Change is in the air in Conservative Alberta and opposition parties stand to gain
Alberta, the Rock of Gibraltar of conservative Canada, has cracked — just how deeply and at what cost to the federal Conservatives is still unclear, but in this campaign every crack and cranny counts.
In 2011, Stephen Harper's Conservatives won all but one seat in Alberta. The NDP took one in Edmonton. Polls suggest at least eight ridings are in play this time.
There is political suspense in the province for the first time in a long time, and it is infectious.
"It's kind of sparking this chain reaction between all people, like all the young people are starting to realize that, yes, my vote can count and that if we get together our voices can be heard," says first-year science student Kevin Ma at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
All across campus, students are buzzing about voting. The U of A is one of 10 universities across the country that will allow voting on campus.
Political professor Laurie Adkin points out that Alberta has been changing for some time now, and the politics may just be catching up.
"Alberta has had this kind of populist conservative orientation for many decades that is now changing because of the net in-migration of people," she says.
The province's population has jumped to four million from three million since 2000. It's a younger population, the youngest in Canada.
For change seekers, the weakening economy is an opportunity to re-examine the province's focus on the energy sector.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-election-2015-change-in-the-air-alberta-1.3250557
Alberta, the Rock of Gibraltar of conservative Canada, has cracked — just how deeply and at what cost to the federal Conservatives is still unclear, but in this campaign every crack and cranny counts.
In 2011, Stephen Harper's Conservatives won all but one seat in Alberta. The NDP took one in Edmonton. Polls suggest at least eight ridings are in play this time.
There is political suspense in the province for the first time in a long time, and it is infectious.
"It's kind of sparking this chain reaction between all people, like all the young people are starting to realize that, yes, my vote can count and that if we get together our voices can be heard," says first-year science student Kevin Ma at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
All across campus, students are buzzing about voting. The U of A is one of 10 universities across the country that will allow voting on campus.
Political professor Laurie Adkin points out that Alberta has been changing for some time now, and the politics may just be catching up.
"Alberta has had this kind of populist conservative orientation for many decades that is now changing because of the net in-migration of people," she says.
The province's population has jumped to four million from three million since 2000. It's a younger population, the youngest in Canada.
For change seekers, the weakening economy is an opportunity to re-examine the province's focus on the energy sector.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-election-2015-change-in-the-air-alberta-1.3250557
