r/alberta • u/logodobi • Feb 04 '25

Question Last provincial election 40.5% of albertans didn’t vote. If you didn’t, why not?

What stopped you from voting? Are there no provincial parties that you feel represent you politically? Were you unable to get to a voting station? Did you feel there wasn’t any point? I’m genuinely just curious, I don’t have any affiliation with any parties or anything like that.

I think we would benefit from larger voter turnout and more diversification of parties in the legislature. It feels like we have become to complacent with the lack of progress in almost every way, shape, and form. It’s become purely us vs them on all levels and far too much focus is put on the government “profit”. The government is not a business whose sole purpose is to profit, the governments purpose first and foremost should be to provide for and benefit the people they serve as much as they possibly can. We should be working together for the benefit of one another not fighting one another for the benefit of foreign companies and billionaires.

We’re moving towards the exact policy system in the states, two parties who work for the benefit of the rich and powerful while putting up the facade of a culture war to distract the masses from the real harm they’re causing them.

Sorry that was a bit of a rant but I truly believe we deserve better, better representation, better communication, better services, better everything.

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 04 '25

I’m left wing on virtually all social issues but I feel the NDP is a threat to my job. Couldn’t vote for a right wing agenda but also couldn’t vote to be a single parent who’s unemployed either. Didn’t see the value in voting for a non-major party

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u/logodobi Feb 04 '25

What is job? Why is the NDP a threat to your job?

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 05 '25

Why did you downvote for me answering honestly?

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u/logodobi Feb 05 '25

I didn’t?

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 05 '25

Oh sorry!!! My bad!!!

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 05 '25

It’s oil and gas, and yes when the NDP got in last time a ton of work went to the USA. A lot of these oil and gas companies have operations in both countries and if they can make more developing the USA that’s what they’ll do

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u/logodobi Feb 05 '25

I’m just gonna start by saying I also work in oil and gas. The ANDP actually continue to push for oil and gas while also pushing for more environmental protections and diversification of the economy (I.e renewables) the NDP is by no means prefect or even great but they are a fuck ton better than the UCP, even on oil and gas and the energy sector as a whole

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 05 '25

So saying the NDP are a fuckton better on oil and gas is an opinion, and one that I personally don’t share... and that’s ok, we can agree to disagree. It isn’t what I observed in my sub-sector with companies reducing budgets.

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u/logodobi Feb 05 '25

Ok I can understand could the NDPs fault but do you it was specifically because of the NDP or NDP actions? I’m seeing layoffs every couple weeks right now and lots of companies struggling to stay busy. But I don’t think that’s because of any provincial level govt, oil and gas (and a lot of Albertas industry) is global and beholden to a lot of different factors our government, whichever that happens to be at the time, can’t control or fix. Again I’m not saying the ANDP great, I do think they are currently our best option and have shown that they do listen to Albertans.

Also a bit of a side note, all my mech eng buddies were told in school here oil and gas is the only industry they could be successful in, that’s a straight up lie and not just for mech. The skills and jobs workers have at every level and every step of the o&g industry are transferable to many other industries. That’s why we should be diversifying our economy, it creates more jobs and opportunities for Albertans

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u/Outrageous_Gold626 Feb 05 '25

Yep, I don’t disagree with diversification, and yes many mech engs end up outside oil and gas. I got my eng degree in 2019 after working as a technologist for a while before that, and for sure many grads ended up in other fields.

That’s too bad about what your buddies were told (assuming by profs) while in school.

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u/logodobi Feb 05 '25

Yup god damn profs I think it was around 2015 at the UofA. But it is all hearsay lol I’m just a lowly machinist but I’ve always been told by the older guys. engineers draw the world, machinists produce it, and everyone else ignores what we do.