Sorry folks, but encouraging Calgary lawyers to dress up in cowboy hats and Cuban heels like extras on the set of Yellowstone for 10 days every July does not a distinct society make.
What’s more, it’s about as close as Alberta’s going to get to a “distinct legal tradition,” too.
Yeah, Alberta’s United Conservative Party is suffering from péquiste envy again, a psychological condition that flares up whenever Liberals are in power in Ottawa, causing Albertans to try to persuade the rest of country that we’re culturally, linguistically, and now apparently even legally distinct, sort of like Quebec.
It’s often said here in Wild Rose Country – where the condition has now become chronic, thanks to the currently all-but-unelectable leadership of the federal Conservative Party – that Canada had better let us have our way, including all those pipelines we demand to every point of the compass, or … I dunno … maybe we’ll have a separation referendum.
Oh! Wait! It turns out we’re having a separation referendum anyway, but that hasn’t prevented another outbreak of PE, which is defined in polite circles, as an earnest CBC reporter explained it last year, as believing “that Alberta, like Quebec, does have a culture that’s distinct from the rest of Canada — one rooted in traditional conservative values.”
Since significant percentages of voters living in Alberta have supported anyone but Conservatives in the past several general elections – federal or provincial, take your pick – the latter part of this definition is a difficult proposition to argue. What’s more, it’s also pretty insulting to Conservative supporters elsewhere in Canada, who are entitled to ask, “What are we? Chopped liver?”
I mean, seriously, the national Conservative temper tantrum, which has been raging with particular intensity in Alberta and Saskatchewan ever since Justin Trudeau’s government was elected in 2015 and grew even more deranged after the unexpected election of Mark Carney’s Liberal government in April 2025, highlights almost a mirror image of the situation in Alberta.
Here, large numbers of non-Conservatives vote for anybody but the conservatives in federal and provincial elections, but nevertheless see their candidates lose most ridings, most of the time, especially at the federal level. The numbers tend to be particularly close in urban areas. And, yeah, it’s frustrating, but nevertheless it doesn’t seem to provoke either separation threats – YEGxit now! – or plots to form militias to overthrow the government, as seems to have become normal in nominally conservative circles.
The thought in the UCP strategic brain trust seems to be that all may be well if only we can persuade other Canadians we have a distinctly conservative society here in Alberta – where, according to some local political sages, you shouldn’t even be allowed to vote for the NDP or the Liberals!
This condition is exacerbated further by the inability of Alberta voters to figure out the success of their Quebec counterparts has something to do with Quebeckers’ innate ability to sniff the political winds and always elect at least a few MPs from the party that’s likely to form the government.
The problem with the distinct society notion in Alberta is that based on actual evidence, it’s preposterous. There simply is no evidence that Alberta is culturally different from the population of any other English-speaking Canadian province.
If majority of voters here oppose federal government policies influenced by urban voters in other parts of Canada (and quite a few right here in Alberta) that hardly constitutes a significant cultural difference. Indeed, it pretty much describes rural-suburban-urban voting patterns right across the country, arguably including Quebec.
The premise that Alberta is the redheaded stepchild of Confederation, perpetually mistreated by all, is demonstrably false. We remain the richest province in Confederation, supplier of several prime ministers, addicted to complaining about the makeup of the largely irrelevant Senate.
Now, piling absurdity upon absurdity, in an effort to argue that her government, Trump like, ought to be able to pack courts with its own judges, Premier Danielle Smith has taken to arguing in support of one of her ridiculous referendum questions that letting her party make the picks would ensure superior court judges “appropriately reflect Alberta’s distinct legal traditions.”
What are Alberta’s distinct legal traditions? Ms. Smith, perhaps wisely, seems not to have said. Government spokespeople have also dodged the question. Presumably in both cases that’s because there are none.
Yeah, civil law in Quebec is based on le Code Napoléon, while in the rest of Canada it is founded upon English Common Law. Criminal law is the same in both, as it has been since Confederation. That doesn’t make Alberta legal traditions distinct, no matter how much Ms. Smith wishes the law here were based on the Trumpian Code!
Perhaps it has struck the UCP brain trust and its separatist allies that it might be dangerous to admit that the only distinct Alberta legal traditions have been passed by the Alberta Legislature since Ms. Smith snatched the reins of the United Conservative Party from the failing hands of Jason Kenney. After all, in the fullness of time, the courts are likely to set much of that right, even if the political conditions remain unchanged in Alberta. And, regardless, four years isn’t long enough to establish a tradition, legal or cultural.
Which brings us to a final point. While Alberta clearly has neither a distinct culture nor a distinct legal code, there is an influential subculture here, which has crept across the longest undefended border in the world with greater virulence than in most other provinces.
To wit: MAGA. There is nothing distinctly Albertan or Canadian about the idea of Making America Great Again, though. On both sides of the border, it is a cultlike political subculture – or perhaps even a mental condition – that is entirely American in origin, direction, and unique destructiveness. It is characterized by a common ideology and subcultural practices, including its famous red hats, its own media networks, and a shared catalogue of grievances.
It is clearly being promoted in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada by agents of a foreign state – or perhaps several states, since some that do not live next door to us may also see value in its corrosive and divisive nature.
It would seem Alberta separatism – and perhaps now the UCP as well – is a foreign inspired, and likely foreign-funded, phenomenon. But culture and legal tradition have nothing to do with that.
I have seen what happened in Alberta. Avoid getting the proper oil royalty rates and proper corporate tax rates of Peter Lougheed. That’s already $725 billion in total that is gone. Saddle us with an orphan well mess cleanup cost that is $320 billion. Do other very pricey boondoogles that waste billions of dollars in total. Have public education, public healthcare, and social services budgets slashed, and expect Albertans to live with the results, even though many people sadly died from Ralph Klein’s healthcare cuts. People also sadly did from the UCP mismanaging public healthcare in Alberta. Privatize different things, making them less efficient, and more costlier, with worse outcomes. Deregulate utilities, making them the most expensive in Canada, and even in North America. Leave a roads and highways in such a decrepit state. Have a foolish assumption that oil booms remain. When that doesn’t happen, and the money isn’t there for anything important, blame Pierre Trudeau, Rachel Notley, Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh, Naheed Nenshi, Avi Lewis and Mark Carney. Have the conventional media go along with it, and never questioning the UCP and Danielle Smith for their epic boondoogles. Stoke the fires of separation, without even realizing what a foolish idea that is. Alaska and Norway have oil wealth that Alberta does not have. That’s what Peter Lougheed was intending to accomplish. Alas, it’s not there.
Concur.
I suppose there actually are distinct aspects to Alberta, wearing cowboy hats, no front licence plates and private liquor stores perhaps being amongst them. Although we could quibble about how significant they are and whether they are enough to advocate for a separate country. Also, interestingly, no one is stopping us from doing these and actually politicians from the east enthusiastically indulge our big annual summer rodeo event.
It could also be argued many other parts of Canada are unique too. Newfoundland for instance comes to mind as a place with a unique culture, but a language that is also similar to ours. However, in fairness to Napoleon (the fictional character, not the one whom the legal code is named for) some places are more distinct than others and language is a big part of that.
This is the part I feel the provincial grievance focused ones here do not quite get. Quebec wants a say in immigration so it can protect its language and ensure those who come there can speak it well enough to better integrate. They want judges who understand their civil law and language too. Yes it is an accommodation, but it makes sense and aligns with the historical approach to and make up of the country.
Yes a lot of southern Albertans came from the US, but then so too did a lot of people who originally settled southern Ontario, although the circumstances were different. So the culture in Alberta is a bit different, but Canada’s strength has been a flexibility to accommodate regional differences. Of course things are not perfect and problems sometimes arise, but the current PM who came from Alberta seems to understand this and is making the effort.
Lastly, many of us in this part of Alberta sometimes also look at the culture in other parts of Alberta and notice it is different than here. The eager separatists in Alberta may not notice or care to appreciate this, but if the country is divisible, then so is the province. I feel it is better not to go down this slippery slope, but instead continue to work things out without over emphasising our differences or grievances.
David, I diss-agree. We are different from the rest of Canada, because we love our big trucks and the bigger the better. We tow apartment buildings and trailers with our toys behind us and call it camping. We throw garbage out our truck windows, in order to keep Volker staff employed. We have the entitlement to strip Alberta of it’s resources and no one has the right to criticize us for doing it. We’re sensitive and ban books, that make us uncomfortable and we’re allergic to common sense and equality. We could run Canada, no problem at all, Canadians will just have to fall in line as expected. We are educated and we know better than most people from other parts of this country. So David, we are a distinct culture. (LOL!)
Too bad we can’t ban Fox News in Canada. That would solve a lot of problems. I’m tired of folks in my small town insisting they have Second Amendment rights and Freedom of Speech. They’re absolutely convinced of this because they watch Fox News. And only Fox News. No. Just – no.
FOX is pernicious. The Gospel of Hinterlanders.
DJC, as per your top photo, while the focus is on the cowboy hat, Ms. Smith is also calling out another Alberta accessory that is culturally distinct, the all important belt buckle (with the western themed bolo tie an added bonus).
I also echo your mention of so called ‘strategic voting’ when talking to fellow Canadians. To use a now familiar phrase, as some Albertans vote for Conservatives ‘Come H*ll or High Water’, the Conservative parties can take their votes for granted and ignore them (as many found out in Mr. Harper’s first term), and the Liberal/NDP parties can also ignore them as nothing they do will change the cosplay cowboys/cowgirls’ stubborn minds. Poker faced they ain’t. Kinda like MAGA in that regard.
Some that do not live next door to us may have agents working on corrosion and division? Sounds like conspiracy theory! The Carny Banker is literally an agent of international finance. He doesn’t try to hide it. He falls right in line promoting the US imperialist kooks in the Ukraine, Israel’s and the slave-holding Gulf petro-dictatorships. The Drumpf and his squad of grifters don’t make the policy that counts. That is left to the people who are around from one administration to the next, and that applies in a vassal state like Canada and a province like Alberta. Because this is all directed by private capital, Alberta, as a de-developing hydrocarbon property, is subject to political manipulations like the ridiculous divisions in the middle-east or Africa. Divide and conquer is the game of the Carney Banker’s outfit. It’s out in the open and it always has been. The far-right has had liberals behind it in every place one can name. Because liberals will take Danielle Smith over economic democracy eight days a week. One dollar, one vote.
Danielle Smith was Métis, Cherokee and now she wants to be a cowboy. What other make-believe costumes are in her Tickle Trunk — train engineer overalls, a
tsarina gown with a crown?
Abs: You’ll probably find some other ideas in the pages of Atlas Shrugged. DJC
I think Alberta’s distinct culture is white supremacy.
I registered to receive the referendumb ballot by mail, but now it has occurred to me that could it be possible that one could actually vote using a mail in ballot. and then perhaps vote in person as well? I would not put it past the UCP to allow this to happen. Also why am I a bit suspicious that perhaps not all mail in ballots will be counted, after all Canada Post at times can be somewhat unreliable, if you want it to be.
That might leave a record that one had voted twice? So one might get caught?
“Carney is literally an agent of international finance” dude is from EDMONTON. Either he’s punching above his weight, they shopped from the farm team or you’re seeing there there that I am not. If we cast aspersions at every banker that became a politician we may find ourselves out of bankers and politicians before too long. Carney is a classic liberal acting very much like a classic liberal who had a distinguished career in finance, he’s pulling on the levers he’s familiar with. I think it may be you who has the cognitive dissonance on this one, we’re a G7 country with a capitalist government and economy, why do you expect him to be different than he is ?
From where I’m sitting he’s still taking the question of our national sovereignty quite seriously, shudder to think what we would be seeing from the Millhouse administration.
It’s also really really odd to me that you would use an occasion when we are talking about something well documented, Yankee Doodle Dani and the rest of maple maga, and you start screaming about how carney is selling us out. Hello!?! Danielle is doing her level best to destroy the province, pull it out of confederation and sell it to the Americans, can we get some eyes on the ball please ?
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
Two issues I would like to address. Issue 1, why is Danielle Smith displaying such a large belt buckle? Is it hers?
Second, on more serious note, I would be very concerned if Alberta actually has “distinct legal traditions”. If the UCP legislation is anything to go by, it appears that Danielle Smith is working on creating a sort of dictatorship, with her as the head of course. For example, she wants to attack minorities , newcomers, and those with little agency including residents on AISH with the aim of ensuring that they live in perpetual poverty. Supervising what library users can read to suit the tastes of one person is not my idea of freedom. Intentionally destroying the public health care system instead of improving it, and moving towards making health care unaffordable for the ordinary person is also an inexcusable use of legislation and regulations. Telling police forces which legislation they may and may not enforce is is inappropriate
The idea of packing the judiciary with those likely to harbour dictatorial tendencies is not a “tradition” that I would like to see begun or perpetuated.
I am much happier to see an impartial judiciary which supports the Constitution and our freedom and democracy.
Christina: It’s a “Western” belt buckle, a gift for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who I cropped out of the royalty-free photo on the government’s “Alberta Newsroom” Flickr site. DJC
Speaking about cropping photos – that photo of Rath and what’s his name is downright creepy.
AA: Sylvestre. It was at the separatist rally last October. I couldn’t get any closer. There’s not much more to see in the full photo. DJC
Sir, as usual, I can not agree with you more. Why does the NDP have a perennial death wish? For this election term, they chose a man who is a political burnout. Just when the Cons, in all their manifestations, are vulnerable, the best the NDP can do is recycle Nenshi! There are hundreds of better, younger, more inspired, and energetic NDs out there. That is exactly what the ANDP must do. It is a basic tenet of electoral success. The ANDP owes Nenshi absolutely nothing. The ANDP has it within their grasp, but they will concoct some reasons to inflict martyrdom on Nenshi, and doom the party forever. This is their last chance.
TENET: Having been an NDP supporter for most (although not necessarily all) of my adult life, which in a few weeks will surpass three-quarters of a century, I can tell you that there is a strong intellectual stream in the party that prefers moral victories to the kind that count. That group and the leaders they prefer are always be happy to lose an election, as long as they can claim to occupy the moral high ground. NDP leaders like John Horgan and Gary Doer, who know how to win and want to, are rare in NDP circles. Mr. Nenshi, though, is something different – a leader who isn’t really a New Democrat at all and doesn’t really seem to understand the party or its core supporters at all. When Alberta New Democrats chose him, they were obviously having a what-was-I thinking? moment. Unfortunately, it culminated in a marriage of sorts, and that is not so easy to end. However, and here we do disagree, there are no last chances in politics. I’m expecting the Whigs to make a comeback any day now. DJC
Who dislikes a justice system that is set up to procure justice for all as far a possible?
Criminals dislike it, of course. Corrupt politicians don’t like it, but unlike many criminals, they may have the power to change how the justice system works in order to cover their own butts.
At least one cartoonist used to depict Rene Levesque as a French revolutionary wearing the phrygian cap with a tricolor cockade.
And some used to draw Lougheed in Arab clothing.
As for cowboy hats, I always liked Gene Whelan’s big green hat. It looked good on him even though he was from Ontario. Canadian culture.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/former-agriculture-minister-eugene-whelan-dead-at-88-1.1365656
My gawd! Do these separatists not have any relatives or friends from other provinces? Every province has it’s own identity in some way. That doesn’t make a distinct culture worthy of a separate country. The Alberta arrogance is unbelievable!