The leadership race for the federal Conservatives, which ends on Sunday, comes at a time when Albertans are facing challenges on a number of fronts — from a stagnant economy and depressed oil prices to feelings of western anger and alienation.
They expressed their frustrations in last October's federal election by completely shutting out the governing Liberals, and since that time, the Wexit movement has only grown as a way to express discontent with the federal government.
Despite overwhelming support for the Conservatives in the Prairie provinces, none of the leadership candidates hoping to replace Andrew Scheer are from Western Canada — unlike Stephen Harper, who represented a Calgary riding and served as prime minister from 2006 to 2015.
Peter MacKay, a former Tory cabinet minister under Harper, is from Nova Scotia, while Erin O'Toole is an MP from the Ontario riding of Durham, Derek Sloan represents the riding of Hastings-Lennox and Addington, also in Ontario, and Leslyn Lewis is from Toronto.
As if a candidate in the Conservative leadership race itself, the central Alberta town of Drayton Valley has "Pulling Together" as an official slogan, written on a clock tower overlooking one of its main squares — seemingly speaking to the theme of unity that has often come up in the party's leadership race.
But spend a few hours in this community, about 130 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, and you're just as likely to meet people who see themselves drifting further apart from both the country and the federal party this province has long supported.
"They're not helping out the people a whole lot here," said Chris Burch, a resident of the oil town for 30 years who lost his oil-and-gas job five years ago and now relies solely on income from an a bed and breakfast.
"It just seems like nobody has a voice anymore," he said, expressing frustration about both the federal government as well as provincial and federal conservative parties.....More
