Duane Bratt - Orange Chinook: Politics in the New Alberta

Jennifer Pettit, Series Editor
Co-published with Mount Royal University

ISSN 2371-6134 (Print) ISSN 2371-6142 (Online)

This series focuses on illuminating, promoting, or demonstrating the fundamental significance of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences to public well-being and contemporary society culturally, spiritually, socially, politically, and economically with the aim of raising awareness of the essential skills, perspectives, and critical understandings of societal issues these disciplines cultivate.

Jennifer Pettit , Dean, Faculty of Arts, Mount Royal University

No. 1 Understanding Atrocities: Remembering, Representing, and Teaching Genocide
Edited by Scott W. Murray

No. 2 Orange Chinook: Politics in the New Alberta
Edited by Duane Bratt, Keith Brownsey, Richard Sutherland, and David Taras

This book is dedicated to the memory of
Philip A. L. Brownsey,
a true son of Mount Royal and Alberta.

2019 Duane Bratt, Keith Brownsey, Richard Sutherland, and David Taras

University of Calgary Press

2500 University Drive NW

Calgary, Alberta

Canada T2N 1N4

press.ucalgary.ca

This book is available as an ebook which is licensed under a Creative Commons license. The publisher should be contacted for any commercial use which falls outside the terms of that license.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Orange Chinook : politics in the new Alberta / edited by Duane

Bratt, Keith Brownsey, Richard Sutherland, and David Taras.

(Arts in action ; no. 2)

Includes index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-77385-025-2 (softcover).ISBN 978-1-77385-027-6 (PDF).

ISBN 978-1-77385-028-3 (EPUB).ISBN 978-1-77385-029-0 (Kindle).

ISBN 978-1-77385-026-9 (open access PDF)

1. Alberta--Politics and government--2015-. I. Bratt, Duane, 1967-,

editor II. Brownsey, Keith, 1955-, editor III. Sutherland, Richard, 1964-,

editor IV. Taras, David, 1950-, editor V. Series: Arts in action (Series) ; no. 2

FC3676.2.O73 2019 971.2304 C2018-905894-3

C2018-905895-1

The University of Calgary Press acknowledges the support of the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Media Fund for our publications. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program.

This book has been published with the help of a grant from Mount Royal University Library, through the Mount Royal University Library Open Access Fund.

Copyediting by Ryan Perks

Cover image: Kanadano, Chinook Arch , 31 July 2016, Photograph, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinook-arch-03.jpg

Cover design, page design, and typesetting by Melina Cusano

Richard Sutherland

David Taras

Duane Bratt

Melanee Thomas

Janet Brown and John B. Santos

Peter Malachy Ryan

Gillian Steward

Kevin Taft

Deborah Yedlin

Keith Brownsey

Ron Kneebone and Jennifer Zwicker

Brad Clark

James Wilt

Roger Epp

Lori Williams

Chaseten Remillard and Sheridan McVean

Graham White

Anthony M. Sayers and David K. Stewart

. Alberta Voter Turnout, 19752015

Party Votes in the 5 May 2015 Alberta Provincial Election

Non-Renewable Resource Revenues Tables, 2005-6 to 2017-18

Appendix 4.

. GDP Expenditure-Based, 2005-16

. Provincial Per Capita Expenditure-Based Spending, 2005-16

. Provincial Population, 2005-17

Alberta Provincial Revenues and Expenditures 200717

Alberta Provicial Government Per Capita Health Expenditure 200817

Alberta Provincial Government Health Expenditure 200817

The term Orange Chinook describes the changes that have consumed Alberta politics during one of the most tumultuous periods in the provinces history. Indeed, if a group of Albertans living in 1990 were to be suddenly transported to 2019, much of what they would see would be unrecognizable. They would likely be surprised to learn that the Progressive Conservative Party that governed Alberta with almost no opposition in 1990 no longer exists in 2019; that the New Democrats, who had barely survived at the margins of Alberta politics, are now in power, led by a woman premier, Rachel Notley; that the province, after many years of unbridled prosperity, is barely emerging from a devastating economic downturn caused by a crash in global energy prices and a dearth of pipelines; and that environmental politics, long ignored or considered a sideshow, is now front and centre in Alberta politics. They would see a carbon tax, bitter clashes with British Columbia over pipelines, consistent increases in the minimum wage, massive government deficits, and that what was left of the old Progressive Conservative Party has merged with what was left of the Wildrose Partywhich was not even in existence in 1990to form the United Conservative Party. In short, much of the political and economic ground has shifted in Alberta, and what many would have thought to be the unimaginable has in fact taken place.

This books goal is to chronicle these changes and describe the forces and events that led to the New Democrats victory in the 2015 provincial election, and to examine how the Notley government has governed the province since. In assembling the book, the editors were careful to include a variety of perspectives and ensure that a wide expanse of issues was covered. Those seeking to find a single point of view with which to agree will be disappointed. The book covers a broad policy canvas, from the perils and shocks of transition, the politics of pipelines, the oil sands and the carbon tax, the provincial governments relationships with cities and big-city mayors, the precarious nature of government finances, the changing contours of rural Alberta, and the passions that shape the provinces Indigenous politics, among a host of other topics. Unfortunately, not all policies or events could be covered with the same depth in a single volume. Nonetheless, Orange Chinook provides what we believe will be the essential guide to Alberta politics and to the NDP government for some time to come.

While the book features a distinguished roster of contributors from across the province and beyond, much of the expertise and indeed the financial support for this enterprise came from Mount Royal University. We are grateful to Jeff Keshen, the former dean of arts, Jeffrey Goldberg, the former provost and vice-president, and David Docherty, the current president of Mount Royal University, for their enthusiasm and unwavering support. Kim Halvorson and Sue Torres of the Faculty of Arts went beyond the call of duty in helping us with this project. David Taras would like to thank Elizabeth Evans, dean of the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, for her encouragement and guidance.

The book benefited from an intensive workshop held at the Banff Centre in October 2016. We are grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and to the Department of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies Innovation Fund at Mount Royal University for their generous support. Special thanks go to Don Braid, David Docherty, Sydney Sharpe, and Christopher Waddell for their contributions. Carolina Serrano Andres, Philip Brownsey, Kent Clayton, Sam Green, Demi Okuboejo, Cordelia Snowden, and Henry Wearmouth, who were public policy students at Mount Royal University at the time, attended and helped with the preparation of materials for the workshop.