Free at last!

Finally, a moment to catch you up on the last couple weeks of election fever. Being the Official Agent for a candidate sounds pretentious…important…powerful. The job consists of accompanying the candidate to all-candidate forums, helping people find out where they vote, paying bills, and responding to requests for lawn signs. Mostly, it’s busy! Surprisingly, I found attending the all-candidates forums the most stressful activity. Crowds of people, lots of questions, interaction, talking, handing out literature. Although I don’t often appear to be an introverted person, this kind of activity underlines the truth of it. So much interacting with strangers wipes me out. Of course, age could have something to do with it.

The election, for the first time in forty years, was exciting. Anger at the current government (Progressive Conservative) for financial decisions and personal arrogance, couple with the charisma of a fresh, new female leader for the New Democratic Party, kept the pundits guessing. Some thought the ND’s would win; some thought the Wild Rose Party (distant right; main slogan, “We will not raise your taxes.”) In fact, the final result gave the ND’s – a moderate left of centre party, a majority of 20 seats over its nearest rival, and a clear majority in the legislature.

This was a profound shock for the Conservatives, who have been in power for a continuous forty-three years! Shock…and dismay. Immediate cries of, “Business will flee the province!” “Modified communism will shatter our democracy!” And so on.  In fact, the new legislative government presents a very strong mirror of Alberta society. Almost half its members are female; there are Aboriginal members, one woman is from the Middle East originally, and the median age of the group is just under forty…exactly the same as our province! The rule of the old white boys is over for now!

A number of long-term Conservative cabinet ministers were tossed out with very few votes to their name. The Premier, who’d been parachuted in to “save the country” was soundly beaten in his riding. He resigned as party leader, and resigned his newly won seat before all the ballots were counted! So the once-mighty Conservative party has 10 sets in the house, and is leaderless to boot. They face a bye-election and a leadership convention in the next year. They face possible suicide, or some other form of disappearance. All because the arrogant Premier called an election a t=year earlier than he needed to – cost $40 million – and brought down a budget that introduces 59 new taxes, and fees on the voters, while not raising an extra penny from the corporations who fund him (and clearly call the shots).

As a life-long member of the New Democratic Party, I am ridiculously ecstatic, and excited to see what creative legislation Rachel Notley, the Premier elect, will introduce. First caucus meeting was today, and a cabinet will be forthcoming shortly. All “green” members. In opposition to the Conservative gloom and doom, I say, “You can’t strike a new path with old ways.” Carpe Diem!