Yesterday hell froze over, pigs flew and the people of Alberta voted the New Democrat Party to represent its interests for the next four to five years, in the process ending the 44-year dynasty of the Progressive Conservative party. It’s an outcome that for good, ill or both will change the direction of Alberta politics and may quite likely do the same for all of Canada as the country’s oil and gas epicentre makes an unprecedented shift leftward.
A quick look at the vote breakdown, however, reveals that great swaths of rural Alberta responded to frustration with the PC government by casting its vote for the right-of-centre Wildrose Alliance Party. This is hardly surprising; the NDP as it stands today is seen as a largely urban phenomenon, co-opted by university students who never expected to win in their constituencies. There is some truth to this perception but it’s perhaps been exaggerated by vitriol from the right. Either way, the perception stands.
Ironically, the CCF – the precursor to the NDP – originated as an agrarian movement in the 1930s. Of course, farming, Canadian politics and the NDP have all changed dramatically in the intervening 80 years. Back then, a coalition of labour and small farmers banded together to protect themselves against being mowed down by largely unregulated big business. However, today farming is big business, with ties to both the big corporate world and – somewhat paradoxically – big government programs meant to push the ag sector forward.
Most Alberta farmers would never self-identify as socialist, yet the entire history of Canadian agriculture is marked by government intervention, starting with the extension programs that taught generations of immigrants how to farm successfully. Go to the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development web site and look at how many government programs are available for producers. Some degree of socialism is a part of agriculture’s past, present and most likely its future. Most producers are bright enough to recognize this, but perhaps voting for a socialist party (in reality, more of a centrist one these days) was seen as too on the nose.
As seen in this GrainsWest piece outlining each major party’s stance on ag policy, the NDP has some decent ideas, particularly its proposed review of rail and transport policy. Despite this, my gut feeling is that the party still sees ag as the domain of the little guys and not the massive, complex industry it’s become. It’s all well and good that they want to encourage young people to farm, but with the entry point into the business going into the millions just for land alone it’s arguably a goal far beyond the reach of efficient government.
Perhaps producers can look at this new government as an opportunity. If these new NDP MLAs are really as young and open-minded as they are touted, maybe now is the time for producer groups to bend their ears and educate them on the realities of farming today. Imagine that: for the first time in 44 years, a fresh start with government. That has to beat ideology any day.
A quick look at the vote breakdown, however, reveals that great swaths of rural Alberta responded to frustration with the PC government by casting its vote for the right-of-centre Wildrose Alliance Party. This is hardly surprising; the NDP as it stands today is seen as a largely urban phenomenon, co-opted by university students who never expected to win in their constituencies. There is some truth to this perception but it’s perhaps been exaggerated by vitriol from the right. Either way, the perception stands.
Ironically, the CCF – the precursor to the NDP – originated as an agrarian movement in the 1930s. Of course, farming, Canadian politics and the NDP have all changed dramatically in the intervening 80 years. Back then, a coalition of labour and small farmers banded together to protect themselves against being mowed down by largely unregulated big business. However, today farming is big business, with ties to both the big corporate world and – somewhat paradoxically – big government programs meant to push the ag sector forward.
Most Alberta farmers would never self-identify as socialist, yet the entire history of Canadian agriculture is marked by government intervention, starting with the extension programs that taught generations of immigrants how to farm successfully. Go to the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development web site and look at how many government programs are available for producers. Some degree of socialism is a part of agriculture’s past, present and most likely its future. Most producers are bright enough to recognize this, but perhaps voting for a socialist party (in reality, more of a centrist one these days) was seen as too on the nose.
As seen in this GrainsWest piece outlining each major party’s stance on ag policy, the NDP has some decent ideas, particularly its proposed review of rail and transport policy. Despite this, my gut feeling is that the party still sees ag as the domain of the little guys and not the massive, complex industry it’s become. It’s all well and good that they want to encourage young people to farm, but with the entry point into the business going into the millions just for land alone it’s arguably a goal far beyond the reach of efficient government.
Perhaps producers can look at this new government as an opportunity. If these new NDP MLAs are really as young and open-minded as they are touted, maybe now is the time for producer groups to bend their ears and educate them on the realities of farming today. Imagine that: for the first time in 44 years, a fresh start with government. That has to beat ideology any day.