The Alberta Party has sent a response to a letter from the Alberta Liberal Party that was emailed to our Board of Directors and publicized in an advertisement in the July 7, 2010 issues of the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal. We have posted our response below.
Dear Dr. Swann and Mr. Sansotta:
Re: July 7, 2010 Letter from the Alberta Liberal Party
Thank you for your letter of July 7, 2010 inviting the other political parties in Alberta to cooperate. While we are open to having a conversation, we are concerned about any approach that involves political parties of one part of the political spectrum in Alberta strategizing to limit the choices of Albertans.
We think that we should meet all Albertans in their living rooms to discuss their ideas and dreams for the province, and not meet in back rooms to strategize on how to manipulate the votes of our citizens. We at the Alberta Party think this is the best way to build a party. It represents a step away from politics as usual, which is a change that Albertans have been thirsting for.
The Alberta Party is constructing a big tent for all Albertans from across the political spectrum, including conservatives, to discuss the issues that concern Albertans most. The Alberta Party’s Big Listen campaign has been hugely successful as we sit down in the living rooms across the province to share their ideas on how we can build a better society. Albertans from across the political spectrum have identified with our statement of “What We Believe” and have provided constructive ideas for our new policy platform at Big Listen events. You can learn more at the Alberta Party website at www.albertaparty.ca. We are currently working to take these ideas and craft a policy platform for our policy convention in November of this year.
As we strive to create a new style of politics, the Alberta Party is mindful that this is not a project to unite the left but to ignite the ideas and interest of all Albertans. It is an effort to change how government works. As we endeavour to do this, we must respect and include Albertans from conservative, liberal and other political backgrounds. Conservatives have had a strong role in building this province, and fiscally conservative centrist Albertans will be essential to re-building it. Beyond that, we believe that the majority of non-partisan Albertans are looking for real and pragmatic solutions to the problems facing them.
This is an exciting opportunity for Albertans and we hope that all citizens regardless of political affiliation will accept our open invitation to join us as we coalesce around a truly centrist political platform.
Yours truly,
Edwin Erickson
Leader
Chima Nkemdirim
Vice President, Spokesperson
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Has anyone considered sending this out to all the press who carried the Liberal ad?
[...] Both the NDP and Alberta Party have responded to the [...]
Hi Will! The response went out as a press release on Wednesday afternoon. Thanks!
[...] ads calling for cooperation with other parties and received cool responses from the NDP and Alberta Party. – Former MLA Dan Backs is gearing up to run for City Council against Councillor Ed Gibbons. Both [...]
You see that the Liberal Party is indeed trying to unite the left under their banner, in the hopes that the Liberal Party will govern Alberta. Fat chance!
It is looking more and more that the Wildrose Alliance will be the next party to govern Alberta. If the Alberta Party wants to have a genuine chance, I would propose a merger between the Socreds and the Alberta Party.
I very much appreciate the respectful tone the Alberta Party seems to have taken here, still keeping the door open to talking, however small a crack. However, I do have different points of view with two of your major arguments made against cooperation:
1. While a non-competitive voting strategy (where only one progressive candidate is nominated to represent a single riding) might, yes, “temporarily” limit voters’ choice, in the long run, given proportional representation is enacted by a coalition, I believe it could do exactly the opposite: broaden voters’ choice by giving fair representation to ALL voters’ ballots, including those supporting the fledgling Alberta Party. After that, all parties would be competing on an even playing field, as it should be in a true democracy.
At the moment, giving Albertans full choice of parties in every riding merely gives voters the “illusion” that their voice counts, when in fact, it doesn’t. In Alberta, those voting Green, Alberta Party, or Social Credit, for example, might as well flush their votes down the proverbial toilet as their support will be spread sparsely wide and far across the province. This will continue until we have electoral reform, something that will NEVER occur under right wing rule.
2. While it is indeed necessary to continue and build the Alberta Party through “living room” conversations, I think it’s a folly to believe, as Brian Mason and the NDP do, that “a little more elbow grease” and “more door knocking” will do the trick. Elections are won by advertising, signage, coverage, and media, paid for with hard cash. The other fledgling party — the Wildrose — has built its membership NOT merely through hard work and grassroots connections as it would LOVE to suggest, but because it’s flush with the $3 million dollars handed to it by the oil community. All that signage and rental of halls both in town and in the rural areas costs big bucks and has helped them enormously. Unless it swings further to the right to become a sister party of the Conservatives and thus takes funds from Alberta’s most powerful industry, I believe the Alberta Party will find itself fighting a solid brick wall — as have the Liberals, Greens, and NDP.
Let’s see how the next election plays out. My suspicion is that, without cooperation, the Alberta party will find itself learning that hard lesson. Sadly, however, the once-in-a-lifetime sliver of opportunity for combined progressives to win will have passed by, as you can better believe that the Wildrose and the Conservatives, upon seeing a potential future progressive threat, won’t let their split continue.
The idea of having a “big tent” that attracts Albertans from a variety of political perspectives is a laudable goal. Eventually, however, there will have to be a means by which political power in Alberta passes into the hands of the Wildrose or some other group or remains with the PCs. If Albertans want to experience any significant change in the way politics is practiced in our province, leaving power in the hands of the PCs will not achieve that change. Unfortunately, at this point in time, that is how our political system functions. I cannot imagine how the Alberta Party itself can achieve otherwise without it forming a “politically active party” that engages in elections unless it wishes to try to remain a group of individuals hoping to exert influence. Should the Alberta Party decide to become politically active, then it could conceivably create the one big tent party that eliminates the variety of other parties on the political spectrum, thereby limiting voters’ choices. I make this point only to illustrate that the idea of centre and left-of-centre Albertans, joining together, does not really eliminate voters’ choices if all adherents hold similar values.
Indeed, if the Alberta Party seeks to galvanize those of us who hold centrist views, obviously the values expressed by the Wildrose and ultra-conservative PCs are not in the same ball park. David Swann has not eliminated members of the PC party who hold similar values to those of the Liberal, NDs, and non-aligned centrist Albertans from responding to his invitation to come together and talk. It would be of enormous benefit to Alberta if the Alberta Party could respond to his invitation in the spirit it was extended – to seek a dialogue with anyone and everyone wanting to bring about a fundamental change in the way government has been functioning in our province.