Alberta’s big cities are heading into one of the most important civic elections seen in a decade and I fear the turnout is going to be terrible. We all just came out of a pointless, divisive federal election and the province is in the midst of a medical (and political) catastrophe. People are tired and dejected and can’t be blamed for having a lack of enthusiasm with the upcoming votes..Buck up and hang in there, folks. There are only a couple of weeks to go and this election is important for a number of reasons..Calgary and Edmonton are both going to elect new mayors this fall. Mayoral turnovers don’t happen often in Alberta. The big city mayors are almost always re-elected. If you’re concerned about who is going to represent your city, this may be the only (real) chance you get for the next debate. Whoever wins in both cities, is likely to be there for a very long time..In addition to the mayors, Edmonton will be getting at least four new councillors and Calgary will be getting at least nine. This kind of turnover is rare, particularly in Calgary. There is an opportunity to change the entire tenor and philosophy in both city halls. That of course has led to an eye-popping number of candidates to sift through..The age of the Internet makes things much easier on us now. Take an hour online and check out who your local candidates are. While the actions of local government often slide under the news radar, they affect us very directly. Your vote in the civic election is likely to have more impact on issues close to you than your federal or provincial ones do..In this election, you will have a chance to cast a ballot for Senate nominees. There are major problems with the Kenney government’s revised Senate election legislation, such as banning provincial parties from appearing on the ballot. Nonetheless, a flawed election is still better than no election..While it’s unlikely that the senators selected by Albertans will ever actually be appointed to the red chamber, we can at least follow provincial tradition and cast a ballot for them. Yes, it’s just a point of principle and may feel like a waste of time. You are going out to cast a ballot for your municipal representatives anyway, so it’s not tough to mark an X on another one. Our senate elections may not lead to many senate appointments, but it does help remind people just how undemocratic and ridiculous our federal system is..We have two provincial referendums to vote on. One is whether or not we stop changing our clocks every six months and just stick to a single time zone, and the other is on equalization..I am ambivalent about the time zone change. I will cast my ballot in favor of ending the practice of meddling with our clocks twice per year but won’t cry myself to sleep if nothing changes either. I’m glad the choice is being put directly to citizens..The equalization referendum is an important one and it has become terribly politicized. The unpopularity of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney threatens to make this referendum into a vote on his performance. As tempting as this may be for many, we should resist the urge..I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to take part in this vote and to vote against equalization..Just look at how strenuously the left is objecting to the referendum, and has since it was first proposed by the Wildrose in 2016, three years before Kenney became premier. Look how hard they’re trying to tie it into being a referendum about Premier Jason Kenney rather than one about an unfair, constitutionally entrenched policy..The left wants the equalization referendum to fail for three reasons..Firstly, they support Canada’s system of inter-provincial welfare even if it is grossly unfair to Alberta. These are people driven by the politics of envy who support every possible means of wealth redistribution. In other words, socialists..Secondly, the left despises is the entire exercise of direct democracy. They prefer centralized, top-down power structures. They don’t want the unwashed masses having such a direct say on specific policies. They do not want to see us getting into the habit of making bid decisions ourselves..Lastly, the left wants this referendum to fail is so that it gives a black eye to Premier Kenney. They want to chalk this up to another failed initiative by the UCP in hopes of ushering in another NDP government..Look, I understand that Kenney is incredibly unpopular right now, but using this referendum as a means of punishing him would be cutting off our nose to spite our face. Right or left, we have to understand that this referendum is about the federal equalization program and nothing else. It doesn’t matter who initiated it. Rachel Notley initiated the referendum on the Calgary Olympic bid. That didn’t impact my choice to take part in the referendum or which side I supported..We have limited means at our disposal to show our disapproval or inspire systemic change in Canada. I know the equalization referendum will be ignored by the power brokers in Ottawa, but a strong showing against equalization in the referendum sends a warning shot to Ottawa all the same. Everything has to move in order and that is simply expending the first tool in our kit. When that move fails, we can move on to more direct means of asserting our provincial independence..If we refuse to get out and vote against equalization, the left will claim that Albertans support the policy. It will weaken our case against all federal incursions and weaken our case for direct democracy..Advance voting is already beginning. It’s easier than ever to get out and cast a ballot. Let’s not allow this miserable year to keep us in our homes and let’s get out to vote..We don’t get the chance to make so many choices at once. Don’t pass it up..Cory Morgan is the Alberta Political Columnist for the Western Standard and Host of the Cory Morgan Show
