Genevieve Simms

I saw a T-shirt a few months back that had four photographs on the front: the faces of former Social Credit Premier Harry Strom and premier Ed Stelmach sat side by side; as did the faces of former premier Peter Lougheed and Liberal leader Kevin Taft. The implication being that we are about to experience 1971 all over again.

For those who weren’t even born when 1971 came along, or were too young to remember, 1971 was a pivotal year in Alberta. That’s when the opposition leader — Peter Lougheed — was elected premier of Alberta and the mighty Social Credit fell from grace after 36 years at the reins of government. As we all know, the Conservatives have held the reins ever since — for another 36 years and counting.

Perhaps it’s simply the 36th anniversary (again) that has a lot people talking about the return of 1971. However, there are other similarities that are causing a stir. Social Credit premier Harry Strom (Harry who?) was in office for less than three years when his government was defeated.

Strom was elected leader after the granddaddy of all Social Credit Premiers — Ernest Manning — retired. Manning rode a wave of popularity in the city and the country for many years — just like another former premier, Ralph Klein. A lot of people are thinking that Stelmach is the Conservative Party’s Strom — if you get my drift.

There is another factor. By the time 1971 rolled around, the Social Credit government had made lots of mistakes. It was also very accustomed to power. Being in power got the party everything it needed, so it didn’t focus as much as it should have on party organization and grassroots support — so it dried up and withered away. This is not a good thing come election time when you need a strong party-wide organization and lots of willing and able campaign volunteers.

Some people suggest that the Social Credit was defeated because its time was simply up. It was too rural at a time when Alberta’s cities were busy creating the new face of the province. And Social Credit was said to be old and fusty at a time when youth and freshness really counted. Remember, this was the time of the Kennedys, Pierre Trudeau, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc. The young, dashing Lougheed looked more in tune with the times, so people just naturally thought he would be the best bet and voted him in. At least that’s the conventional wisdom.

Hindsight tends to gloss over important truths. For starters, Social Credit had long held significant support in both urban and rural areas. The party was born in Calgary for heaven’s sake. And while we like to imagine that everyone was just so hip in those days that they naturally gravitated to a younger, fresher leader, that’s not exactly true either.

The defeat of the Social Credit was unexpected. It was a quiet campaign. There were no major policy debates. The Socreds pledged a lot of money for various programs and capital projects. No major media had predicted an upset and no academic study forecast it. Lougheed himself seemed stunned that his caucus had gone from six members to 49 in a matter of a few hours. Granted, polling techniques weren’t as sophisticated then as they are now, but it’s not a stretch to suggest that many people voted Conservative because they thought the province needed a stronger opposition — not an entirely new government.

Another important factor was that the Conservatives were well organized. They attracted strong, enthusiastic candidates and campaign volunteers in many constituencies. People were willing to go to bat for them even though they didn’t really expect that they would form the next government.

If there are any lessons to take from 1971, they could be summed up this way: people do tire of arrogant, lazy governments whose main priority is hanging on to power by any means. Voters enjoy giving them a kick in the butt through the ballot box. And once people forget about the loyalty they once had to a strong leader, the field opens up considerably. Strong local candidates who know local issues carry a lot more weight. And when people are feeling economically buoyant, as many Albertans do now, and as they did in 1971, they are more prepared to take chances with new faces, new policies.

And there’s another lesson — party funding and organization count for a lot when the election campaign kicks off. Knowing you can count on people to drive your voters to the polls is priceless. Then there’s the campaign itself. Election campaigns can be highly unpredictable and volatile — even in Alberta. Things happen, voters get engaged for all sorts of reasons.

Of course political parties can reinvent themselves over and over again — as Social Credit and the Alberta Conservatives did. However, political parties can also slip into power under the radar. Just as the Conservatives did in 1971.

Gillian Steward is a Calgary-based journalist who has covered Alberta politics since the Lougheed days.