Analysis & Commentary

Fear and self-loathing in Alberta Picture yourself as a member of the Progressive Conservative government of Alberta. Unless your riding is in Edmonton, you’re pretty secure that you’ve got a job for as long as you want one. The big question is why? Why do you want to be in government? What do you want to accomplish? The guiding principle of the Progressive Conservatives, at least under Ralph Klein, is to govern as little as possible. The program, in broad strokes, is to reduce the number of restrictions on citizens and the market and to enable us to maximize our freedom. Indeed, as the premier has stated frequently since the last election, the objective is to govern on autopilot. So this is the part that’s confusing. Once the field of state restriction is as cleared as it can be, how do you understand what you’re doing under the dome, or in your constituency office? Guarding against the incursions of those who have a more interventionist notion of government? Indeed, as the premier blithely observed during the leaders debate, the objective of the last 12 years of Conservative government has been to construct a government so hardened against alternatives that even the Liberals couldn’t screw it up. Sound-bitingly colourful rhetoric, but also a fundamentally arid conception of governing. It implies that the job of our elected representatives is to undermine their existence. The mantra of Conservative MLAs is “government is bad. It gets in the way.” But push the logic. As a representative of government, what does that make you? And what judgment does that pass on your work? Not exactly a marketing agency’s dream recruitment slogan for future public officeholders. The French philosopher, Michel Foucault, observed that the challenge of governing democracies lies in finding the balance between governing too much and governing too little. If a society is governed too much, the operation of families, markets and social life may be distorted, while personal autonomy and responsibility could be undermined. The risk of governing too little, however, is the failure to establish the conditions of civility, order, productivity and social well-being, which make limited government possible in the first place. We do need a government in Alberta, whether or not you believe in grand programs and big visions. Moreover, no matter how cynical we might be about politicians and the political process, the absence of an opportunity to participate would surely be far worse. Ultimately, the job of being an elected representative, of deliberating on the conditions that will maximize the well-being of Albertans, is an important one. The unwillingness of the premier to disclose a substantive platform and the absence of Conservative candidates from many constituency debates has done a grave disservice to the quality of democracy in Alberta. So no matter who wins on Monday, the biggest losers are Alberta voters who have been denied the opportunity to consider and debate the policies that will shape our immediate future. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.