Premier Danielle Smith now has a mandate from Albertans to make changes to policies for immigrants in Alberta and to pursue constitutional reforms federally. The margins may have been narrow, but the “Yes” side won on eight of the first nine questions put to Albertans. The premier appears to be poised to act quickly on the directives democratically given to her by citizens, but other politicians appear to be more reluctant to support the mandate, including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi.At a press conference held the day after the referendum, the Western Standard’s Jackson Loy asked Poilievre what he would be doing to help Alberta implement the changes Albertans voted for. In response, Poilievre dodged the question.He began by saying, "It does appear that Albertans have rejected Mark Carney's direction on this," and then went into the usual circular talking points criticizing the federal government’s handling of immigration.Poilievre’s response was disappointing, but not unexpected. It exposes the weakness Alberta has in federal representation. Poilievre is doing what any federal leader must do if they aspire to become the prime minister one day. He is campaigning to appeal to voters in Eastern Canada while putting the interests of Alberta on the shelf. Even while standing in Calgary as an MP ostensibly representing an Alberta riding, he couldn’t bring himself to say he would use his role to help the province advance the changes it had just voted for.Albertans shouldn’t take it personally. It’s simple math. Alberta typically will vote overwhelmingly Conservative no matter how weak the federal leader may be at the time. Even if the Conservatives lost seats in Alberta, the Liberals have proven that even if they lose nearly every seat out here, they can still form a majority government. Whenever Poilievre answers a question posed to him, a voice in the back of his head is asking, “What will Toronto and Montreal think?” as he considers his answer..If Alberta wanted referendum results that the federal leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) would support and endorse, it would have to hold its referendum in the Laurentian region of Canada.Poilievre treats the Prairies as most federal Conservative leaders do. It’s a great hub for fundraising and garnering volunteers along with being an easy region to garner some seats from. But it’s not to be considered an area to take policy direction from. Western MPs rarely speak to their local issues in the House of Commons. The lens is focused on winning support in the East.The independence issue has been put into a slumber for now by the referendum vote, and it’s understandable why MPs will stay out of it. The other proposals — constitutional change and immigration reform — were supported by Albertans, though. While the referendum was a provincial initiative, federal representatives in the province should feel bound to support those proposals. They are supposed to represent local interests, after all. But they won’t unless the party leadership feels it may help them in the East.Things can change, though. Brian Mulroney took the West for granted, and it led to the creation of the Reform Party and ultimately the obliteration of the Progressive Conservatives on the federal front. A new federal party is being organized in Alberta right now, and Poilievre would be well served to watch his flank. Albertans may not have supported the independence option, but make no mistake: they are volatile and grumpy right now.Alberta NDP leader Nenshi has framed the nine questions as being either unrealistic or intolerant and won’t support the changes they proposed. That puts him offside with the majority of Albertans, which serves Premier Smith well. She can, and likely will, frame herself as one who is bound by the will of the province and can make the policy changes while framing Nenshi as being opposed to democracy..The proposed constitutional changes will go nowhere. But Albertan representatives at every level of government should now feel compelled to at least try to accomplish them if they respect the will of the electorate. Poilievre has already staked his turf, though. He will avoid the questions and continue on his quest to win the East. That quest has been fruitless so far.Albertans have spoken in the millions on the questions put to them on October 19. Now Albertans will see who’s really willing to speak for them on the federal front or not. And Poilievre has failed the first test.The mayors of Alberta's major cities will likely sit on the sidelines, which is fine. They should stick to filling potholes and fixing water lines anyway. Premier Smith has a new mandate endorsed by Albertans now. Unfortunately, it appears her party will be pursuing it alone.
