Progressives in Alberta are now the quiet majority.
Sweeping demographic changes due to interprovincial and international migration have drastically changed what was once Canada’s most conservative province.
In just the past nine years, 531,000 people, a city almost half the size of Calgary, has moved to Alberta. This massive group has no connection to traditional conservative Alberta politics. They totally missed the Ralph Klein era, knowing only Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford and for a brief period, Jim Prentice.
And Albertans do identify themselves as such. A recent Abacus Data poll commissioned by Progress Alberta found that 59 per cent of Albertans consider themselves progressive. The online poll ran from Dec. 2 to Dec. 7 and polled a representative sample of 1,000.
In the midst of all of that change Alberta has also become one of Canada’s youngest, most educated and urban provinces — all traits that correlate with identifying as progressive.
“Urbanization, in-migration, and generational change are all shifting the province’s political attitudes and behaviour,” says David Coletto of Abacus Data.
“Most Albertans think the province has become more progressive in the past year. More identify as progressive than they do conservative. And the province’s most popular political leader (Naheed Nenshi) is seen as a progressive himself. Perhaps it might be time to reconsider the notion that Alberta is Canada’s most conservative province,” says Coletto.
Opinion: Alberta — More progressive than you think | Edmonton Journal
Sweeping demographic changes due to interprovincial and international migration have drastically changed what was once Canada’s most conservative province.
In just the past nine years, 531,000 people, a city almost half the size of Calgary, has moved to Alberta. This massive group has no connection to traditional conservative Alberta politics. They totally missed the Ralph Klein era, knowing only Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford and for a brief period, Jim Prentice.
And Albertans do identify themselves as such. A recent Abacus Data poll commissioned by Progress Alberta found that 59 per cent of Albertans consider themselves progressive. The online poll ran from Dec. 2 to Dec. 7 and polled a representative sample of 1,000.
In the midst of all of that change Alberta has also become one of Canada’s youngest, most educated and urban provinces — all traits that correlate with identifying as progressive.
“Urbanization, in-migration, and generational change are all shifting the province’s political attitudes and behaviour,” says David Coletto of Abacus Data.
“Most Albertans think the province has become more progressive in the past year. More identify as progressive than they do conservative. And the province’s most popular political leader (Naheed Nenshi) is seen as a progressive himself. Perhaps it might be time to reconsider the notion that Alberta is Canada’s most conservative province,” says Coletto.
Opinion: Alberta — More progressive than you think | Edmonton Journal
