Two recent developments involving the Conservative Party of Alberta (and therefore the government of Alberta) bear discussion this month.
The first involves the passing of our former premier Ralph Klein. Premier Klein was a colourful fellow who generated a large amount of friends and just about as big a herd of enemies. I doubt that any Albertan supported all of Premier Klein’s policies, but I equally doubt that any Albertan opposed all of his policies.
But the legacy of Ralph Klein does not lie in his policies or his administration. Rather, Premier Klein should be remembered as a politician who took tough positions, told the truth, accepted the blame (when it was deserved), and told people when times were tough, and drastic steps needed to be taken.
For decades now, we have become accustomed to bobble-headed politicians who talk endlessly, but say nothing. Politicians who accept the praise, duck the blame, and can never tell, let alone recognize, the truth. Klein was warned that his actions amounted to “political suicide”, yet he did not stop. The result was unexpected (except perhaps to Ralph Klein himself) – the people of Alberta appreciated the truth and gave Premier Klein one massive landslide victory after another.
What remains strange is the fact that, despite Klein proving that telling the truth could be a powerful and successful strategy, no politician (federal or provincial) since has dared follow in the trail that Klein blazed. What a shame. And to Ralph, rest well, you were, as they said in the Old West, one of the good guys.
The second recent event involved a provincial bureaucrat given the task of quietly announcing to the media that what Alberta really needs is to “diversify our economy.” Anyone under the age of 45 will likely not grasp the importance of this statement, so let me explain. For nearly 50 years, the Alberta Tories have had only two economic theories for managing the province’s economy. The first theory states that when energy prices are high, the government should do everything to support the industry – grants, free roadways, lower royalties and taxes, everything and anything possible.
The second theory is put into use when energy prices are low. When this occurs, the government’s policies switch to diversifying the economy. There will be multiple mentions of the need to have a more balanced economy, less reliant on energy. For anyone over the age of 45, such a comment should immediately instil deep, dark, cold fear and utter terror.
We’ve had two or three previous Tory regimes that brought out the diversify strategy, however energy prices have been relatively high for the last 30 years, so we haven’t heard the word diversify being used for some time now.
For those of you who have not experienced an “Albertan strategy to diversify the economy,” let me give you examples from the last two fiascos. The diversify mandate is simple – it charges the government with supporting every hare-brained, ill-advised, goofy plan as long as the plan is not based on supporting the energy sector.
In the past, this has meant the government guaranteeing loans, providing grants, or taking ownership in such ventures as a pulp mill, a paper mill, a magnesium mine, a salt mine, a farm equipment manufacturer, an aviation service corporation, a waste removal firm, a number of different food processing plants, a publishing plant, a shopping centre and a hundred other flights of fancy that inevitably ended in the taxpayers being stuck with a big bill to pay.
As you may know, the Tories have gotten progressively further and further removed from reality, so I expect this next effort to diversify Alberta’s economy will include a manned mission to Pluto, perpetual energy machines, a blue whale processing plant (which should integrate well with the harpoon manufacturing firm soon to be announced), increased production of buggy whips, and smaller facilities designed to increase the world supply of blankets, beads and other assorted trinkets and trash.
Diversify Alberta’s economy? Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Brian is a resident of St. Albert.
