Local constituency organizations province-wide have been choosing new candidates to represent their various parties as the province gears up for a new provincial election.
Last Saturday, members of the P.C. Party in Little Bow chose their new candidate, John Kolk. Party members in other areas of the province selected candidates in nearly a dozen other P.C. constituency organizations. The Wildrose Alliance Party now has a candidate for the riding, along with the provincial NDP. The only remaining party left that intends to run a full slate of candidates is the Liberal Party, which has yet to select a candidate for Little Bow.
With the end of an era in the departure of current MLA Barry McFarland, residents of Little Bow will have a number of fresh faces to choose from on election day.
While Little Bow has remained a stalwartly conservative riding almost throughout its history, the present incarnation of the P.C. Party has angered some Albertans and alienated others through what some would argue are simply the smug attitudes that are fostered in a government that has been unchallenged at the heights of power for more than 40 years.
That being said, most analysts are still forecasting a strong majority P.C. government in any provincial election. Which is a safe bet in Alberta, a province that obviously doesn’t put much stock in political change. Still others are arguing the Wildrose Alliance Party may just be able to give the ruling P.C.s a bloody nose.
Whatever the outcome of an election, it should be considered that successive gigantic majorities for any party is not desirable in a democratic system. When it appears there is no effective opposition, or voice, to protest government policy and direction — then there is no opposition, or voice. And that can be a dangerous proposition. When governments begin to believe they can do what they want without repercussions, or better still, that they have the undivided will of the people behind them, then the symptoms of decadence begin to set in, or worse, government and their representatives just stop listening.
That being said, considering what the P.C.s like to characterize as “fringe” parties as being well beyond the pale of any sane voter’s consideration, would be a mistake.
Arguments that voting for a party other than the P.C.s would simply be throwing your vote away are problematic — it’s like arguing that a Catch-22 situation is preferable to attempting to actually vote for change. If that was the case, then we may as well stop having elections.
Strong oppositions are a vital aspect of any functioning democracy. While our parliamentary system is often criticized for spawning what appears to be endless bickering, this is certainly preferable to the alternative.
Unless there is a strong opposition challenging government policy, would we simply have to accept everything governments tell us as the gospel truth?
Oppositions are part of the checks and balances that prevent governments from indulging in the excesses of power. A weak opposition, such as usually exists in Alberta due to overwhelming support for the ruling party, also translates into a weakness at methodically assessing government policy and offering comprehensive criticism — something that shouldn’t continue to be overlooked.