I’ve been to Alberta once and I loved it. I came back to Toronto and immediately wanted to resettle in Calgary, but alas family ties have swayed me into settling here in the east GTA.
Before I went there, I had a very different opinion of Albertans; I thought they would all be rural type folk with redneck and narrow-minded views. This was not the case. Here in Ontario, we only hear of the extremist view in Alberta, however it would be safe to say that most Albertans are for the most part are no different from the people in other parts of the country. I did sense some Eastern resentment and/or alienation but nothing too extreme.
Over the past few decades Alberta has evolved into a thriving province and become quite the power in Canada. Much of this is due to their luck in having an abundant amount of a non-renewable resource. However, a lot has to do with the hard working nature of the people that live there.
What I don’t get is the arrogance of the Albertan politicians. Yes, Alberta is now probably the strongest province economically in the federation, however it wasn’t always. Alberta used to be a have not province with a much smaller economy. During those times it was Ontario and Quebec who helped support it. Much of the new population that Alberta has is from Eastern Canadians who moved out there during the oil boom, so to insult and turn your backs on the other provinces is just unfair.
Economics is based on cycles, so you can be sure that the wealth and power that Alberta enjoys today in relationship to the other provinces will not always exist. Look how power has slowly shifted from East to West in this country. The Maritimes used to be the centre of our nation with Halifax being our most important city. Then it shifted to Montréal, which was the hub of the nation for many decades until it shifted to Toronto. Then we saw a shift westward to Vancouver and now Calgary and Edmonton are our up and coming centres.
By relying on such a volatile industry like oil and gas, I suspect that the balance of economic power will shift once again.
So to Albertan extremist: Yes, Alberta is doing great today and will for the foreseeable future, but one day it may not. Canada is supposed to be a family. We should support each other. If one member is doing well, it should help the other. I do not think regular Albertans are as selfish as their politicians portray them as.
Before I went there, I had a very different opinion of Albertans; I thought they would all be rural type folk with redneck and narrow-minded views. This was not the case. Here in Ontario, we only hear of the extremist view in Alberta, however it would be safe to say that most Albertans are for the most part are no different from the people in other parts of the country. I did sense some Eastern resentment and/or alienation but nothing too extreme.
Over the past few decades Alberta has evolved into a thriving province and become quite the power in Canada. Much of this is due to their luck in having an abundant amount of a non-renewable resource. However, a lot has to do with the hard working nature of the people that live there.
What I don’t get is the arrogance of the Albertan politicians. Yes, Alberta is now probably the strongest province economically in the federation, however it wasn’t always. Alberta used to be a have not province with a much smaller economy. During those times it was Ontario and Quebec who helped support it. Much of the new population that Alberta has is from Eastern Canadians who moved out there during the oil boom, so to insult and turn your backs on the other provinces is just unfair.
Economics is based on cycles, so you can be sure that the wealth and power that Alberta enjoys today in relationship to the other provinces will not always exist. Look how power has slowly shifted from East to West in this country. The Maritimes used to be the centre of our nation with Halifax being our most important city. Then it shifted to Montréal, which was the hub of the nation for many decades until it shifted to Toronto. Then we saw a shift westward to Vancouver and now Calgary and Edmonton are our up and coming centres.
By relying on such a volatile industry like oil and gas, I suspect that the balance of economic power will shift once again.
So to Albertan extremist: Yes, Alberta is doing great today and will for the foreseeable future, but one day it may not. Canada is supposed to be a family. We should support each other. If one member is doing well, it should help the other. I do not think regular Albertans are as selfish as their politicians portray them as.