We live in interesting times.
Our prime minister continues to thumb his nose at our constitution. Mr. Harper insisted that Mike Duffy be named the senator for Prince Edward Island despite the fact that the gentleman was not resident in that province. The same may also be said about Toronto-based Saskatchewan Senator Pamella Wallin. Of course, the right honourable gentleman also has low regard for the judicial branch of our federal governing institutions and gives every indication of even lower regard for the legislative branch. He has also studiously ignored most of our Canadian premiers except when it has been to his own advantage. Our Canadian confederation system can be such a nuisance to efficient governing.
Closer to home, Alberta has just turfed the Progressive Conservative government in much the same way that the Social Credit Party was dismissed more than 40 years ago. There has been no end of punditry on what has just happened to bring a left-wing party to power when the majority of Albertans have been siding with conservative-leaning governments since the 1930s with the emergence of ‘Bible Bill’ Aberhart and his Social Credit Party.
The rationale for what just happened which catches my fancy is the notion of fair play. At first glance, calling an election would seem to be a no-brainer for a party with an already strong majority and a new leader. The opposition was in awful disarray. The Wild Rose Party had just split up. The Liberal Party leader had just resigned and the not-so-new New Democratic Party had only four seats. However, a combined sense of lack of fairness in kicking the other guys when they were down and a strong desire to have a meaningful opposition to the natural governing party of Alberta led to a perfect storm of electoral protest.
Mr. Prentice gave a different version of his reason for going to the polls. In his parting message to members of the PC Party following the defeat of his government, he opined that a clear authority was needed to respond to the problems which Alberta was facing as a result of the collapse of the oil prices. He thought that the decision belonged to Albertans and not to him as premier.
What he didn’t take into account was that his cabinet, the executive branch of government, and individual MLAs, the legislative representatives sent from our communities, already had a mandate to make governance decisions during the term of their office. Going to the polls made no sense from a governance perspective. Unless, of course, he saw his position as premier in the same light as Mr. Harper in acting out his role as prime minister. Under these circumstances, his decision was clearly a personal political one and not governance-based. As such, he deserved to be defeated.
Now, as for our municipal government, the recent switch from city council to city staff by one of our councillors suggests that there has been a power shift on who really is in charge of governing our city.
Looking in mirrors can be such fun. We get to see ourselves.
Alan Murdock is a local pediatrician.
