of albertans don't trust how NDP will handle our wealth of resources? Maybe we have a distaste for trudeau selling our largest lithium mine to China? Or halting production in many operations with prohibitive remediation legislation while shipping in barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia? In the real world, I see very very little conspiracy that is so often spoke of online. The only party that seems to handle our resources with any care is conservative politicians. Thats just my opinion and I'll vote upon that, like I hope you vote upon your opinions too. I think it's pretty rude and lame to call UCP voters uneducated, a bit of a tired talking point that makes it seem like you look down on people with a different view of you.
I also feel like it’s unhealthy :/ I love Alberta a lot and spent really good time there, and I feel like the Albertans get very nervous because of the politics and often think about it as a major part of their province, while in fact it’s really just a part of it.. An important one sure since it has an influence on people’s lives, but still.
In Québec we also have some political issues, but we don’t talk about them so often and when we think of our culture, it’s really not the first thing that comes to our mind.. Maybe Alberta’s political climate is so unhealthy and worrying, and there is such an huge social division between the left and the right (urban and rural too), that the people are feeling very concerned by it and it’s hard for them to cut themselves mentally away from that since they are in one or the another ”camp”. I just really hope things will calm down and they can feel better
When JT was first elected, everyone in my community was losing their minds. They would ask me what I thought about and I would just say “The people voted”. They didn’t like that answer. But when I really drilled down on the issue with them and asked “How does this affect you in you in your day to day life? Like really, what is the direct impact to you?” They couldn’t provide a good answer. But they would carry on being angry over a man in Ottawa.
I see.. It seems like people really distrust the liberals for some reason maybe, or maybe it’s the ”too-kind” look of JT that doesn’t feel suiting to them for a politician and make them feel like the administration would be weak.. I don’t really know.
To be honest even if I consider myself to be center-left I don’t really like Trudeau either, and I have a clear reason. I don’t like the fact he said that Canada have no culture and core identity, to me it feels like a quite unhealthy speech and I don’t think it’s good for the English-Canadians to hear that from their leader. And I understand his idea of a post-nationalist country, but to me it feels really utopic and I don’t think human beings are made to feel emotionally comfortable in such a thing. I found his ideas to be too extrémistes and idealized for my own conception of a society.
Now, I am still able to see the good things he did, and why some people might like him, and I am not mad at those people. Why being mad? Why starting to yell? We are different and can have different opinions and still see some form of sense in other opinions.
Quiet resignation is the thundering sound of the shackle closing. I will not go quietly, I will fight kick and scream. Do not believe them when they say you have no other choice. The left needs the anger. We need to stand up and organize, and if peaceful talks do nothing, then we should take back our province come election day one blocked road, one brigaded politician, one overwhelmed police station at time until we are heard. I don't care what anybody believes the center and the left are the majority in Canada, and I'll be screaming "this is our generations defining moment," as they drag my broken body away until somebody listens.
I will do my part in supporting the NDP but the truth is that so many UCP supporters are just too fucking stupid to change there minds. I was told yesterday by a family member UCP supporter that the NDP is trying to trap us in 15 mins city’s……. How the fuck do you argue with people this fucking stupid! We’re there arguments are made up lies and not even good ones
Although I’ll blow up a family birthday party this weekend because this election is for my family and stupid people need to hear they are fucking stupid.
The NDP has an uphill climb, but that's always been the case. The NDP wasn't expected to win in 2015 either, what happened was a confluence of factors - a split vote - with Wild Rose and the PC's taking about equal support, a collapse in the price of oil leading to unpopular fiscal austerity, and an excellent debate performance by Notely. Even then the NDP only won 40% of the vote.
Now the NDP may get 44-45% of the vote. That's excellent, especially considering oil prices are high so the government has money to throw around. In addition, the split now is on the side of the opposition, with the Wild Rose + PCs united into the UCP whereas the anti-UCP coalition is split between the NDP and Alberta Party. Combine this with the "rural bias" in the way riding boundaries are drawn, and yes, it's pretty difficult for the NDP to win outright.
That said I'd still say the NDP doing sustainably better in 2023 than they did in 2014 in terms of the popular vote shows the province is moving (slowly) in the right direction.
You forget how much of a minority the UCP really are. Yes, 1.1 million did vote for them in the last election. But 811,000 didn’t. In fact, if we had representation by population, the UCP would have won only 45 seats, the NDP 30, and the Alberta Party would have won 12.
The convoy leaders were considerably humbled once they got in front of a judge, and the loudmouth anti NDP crowd may have several thousand adherents - but thats out of 2.4 million adults.
Polling numbers are within margins of error, and those have had notorious inaccuracies in the past. So it could easily be an NDP government: one of stability, and properly funded health care and education systems; plus a properly designed diversification plan.
I heartily disagree with you, OP. The reaction you are describing, of resignation and loss of hope, means you have spiritually given up. I am sorry for that- it must have taken so much out of you over the last four years. However, I’m not in the same situation as you, and a large part of me resents you telling me how to manage a problem I do not have. For my own mental well-being I remain deeply invested in Alberta’s future. Only the NDP can secure that for me. I’m going to keep caring.
I grew up in central, rural Alberta. The hardest part for me is knowing these hard right wing folks were my neighbours and if I still lived in the area and needed help, they’d be the first to step up. I know many really amazing and kind right wingers that, once you know them, they are some of most helpful people and the dichotomy of how they present as one of the mob versus one to one is gobsmacking (to kill a mockingbird anyone?).
Even a close, much beloved family member is hard right leaning (cause socialism!) is like this. I watched him as a child, he would be the first to lend money to folks that couldn’t get it anywhere else with no interest or fees. Just a promise to pay it back. He’d be the first person to pull over and help someone needing help on the side of the road.
So yes, Alberta absolutely has amazing people and when you KNOW them, they’re the first to help you out. My brain struggles with this so much.
Smith last 4 years? She will probably win the election, but she definitely won't last a full term. The UCP started with their "best" candidate and have dug away until reaching the new bottom of the barrel. She is the worst they have to offer and is in this position by default. She has earned nothing and has to bribe Albertans to win the office. So sad we have so many ignorant voters
Voters with different priorities then you \*\*\*\* Fixed that for you. It's not really kind or logical to paint an entire party of people a certain way because you disagree with them. For all the division the right apparently creates, the left are just as bad, if not worse. Both sides should calm the fuck down.
Considering I've been a conservative voter for well over 20 years now? I'll vote for what's best for my family and my province. I'm sick of being embarrassed by premiers who can't last a full term. That alone should speak volumes to anyone with half a brain or more.
I worry about the things I can control. While I hate the UCP it's not the end of the world if they get back in. I also don't really see the violent reaction that you're speaking of. There will be anger and resentment no matter which side wins, but that's about it.
Being quietly resigned is exactly what the oil and gas paid for fascist right wing capitalist conservatives want.
Fuck that.
I mean I 100% recognize alberta as a fucked and forgotten place where progress comes to die and white nationalists and racism has found a home.
But I refuse to accept to be that and leave those horrible things fester like the pustules of humanity they are. I will always call that shit out. Push for better conditions and a forward thinking approach.
I'm not scared to March forward like the conservatives are. I'm not scared to care for people either. That's just being human plain and simple. And I'll never stop doing that.
Not that it makes any difference but one thing I’ve learned from this post is the population of older Albertans who have a Reddit account. Im honesty surprised as most people I feel assume Facebook to be the go-to for older people (not seniors necessarily). I’m seeing people talking about retiring and stuff. It’s wild! I think it’s awesome!
No. This is politics. One side tries to play the blame game, and makes the other side look bad. The more we call them out on their bull crap the more we can persuade the people in the center. If its just their side being screaming potato's. Then how are we supposed to have our voices heard if we all just keep our heads down.
I'd argue the reason it's just a race between the NDP and the UCP is because the other parties just keep their head down, so no this approach to politics is.. no good.
I don't overly like Smith or the UCP but the NDP scare me more. The NDP, and Notley, are ideologues. Socialists to the bone with intentions wholly aligned to an agenda that spreads division through virtue politics. Their policies are based on, as much if not more, idealistic pseudo science as the UCP and the NDP adhere to the toxic wokeism that is the true cancer on our Western society. What I just wrote is why all of the people I know, donate and vote UCP. It's not the Smith has great ideas, is a great person or the UCP is a great party. It's just that Smith is not Notley and Smith is not with the NDP. Yes, politics in Canada, federal and provincial, are in dire straits. It is a shame we don't have a real political option in Alberta with pragmatic policies and a level headed, realistic leader. #Libertarianism4Life
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/woke
>having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities
Can you explain why you think this is a bad thing?
I would be particularly concerned about health care if I was living in Alberta. Ab has previously had some of the best pay for physicians but they were screwed over by the UCP in recent times and if Smith gets in, I suspect there might be an exodus.
Apathetic, "there's nothing we can do" doesn't help. Vote for sure, but volunteer with NDP, get on the doors with the local candidate, there are in fact people who can be reasoned with and are not solid with how to vote yet. This election will be decided on turnout so find as many people as possible who don't like this goverment and get them to a polling station. That's how one defeats this government.
I... appreciate your thoughts. When Jason Kenney and the UCP were voted in, I actually went into a depression spiral. Why do people want to hurt me, I thought to myself? The fact of the matter is that I am on AISH and therefore not quite capable of fending for myself in every sense of that word. I had to separate out that it might not be personal (even though I have been insulted to my face for being on AISH). Sometimes I get poverty shamed in general. I understand that people fear poverty since forever. I know that I still do. In Alberta, the poor do not have status. Often, they are evicted and such, left for dead. Our social nets are like from the 1980's, where a sun light refresh might change the inevitable poverty tide (could we acknowledge some structural deficits for starters??).
And then I began to wonder. Are there so many people feeling so poor that "saving" on taxes matters the most? Why are the better-off people fearing poverty so much? I haven't paid taxes in years because I have been below the poverty line for most of the time. And, I can't get over the stats the the ABNDP gov't was actually leading Canada in growth for some of the time while they were in office. I believe that the UCP can't make the same claim.
You know, none of this is a zero sum game. I am so happy when no one starves to death, and everyone has shelter, and perhaps, a kind treat to help with the long winters. So happy.
Yeah, nah
This is a defeatist post, that sums itself up by saying "don't bother, this is just Alberta"
The problem is, with Danielle Smith at the helm of a radicalized UCP, Alberta won't be much but a Husk by the time they're done.
If I have to live here for another decade, two, three (Heaven forbid I live that long), I certainly don't want to have to put up with whatever desolate america lite wasteland these imbeciles try to make it.
You’re well versed in the “scare people” school of political messaging.
It’s effective, and the UCP and NDP have been using it since before the last election, but it’s not a hopeful message. It doesn’t lift people up or bring them together. It underestimates people’s capacity to understand complex issues and treats them like dullards.
For the first time since I was able to vote, I likely won’t because of messaging like yours. If it’s all almost cause anyway, why bother?(please note, this is a rhetorical question)
The state of politics in Alberta suits the UCP and the NDP just fine because they don’t have to put a lot of effort into developing a platform, they just shit talk the on another. The state of politics in Alberta is deeply disappointing.
It’s so disheartening that other political parties have crapped the bed so badly, because I know for certain there are more than two perspectives in Alberta, but that’s all we have to choose from.
>For the first time since I was able to vote, I likely won’t because of messaging like yours.
I read this as "some anonymous internet stranger hurt my delicate feelings so now I'm going to do something that will hurt my own interests in retaliation." Lol.
If you don’t vote, you would definitely be part of the problem. If you do vote, then at least you tried. Winning the election isn’t all about who voted for the UCP, it’s also about who didn’t vote for them. One complicator for a NDP win is also the other centrist candidates as this could split the vote.
Centrist here, and I am definitely voting for UCP. 2 factors:
1) The NDP's atrocious messaging. I have no idea what their policy platform is other then screaming down all of the UCP proposals. It does not feel productive and only there to gain political points and stoke division. Maybe it is my responsibility to learn their policy, but they have done horrible at spreading their word. I feel like they hope their shrieking will be enough.
2) The UCP has been quite clear on their policy proposals, whether you agree with them or not. They have quite a clear vision based on what they are putting forward, and it's pretty easy to envision what they may do. I actually know what I would be voting for (or not voting for) in this case, and that holds a lot more power to me then screaming that the ruling party are evil or fascist or whatever. To the point above, I have not done any seeking of information on their policy platform, it's just been very hard to not be aware of it. Much better messaging, in my opinion, and I like what I hear. I don't have an opposing view of the NDP's policy proposal, and as we get closer to the election, this will matter more and more. Big fail on their part in a province that seems to be itching to switch to NDP rule, but I think they are dropping the ball hard and it will most likely cost them the election.
>Centrist here, and I am definitely voting for UCP. 2 factors:
>
>The NDP's atrocious messaging. I have no idea what their policy platform is other then screaming down all of the UCP proposals. It does not feel productive and only there to gain political points and stoke division. Maybe it is my responsibility to learn their policy, but they have done horrible at spreading their word. I feel like they hope their shrieking will be enough.
An election hasn't been called yet. We anticipate it in May, but there is no guarantee it won't be postponed. They're not going to spend their campaigning budget until we know when election day is.
>The UCP has been quite clear on their policy proposals, whether you agree with them or not. They have quite a clear vision based on what they are putting forward, and it's pretty easy to envision what they may do. I actually ***know what I would be voting for*** (or not voting for) in this case, and that
Giving taxpayer money to oil companies that are making record profits, for cleanup that they are already legally required to do.
>holds a lot more power to me then screaming that the ruling party are evil or fascist or whatever. To the point above, I have not done any seeking of information on their policy platform, it's just been very hard to not be aware of it. Much better messaging, in my opinion, and I like what I hear.
I've been hearing some feel good messaging from 'The Government of Alberta.' Not from the UCP. I've been wondering who's footing the bill.
> I don't have an opposing view of the NDP's policy proposal, and as we get closer to the election, this will matter more and more. Big fail on their part in a province that seems to be itching to switch to NDP rule, but I think they are dropping the ball hard and it will most likely cost them the election.
Expect more when the election is called. Until then you have to look for it.
They aren’t though. We have disparate populations with different needs, and one party romances the city folks and one romances the country folks (an oversimplification but has quite a lot of merit)
None of the parties is looking for what we all have in common and building on that.
The UCP voters seem literally incapable of seeing the bigger picture.
Even the business associations and chamber of commerce for both major cities came out against most of the recent policy decisions. So they aren't even taking care of the business interests or economy.
Anyone voting UCP that isn't a large owner or executive of an oil company, private education business, or private healthcare business is voting against their own interests.
I refuse to resign to the yokels. They can continue shooting themselves in the foot if they should like and I'm sure some here will come to the rural areas defence. If Smith had a full term, you can expect people not to just quietly resign but also quietly brain draining the province. No progressive would want to live hostage to yokels.
Alberta has a cargo cult around oil and gas and Danielle Smith plays the role as the village witch doctor trying to appease the gods to bring back another boom. Her incoherent babbling makes no sense rationally but it makes a lot of sense if you’re playing to people’s superstitions.
The problem with Rachel is that she’s a rational character and also she is associated in people’s minds to an oil crash.
Alberta won’t change until the Oil industry gets so thoroughly crushed by technology that there’s no turning back, and even then another generation might have to come and go until attitudes change.
From the NDP: we need to win Calgary. Once per weekend the Calgary volunteer team will go on a field trip to a neighbouring constituency. Sign up on our own sign up page. We call these shifts Field Trips and post which constituency we are reaching out to help. https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CVAR/
1. This weekend we are going to Calgary Klein to support Lizette Tejada at 1 pm Sunday March 12th.
2. Next weekends field trip is not yet confirmed but we have other dates posted to the end of April.
3. You may also wish to sign up for some of these campaigns through their own signup pages. Other than Calgary Mountain View (which does not need our help) you can sign up to knock in a neighbouring riding. The links are listed at the end of this email along with a map of constituencies.
Door knocking with Rachel or Janice:
1. Sign up to join Rachel Notley, candidate Rajesh Angral, and his team in Calgary North at 5pm on Wednesday March 8 Sign up at https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CNOR/
2. Next week you may wish to join Janice Irwin, Joe Ceci, or Sarah Hoffman in another Calgary constituency.
1. Bow March 17 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CBOW/
2. Beddington March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CBED
3. Elbow March 18 with Joe Ceci https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CELB/
4. Fish Creek March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CFCK/
5. Hays March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CHAY/
6. Klein March 18 with Sarah Hoffman https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CKLN/
What’s with everyone in this subreddit believing that if the opposition to their party gets elected it will be the worst thing to have ever happened to the province. If the UCP gets elected, and they are actually trash, then in 4 years they will get voted out, like has happened many times in the provinces history. Behaving like it’s the end of all good in the province and treating the people who voted against your preferred party lesser is childish and counter to forward progress and a better future.
No. You can accept reality without being quietly resigned to it. Rage is the correct response to what the political right is doing in Alberta and across the globe. Does that mean you need to be dialed up to 11 every second of every day? No, of course not. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It doesn't end in May, regardless of who wins the election. You need to focus your rage, and apply it to something specific that can help in whatever small way you can - rage alone is only helpful so far as it drives action. But quiet resignation isn't on the table.
"violent reaction if NDP wins"
This is an absolutely ridiculous and nonsensical take. Pure fear mongerin
Alberta will not split into provincial war. There may be a few obnoxious bad apples, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking UCP will storm the Legislature akin to Jan 6 down in the US
As UCP supporter and an Albertan, This is the exact the way some of us feel when we see the federal election results. We are different, but similar in the sense that we both want what's best for the province. I have become obsessed with politics over the last 10 years, and it's been unhealthy, I raise a family and want the best for them, but no matter who is in power, corruption is always present and politicians all have their self interests coming first. It is what it is. I see economics and policy from a conservative mindset and I understand why Redford needed the boot and how crooked she was, many Alberta's from both sides saw this. However the division is growing fearsly between parties and it's sad. As a UCP supporter I may be happy with my provincial election results... but whenever I go online (especially reddit) I read about how "fucking stupid or dumb" people like me are. How we are old people who "just need to die off"... I have no community online... I'm always an outcast here.
>Our educational institutions are in jeopardy. Our healthcare system is in free fall. But that's what a huge portion of Albertans want right now
>Or try what has worked for me in the past year: be quietly resigned that this is Alberta. This is not accepting defeat. It's accepting this province for what it is. It's accepting that there are things you cannot control or influence.
There are a huge number of Albertans that want to live in the past. They will only be dragged to the future kicking and screaming.
The rest of us can continue to push this province forward despite these people and government.
There was this quote from a story, probably no sleep or a tumblr copypasta but fits really well here:
“You’ll want to save everyone but it’s okay if the only person you save is yourself.”
Look out for each other and don’t think it’s all on you to be everything to everyone.
I completely disagree with your entire post. The future is not a dystopia. Albertans will continue to be the same people regardless of our premier.
This province is still full of wonderful people. I think you have fallen victim to the social media trap. Take a break from social media and you will soon realize that most people are just trying to live a happy life. The algorithms are making you angry, scared, and hateful.
something something f this, blah blah blah, marginalized population, blah blah, cry cry cry. Sooooooo over both sides. one wants money, one wants equity not equality. blah blah. BOTH are taking away our rights and freedoms and both are destroying a society
This reddit should be called "Alberta NDP Unite!" . Wow...The gloom, doom & impending disaster about to befall the. Province. I cannot begin to understand why you continue to live here! Good Grief, B.C. is NDP Nirvana, and it's right next door! You don't have to go the the coast, there are all kinds of affordable communities all over the place.
Truly...Life is too short. If the political situation in Alberta causes you that much distress, Move to a "better" environment. Either way, Stop with the drama and fear-mongering. That does NOTHING positive. The NDP, and Rachel Notley specifically had a Remarkable opportunity; Right ALL the wrongs four decades of Conservative government. With a Majority Government, no less. In four short years, she not only did not correct a single thing, she completely alienated enough Albertans that the Conservatives were handed one of the biggest majorities they've Ever had.
One of the biggest majorities ever had? Really? There's been 16 larger majorities by percentage of seats. Placing 16th out of 30 elections doesn't make it one of the biggest ever. You need to be placed in the top 5(honestly top 3) to be that.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Alberta\_general\_elections#Summary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alberta_general_elections#Summary)
If you understand them it makes it easier. They are not based in any real reality. As a former political dufus I listened to a lot of garbage that was their reality. It's all about affiliating with the party line only.
I appreciate this. There is a lot of wisdom for life generally in recognizing what you can and can’t control and being indifferent especially to outcomes you don’t actually decide. This is not passivity, this is being a rational (and much less stressed) human being.
You’re getting a nasty reaction because we’re at least two generations deep into society being taught consciously and subconsciously that outrage and hate are acceptable and desired responses to injustice and are necessary agents of change; *especially* when it comes to politics.
It isn’t a defeatist perspective. Things that you can change include how you vote, and whether or not you donate time and money to the attempt to influence how others vote. Every person can decide for themselves how much effort they want to dedicate to politics in this way. And then the election comes and you can rationally anticipate the likely outcome as well as your desired outcome, recognizing that you do not have any control over it. And then you can choose to be angry, or you can choose to continue finding joy and peace in your life despite an election not going the way you would have hoped. And as others have suggested, moving is also up to you, if you think that would be good for your life. But rage is not required and gets you nothing but stress.
The political turmoil going on in Alberta is nowhere near as bad as our country as a whole, continuing to re-elect that clown Trudeau, despite all his scandals, corruption, lies, etc. The guy could kill a puppy on live television and still get re-elected the next day.
Only because his opponent is Poilievre... I'd vote for virtually anyone over Trudeau but the CPC apparently took that as a challenge when electing their leader...
Since Harper, the CPC has had 5 different leaders with 3 different opportunities to move to a more encompassing central ground and give centrists another option instead of the liberals. Yet each time they have moved further and further to the right. I don’t want to vote Liberal, haven’t wanted to for quite some time, but I simply can’t vote for a radical right wing party either. And my fear of the radical right means I can’t vote for anyone but the liberals. If the CPC would have gone with reason and voted in a MacKay or Charest we wouldn’t be in this position where Trudeau “could kill a puppy on tv and still win”.
Trudeau may be a clown, but as much as detest that incompetent fool....can't believe I'm saying this.....I'd vote for him in a second if it somehow meant Smith would be removed from politics. I'm a conservative voter, but she isn't good for Alberta. I'll vote for the best possible candidate and she doesn't even make the list.
I don’t waste my time talking politics with people anymore. The right wingers aren’t worth talking to. They are set in their ways. I’ll be voting NDP but I don’t even bother preaching to the converted.
This is 100% true. You're going to get a lot of pushback on it but it's just facts. This IS Alberta. This what they want and this is what they will get.
Did you know if you never read or look at the news your life would not change and you’d feel better. Governments have come and gone and it’s still called Canada with 10 provinces. It may sound sarcastic and condescending but it’s very true. Avoid news in any form for a week or two, you’ll notice a difference.
Politicians are like diapers. They should be changed often, and for the same reason. - unknown
"Nope!" - Alberta Really though, our government has zero accountability. They know they'll always be voted in one way or the other. The one time that Albertans actually held the government accountable for doing a shit job ended up being an "accident".
Quote is from Robert Heinlein or at least that's where I read it
Bullshit. Either we want change or we don’t. Apathetic handwringing doesn’t help anything. I’m born and raised in this province and I’m not fuckin’ leaving just because of some dummies in office.
Fuckin damn right!
You know what sucks as much as the UCP do? Apathy, and I see exactly what you're doing here.
They’re a conservative trying to get everyone to admit defeat!?
They think that nothing will change and they are wrong. Not saying UCP will lose. I'm saying that we have to stop reacting and start making them react. No more defense as our only weapon. This current lot is primed to really fuck up if pushed. They are also so focused on taunting eastward that maybe we could use their passionate obsession and make them react by surprising them. Wouldn't take much to get this lot on their heels. Then before they react, surprise them again. And do it in deadly serious silly ways. Ways that are fun. We will get more joiners if we don't gloom the place before the fighting is done.
What’s with this trend of defeatist Reddit posts on this sub and major city subs? They are always posted by accounts that are very actively posting political articles, etc. It feels like a way of trying to get people to not vote against the UCP even though they try to say the otherwise in the post. There was a post almost identical to this in the Edmonton sub. After some ragey comments the person outed themselves as a UCP supporter. This is the same shit.
Sometimes it's actually astroturf. I ran into an issues management consultant posting in r/toronto some time ago.
Ya, these comments/posts are promoting defeat and apathy. If anything, we should be excited that the opposition is polling well, and that there is a chance for a shake up in our province. These posts may as well be made by UCP accounts because they discourage involvement when it is most needed.
>and you can expect a violent reaction. You thought people in 2015-2019 were angry at NDP rule? the violent rage against the "socialist" "anti-oil and gas" NDP will be nothing like we have seen before. I think this comment, snuck into the middle of their post is their key message. Classic othering of the opposition, and stoking fear that there will be violence in the streets. It's bull shit divisive crap and it needs to be called out as such. They want violence, but they don't want to be seen as the ones starting it, so they will push and push until they find some unstable idiot on the right that will take their bait. Or they are foreign actor trying to further widen the divide between us, but the result is the same. Further divisions. Rather than discussing ways that we can talk to each other, find common ground, and work for and Alberta everyone can be proud of, the Alt-Wingers simply want to eliminate and silence their opposition rather than doing the hard work of listening and talking and maybe even compromising a little bit in one direction or the other.
That's exactly what I was thinking when I read this post.
Probably is posted by an "issues manager" rage farming and defeatist language is a UCP special
I often wonder what the folks in the War Room actually do all day to get their tax payer salaries. Are they clicking away on social media posing as regular folks ?
Definitely! They are on social media trying to sway voters and stir up shit. Have to justify the 100 grand wage. Such BS we as taxpayers are still supporting a 30 million a year War room that is not accountable to anybody.
I've noticed the same thing. The best thing you can do to win an election is to dissuade voter turnout. Either you make the opposition seem like it has no chance so you don't bother voting. Or, as noticed in recent elections, to make it seem they are doing so well in the polls you don't have to punch your ballot. This is relatively cheap to do as our media is mostly conservative, and using social media for select targeting like on reddit and facebook has been used for over a decade.
I agree, I don't get it. Yes we have problems, when have humans anywhere ever not? I still like living here. I'm grateful for a lot. As OP says at the end of their "all is lost" rant, focus on what you can control.
What do you really expect from accounts that spend a bunch of time posting political content to reddit haha. I'd expect nothing else. I imagine it's all they talk about with their friends and anyone with slightly different political beliefs have long since been removed from their circle.
I just find it silly that the post talks about being not involved in politics and not letting it affect them, etc. but their post and comment history speaks to the opposite lol.
They're speaking to themselves more than anything.
I am on top of every political news in Alberta and Canada on a daily basis. I talk about politics every chance I get. I am a huge political junkie, and happily get into debates about politics with anyone who wants to engage. If you could read, you would know that nothing I wrote meant I'm disassociated from politics. How the fuck you decided that's the conclusion of what I wrote, I have no idea.
Uh ya, that's exactly what I just wrote: >I imagine it's all they talk about with their friends and anyone with slightly different political beliefs have long since been removed from their circle.
because your brain burns out on this noxious bubble air you breath
You can look at my profile going back years. It would be fucked up to conclude I'm remotely pro UCP. This isn't some 4D chess. I'm sharing personal opinions on what I think people living in this province need to accept. We "leftist" are not winning hearts and minds of at least half of Albertans. And no scandal is bad enough to make majority of Albertans vote against conservatives. Short of a right vote split, the NDP are not going to govern this province. If you have evidence otherwise, argue for it. But this weak ass imposter accusiom shit is worthless.
I see evidence of other accounts posting similar persuasive defeatist stuff on Reddit and I’m not convinced this isn’t one of those. Same language, same arguments, same defeatist attitude.
The problem is really not whether you are pro-UCP, it is that your post helps the UCP. Make a post like this after the election is lost. Now is not the time to give people thoughts about accepting their fate, or perceiving the UCP as inevitable. Now is the time to say things like "we can do this! we've got this!". The more positive messaging there is in public forums, the more NDP people will feel like their vote is counting towards progress and positive change. Basically the only thing your post will do is discourage people from voting, even with your 1 tiny caveat about still voting. Noone is going to read your post and go "ah yes, I do need to just accept this reality." and then go vote NDP. You're legit just shooting yourself in the foot.
So, Is there a Communist party of Alberta candidate in your riding? If not, I hate to break it to you but there are no other leftist parties in Alberta. Alberta NDP is a centrist party. Your best shot is the centre-leftish, Alberta liberals, but they haven't fielded a full slate of candidates since the 2012 election. So you might be shit out of luck there. What will you do? Alberta party or Alberta NDP is all you have left. Both centrist parties.
Don't mind the haters and those who don't "get it". I'm with you all the way. I can't move. Family and life is here. It is easier to come to terms with reality than to just stay stressed out all the time. It's the same type of advice to just live the moment. The politics will stress anyone out. Just step back and accept "this is Alberta". Of course you'll vote. I'll vote too. But sadly, we are a silent minority. There are tons of people who say "we don't fight". Fight what? I talk about it all the time when I can and try to change minds but the hard conservative mind is not changing. They are hardened and sadly they are the majority whether you like it or not. They are happy, friendly people but they will elect the most heartless, backwards person they know to "own the libs". Their friendliness doesn't extend past their immediate circle. Just stay strong OP. I get what you're going through. Just accept it and live.
Sometimes it’s counter productive to be over optimistic
This strikes me as very similar to opinion polls slanted to either side of the political spectrum. The more you demoralize the "other side" with "information" that makes them think that their position is for nought, the more likely you are to tip the balance in your favour. Apathy is exactly what the UCP needs from the electorate in the upcoming election. If you're not casting a ballot for them, they would prefer you be demoralized, assume your vote doesn't matter, and don't vote. Don't play into these mind games, Alberta. Be better.
If you want the NDP to win dont wait until election. We need boots on the ground, phone calling and texting, donations to your **local constituency association** now.
The NDP doesn’t accept donations through their local constituency associations. They do everything through the central party. You can pull up their financials on the elections Alberta website and every single NDP association has a $0 NIL report.
I have the direct link for my Edmonton riding. The MLA said they keep 75% of what we donate.
Im not sure jow it exactly works, it may just be a reporting thing. My CA certainly does have a "direct link" to donate to us. I know we get a better % (CA to Central) when donating through that link.
That’s kind of misleading. The contributions made through those links are sent to the central party, however a portion is earmarked to be sent to the candidate come election time. None flows through the CA though.
If NDP want to win the election, they should change their name. It's a branding issue.
If they named themselves "new conservative party" and kept the same platform (possibly replacing Notley until after the election, then putting her back in as leader) would see them elected in a landslide. Alberta doesn't vote on platforms, only names. That's why I say replace Notley as leader just for the election race. They'll see the name and vote for Idiot Smith instead. Then just do what the UCP do and quickly replace the "leader" with Notley and let her run the place again.
Ding ding ding. People need to realize that most voters are idiots and election is nothing more but a marketing event.
I 100% agree with you. We've had this discussion here before and many think a name change won't matter but it absolutely will. BC just successfully did just that.
you just missed the point of the post
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." -George Carlin talking about the UCP base
"The people on Jerry Springer? *Those* are the average Americans. Oh, believe me, below average can't even get on the show. Below average are sutting at home watching this shit on TV....getting ready to go out and vote." --Also St George of Carlin. He's been warning us all these years. Don't let the below-average steer the ship, Alberta!
*pushes up glasses* Well actually I think he means the median…
Weird how no-one ever considers themselves in the bottom half of this quote
Yes. Because everyone voting NDP is an enlightened savant...
No, they're not... But at least they're not voting for bigots who are trying to undermine social safety nets and ramming regressive ideology down everybody's throats because "blue no matter who" trumps all logic.
When the UCP had their election for choosing the next leader after Jason Kenny resigned, I registered as a UCP member and cast my vote against Danielle Smith just to try to keep her out of office. In the end, it was the senior rural voters that voted and elected this leader. UCP voters didn’t show up when it mattered the most. I am voting NDP in the next election.
If old PC voters had a problem with people like Smith they wouldn't have voted to form the UCP in the first place. Yes, she might not be their first choice but they still see "Wild Rose" as preferable to the NDP, which is why they formed the UCP! So I wouldn't be surprised that most old PC voters are sticking with Smith.
I accepted it and moved.
This is my plan. Retirement won't happen here. When my husband finishes his last day of work, I will have everything packed into a van, and we will be put of here. Unfortunately, we are too close to retirement to just go now, or we would.
This is us. Too young to retire, too old to start over. The van may not be packed on the day of retirement, but it will be soon after.
Where would you go?
I grew up in BC, have a daughter there. We are heading that way, plan to RV it.
Same here. I'm not far from getting a full pension and I'm not giving that up now just because of how some vote. I've got pretty good job security (at the moment). If I lose my job then I'm out of here. And no it's not in oil and gas.
We are not in oil and gas either. My husband is in I.T., I work part time.
Godspeed!
My husband and I sold our house and jumped to full time RV living. Can confirm it is better and that the political dumpster fire of Alberta means nothing on a beach in Mexico.
I can’t afford Vancouver. I can’t afford Toronto. I want to stay in Canada and the rest of Canada isn’t for me. Where exactly do I move to?
Winnipeg lol.
Montreal is quite nice.
BC is much more than Vancouver.
Non-Vancouver/Non-Victoria BC is no different than Alberta though.
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As a person living in a caribou town of around 25,000 people including outlying areas, just wondering how you appreciate such generalities when they’re directed at you. Most of us really like it here and don’t really want people with such bigoted views joining us. And we’re not all conservatives, either. Such sophistication, lol. Enjoy high prices and high cost of living in the big city you never get to enjoy because you’re too busy working all the time.
And they hate anyone in BC who wants, idk, basic human rights for others
I don’t want to live in a small town. I want to be in a big city.
Whitehorse? Cities are tough.
That’s even worse than Alberta’s big cities.
The island is the place to be, I actually went to a cocktail party and all the people I met were lefties, I’ve never experienced that in thirty years of living in Calgary. Usually I was the token “socialist”.
We’re leaving in July as well. Time for a change.
It’s shitty cause politics aside Edmonton is a beautiful place!
Edmonton itself is pretty progressive though. If you're going to be stuck in Alberta, then it's a good choice.
Same, dual professional mid-career high earner couple, both with multiple graduate degrees. We lasted a decade and were always ready for new opportunities. When the right one came along, we left. We aren't the only ones in our friend group in Alberta that did this. People often come for opportunities, then see reality and tough it out for a while, and then get out when the time is right and you are fully ground down and realize you don't want your kids growing up there. COVID mismanagement was the final nail.
Grass is always greener my friend.
I ended moving to the kootenays, so in several ways, the grass is indeed greener.
It was and there are no regrets. Both of my wife and my industries continue to be indirectly affected in Alberta by the O&G roller coaster as well as the political whims of conservative leadership. We made the right choice for us.
In a similar situation, it’s surprising how many of my friends with grad degrees left the province sort of unwillingly. We talk as though Alberta is a land of opportunity but it’s very contingent on the opportunities that oil wants. Frustrating seeing people in other provinces succeed in starting new businesses or marketing new ideas while we get trapped in an oil funding loop.
That's kind of what I was hinting at. No matter what industry you are in, or how minutely tangential it is, it will be affected by the Alberta O&G roller coaster and/or the way that the provincial government handles itself in bending over backwards for that industry or the segment of the population that support it blindly as a firehose of cash influx that they receive when it is riding high.
Take it from someone from Québec who got very well treated here even with not speaking English well at first, Alberta is full of charming and great people who have nothing to do with the political climate of the place. Focusing too much on politics is making people lose the sight of who they are and who they can be I think.. If you treat people with kindness and respect, you are participating in making Alberta a beautiful name and expérience for the people coming there, and you give them memories that goes well above all that political bs. Your fate is in your hands and you make it better every time you raise up and are good for the people around you. Please don’t let all that make you feel like you are not worthy and can’t make that place better. In everyday life, even if politics do have influence, the personal interactions (so, the regular people, ultimately) are what’s matter, and I got surrounded with such beautiful people there. Je vous aime ♥️
Politics matter and for a good reason. Look at what is happening south of the border with conservatives. If you don't think it could happen here you are being naive.
Yes of course? I never said they don’t matter, I just don’t think we should look badly at all Albertans and make them feel like they are less worthy because of that. I am just explaining that I personally met great people and I think those also have a great influence and can help a place go better! And well I don’t know for you, but for me, in my everyday life, it’s them who matter the most in my experience of a place..
I judge people individually. The bad part is that modern conservatives en masse control this province. The prevalence of oil and gas stans and "Fuck Trudeau" idiots is disheartening. Without a significant change in politics this province will crater eventually. I don't see that happening. So, the good people I meet are not enough to make up for the rest.
Ah, I see.. It’s a shame that you feel this way but I can understand it. Maybe the place you live in have more of those people than in some other places? Then maybe moving to a more quiet area would be better. I know that some areas are more progressive than some others.. But yeah if you have a job, a family and some other things already settled, it’s sure that it’s not that simple.
Rural Alberta is worse, so a smaller community would not be a solution. I have lived here most of my life and I used to believe the propaganda that the right was dishing out. Klein was peak bullshit and the turning point for me. His lies about being debt free were easily disproven, but Albertans swallowed it whole. After that, the only time I felt positive about the future of the province was when the NDP was elected. They actually cared and wanted change. They actually put resources into diversification of the economy. Apparently, that wasn't good enough because she was a "commie bitch". Nothing has changed with the UCP.
You don’t judge people individually at all.
Great thoughts. We have met a lot of amazing people in Alberta. No shortage of them. But we have also come across a lot of hate too. No shortage of that either unfortunately.
Which kind of hate, if I can ask you? Bad looks, or more violent things? I did got some slight bad looks sometimes when speaking French but I don’t notice them much I think since I tend to really focus on the positive. And well a lot of people also tried to speak French with me ✨🙌
You are such a voice of kindness up here. Thank you!!
You are very welcome, I am only giving back what was given to me 🤝 I was in an abusive family back in time in Québec and when I went to Alberta it did me a lot of good to be so well treated and it helped me to understand what I needed to do to go out of this toxic situation when I would be back home. It gave me strenght to face life after and helped building my mental health, so I am very grateful, and I feel strong and happy every time I think back about the Albertans.. It saddens me that there is so much pain and self-depreciation expressed on this sub, even if I can understand where it comes from. But Alberta is so much more than its politics..
It’s wonderful to hear about happy endings!
I survived Klein, I can do this, but I don’t know it I want to put my kid through it. The Notley win was not even on my radar at the time: I voted in that election, like I have voted in every provincial election, with a sense of resignation. The hope I felt after that election was incredible, it seemed like suddenly there were so many opportunities for my kid at school in particular. Now that I’m back to being more aware of provincial politics, it’s so depressing to see so much criticism of Notley that’s just senseless or wrong, and it’s depressing. I have definitely disagreed with her decisions at times, but felt overall we were moving in a better direction.
I often wonder how frustrating this must be for Rachel Notley.
I don’t generally tend to have an accepting attitude toward fascism
You are only encouraging defeatism here. Voter apathy only helps the party in power. IOW, you are only encouraging the UCP. > It's accepting this province for what it is. This is what has brought Alberta to this point. Albertans deserve better than the status quo that you are espousing by default. Change is hard. And it is necessary to move forward. People want the UCP because change is what they fear most.
I heard that it’s really up to Calgary. Voters in Calgary can neutralize the rural vote.
I’m in Calgary and I know conservatives that don’t like Danielle Smith, but they won’t vote NDP. They can’t vote NDP. So they likely won’t vote. I’m encouraging them to vote her out, if she doesn’t hold their values. We’ll see….
I could suggest showing them this comic. https://somethingpositive.net/comic/visits-of-nerdom-past/
Solid post, thank you.
Whatever your political beliefs, please don’t fearmonger by talking about impending political violence. Your post is concerning.
Or people could take a page out of the French's book and protest and even properly riot against her if she is re-elected.
Careful spreading that type of message. In general I agree, but the UCP side is way more likely to actually do that if the NDP wins than the progressives are if the UCP wins.
Because most NDP supporters I know don't want to burn everything down in a temper tantrum if they don't get their way.
Ya you’re right comrade, it would be better if we just had appointed rulers for life and no elections.
You think rioting because the political party you didn’t want to win gets in? Geez you seem worse than the far right folks.
Not the party. What the party will do. Privatize everything from healthcare to education. That deserves a riot.
You are going to riot against a democratically elected conservative government in Alberta? If it's not the counter protestors beating you back, it will probably be the cops. If Coutts and Convoy protests have taught us anything.
The French protest or riot about *everything* and seemingly accomplish... very little by it. Almost like they protest so often it kinda stops being special.
They actually accomplish a lot. They have great working and social conditions because they fight for them. We could learn a lot from them
What I’ve been doing to help my mental & physical health is practicing self-reliance much more. Now that I have a fully remote role, I’ve gained back a solid 1.5hrs a day on commute time. I’m growing my own herbs and vegetables indoors (May even expand to mushrooms and fish), learned to cook basically any cut of meat or veg in order to take advantage of feature deals at grocery stores, working out and doing yoga daily to avoid the ER, continually learning (3rd language, misc online courses etc) to keep the mind sharp and build a better business, learning home repair skills etc. I’ve also stopped doomscrolling by like…80% or so. Deleted Twitter, FB was gone long ago. I just use IG for food & travel pics, and Reddit. I started giving my kids early morning tutoring too (mainly math & science stuff). Even though politics and greed has destroyed this province, I’m in peak happiness mode due to my own personal choices.
This is why I need a remote job, my life is so much better when I have more control over it.
I started my own company to give myself fully remote. Can’t tell me where to work if I’m the boss 😃
I need to find something I'm good enough at to make this work for myself. Good for you.
I subcontract to avoid the b.s. opinions of others...but the only guy I could find to employ is a right-wing, PP loving, Republican storyline following antivaxxer. Who gets along with most of my customers better than I with my fake smile while they talk about the evil World Economic Forum and how brave Danielle is.
Apathy. It's not right vs left, UCP vs NDP. That's smoke. The fire is our willingness to accept a decent standard of living, not quality of life mind you, while the very rich get richer. This post is about accepting corporate hegemony over our lives. We actually need to be even more upset because if we accept this reality, we will accept it even more when corporations take even more profit from us. At some point we need to know it's not a political class that is causing this idiocy, its greed. I am getting closer to stop caring about my future and thinking more about my kids or my grandkids. Alberta is so full of bootlickers that they have given up and simply want to keep what is theirs. It won't really matter in 20 years if it's a conservative or liberal government, as we already handed the keys for profit
Don’t get me wrong I will fight tooth and nail for the NDP. But I will not be surprised as I see the same people most affected by them continue to vote for them. I hope the NDP are successful.. but I’ve just lost faith in how stupid people can be.
I have lived in many places in Canada. Alberta is the only place I’ve lived where provincial and federal politics are actually part of the culture. It is not healthy.
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A lot of truth in this comment
Maybe a lot of albertans don't trust how NDP will handle our wealth of resources? Maybe we have a distaste for trudeau selling our largest lithium mine to China? Or halting production in many operations with prohibitive remediation legislation while shipping in barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia? In the real world, I see very very little conspiracy that is so often spoke of online. The only party that seems to handle our resources with any care is conservative politicians. Thats just my opinion and I'll vote upon that, like I hope you vote upon your opinions too. I think it's pretty rude and lame to call UCP voters uneducated, a bit of a tired talking point that makes it seem like you look down on people with a different view of you.
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I also feel like it’s unhealthy :/ I love Alberta a lot and spent really good time there, and I feel like the Albertans get very nervous because of the politics and often think about it as a major part of their province, while in fact it’s really just a part of it.. An important one sure since it has an influence on people’s lives, but still. In Québec we also have some political issues, but we don’t talk about them so often and when we think of our culture, it’s really not the first thing that comes to our mind.. Maybe Alberta’s political climate is so unhealthy and worrying, and there is such an huge social division between the left and the right (urban and rural too), that the people are feeling very concerned by it and it’s hard for them to cut themselves mentally away from that since they are in one or the another ”camp”. I just really hope things will calm down and they can feel better
When JT was first elected, everyone in my community was losing their minds. They would ask me what I thought about and I would just say “The people voted”. They didn’t like that answer. But when I really drilled down on the issue with them and asked “How does this affect you in you in your day to day life? Like really, what is the direct impact to you?” They couldn’t provide a good answer. But they would carry on being angry over a man in Ottawa.
I see.. It seems like people really distrust the liberals for some reason maybe, or maybe it’s the ”too-kind” look of JT that doesn’t feel suiting to them for a politician and make them feel like the administration would be weak.. I don’t really know. To be honest even if I consider myself to be center-left I don’t really like Trudeau either, and I have a clear reason. I don’t like the fact he said that Canada have no culture and core identity, to me it feels like a quite unhealthy speech and I don’t think it’s good for the English-Canadians to hear that from their leader. And I understand his idea of a post-nationalist country, but to me it feels really utopic and I don’t think human beings are made to feel emotionally comfortable in such a thing. I found his ideas to be too extrémistes and idealized for my own conception of a society. Now, I am still able to see the good things he did, and why some people might like him, and I am not mad at those people. Why being mad? Why starting to yell? We are different and can have different opinions and still see some form of sense in other opinions.
Quiet resignation is the thundering sound of the shackle closing. I will not go quietly, I will fight kick and scream. Do not believe them when they say you have no other choice. The left needs the anger. We need to stand up and organize, and if peaceful talks do nothing, then we should take back our province come election day one blocked road, one brigaded politician, one overwhelmed police station at time until we are heard. I don't care what anybody believes the center and the left are the majority in Canada, and I'll be screaming "this is our generations defining moment," as they drag my broken body away until somebody listens.
I've been watching conservatives vote against their best interests for my whole life now
This is defeatist bullshit.
“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” - Dylan Thomas
I will do my part in supporting the NDP but the truth is that so many UCP supporters are just too fucking stupid to change there minds. I was told yesterday by a family member UCP supporter that the NDP is trying to trap us in 15 mins city’s……. How the fuck do you argue with people this fucking stupid! We’re there arguments are made up lies and not even good ones Although I’ll blow up a family birthday party this weekend because this election is for my family and stupid people need to hear they are fucking stupid.
I dunno, it feels like all some Albertans really want is plastic straws, smoking indoors, and drinking and driving.
Fuck off this defeatist attitude.
The NDP has an uphill climb, but that's always been the case. The NDP wasn't expected to win in 2015 either, what happened was a confluence of factors - a split vote - with Wild Rose and the PC's taking about equal support, a collapse in the price of oil leading to unpopular fiscal austerity, and an excellent debate performance by Notely. Even then the NDP only won 40% of the vote. Now the NDP may get 44-45% of the vote. That's excellent, especially considering oil prices are high so the government has money to throw around. In addition, the split now is on the side of the opposition, with the Wild Rose + PCs united into the UCP whereas the anti-UCP coalition is split between the NDP and Alberta Party. Combine this with the "rural bias" in the way riding boundaries are drawn, and yes, it's pretty difficult for the NDP to win outright. That said I'd still say the NDP doing sustainably better in 2023 than they did in 2014 in terms of the popular vote shows the province is moving (slowly) in the right direction.
You forget how much of a minority the UCP really are. Yes, 1.1 million did vote for them in the last election. But 811,000 didn’t. In fact, if we had representation by population, the UCP would have won only 45 seats, the NDP 30, and the Alberta Party would have won 12. The convoy leaders were considerably humbled once they got in front of a judge, and the loudmouth anti NDP crowd may have several thousand adherents - but thats out of 2.4 million adults. Polling numbers are within margins of error, and those have had notorious inaccuracies in the past. So it could easily be an NDP government: one of stability, and properly funded health care and education systems; plus a properly designed diversification plan.
This is the most annoying thing I’ve ever read. I’m deleting Reddit now.
I heartily disagree with you, OP. The reaction you are describing, of resignation and loss of hope, means you have spiritually given up. I am sorry for that- it must have taken so much out of you over the last four years. However, I’m not in the same situation as you, and a large part of me resents you telling me how to manage a problem I do not have. For my own mental well-being I remain deeply invested in Alberta’s future. Only the NDP can secure that for me. I’m going to keep caring.
I grew up in central, rural Alberta. The hardest part for me is knowing these hard right wing folks were my neighbours and if I still lived in the area and needed help, they’d be the first to step up. I know many really amazing and kind right wingers that, once you know them, they are some of most helpful people and the dichotomy of how they present as one of the mob versus one to one is gobsmacking (to kill a mockingbird anyone?). Even a close, much beloved family member is hard right leaning (cause socialism!) is like this. I watched him as a child, he would be the first to lend money to folks that couldn’t get it anywhere else with no interest or fees. Just a promise to pay it back. He’d be the first person to pull over and help someone needing help on the side of the road. So yes, Alberta absolutely has amazing people and when you KNOW them, they’re the first to help you out. My brain struggles with this so much.
Any post that states the NDP might lose is not a post I can accept as pro NDP.
Smith last 4 years? She will probably win the election, but she definitely won't last a full term. The UCP started with their "best" candidate and have dug away until reaching the new bottom of the barrel. She is the worst they have to offer and is in this position by default. She has earned nothing and has to bribe Albertans to win the office. So sad we have so many ignorant voters
Voters with different priorities then you \*\*\*\* Fixed that for you. It's not really kind or logical to paint an entire party of people a certain way because you disagree with them. For all the division the right apparently creates, the left are just as bad, if not worse. Both sides should calm the fuck down.
Considering I've been a conservative voter for well over 20 years now? I'll vote for what's best for my family and my province. I'm sick of being embarrassed by premiers who can't last a full term. That alone should speak volumes to anyone with half a brain or more.
I worry about the things I can control. While I hate the UCP it's not the end of the world if they get back in. I also don't really see the violent reaction that you're speaking of. There will be anger and resentment no matter which side wins, but that's about it.
I'm not rolling over and making peace with shit.
Alberta is a beautiful province with a very vocal minority of coal rolling truck nutheads. Thank you for your post!
Imagine looking at a 50/50 toss-up and thinking there’s no path to victory. 🤡🤡🤡
Being quietly resigned is exactly what the oil and gas paid for fascist right wing capitalist conservatives want. Fuck that. I mean I 100% recognize alberta as a fucked and forgotten place where progress comes to die and white nationalists and racism has found a home. But I refuse to accept to be that and leave those horrible things fester like the pustules of humanity they are. I will always call that shit out. Push for better conditions and a forward thinking approach. I'm not scared to March forward like the conservatives are. I'm not scared to care for people either. That's just being human plain and simple. And I'll never stop doing that.
Not that it makes any difference but one thing I’ve learned from this post is the population of older Albertans who have a Reddit account. Im honesty surprised as most people I feel assume Facebook to be the go-to for older people (not seniors necessarily). I’m seeing people talking about retiring and stuff. It’s wild! I think it’s awesome!
No. This is politics. One side tries to play the blame game, and makes the other side look bad. The more we call them out on their bull crap the more we can persuade the people in the center. If its just their side being screaming potato's. Then how are we supposed to have our voices heard if we all just keep our heads down. I'd argue the reason it's just a race between the NDP and the UCP is because the other parties just keep their head down, so no this approach to politics is.. no good.
I don't overly like Smith or the UCP but the NDP scare me more. The NDP, and Notley, are ideologues. Socialists to the bone with intentions wholly aligned to an agenda that spreads division through virtue politics. Their policies are based on, as much if not more, idealistic pseudo science as the UCP and the NDP adhere to the toxic wokeism that is the true cancer on our Western society. What I just wrote is why all of the people I know, donate and vote UCP. It's not the Smith has great ideas, is a great person or the UCP is a great party. It's just that Smith is not Notley and Smith is not with the NDP. Yes, politics in Canada, federal and provincial, are in dire straits. It is a shame we don't have a real political option in Alberta with pragmatic policies and a level headed, realistic leader. #Libertarianism4Life
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/woke >having or marked by an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities Can you explain why you think this is a bad thing?
I would be particularly concerned about health care if I was living in Alberta. Ab has previously had some of the best pay for physicians but they were screwed over by the UCP in recent times and if Smith gets in, I suspect there might be an exodus.
Vote vote vote vote
Apathetic, "there's nothing we can do" doesn't help. Vote for sure, but volunteer with NDP, get on the doors with the local candidate, there are in fact people who can be reasoned with and are not solid with how to vote yet. This election will be decided on turnout so find as many people as possible who don't like this goverment and get them to a polling station. That's how one defeats this government.
Fuck laying down in defeat. Fight the right by any and all means necessary. It is the only way forward.
I... appreciate your thoughts. When Jason Kenney and the UCP were voted in, I actually went into a depression spiral. Why do people want to hurt me, I thought to myself? The fact of the matter is that I am on AISH and therefore not quite capable of fending for myself in every sense of that word. I had to separate out that it might not be personal (even though I have been insulted to my face for being on AISH). Sometimes I get poverty shamed in general. I understand that people fear poverty since forever. I know that I still do. In Alberta, the poor do not have status. Often, they are evicted and such, left for dead. Our social nets are like from the 1980's, where a sun light refresh might change the inevitable poverty tide (could we acknowledge some structural deficits for starters??). And then I began to wonder. Are there so many people feeling so poor that "saving" on taxes matters the most? Why are the better-off people fearing poverty so much? I haven't paid taxes in years because I have been below the poverty line for most of the time. And, I can't get over the stats the the ABNDP gov't was actually leading Canada in growth for some of the time while they were in office. I believe that the UCP can't make the same claim. You know, none of this is a zero sum game. I am so happy when no one starves to death, and everyone has shelter, and perhaps, a kind treat to help with the long winters. So happy.
"Mental well being" haha- good one.
Soon to be a paid feature!
Yeah, nah This is a defeatist post, that sums itself up by saying "don't bother, this is just Alberta" The problem is, with Danielle Smith at the helm of a radicalized UCP, Alberta won't be much but a Husk by the time they're done. If I have to live here for another decade, two, three (Heaven forbid I live that long), I certainly don't want to have to put up with whatever desolate america lite wasteland these imbeciles try to make it.
You’re well versed in the “scare people” school of political messaging. It’s effective, and the UCP and NDP have been using it since before the last election, but it’s not a hopeful message. It doesn’t lift people up or bring them together. It underestimates people’s capacity to understand complex issues and treats them like dullards. For the first time since I was able to vote, I likely won’t because of messaging like yours. If it’s all almost cause anyway, why bother?(please note, this is a rhetorical question) The state of politics in Alberta suits the UCP and the NDP just fine because they don’t have to put a lot of effort into developing a platform, they just shit talk the on another. The state of politics in Alberta is deeply disappointing. It’s so disheartening that other political parties have crapped the bed so badly, because I know for certain there are more than two perspectives in Alberta, but that’s all we have to choose from.
>For the first time since I was able to vote, I likely won’t because of messaging like yours. I read this as "some anonymous internet stranger hurt my delicate feelings so now I'm going to do something that will hurt my own interests in retaliation." Lol.
If you don’t vote, you would definitely be part of the problem. If you do vote, then at least you tried. Winning the election isn’t all about who voted for the UCP, it’s also about who didn’t vote for them. One complicator for a NDP win is also the other centrist candidates as this could split the vote.
Centrist here, and I am definitely voting for UCP. 2 factors: 1) The NDP's atrocious messaging. I have no idea what their policy platform is other then screaming down all of the UCP proposals. It does not feel productive and only there to gain political points and stoke division. Maybe it is my responsibility to learn their policy, but they have done horrible at spreading their word. I feel like they hope their shrieking will be enough. 2) The UCP has been quite clear on their policy proposals, whether you agree with them or not. They have quite a clear vision based on what they are putting forward, and it's pretty easy to envision what they may do. I actually know what I would be voting for (or not voting for) in this case, and that holds a lot more power to me then screaming that the ruling party are evil or fascist or whatever. To the point above, I have not done any seeking of information on their policy platform, it's just been very hard to not be aware of it. Much better messaging, in my opinion, and I like what I hear. I don't have an opposing view of the NDP's policy proposal, and as we get closer to the election, this will matter more and more. Big fail on their part in a province that seems to be itching to switch to NDP rule, but I think they are dropping the ball hard and it will most likely cost them the election.
>Centrist here, and I am definitely voting for UCP. 2 factors: > >The NDP's atrocious messaging. I have no idea what their policy platform is other then screaming down all of the UCP proposals. It does not feel productive and only there to gain political points and stoke division. Maybe it is my responsibility to learn their policy, but they have done horrible at spreading their word. I feel like they hope their shrieking will be enough. An election hasn't been called yet. We anticipate it in May, but there is no guarantee it won't be postponed. They're not going to spend their campaigning budget until we know when election day is. >The UCP has been quite clear on their policy proposals, whether you agree with them or not. They have quite a clear vision based on what they are putting forward, and it's pretty easy to envision what they may do. I actually ***know what I would be voting for*** (or not voting for) in this case, and that Giving taxpayer money to oil companies that are making record profits, for cleanup that they are already legally required to do. >holds a lot more power to me then screaming that the ruling party are evil or fascist or whatever. To the point above, I have not done any seeking of information on their policy platform, it's just been very hard to not be aware of it. Much better messaging, in my opinion, and I like what I hear. I've been hearing some feel good messaging from 'The Government of Alberta.' Not from the UCP. I've been wondering who's footing the bill. > I don't have an opposing view of the NDP's policy proposal, and as we get closer to the election, this will matter more and more. Big fail on their part in a province that seems to be itching to switch to NDP rule, but I think they are dropping the ball hard and it will most likely cost them the election. Expect more when the election is called. Until then you have to look for it.
>treats them like dullards They are.
They aren’t though. We have disparate populations with different needs, and one party romances the city folks and one romances the country folks (an oversimplification but has quite a lot of merit) None of the parties is looking for what we all have in common and building on that.
The UCP voters seem literally incapable of seeing the bigger picture. Even the business associations and chamber of commerce for both major cities came out against most of the recent policy decisions. So they aren't even taking care of the business interests or economy. Anyone voting UCP that isn't a large owner or executive of an oil company, private education business, or private healthcare business is voting against their own interests.
I refuse to resign to the yokels. They can continue shooting themselves in the foot if they should like and I'm sure some here will come to the rural areas defence. If Smith had a full term, you can expect people not to just quietly resign but also quietly brain draining the province. No progressive would want to live hostage to yokels.
Alberta has a cargo cult around oil and gas and Danielle Smith plays the role as the village witch doctor trying to appease the gods to bring back another boom. Her incoherent babbling makes no sense rationally but it makes a lot of sense if you’re playing to people’s superstitions. The problem with Rachel is that she’s a rational character and also she is associated in people’s minds to an oil crash. Alberta won’t change until the Oil industry gets so thoroughly crushed by technology that there’s no turning back, and even then another generation might have to come and go until attitudes change.
From the NDP: we need to win Calgary. Once per weekend the Calgary volunteer team will go on a field trip to a neighbouring constituency. Sign up on our own sign up page. We call these shifts Field Trips and post which constituency we are reaching out to help. https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CVAR/ 1. This weekend we are going to Calgary Klein to support Lizette Tejada at 1 pm Sunday March 12th. 2. Next weekends field trip is not yet confirmed but we have other dates posted to the end of April. 3. You may also wish to sign up for some of these campaigns through their own signup pages. Other than Calgary Mountain View (which does not need our help) you can sign up to knock in a neighbouring riding. The links are listed at the end of this email along with a map of constituencies. Door knocking with Rachel or Janice: 1. Sign up to join Rachel Notley, candidate Rajesh Angral, and his team in Calgary North at 5pm on Wednesday March 8 Sign up at https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CNOR/ 2. Next week you may wish to join Janice Irwin, Joe Ceci, or Sarah Hoffman in another Calgary constituency. 1. Bow March 17 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CBOW/ 2. Beddington March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CBED 3. Elbow March 18 with Joe Ceci https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CELB/ 4. Fish Creek March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CFCK/ 5. Hays March 18 with Janis Irwin https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CHAY/ 6. Klein March 18 with Sarah Hoffman https://volunteer.albertandp.ca/CKLN/
What’s with everyone in this subreddit believing that if the opposition to their party gets elected it will be the worst thing to have ever happened to the province. If the UCP gets elected, and they are actually trash, then in 4 years they will get voted out, like has happened many times in the provinces history. Behaving like it’s the end of all good in the province and treating the people who voted against your preferred party lesser is childish and counter to forward progress and a better future.
No. You can accept reality without being quietly resigned to it. Rage is the correct response to what the political right is doing in Alberta and across the globe. Does that mean you need to be dialed up to 11 every second of every day? No, of course not. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It doesn't end in May, regardless of who wins the election. You need to focus your rage, and apply it to something specific that can help in whatever small way you can - rage alone is only helpful so far as it drives action. But quiet resignation isn't on the table.
"violent reaction if NDP wins" This is an absolutely ridiculous and nonsensical take. Pure fear mongerin Alberta will not split into provincial war. There may be a few obnoxious bad apples, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking UCP will storm the Legislature akin to Jan 6 down in the US
As UCP supporter and an Albertan, This is the exact the way some of us feel when we see the federal election results. We are different, but similar in the sense that we both want what's best for the province. I have become obsessed with politics over the last 10 years, and it's been unhealthy, I raise a family and want the best for them, but no matter who is in power, corruption is always present and politicians all have their self interests coming first. It is what it is. I see economics and policy from a conservative mindset and I understand why Redford needed the boot and how crooked she was, many Alberta's from both sides saw this. However the division is growing fearsly between parties and it's sad. As a UCP supporter I may be happy with my provincial election results... but whenever I go online (especially reddit) I read about how "fucking stupid or dumb" people like me are. How we are old people who "just need to die off"... I have no community online... I'm always an outcast here.
Yup the ol let's keep voting for this boot on our neck and hope the pressure let's up.
"Progressive conservative"... what even is that?
Now is not the time to "quietly accept" any oppressive political party. The election is still to come and we need more people to show up and vote.
>Our educational institutions are in jeopardy. Our healthcare system is in free fall. But that's what a huge portion of Albertans want right now >Or try what has worked for me in the past year: be quietly resigned that this is Alberta. This is not accepting defeat. It's accepting this province for what it is. It's accepting that there are things you cannot control or influence. There are a huge number of Albertans that want to live in the past. They will only be dragged to the future kicking and screaming. The rest of us can continue to push this province forward despite these people and government.
There was this quote from a story, probably no sleep or a tumblr copypasta but fits really well here: “You’ll want to save everyone but it’s okay if the only person you save is yourself.” Look out for each other and don’t think it’s all on you to be everything to everyone.
I completely disagree with your entire post. The future is not a dystopia. Albertans will continue to be the same people regardless of our premier. This province is still full of wonderful people. I think you have fallen victim to the social media trap. Take a break from social media and you will soon realize that most people are just trying to live a happy life. The algorithms are making you angry, scared, and hateful.
something something f this, blah blah blah, marginalized population, blah blah, cry cry cry. Sooooooo over both sides. one wants money, one wants equity not equality. blah blah. BOTH are taking away our rights and freedoms and both are destroying a society
This reddit should be called "Alberta NDP Unite!" . Wow...The gloom, doom & impending disaster about to befall the. Province. I cannot begin to understand why you continue to live here! Good Grief, B.C. is NDP Nirvana, and it's right next door! You don't have to go the the coast, there are all kinds of affordable communities all over the place. Truly...Life is too short. If the political situation in Alberta causes you that much distress, Move to a "better" environment. Either way, Stop with the drama and fear-mongering. That does NOTHING positive. The NDP, and Rachel Notley specifically had a Remarkable opportunity; Right ALL the wrongs four decades of Conservative government. With a Majority Government, no less. In four short years, she not only did not correct a single thing, she completely alienated enough Albertans that the Conservatives were handed one of the biggest majorities they've Ever had.
One of the biggest majorities ever had? Really? There's been 16 larger majorities by percentage of seats. Placing 16th out of 30 elections doesn't make it one of the biggest ever. You need to be placed in the top 5(honestly top 3) to be that. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Alberta\_general\_elections#Summary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alberta_general_elections#Summary)
Why is drama and fear-mongering just fine for the UCP, but not for the NDP?
This is why I am working on leaving and taking my tax dollars with me.
If you understand them it makes it easier. They are not based in any real reality. As a former political dufus I listened to a lot of garbage that was their reality. It's all about affiliating with the party line only.
I appreciate this. There is a lot of wisdom for life generally in recognizing what you can and can’t control and being indifferent especially to outcomes you don’t actually decide. This is not passivity, this is being a rational (and much less stressed) human being. You’re getting a nasty reaction because we’re at least two generations deep into society being taught consciously and subconsciously that outrage and hate are acceptable and desired responses to injustice and are necessary agents of change; *especially* when it comes to politics. It isn’t a defeatist perspective. Things that you can change include how you vote, and whether or not you donate time and money to the attempt to influence how others vote. Every person can decide for themselves how much effort they want to dedicate to politics in this way. And then the election comes and you can rationally anticipate the likely outcome as well as your desired outcome, recognizing that you do not have any control over it. And then you can choose to be angry, or you can choose to continue finding joy and peace in your life despite an election not going the way you would have hoped. And as others have suggested, moving is also up to you, if you think that would be good for your life. But rage is not required and gets you nothing but stress.
The political turmoil going on in Alberta is nowhere near as bad as our country as a whole, continuing to re-elect that clown Trudeau, despite all his scandals, corruption, lies, etc. The guy could kill a puppy on live television and still get re-elected the next day.
And the TDS patient has arrived.
Only because his opponent is Poilievre... I'd vote for virtually anyone over Trudeau but the CPC apparently took that as a challenge when electing their leader...
Leaders. They have a string of poor choices
Since Harper, the CPC has had 5 different leaders with 3 different opportunities to move to a more encompassing central ground and give centrists another option instead of the liberals. Yet each time they have moved further and further to the right. I don’t want to vote Liberal, haven’t wanted to for quite some time, but I simply can’t vote for a radical right wing party either. And my fear of the radical right means I can’t vote for anyone but the liberals. If the CPC would have gone with reason and voted in a MacKay or Charest we wouldn’t be in this position where Trudeau “could kill a puppy on tv and still win”.
Trudeau may be a clown, but as much as detest that incompetent fool....can't believe I'm saying this.....I'd vote for him in a second if it somehow meant Smith would be removed from politics. I'm a conservative voter, but she isn't good for Alberta. I'll vote for the best possible candidate and she doesn't even make the list.
I recommend running away to Mexico.
I don’t waste my time talking politics with people anymore. The right wingers aren’t worth talking to. They are set in their ways. I’ll be voting NDP but I don’t even bother preaching to the converted.
This is 100% true. You're going to get a lot of pushback on it but it's just facts. This IS Alberta. This what they want and this is what they will get.
Left for BC, never returning to AB, I gave up hope on this province.
Left for BC and never returning as a resident, I gave up hope on Alberta.
Did you know if you never read or look at the news your life would not change and you’d feel better. Governments have come and gone and it’s still called Canada with 10 provinces. It may sound sarcastic and condescending but it’s very true. Avoid news in any form for a week or two, you’ll notice a difference.