A good political scientist is also, at the very least, a bit of an historian.
Alberta, like the rest of the western world, had not had gay rights in the mainstream for the vast majority of its history. Then in 1997 the Vriend Case was decided at the Supreme Court stating that a Catholic School Board was legally wrong to fire a teacher for the sole reason he was a homosexual. In other words, one's religion didn't trump another person's Charter rights.
This set off a firestorm of debate across the province. Premier Ralph Klein vowed at one point to use the Charter's Notwithstanding Clause, to stand up to the Courts pushing their wildly anti-family agenda. Many Alberta politicians were furious at the ruling. Many Albertans were disgusted and they let it be known.
That was in 1997.
Alberta has always been a socially backwards province. It is a province of three major cities: Grand Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary and a pile of small towns and other smaller cities. These people have long tied their identity to working the soil and the land in farming, forestry, mining, and of course oil extraction.
My home town is in Northern Alberta. I spent many years of my early life there. I went back in 1997, the time of the Vriend Ruling for a job. By chance, I was back in my hometown. The place had not changed in the 10 years since my last visit. There were two new buildings. That was it. Everything else was as if the town were frozen in time.
That's what rural and small town Alberta has been like for generations: static and insular.
Barrhead follows in the footsteps of Westlock in banning the town from endorsing things like gay pride or any group. They claim they are doing this because a town government should be neutral.
Any student of history knows neutrality favors an oppressor.
Look, I am not surprised that these towns did vote in favor of banning rainbow flags and crosswalks. Oh, private citizens can fly any flag they want and they can paint any part of their property as they see fit. The ban only applies to public properties.
It is the vote totals that tell the important story. In 1997 or even 2007 these votes would have been 95-98% in favor of banning pride flags and crosswalks.
The pro-ban side managed 57% of the vote in Barrhead, and far less in Westlock though it was just over 50%. That is a majority. It is not a 98% majority nor even a 2/3rds majority.
While this issue shows the worst of Alberta it also shows the demographic transformation of the province. Alberta and Albertans are becoming more and more progressive. Leaders like Danielle Smith can stoke the flames of hate and intolerance but can they really? And for how long?
In less than 30 years Alberta has fundamentally changed. What will it look like 30 years from now? I suspect, 30 years from now, the last remnants of social conservatism will be on their collective deathbeds bemoaning the fall of western civilization or some rambling version of that.
As social conservatism recedes, albeit slowly, in Alberta we know that for the rest of Canada - social conservatism is a dead end ideology today.
To that I say, good riddance. We don't need social conservatism and the vast majority of us don't want it.
Alberta, like the rest of the western world, had not had gay rights in the mainstream for the vast majority of its history. Then in 1997 the Vriend Case was decided at the Supreme Court stating that a Catholic School Board was legally wrong to fire a teacher for the sole reason he was a homosexual. In other words, one's religion didn't trump another person's Charter rights.
This set off a firestorm of debate across the province. Premier Ralph Klein vowed at one point to use the Charter's Notwithstanding Clause, to stand up to the Courts pushing their wildly anti-family agenda. Many Alberta politicians were furious at the ruling. Many Albertans were disgusted and they let it be known.
That was in 1997.
Alberta has always been a socially backwards province. It is a province of three major cities: Grand Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary and a pile of small towns and other smaller cities. These people have long tied their identity to working the soil and the land in farming, forestry, mining, and of course oil extraction.
My home town is in Northern Alberta. I spent many years of my early life there. I went back in 1997, the time of the Vriend Ruling for a job. By chance, I was back in my hometown. The place had not changed in the 10 years since my last visit. There were two new buildings. That was it. Everything else was as if the town were frozen in time.
That's what rural and small town Alberta has been like for generations: static and insular.
Barrhead follows in the footsteps of Westlock in banning the town from endorsing things like gay pride or any group. They claim they are doing this because a town government should be neutral.
Any student of history knows neutrality favors an oppressor.
Look, I am not surprised that these towns did vote in favor of banning rainbow flags and crosswalks. Oh, private citizens can fly any flag they want and they can paint any part of their property as they see fit. The ban only applies to public properties.
It is the vote totals that tell the important story. In 1997 or even 2007 these votes would have been 95-98% in favor of banning pride flags and crosswalks.
The pro-ban side managed 57% of the vote in Barrhead, and far less in Westlock though it was just over 50%. That is a majority. It is not a 98% majority nor even a 2/3rds majority.
While this issue shows the worst of Alberta it also shows the demographic transformation of the province. Alberta and Albertans are becoming more and more progressive. Leaders like Danielle Smith can stoke the flames of hate and intolerance but can they really? And for how long?
In less than 30 years Alberta has fundamentally changed. What will it look like 30 years from now? I suspect, 30 years from now, the last remnants of social conservatism will be on their collective deathbeds bemoaning the fall of western civilization or some rambling version of that.
As social conservatism recedes, albeit slowly, in Alberta we know that for the rest of Canada - social conservatism is a dead end ideology today.
To that I say, good riddance. We don't need social conservatism and the vast majority of us don't want it.
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