Myth of a PC stronghold

Since the 1986 election and all seven that have followed, the Alberta Progressives Conservatives have averaged 50 per cent of votes cast. This, it would appear, makes them a “sure thing” to win the May 5 vote. The only bloc with similar support has been the nonvoting public — over those same eight elections, they have averaged virtually the same 50-per-cent support.

Political pundits will have you believe that non-voters support the various parties in the same proportion as those who actually vote. Thus nonvoters don’t need to vote, because nothing would change if they did.

If you haven’t heard much about the election, if you don’t know the issues, the choices and the policies of the parties, one thing is clear: The Prentice team has your vote. Your disinterest, your disillusionment, your belief that “politicians are all the same” are all just another check mark in their favour.

The idea that Alberta is an unbreakable Progressive Conservative stronghold is a myth. They have remained the governing party not because they have the support of the vast majority of eligible Alberta voters, but because they rely on the silence of those who would oppose them — your silence.

Stephen Pacarynuk, Edmonton