“On Being Albertan” From Alberta: A State of Mind James H. Marsh

Perhaps because I have remained something of an outsider, I have never sympathized with the cranky side of Alberta politics. I don’t mean so much the ideological, “all government is bad government” conservatives or even the aggrieved sectionalists, but more the righteous who treat their opponents with derision.

It was Alberta’s 75th anniversary that brought me to Edmonton in 1980 to work on its most enduring legacy – The Canadian Encyclopedia. The encyclopedia was created through an unusual partnership between the nationalist publisher Mel Hurtig, who had once run for the Trudeau Liberals, and Conservative Premier Peter Lougheed, who was at that time locked in mortal combat over energy policy with those same Liberals. It was a noble idea, to celebrate Alberta by creating a reference work as a gift to all the people of Canada. Mel advertised nationally for an editor and hired me, a Toronto boy (via Ottawa). I wasn’t a popular choice. As well as being condemned by the right-wing Alberta Report for being a “socialist” (I am not), I was criticized to my face for taking the place of unidentified locals who could have done the job just as well.

So from the day I arrived in Alberta in June of 1980 I had a much more complex view of Alberta than the simplistic image portrayed not only in the national media but by many Albertans themselves. It was epitomized by those two men: the nationalist Hurtig who was always a fierce promoter of his home city and province, and the forceful defender of provincial rights Lougheed, who always proclaimed himself a Canadian first.

Perhaps because I have remained something of an outsider, I have never sympathized with the cranky side of Alberta politics. I don’t mean so much the ideological, “all government is bad government” conservatives or even the aggrieved sectionalists, but more the righteous who treat their opponents with derision. There is a lot of talk of getting Alberta’s “voice” heard on the national stage, but sadly when many Canadians hear that voice they hear the kind of offensive attacks like those directed, without apology or stricture, against Belinda Stronach when she defected to the hated Liberals in May of 2005.

The truth is that Alberta politics is far more complex than that. It has radicals, populists, environmentalists, nationalist and, yes, federalists. When the occasion calls for it, our provincial premiers have “come in from the cold” and participated constructively and even decisively, in the national debates. The province has lively local politics and even elects a few Liberals and socialists.

And so I have learned over the years that Alberta society is a lot more nuanced than its redneck image allows. It might suit some image makers to paint Alberta as “Texas North,” but the province does not have a long waiting list on death row and is not tying up its legislature with a debate on banning high-school cheerleaders. Alberta’s oil industry has its share of mavericks-the business demands it-but it also has a conscience and a sense of responsibility that can only be called characteristically “Canadian.” The description, in this book, of the initiatives that Syncrude and others have taken to include First Nations is an inspiring model for the future.

Something else that does not fit the Alberta stereotype of hard-nosed materialism is its vibrant artistic community. There is plenty to celebrate the inner cowboy in us – the genius of Ian Tyson – “think I’ll go out to Alberta/weather’s good there in the fall” – but there are also two beautiful new concert halls in Edmonton and Calgary, two superb orchestras, two opera companies, several ballet and dance companies, publishers, writers, painters and an impressive array of theatre. Canada’s most prestigious folk festival takes place in my own neighborhood and the renowned Fringe not far away. The Banff Centre is an integral part of not just Alberta’s cultural life, but of the whole nation. The longer you live here, the more the image of the unsophisticated roughneck fades.

It is my own politics, I suppose, but my wish for the future is that Alberta will find more ways to have its many virtues known nationally and to have its other “voices” heard. We already have a single-minded “Bloc” operating out of Quebec threatening our national survival. Even supporters of the federal Liberals understand the need for a viable second option at the national level and Alberta is perhaps best equipped to provide that option.

“No personal reflection on being Albertan can ignore the dominating force that geography has on the imagination.” I have in my 25 years here in Alberta seen our society mature and grow. Even in 1980 I still saw remnants of a racist and anti-Semitic past. I found a society that still talked more about diversity than actually respected it. (It was not until 1972 that the Lougheed government finally eradicated the odious eugenics law.) Now imagine how our ancestors of 100 years ago would have reacted to our current situation, in which our primary immigration comes from Asia. Something magical has happened as we continue to transform ourselves into a truly tolerant society, celebrating diversity while more and more just checking that census box that says “Canadian.”

No personal reflection on being Albertan can ignore the dominating force that geography has on the imagination. Any trip out onto the prairie or into the foothills, mountains, forests or badlands deepens a sense of connection and wonder. Returning home is always an anticipated pleasure: the space, the air, the oil “donkeys” dipping, the clouds of dust kicked up from country roads. Inexorably Alberta becomes home and pride overcomes ambivalence. I have turned down numerous offers to move back east. I have asked my tempters “How can you match this?” Yes, I now believe that I have earned the right to say that Alberta belongs as much to me as the radicals of any stripe. Since OPEC, Peter Lougheed, Reform and the Klein revolution we cannot say that we are “not being heard.” In fact, Alberta has probably done more to set the national agenda than any other province.

One last birthday wish? That we return to that idea in which The Canadian Encyclopedia and this book were conceived, that if we knew ourselves and each other better, we can celebrate being Albertan and see that we have so much more to offer to the confederation. © James H. Marsh 2005

© James H. Marsh 2005