| There’s no question that as a political culture, Calgary is weird compared to any other large city in Canada. Some might say it’s downright bizarre. We may go crazy during Stampede. We may see ourselves as wild and woolly mavericks for 10 days of the year, but when it comes to politics we are strait-laced. We usually elect full slates of Conservatives — both federal and provincial. We seem to prefer uniform thought rather than vigorous, impassioned discussion. And we certainly don’t like airing differences in public. Disagreements must be settled behind closed doors – the closed doors of the provincial caucus; behind the scenes at city council or in private meetings with our MPs.
What is it about Calgary that produces this deadly dynamic? What are we are afraid of? Some would say that it’s Alberta, not just Calgary, where uniformity is the order of the day. That may be true of rural Alberta, but it’s not the case in Edmonton. Difference of opinion and political views are part of the capital city’s culture. Even in Lethbridge voters have regularly elected Liberals, as well as Conservatives.
Calgary is urban and complex. It’s a city of tremendous wealth and drive and yet, unlike other cities in Canada, we like our politics bland. In fact, I’ve often thought that because there is so much focus on business in Calgary, on making money, politics just seems boring to most people, or simply unnecessary.
Or perhaps it is because Calgary is such a corporate city. The big petroleum producers have tremendous influence. Many people’s jobs depend on their success, so they figure that what is good for big oil is good for them. No need to think it through, just follow along. Corporations are also rigidly organized in a top-down fashion. Employees become used to thinking as the corporation would have them think. Questioning, resistance, spontaneity — in fact, any form of individuality is verboten. Better to think like everyone else.
Or perhaps our political culture is a remnant of our frontier culture – at least as portrayed in Hollywood movies, as we often confuse our real history with that of mythic westerns. We like to circle the wagons, protect ourselves from those annoying intruders who want to wreck our plans or worse yet, skin us or scalp us. No room for dissent when you have to circle the wagons – defense is the name of the game.
There’s also long been a sense among Calgarians that those darned easterners don’t give us our due; that they don’t recognize or acknowledge how truly smart, wealthy and influential we are. Sounds quite adolescent, like a teenager who constantly berates his parents because they don’t treat him like a grown-up. It is a theme played over and over again in the Stampede City. In fact, I would wager that most people in Calgary who voted for a clean slate of Harper Conservatives weren’t necessarily voting for Conservative policies – they just wanted their guy, a Calgarian, to sit in the prime minister’s office. Just as most Calgary Conservatives wanted a Calgarian – Jim Dinning – to take over the premier’s office.
Will we ever grow up as a city and welcome diversity, real democratic debate and discussion? Will we ever drop this need to be seen as all in agreement? As if dissension in the ranks is a weakness, something to be avoided at all costs. It may be in the military, or in a corporation, but as a society we need as many good ideas as possible. They need to be heard and discussed openly. Resistance to conventional thinking should be welcomed rather than ignored. Business leaders talk endlessly about the importance of innovation but they expect us to act like a herd of cattle when it comes to politics.
There are signs that we are changing. The departure of Ralph Klein from public life has made a tremendous difference to the political dynamic. People seem to feel freer to say what they want. Whether it was fierce loyalty, or fear, that kept them quiet, they are quiet no longer. Who could have imagined even a year ago that Mayor Dave Bronconnier would have been so openly critical of the provincial government? He got political, used the power he has to wield influence with another level of government, and he did it all in public – speeches, letters to taxpayers and media scrums. In any other city in Canada it would be considered politics as usual. But in Calgary it’s almost revolutionary.
The results of the byelection in Calgary Elbow are another encouraging sign. It’s true that a lot of Conservative voters just stayed home so Liberal voters were able to elect their guy. However, that in itself is worth noting in a city as Conservative as Calgary. If Conservatives didn’t feel motivated to get out and vote Conservative, as they usually do, then maybe, just maybe, they are slowly shucking old habits.
And then there are all the other people speaking out — yelling out — about punishing rent increases, lack of housing, terrible traffic and infrastructure that simply isn’t adequate for a city this size. That’s resistance to the status quo, and resistance is often the first step towards new ideas and concrete suggestions about how things could be made better. Calgary may grow up after all.
Gillian Steward is the publisher of Alberta Views. |
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