Alberta Together taking a centrist approach
Political winds of change are blowing in Alberta, and many who are looking for options in the political centre heard Wednesday of a need for people to get involved and inspire public service.
“Democracy at its best is when there is choice,” said Katherine O’Neill, executive director of Alberta Together, at an evening meeting in Medicine Hat.
She says there has been a huge realignment since the 2015 provincial election, with Albertans looking at political parties with a fresh eye to see which one best represents them, said O’Neill.
“We have a very young population. We’ve had a huge influx of people come to this province in the last 10 years, and I think that has dramatically changed our province,” said O’Neill.
Alberta Together is a nonpartisan organization unaffiliated with any political party and will itself not become a political party, said O’Neill. There are organizations that promote the political right or left but there is a “gaping hole” in the centre, and that’s where Alberta Together fits.
“What I’m hearing from people is that they are tired of the polarization and the negativity in politics, really from left and right,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark, who spoke at the event. “Albertans are more balanced and they want something that better reflects that centrist view that most Albertans I think have.” The Alberta Party has plans to establish a local constituency association, and hopes to run a candidate in every riding for the next election.
The Liberal Party and the Alberta Party have had a more centrist position all along, but the political focus has been on the PC and Wildrose parties for some time, said Blake Pedersen, who was also at the event. A vote to take place later this month could see the end of the PC and Wildrose, and a new party established — the United Conservative Party. There are concerns the UCP may exclude its traditional “progressive” side and move further to the right politically.
Gerald Maser said he was at the event because he is not happy with anything political at the moment.
“I don’t know if this united deal will ever work,” said Maser, who will be surprised if the required majority vote to form the UCP is attained on July 20.
Whether Maser will feel politically comfortable in a “centrist” party is also not clear at this stage. He is not a fan of the Liberal party but was there to hear more about the Alberta Party platform.
Clark told the audience that courting the millennial vote would be very important, and to attract it the party needs a compelling climate plan.
Fiscally conservative and socially progressive are the “hard walls” of the Alberta Together organization, which aims to do research and help people figure out how they can contribute to the province politically, said O’Neill. The plan is for the group to continue its work beyond the next provincial election with policy ideas on aspects, such as taxation and health care, from a centrist position.
“I think you do need this bridge to kind of say, here’s what centrist is,” said O’Neill.