Albertans will never forget Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s National Energy Program (NEP.) The NEP, announced in October 1980, was a blatant socialistic power-grab that undermined Alberta’s ownership and control of its resources, while at the same time devastating the oil and gas industry. Thousands of jobs were lost, countless businesses shut down, and many families had their homes foreclosed..That was one of the darkest periods in Alberta’s history..Even today, you can still find people who will tell you of their own family’s personal struggles and losses from that time..With this in mind we should ask, did the New Democratic Party (NDP) stand up for Alberta at that time? Nope. The NEP was a socialistic policy, and since the NDP is a socialist party, there was a natural fit between the two..As the United Press International reported in February 1981, “New Democrats support the federal national energy program even though it’s a case of ‘too little and too late.’”.“Too little and too late” means the NDP thought Trudeau didn’t go far enough in his attack on the oil industry!.At that time, Alberta’s NDP was led by Grant Notley, Rachel’s father. By all accounts, Grant Notley was a hard-working, kind and likeable fellow. But his socialist ideology blinded him to the need for Alberta to fight back against the NEP..Howard Leeson, In his book, Grant Notley: The Social Conscience of Alberta, writes that Notley considered Alberta premier Peter Lougheed’s “strong provincial rights position” to be “anathema.” In contrast, of course, Lougheed’s position was heartily supported by the vast majority of Albertans, and Lougheed commonly won super-majorities in provincial elections..Leeson points out that the NDP’s position had long entailed support for “strong central government, national public ownership, and the reduction of provincial government influence.”.When the NEP was announced, Lougheed responded by proposing a resolution in the legislature to cut back on Alberta’s oil production and make central Canada feel the pinch. Every MLA in the Legislature — except for one — voted for the cutback. That lone exception was the NDP’s Grant Notley..Tory MLAs asked Notley, “Are you an Albertan or not?” Even some NDP members quit the party..Then, with Albertans seething in anger at Trudeau and his government, Notley embarked on a two week “pro-Canada” tour of Alberta..As this makes clear, when the chips are down, you cannot count on the NDP to stand up for Alberta. That party’s loyalty — first and foremost — is to the ideology of socialism, not to the people of this province..Although the NEP controversy erupted over 40 years ago, it’s important to realize that the NDP hasn’t changed. Right now, the NDP is actively and openly supporting Justin Trudeau’s federal government, to the detriment of Alberta..In terms of energy policy, the Alberta NDP prioritizes fighting global warming over Alberta’s economic well-being. Samir Kayande, an NDP candidate in Calgary, wrote that, “Hydrocarbon must go away. There’s no alternative. It’s too polluting.”.At least he’s honest. He openly acknowledges that Alberta’s transition from an energy powerhouse to something else will have negative economic effects: “No other business is likely to provide the kind of returns that oil and gas brought us.”.In other words, an NDP government would phase out oil and gas, and Alberta’s prosperity will be a thing of the past..In an article written in 2020, University of Calgary political scientist Tom Flanagan noted that Justin Trudeau’s climate change policies — the ones supported by the NDP — essentially constitute a “second National Energy Program.” This second NEP differs from the original in its focus on reducing Alberta’s production of fossil fuels rather than confiscating Alberta’s wealth..“But,” he writes, “it is similar in that it was calculated to appeal to voters in Ontario and Quebec for whom climate change was a priority issue. And it worked. It’s not a coincidence that in 2015 Justin Trudeau was the first Liberal leader to win a majority of seats from Quebec since his father did in 1980.”.The NDP supported Pierre Trudeau’s NEP in the early 1980s, and the NDP supports Justin Trudeau’s version of the NEP today..In both cases, federal policies harm Alberta in order to appeal to central Canadian voters. And in both cases, the NDP remains consistent with its socialist ideology, regardless of the cost to Albertans..The NDP still loves the NEP.
