The example of Toryism I most remember is the Government of Peter Lougheed that used funds from the Heritage Trust Fund to purchase grain hopper cars to help farmers get their grain to market. They had each car emblazoned with the Alberta flag & colours.
For me it's basically the entirety of the Provincial Parks system, which as a kid in the 80s was absolutely top notch. Unfortunately, as always in Alberta, supply has not kept up with demand and privatization of service delivery has been an absolute mixed bag. Some places great, others abysmal. And now to get a camp site at a convenient ish driving distance from Edmonton or Calgary for a weekends camping in the summer with friends requires more logistical planning than a trip to Disneyland.
Thank you for reminding us of what we have lost through this hard-right turn into extreme politics. Polarization in which the "winner" caters only to those who put them into power means we never really government that serves all the people. Us versus them. It's a sad state of affairs.
The last real Tories were the Lougheed PCs. This author's depictions and definitions squarely identify the problems Alberta and more broadly Canada face. When the community and social fabric become second to individual rights minus responsibility and favoritism over an egalitarian ideal, the game is lost. What we face in Alberta and much of the country is a movement away from communal good of all to individualism and in many cases examples of lightly veiled systems of fascism.
Great analysis. It captures perfectly what I’ve been trying to explain to friends and family that have “always voted conservative” in Alberta elections.
Does Toryism have a history in Alberta? It seems to be a Laurentian ideal derived from British tradition. The key difference between Alberta and other provinces is that it was homesteaded by people largely trying to escape their (often oppressive) traditions. That trend continues to this day as the province attracts newcomers looking to break into careers that were not possible in places from which they came, or increasingly to buy homes and afford lifestyles that weren't possible elsewhere.
Lougheed was more of a technocrat than a Tory. The returns on government investment in areas such as infrastructure, health and education were much more obvious when building on a smaller base. That changed in much of the developed world in the 70s as diminishing returns on government spending met with increased costs. Alberta was behind the curve as it developed much later. It hit diminishing returns in the mid 80s. Many forget that Lougheed's final term was mostly a disaster of over built infrastructure, underutilizd hospitals and failed industrial policy (ex. NovaTel).
This feels kind of like a “no true Scotsman” article. When was the last time “a few good Tories” were driving policy, Nationally or in the West? Twenty years? Thirty? Fourty?
The example of Toryism I most remember is the Government of Peter Lougheed that used funds from the Heritage Trust Fund to purchase grain hopper cars to help farmers get their grain to market. They had each car emblazoned with the Alberta flag & colours.
For me it's basically the entirety of the Provincial Parks system, which as a kid in the 80s was absolutely top notch. Unfortunately, as always in Alberta, supply has not kept up with demand and privatization of service delivery has been an absolute mixed bag. Some places great, others abysmal. And now to get a camp site at a convenient ish driving distance from Edmonton or Calgary for a weekends camping in the summer with friends requires more logistical planning than a trip to Disneyland.
Thank you for reminding us of what we have lost through this hard-right turn into extreme politics. Polarization in which the "winner" caters only to those who put them into power means we never really government that serves all the people. Us versus them. It's a sad state of affairs.
Where has Toryism disappeared to? And why? This is not Alberta's proudest moment - if it even survives the current regime.
The last real Tories were the Lougheed PCs. This author's depictions and definitions squarely identify the problems Alberta and more broadly Canada face. When the community and social fabric become second to individual rights minus responsibility and favoritism over an egalitarian ideal, the game is lost. What we face in Alberta and much of the country is a movement away from communal good of all to individualism and in many cases examples of lightly veiled systems of fascism.
Great analysis. It captures perfectly what I’ve been trying to explain to friends and family that have “always voted conservative” in Alberta elections.
Late to read this post...
Does Toryism have a history in Alberta? It seems to be a Laurentian ideal derived from British tradition. The key difference between Alberta and other provinces is that it was homesteaded by people largely trying to escape their (often oppressive) traditions. That trend continues to this day as the province attracts newcomers looking to break into careers that were not possible in places from which they came, or increasingly to buy homes and afford lifestyles that weren't possible elsewhere.
Lougheed was more of a technocrat than a Tory. The returns on government investment in areas such as infrastructure, health and education were much more obvious when building on a smaller base. That changed in much of the developed world in the 70s as diminishing returns on government spending met with increased costs. Alberta was behind the curve as it developed much later. It hit diminishing returns in the mid 80s. Many forget that Lougheed's final term was mostly a disaster of over built infrastructure, underutilizd hospitals and failed industrial policy (ex. NovaTel).
This feels kind of like a “no true Scotsman” article. When was the last time “a few good Tories” were driving policy, Nationally or in the West? Twenty years? Thirty? Fourty?
Did you use an AI image? What if people suspect you used AI to compose this article instead of writing your own thoughts.