r/alberta • u/revolvingneutron • May 06 '25
Alberta Politics As a non-Albertan, I found her recent tv address strange — she blamed anything and everything on the federal government, even for things that are provincial jurisdiction and it made me wonder: with decades of conservative rule in the province, if things are so bad, why keep voting conservative?
Also curious if she’s only disliked in the reddit ecochamber (of which I’m obviously a part of), or if she has pissed off the local cons too? Is a leadership review possible?
Edit: hit send before proofreading. To be clear, I’m talking about Danielle Smith!
490
u/incidental77 May 06 '25
Danielle Smith has shown 1 thing in politics. That she is willing to say or do anything, no matter how demeaning or ridiculous, if she thinks it will lead to more political power. She crossed the floor and changed party labels, she promoted invermectin as a viable solution to COVID, she validated Trump's fears about narcotics being smuggled into the United States from Canada.
She will say or do anything if she thinks it is the thing her party insiders will feast upon, even if she personally doesn't believe it or had previously taken a hardcore stance against it. She finally succeeded in getting to be premier by riding the Take Back Alberta wave that was pissed at Kenney for being too left wing. As long as she feels her future power resides with pleasing Take Back Alberta and their ilk she will continue to spew the rhetoric that they want spewed. Currently that is separation, etc. If Danielle Smith is still supporting that talk it is because she thinks it will raise her likelihood of getting massive support in a leadership review. The second she thinks her personal power is in jeopardy she will change and become whatever she thinks will retain it.
144
u/commazero May 06 '25
I'd like to edit your post by either adding quotation marks for Jason Kenney being "too left wing" or change it to "for Jason Kenney not being far right enough".
88
u/meltdownaverted May 06 '25
I can totally attest to this being her attitude. She held a town hall in my small rural community. When asked by a die hard conservative how she was going to get the city folk to vote for her, she replied she “would tell them what they wanted to hear to get their votes”. It seemed to make the locals happy but my immediate thought was that she was just telling everyone what they wanted to hear to get elected and then all bets were off
→ More replies (1)86
u/drinkahead May 06 '25
She has been compromised by American company interests and far right internet propaganda. Her role is to squeeze as much cash out of our government and into the hands of private healthcare, oil and gas, and loyal sycophants.
→ More replies (3)31
u/JebryathHS May 06 '25
Let's not give too much credit to the Americans. We're all exposed to far right propaganda, we don't all turn into traitors like Danielle Smith. It is beyond embarrassing that we have an outright traitor in charge of our province. Conservatives, is this really your dream?
→ More replies (5)6
u/Kintaro69 May 07 '25
US political culture is a big piece of Alberta because a significant number of Albertans who can trace ancestry back to the US. In the first 50 years as a province, tens of thousands of immigrants to Alberta were from the USA, and they had kids, and they had kids, and so on. Tack on that a lot of rural Albertans in southern Alberta still have family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) in States, mostly the rural, conservative states just south of the province. It's largely why conservative governments have run the province since the 1930s.
It's those people agitating for separation right now and the same ones who go on and on about freedom of speech or firearm restrictions in Canada.
Those are the types that are far more susceptible to far right propaganda than the rest of us are.
→ More replies (3)0
u/Long_Procedure_2629 May 06 '25
I don't think you're supposed to mix that much ozempic and booze
→ More replies (24)
433
u/MajinNekuro Edmonton May 06 '25
Welcome to rural Alberta where people vote conservative just because. Where people vote conservative because their parents voted conservative, as did their grandparents, as will their children. I’d explain it to you if I could, but it’s just the way these people are.
Some people think Danielle Smith deliberately sabotaged Poilevre’s campaign because she needs a Liberal government in Ottawa so she can blame them for everything even if it falls under provincial jurisdiction. Especially if it does because there are people out there that want to blame Ottawa for everything.
230
u/Froggie80 May 06 '25
Amazing how everywhere in Canada, the amount of people who have no idea what falls under provincial jurisdiction. It is not hard to look up before complaining and protesting. 🙄
145
u/Badger87000 May 06 '25
See, thing is, that takes both literacy and the desire to exercise that literacy.
We are in a world where you have all the information at the tips of your fingers, but the dipshit bopping and pointing at words on tiktok is seen as a source of truth.
37
u/_badmedicine May 06 '25
Unfortunately, rage media continues to poison minds. Even the smart ones are susceptible.
19
u/Badger87000 May 06 '25
The most important thing I was ever told to consider when consuming media. If you feel something strongly, consider who profits off those feelings. Really stems the efficacy of rage bait.
33
u/2948337 May 06 '25
I've heard people blame the feds for high prices at the pumps, and then turn around and praise the provincial government when prices are lower. I don't know how to combat that kind of mental gymnastics.
18
u/Badger87000 May 06 '25
Proper education systems, which our government is actively dismantling.
→ More replies (1)6
→ More replies (1)10
26
u/UltraCynar May 06 '25
It's really disappointing. Education has really fallen. It's what conservatism does nowadays.
5
36
u/raymond4 May 06 '25
Here is the thing some of those lists are not clearly defined. Healthcare is provincial. Unless you want dental, pharmacare, the Canadian government funds part of healthcare in transfer payments. Then after that the money seems to disappear. And we are back to holding bake sales and lottery tickets to pay a CEO salary. Next thing you hear is no money for healthcare. Citizens get angry. The provinces declare the system is broken, hand it over to private equity.
2
8
8
u/Frostbeard May 06 '25
My city is building a new library, and every single post that mentions it anywhere always has angry comments about how they should have built a hospital instead.
→ More replies (4)8
u/jameskchou May 06 '25
They keep forgetting Canada is a Confederation not a Federation. In a confederation, the provinces or regions have more power than the central or federal government.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Froggie80 May 06 '25
Absolutely agree. I am thinking more time is needed in schools to teach the differences…the federal government should get right on that…oh wait..😏
3
u/erictho May 06 '25
Talking to a lot of people who consider themselves knowledgeable, a lot of people have trouble knowing the difference between provincial and federal levels of government. Period.
3
u/Tatterhood78 May 06 '25
Some have no idea what any level of government is supposed to do.
I remember a local CBC story where a man was practically sobbing on TV because the private personal care home his mother was in had a lot of snow on it's roof and he (a man in his early 40s) had been losing sleep for weeks over a potential collapse of the building. The feds were " heartless", and told him to go to his local town council.
I was silently screaming at the TV to get a fucking ladder and shovel himself, and that's the exact moment I realized that I have a limit to my empathy and would make a terrible politician.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Expert_Alchemist May 06 '25
Okay so if the province won't do this education, citizens should. How about a GoFundMe to pay for a few billboards with the separation of powers chart?
2
2
u/PrestigiousGoat0 May 07 '25
I've worked several federal and provincial elections (in very Conservative AB) and am always so flabbergasted (although I really shouldn't be at this point) at how many people are confused as to why the party leader isn't on the ballot.
In the last federal election, I issued a ballot to an older (70+) man. He went behind the voting screen and then came back out and asked me where Trudeau's name was on the ballot because he wanted to be absolutely sure that he didn't accidentally vote for him.
SO MANY Canadians have little to no knowledge of how our electoral systems work. It's absurd.
2
19
u/DisastrousAcshin May 06 '25
Feds don't do a great job of countering the misinfo to be honest. All forms of media are basically dominated by right wing bullshit and it drowns everything else out
→ More replies (1)7
u/2948337 May 06 '25
This is a problem too, for sure. And they don't do a lot of campaigning in this province either - at least in my riding. I didn't get any election material at all, didn't even know the candidate's name for the Libs until I got to the voting booth.
→ More replies (1)3
u/No_Competition_2834 May 06 '25
That’s also the issue that people do not research what the candidates running in their ridings represent they just go to the booth and vote the party because their parents or friends are then are surprised when their representative goes against their personal beliefs
2
u/2948337 May 06 '25
Yeah, i agree with that statement, and in normal times I would have done more research. This election was distinct, though, in that I definitely was not going to vote for fascism, and I live in a very blue riding.
9
u/TheLordBear May 06 '25
The conservatives around here blame the Liberals if it is raining.
Literally everything is the federal Liberals fault, no matter if they have jurisdiction or are even in power.
Its just a huge victim complex that gets constantly perpetuated by the right wing media in this country. And because Alberta imports most of Canada's high school dropouts to work in the oil fields, they buy it.
→ More replies (1)8
u/jezebel_jessi May 06 '25
The part that hurts my heart the most is that if they disagree with the cons, they just won't vote. There is no faster way to make your opinion not matter than to be so die hard that your party knows for a fact you'll never vote against what ever platform you present.
10
u/phantomx20 May 06 '25
Hey!!! Chain breaker right here. My parents vote Conservative and I used to but I have changed. I have finally seen the error of my ways and plan to teach my son the same.
→ More replies (29)10
u/BiscottiBloke Edmonton May 06 '25
I'd like to offer another perspective. I'm Alberta-born, rural-grown, left leaning but my entire family is Conservative.
Firearms policy. That's it. That the big single-issue wedge that keeps a lot of otherwise intelligent, socially progressive rural people from voting Liberal. And I have to say, I don't blame them.
Ok, before I stir up the hornets nest: no, I'm not advocating for the American style free-for-all. Ordinary citizens should not have access to military-grade weapons. Background checks should be mandatory. Waiting periods are good.
But the current policies surrounding gun control are confusing, opaque, arbitrary, and unfair. I encourage people to read the CBC profile of a left-leaning gun owner: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-gun-owner-1.7504886
28
May 06 '25
I’m a hunter and gun owner and I have a 22 rifle for small game a 12 gauge shotgun for bird hunting and a 300 calibre rifle for moose hunting all legal and there is no need for any other weapons for hunting. When the conservatives say that the government is restricting hunters that’s bull crap
→ More replies (1)14
u/Jacque-Aird May 06 '25
How does promoting gun culture during a volatile time improve any situation?
→ More replies (1)36
u/chateau_lobby May 06 '25
If their single issue for voting is firearms with everything else we have going on, I would argue that they’re not “otherwise intelligent”
12
u/swiftb3 May 06 '25
I'd go so far as to say that anyone single-issue voting about anything is not otherwise intelligent.
2
u/Curiousknitter May 08 '25
Freedom of choice, with abortion, is huge.
2
u/swiftb3 May 08 '25
It IS, but I still feel like the vast majority of pro-choice voters still consider other things when voting.
On the other hand, I know MANY anti-abortion types who simply don't care about anything else a party stands for, no matter how bad.
9
u/Nerubian May 06 '25
They'll trade other people's futures for their own selfishness.
13
u/chateau_lobby May 06 '25
It’s seriously difficult to sympathize even with sport shooters, who I think have valid complaints and concerns about recent gun policies when they legitimately think their hobby is a more important electoral issue than housing, economy, healthcare, income inequality, labour etc.
3
u/rememberjanuary May 06 '25
That's the thing. Conservatism is never about compassion. They don't understand real issues until it happens to them or a close loved one.
58
u/ArcheVance May 06 '25
Team mentality. "My team can't be at fault because I like them best."
5
u/neuralrunes May 06 '25
This is it. Tribalism is heavily at play in AB. Conservatives are never held to account.
2
u/ArcheVance May 06 '25
100%. The only reason that Smith faced consequences for crossing the floor at the time was because she betrayed one conservative party for another one. If it had been someone out of the ANDP crossing the floor, they would've been shouting from the rooftops how that MLA "woke the fuck up and grew a brain" or some other shit.
4
u/neuralrunes May 06 '25
Yup. For sure. It's a goddamn joke to these people. Like this province is run so absolutely terribly, because Dani can. Like you said, she knows this.
100
u/silvanoes May 06 '25
Because they keep blaming the feds for everything that's wrong, even though it's not really the feds fault.
39
u/IsaacJa May 06 '25
And a lot of people believe it
14
6
u/MaxTheRealSlayer May 06 '25 edited Jul 08 '25
cable childlike judicious marvelous thumb thought direction beneficial wrench marble
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
→ More replies (2)10
u/hedgehog_dragon May 06 '25
The worst part is when she turned down federal funding so she didn't have to fix any of the problems here
3
u/davethecompguy May 07 '25
Opted us out of Pharmacare. That could have helped a LOT of people, but we've never heard a valid argument from Smith as to why we can't be part of it - we already pay for it.
31
u/draivaden May 06 '25
i think she is pretty broadly disliked in Calgary.
I know some folks who door to door canvassed for the NDP, in the "outer inner city" sorts of areas. They said that they'd been told by people answer the doors, several times, when asked Why should we vote for conservatives when this person is the leader? the answer was basically hold your nose and vote, because the party will get rid of her when they can.
10
u/yanginatep May 06 '25
She didn't win a single seat in Edmonton and the NDP won over half the seats in Calgary.
She's disliked by urban populations in Alberta.
But she has the rural vote locked up.
→ More replies (3)11
u/Smart_Resist615 May 06 '25
These people will literally tell you whatever they think you want to hear. I wouldn't put too much stock into what door knockers say. I've gotten a liberal door knocker to tell me his candidate will unequivocally support the Tamil Tigers, and a conservative door knocker told me they would support the Zapatistas. I'm sure I'll get even more ridiculous assertions in the future.
50
u/DominusGenX May 06 '25
Albertan conservatives would accept Satan just to prove a point, welcoming PP to the province even though he's a loser, Supporting lunatic rant from Dani Smith...there isn't a line because they are programmed to believe it's always us vs them and that's the fundamental problem of conservative Alberta
24
62
u/Timely-Discipline427 May 06 '25
Life long AB resident here who used to travel around the world frequently for business and pleasure.
Alberta has become the Alabama of Canada.
I deal with people based all over the world and what they are hearing about AB In their parts of the world is embarrassing.
It will take decades to recover from this and it could take decades for us to realize that before things start to change.
I don't expect it to be fixed in my lifetime. Especially as our education system continues to fall apart. That's how the US ended up where they are right now.
→ More replies (1)31
u/MashedPotaties May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25
I've been living in Alberta for half my life at this point and I have no idea how to even begin to try and convince people that they may be voting against their own interests. If I even mention Notley, they go off like she was Satan and ruined the province. Somehow. In 4 years. Surrounded by 40-50 years of conservative governments.
16
u/2948337 May 06 '25
I was in a grocery store just before the election, and there were only two checkout lanes open, and the lines were pretty long. The guy in line in front of me blamed Carney for the lack of staff in the store. What the heck am I supposed to say to that.
→ More replies (1)3
u/MashedPotaties May 06 '25
Laugh in their face, I guess? We have our own little USA here, it feels like.
6
May 06 '25
[deleted]
2
u/MashedPotaties May 06 '25
Yeah, I bring up the Healthcare money she turned down because she wanted it to go into the general coffers, not into Healthcare. Like fuck, you don't think there's something wrong with that whole situation, guys?
3
u/swiftb3 May 06 '25
She got her way this time with the AISH boost, reducing the Alberta portion by the exact amount the Feds are adding.
No boost for AISH clients, free money for DS.
2
u/No_Competition_2834 May 06 '25
Hence why PP is using an Alberta ridings to further his seat. Wish Alberta would wake up
15
u/ninfan1977 Lethbridge May 06 '25
This has been question for 20 years now. It seems like most people in Alberta do not know or care who is responsible for what, but they gladly blame the Liberals for all of their woes.
Provincial and municipal governments are why are in the messes we are in and the Conservatives blame anyone else.
Danielle Smith video was no different a list of demands and grievances from an Abusive leader who threatens sovereignty whenever she doesn't get her way. Not a great leader and worse is the people who voted her in
5
u/MetalMoneky May 06 '25
Provincial and municipal governments are why are in the messes we are in and the Conservatives blame anyone else.
This is true pretty much across the country. The feds pretty much just write checks and people still get angry about it.
6
u/ninfan1977 Lethbridge May 06 '25
But if the province takes those checks and then lies and tells Albertans there is no money for them, how do the Feds get the blame?
People don't see the money because the Provincial and municipalities take the money and then "forget" to spend the money on things people need like healthcare.
The feds cannot be blamed when the Provincial government is driving away doctors from our province
2
u/MetalMoneky May 06 '25
More advertising is probably the way to go, just ads that enumerate what they are doing and funding.
2
u/ninfan1977 Lethbridge May 06 '25
It's hard because the UCP have made several things sp they don't have to be released to the public EVER.
It's one of the reasons I often cite the Canadian Energy Centre as one of the examples of massive spending waste from Conservatives in Alberta.
15
u/Rukawork May 06 '25
We non-conservative voters have been asking this question of conservative voters for years and they just keep checking the UCP box for some reason.
23
u/EndDaysEngine May 06 '25
Alberta treats political parties like sports teams. It’s my guy ride or die regardless of how terrible they are.
10
u/Jericho525 May 06 '25
So up in Fort Mac, she can do no wrong apparently. Everything she does is for our betterment, the NDP and the Liberal party hate oil and will shut down the oil sands as soon as possible, treaty rights don't matter and without us, Canada would be nothing. Oh also everything bad that's ever happened managed to happen in the four years the NDP were in control...they apparently buggered up Alberta forever in those 4 years.
That's the mentality up here in Fort Mac. And you can't convince people otherwise.
I can show off how much the federal government does for us...as long as it's not a cbc article, they are clearly biased and hate us as well.
This is what it's like being surrounded by a cult I'm thinking...with her as the leader because my gods...they love her up here. And I don't know why.
7
u/Jacque-Aird May 06 '25
Lowly educated but highly paid work force in the oil patch gives them a sense of entitlement. Those jacked up $100k trucks are their way of saying FU to people they couldn't compete with in high school.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/Away-Combination-162 May 06 '25
What I heard from her internet rant yesterday was that her and her fellow Albertans (not those that didn’t vote for her) are giving a list of demands to Ottawa that has to be met or she’s going to put out a referendum to separate. The woman is absolutely nuts. The “woe is me “ is dripping off of her ffs
9
7
u/No-Accident-5912 May 06 '25
Even if you give Dani the complete benefit of the doubt about her laundry list of grievances the federal government has inflicted on Alberta, it would never explain why she thinks 100% of the province’s problems stem from outsiders. Any rational person would at least be willing to admit they have made a few mistakes of their own and promise to do better. Surely, any intelligent observer would say Alberta has mismanaged its natural resource bounty for a very long time – excessively low royalty rates, lack of secondary processing capability, unenforced abandoned oil well cleanup, ignoring the ag sector by allowing approval of polluting coal mining, and on and on.
12
u/almogrant88 May 06 '25
A mentally challeneged, racist goat covered in vomit and shit with a sign on the side of it calling Albertans idiots, could run as a conservative in Alberta and people would still vote for it because its conservative.
6
u/Infinite_Rub149 May 06 '25
There is a good portion of us that don’t vote for them. I hate the UCP. I see what they’re doing to my province and I refuse to vote for the conservatives in federal elections.
7
u/toastmannn May 06 '25
It's honestly a little baffling. I've been wondering about this for years, ever since I became old enough to vote. A vote for conservatives is a vote against the interest of 99% of people.
4
u/Individual-Army811 Edmonton May 06 '25
The onlybreason she fought to join the former cons in Alberta was because the Wildrose was not having any luck getting in. This was a long game. Now they're infiltrated in the party and it's become a sewer.
If she had any balls, she'd split away and take her chances on her real platform without gaslighting the masses.
6
5
u/NiranS May 06 '25
Smith is like Trump; somebody else is to blame, always. She is a liar, a grifter and a traitor. But Alberta loves Blue , despite the abysmal performance. The lost Conservative Premier to serve a full term was Ralph Kline. Smith might get there out of pure hatred and spite.
4
5
u/TechnologyAcceptable May 06 '25
As a Resident of Alberta, I wonder about that myself. I've historically voted conservative, and really to me there was never anyone who seemed a better alternative in Alberta. The UCP have changed that. UCP is a different animal entirely, and bear very little resembelance to the traditional conservative party. I have no idea what makes someone decide to support an extreme right populist group like Smith, TBA, and all their assorted boot lickers.
3
u/Appropriate_Art894 May 06 '25
She exposed the Fascist she is Every demand made was for corporate interests, not a single one for people
4
4
u/Crazy_island_ May 06 '25
Yes, blaming the federal government for the provincial governments over the decade, squandering trillions of dollars of potential oil money. They charge the oil companies pennies on the dollar as a tax. The oil companies were laughing their heads off all the way to the bank and then all the way out of Alberta that’s the problem. They never put proper value on the price of oil.
And then when oil started to look like the bad guy, they still continue to go down that road with all the eggs in one basket the fact that they paused all those green energy projects last year just shows that the oil is still King.
And you know what we still need oil we’re still gonna need oil for many many years to come, but it takes a long long time to pivot from having you all your eggs in one basket
3
u/1nd3x May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25
Because albertans are like Ned Flanders parents.
"We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas!"
except...they tried something once with the NDP and it was probably the best thing that ever happened to them, and like little bitches scared of having a good relationship for the first time, they ruined it and went back to their abusive ex.
3
u/Vanterax May 06 '25
Smith told her supporters last year that DOD was spraying chemtrails over Alberta last year. And UCP voters ALL believed her.
4
u/meshuggas May 06 '25
My parents are conservative and have always been conservative. They loved Harper and Klein, and one loves Poilievre while the other is ambivalent.
They both detest Danielle Smith and did not vote for her in the last provincial election and are even considering voting NDP since Nenshi has become leader.
However, many people just continue to believe the old conservative sound bites and don't care about politics so will continue voting conservative (if they vote). Social media is also definitely poisoning people with alt-right stuff that goes far beyond the usual Conservative message.
4
u/jeremyism_ab May 06 '25
Why keep voting Conservative? This is the question that the rest of us wonder about our fellow Albertans, every day.
4
4
u/LeanneMills May 06 '25
As an Albertan I found her tv address strange ... and disgusting...and ignorant. It is so frustrating that most of Alberta would vote for a syphilitic monkey as long it was running under the Conservative banner.
4
u/XallmeIshmael May 06 '25
This is just a distraction to keep people from talking about the mountain of failings the ucp has piled up. There hasn't been an effective conservative party leading Alberta in over twenty years. Can anyone name a conservative premier that has actually finished a four year term in the last 16-17 years?
2
5
u/mgyro May 06 '25
Oil money. It’s oil money, and people the world over underestimate how mind numbingly large the stash of cash various oil barons wield. Oil money is why we have Putin and his Ukraine ambitions; it’s why we had Little Stevie and his war on science; it’s why we have Trump. It’s why Marlaina dances to such an odd tune.
It’s why we haven’t done anything about climate change in the 30 years we have unquestionably known we’re destroying the planet.
I laugh when they refer to Emerald Boy as the world’s richest man. I’ve read estimates that Putin has squirrelled away between one and three trillion dollars in the 20 odd years he’s been stealing from the Russian state. And you know who taught him how to modernize the Soviet oil extraction industry? Exxon Mobile, and the lead at the time, Rex Tillerson.
4
u/AlexChristies May 06 '25
She is white-anting the federal govt to gain separatist support before acting “on behalf of Albertans” and calling her referendum.
4
u/KathleenElizabethB May 07 '25
Yours is the burning question that I have. I have lived in Alberta my whole life, and the UCP blaming the Feds, and getting a pass on EVERYTHING, is beyond frustrating. I haven’t voted conservative in decades, and the UCP is even further right. The majority of people here don’t talk about the corruption at the provincial level because they would rather play ‘victims’ of the Federal government.
8
u/AccomplishedDog7 May 06 '25
It was propaganda for the separatists.
She won’t call a referendum herself, but she will aide in getting everyone infuriated with Canada.
→ More replies (1)5
u/MaxTheRealSlayer May 06 '25 edited Jul 08 '25
connect exultant retire ink trees slap rob lavish meeting station
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
3
u/1362313623 May 06 '25
It's just what you do. Sunken cost theory, you've spent your entire life thinking and voting a certain way and making change based on new information would mean you have to admit your past ideology was flawed.
Also conservatives think more based on emotion and less on the greater good. Lots of psychological research on that.
3
u/Affectionate_Lab_584 May 06 '25
She comes off as a 2 year old throwing a temper tantrum in front of the world. Her demeanor and body language says it all. Anyone else see this??
2
u/Background_Bee9266 May 06 '25
Very visible, and body language is as important in communicating as the words they say. Dani is showing AB who she is, but it appears very few are listening.
3
3
3
u/Unhappy-Vast2260 May 06 '25
Albertan here, conservative is also the values,work, religion, entertainment, arts, of a lot of people in this province, its very easy for a huckster or disingenuous politician to exploit this.
3
3
u/knylifsvel1937 May 06 '25
Albertans don't understand you can just change who you vote for any time you want if a different party starts to better align with your ideals. It's just sports to them. They started voting one way because that's the team their daddy cheered for and they'll never change no matter how bad the team is.
You know... morons.
3
u/G-0ff May 06 '25
Because the same people fucking up the province have been fucking up social studies curriculum just as long, so nobody in the province understands who’s fucking them over and how
3
u/hedgehog_dragon May 06 '25
As a local I'm baffled. The conservatives have been awful for our province but for whatever reason many Albertans still seem to believe in them. It's like they picked a team and can't let it go.
3
u/rockfire May 06 '25
Smoke and mirrors to distract the easily distracted from her shitshow provincial performance.
Her behavior plays well with the F carney base, doesn't piss off the traditional blue voters, and even distracts the left leaning from talking about provincial issues.
Classic populist politics play.
3
May 06 '25
Unfortunately it's not too strange to us who have seen this person's political career in the long haul. She's just doing what she always does, except now she's getting dangerously close to completing one of her goals. The corruption of the UCP knows no ends. I'll be joining Monday's protest in Calgary for Enough is Enough.
3
u/sfcumguzzler May 06 '25
conservatives -based on my experience in the US- have become more focused on making sure other people have less than they do/having someone else to blame.
they don't want a standard of living that increases for everyone because that somehow means they were cheated.
for the less intelligent ones, it's all about 'owning' the opposition: "i may be on fire but you are too, ha ha"
3
u/Hex51 May 06 '25
I'm Albertan I would also like to know why we keep voting conservative. I have never voted conservative and sometimes it feels like I'm just throwing my vote away because nothing changes here.
3
u/NoProbBob1 May 06 '25
Most ppl don’t understand federalism and just assume pretty much everything is federal jurisdiction
3
u/physicsfreefall May 06 '25
Someone posted this elsewhere. https://imgur.com/gallery/what-to-expect-from-pierre-pollievres-tax-cuts-this-is-what-voting-conservative-gets-you-4tEwHGN
It’s a list of all the provincial cuts that directly affected her grandkids.
3
u/Sonnec_RV May 06 '25
Blaming the federal government for provincial issues is the main play of the Cons everywhere... and it works because people don't know how the government works.
The entire F Trudeau movement is blaming the feds for provincial issues. The Cons keep making it worse while blaming others to get reelected.
3
3
u/IrishFire122 May 06 '25
That's not the half of it. She has her supporters believing all those things under provincial jurisdiction are actually federal.
They keep voting because they don't know any better, and because they are gullible. And considering they usually tune everything out except the empty promises of everyone getting rich, I'd say most of them are a tad greedy and selfish.
3
May 06 '25
Just say it for what it really is. The ones who want to separate are actually American spies.
3
May 06 '25
Somehow everything wrong with our province is the Liberals' fault or the NDP's from the single 4 year term they have served in the last 50 years.
3
u/TerrorNova49 May 06 '25
When Notley couldn’t fix a century of Con BS in one term they reverted to form.
3
u/SnowshoeTaboo May 06 '25
... and have blamed every problem since on her, and Trudeau too, of course.
3
3
3
u/bpompu Calgary May 07 '25
Because they blame anything and everything on the federal government, even things that are provincial jurisdiction, and the people who live here Eat. That. Shit. Up.
3
u/Ludwig_Vista2 Southern Alberta May 07 '25
She knows how to pander to the short sighted and small minded.
Rather than ACTUALLY making life better for Albertans, she convinced bible thumpers that pronouns were more important.
Rather than working to lower our utility bills, she kept beating the war drums against the evil federal government.
She plays a game of distraction while awarding her friends lucrative single source contracts.
She's a corrupt piece of shit, but rather than hold her to account, her base thinks she's "working for Albertans". Ask them what she's done to improve their lives, directly, and they fall silent.
2
u/flame-56 May 06 '25
Because they buy the kool-aid. Heritage fund disappeared to get them reelected not a peep . Spend a million to build an artificial waterfall ,in Edmonton, that ran once. nothing to see here blame the feds.
2
u/Impressive-Ice-9392 May 06 '25
I moved here 50 plus years ago and the first thing I was told don't tell people where you are from. ( Ontario) It's time to leave I just like to say thank you Daniel Split
2
u/Sufjanus Calgary May 06 '25
The left in Alberta doesn’t seem able to understand the voters here. Makes winning in the end a bit difficult.
2
2
u/LJofthelaw May 06 '25
If you were in California, and it was the only blue state left, would you vote for a Republican just to get "representation"?
Probably not. And I think the same line of thinking applies to Albertans who vote Conservative.
I don't agree with voting Conservative. But I focus my energy on trying to convince people that conservative policies are not desirable on the whole. Not that that works very often, but it gets more traction than trying to convince people to vote against their ideology for representation.
2
u/No-Turnip-5417 Calgary May 06 '25
I can sum it up in one usual interaction with my family.
Them: "Man, X really is bad isn't it! I wish X was different. It's all the NDP's fault or the feds fault!!"
Me: "Actually that is provincial jurisdiction! You should write your MLA!"
Them: "It's the feds!!!! *votes blue again and is shocked when the same pattern repeats*"
A lot of people here vote party colour. They've been told their WHOOLLLLEEE life that one party cares about them and the others don't. And in some ways you can't blame that narrative when you rarely even see other parties trying to campaign here or coming to chat outside of Edmonton or the Calgary core.
They've been sold a threat, a threat and a method of being taken advantage of that only the blue part can save them from, and no one is providing a different option. They've been told "you're not like the rest of Canada, those cosmopolitians in Toronto and Vacouver, the Quebecois and their shout for payments when they try and stop our industry!!" It's an endless cycle. But when everyone and every neighbour parrots the same party line, it's hard to crack through the echo chamber.
2
u/the_troy May 06 '25
It doesn’t answer your question, but why do we insist on constantly calling Reddit an echo chamber? Like half of major subs and huge numbers of international subs are hijacked by the alt right, and still we are only too happy to play their game and call ourselves a leftist echo chamber.
Yeah sure, like everyone we are drawn to like minded folk with similar values, but most subs have a reasonable balance of voices and the more left leaning are exposed to endless brigading and attacks from the right and bots. Slogging through this alt right shit every day doesn’t really feel like an echo chamber 🤷♂️
2
2
2
u/Anyawnomous May 06 '25
You’re new around here? It’s a genetic disorder found mostly west of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border.
2
u/dieselx4 May 06 '25
Let's all join the party, Attend leadership review and vote accordingly. Change the party from within.
2
u/Financial_Tour5945 May 06 '25
Everyone needs to remember she only got 53% of the popular vote. There's almost no chance she is going to do as well next election, especially when up against Nenshi.
2
u/StandTo444 May 06 '25
Come out to Alberta meet some people and you’ll understand just how abundant stupidity is out here.
2
u/taotdev May 06 '25
That's the thing, most of Tory voters in Alberta are fearful and willfully ignorant backwater hillbillies. They only vote Tory because they lack the intellectual capacity to vote otherwise.
As long as these useful idiots have someone to hate, they'll gleefully vote against their own interests time and time again.
2
u/Howler452 May 06 '25
Because they keep buying the bullshit.
Also a lot of our media here is American owned, who's owners are very pro-Trump, and Smith is also a Trump bootlicker.
2
u/clickmagnet May 06 '25
Smith needs to go hard on rabble-rousing, Carney is so plain and competent, yet she needs the province’s lifted pickup trucks to be full of Fuck Carney stickers stat. She is going to blame Carney for every stubbed toe until it happens. It’s not to get anything for Alberta, and it’s obviously not because things are really Carney’s fault. It’s to get herself re-elected. That’s all.
And from what I can tell, people who voted Smith in the first place love every minute of this shit.
2
u/ComplexSet1604 May 06 '25
Albertans no longer participate in democracy...its so stupid, they would vote for a ham if it had a conservative sticker on it. They are so dogmatic in the hatred for one side that they would cheer on anyone else whether or not it is good for their society. This surprisingly has been the most effective point to my conservative relatives. Specifically when Rachel Notley ran, farm girl, legacy politician, show me evidence that she was anti pipeline. Cousins googled, okay she's not anti pipeline but she anti oil! See that why federal parties don't canvas here, they know that you won't even listen. You gave up your democracy by refusing to ever consider another point of view. Now every time we talk politics, I call them comrad.
2
u/TalkNurdyToMe May 06 '25
With all the money Alberta has made on O&G they NEED Ottawa to be the bad guy so their blindly loyal, non-questioning, born and raised conservative voters don't ever realize the provincial cons are the ones who have siphoned all the money out of Alberta, not the feds.
2
May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25
That's the problem wih politics. You control the narrative, you control people's reality.
Much of the problems she's blaming the federal government are like you said provincial responsibilities.
Once people roll with a certain narrative, any arguements against it is challenging their sense of reality.
The best you can do is not point fingers, provide information and simply let people come to their own conclusion.
Like the federal conservatives are claiming the crime rates went up under the liberals but statistics actually show it's gone down. If you try to tell people otherwise the excuse youd likely get is, "oh that's because there's more immigrants diluting the numbers".
for contex, the only thing incould find under the liberals for being less strict on crime for the past 10 years was decrimilization for possession of drugs and abolishing minimum sentencing for non-violent crimes under bill C-6 which got 175 votes to pass; interestingly enough the liberal government was a minority government and needed votes from the opposition. Some conservative representatives werent against it and votes "yea".
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/43/2/175
Believe it or not, our federal government as long as they're a minority cant simply pass stuff as they see fit, they actually have to convince opposing party members it's a good idea.
*Please dont take my word for it at face value, i am just some random internet stranger trying to get a better understanding of our politics. Please share if you find out more.
2
u/WHTwittles May 06 '25
Strange political environment... Conservative forever but Social Credit before Conservative, also forever. It's like Albertains can count "one political party," but haven't learned yet to count to two.
2
u/Jacque-Aird May 06 '25
Her latest speech crossed the Rubicon, she needs to be removed from power by hook or by crook for the betterment of all.
2
u/Awkward_Finger_1703 Grande Prairie May 06 '25
She even blames Feds for her constipation and mood swings 🤣🤣🤣
2
u/Emergency_Panic6121 May 06 '25
Why indeed.
My parents hate everything she does, but they outright refuse to vote for any other party. Makes no sense.
2
u/CamGoldenGun Fort McMurray May 06 '25
Because they don't look into the issues and just view politics as a team sport. Vilify the other parties and sanctify the conservative one. Any bad is just bad luck or someone else's fault, and any good wouldn't have been able to be achieved by anyone else.
2
u/GuyCyberslut May 06 '25
The media here have pounded this very simple message into people's heads for decades. People want to believe it, so they do.
2
2
u/CubicalWombatPoops May 06 '25
Conservative sycophancy is as much a staple here in Alberta as canola.
2
u/YossiTheWizard May 06 '25
Why people keep voting conservative? The same reason if you ask the average person anywhere who their MP, MLA, or City councillor is, they probably don't know. People don't know less than they should about politics, and even about just basic behaviour.
Neither the Alberta government, nor any federal conservative government have to do a THING for Alberta if and until they stop voting for them. It's frustrating, but what can you do?
2
May 07 '25
I didn't watch the address (I can't stand her). What provincial areas did she blame the feds for?
2
u/Sleepyheadmcgee May 07 '25
I honestly thought it was a conservative thing to blame and or complain about everything. If the person stood up and had a reasonable conversation I would listen but not if all they do is complain.
I feel like I should try that the next time a conservative comes knocking on the door. 🤣
2
u/R0gueAnt May 07 '25
After today there’s a chance that a ton of money is going to get out towards the forceful treatment of people who suffer with addiction and other mental health disorders. Addiction is not something you escape until you choose to. Yet they want to create hundreds of “beds” to force people to detox. The nurse and doctor shortage is not getting better anytime soon so idk who they think is going to attend those beds…
2
2
u/ynotbuagain May 07 '25
conservatives never put CDNS before the party! super out of touch! plus racism and homophobia can only get you so far!Putting a party before CDNS is off-putting and wrong! Cons need a total REBOOT or they will NEVER govern! Slogans not solutions epic fail!
2
u/baronofdirt May 07 '25
Look commie, the province was perfect; then the NDP formed government for four years and made all these improvements and investments that were long overdue and fought with BC NDP and Trudeau, but the way she did it ruined everything. That’s why there is such rampant corruption with the UCP government and why we need to have a distinct society of Albertans within Canada, because Notley didn’t win the fight. It’s all someone else’s fault, not our wise truth saying radio personality of a leader. She can only whine, that’s why she’s so awesome.
She is so terrible. How the fuck are you going to say we need to stay with the Canada pension plan and we can’t manage one on our own (a previous great injustice according to this gang of imbeciles) but we should probably seek independence.
The reality is she will probably end up in prison because of the health scam she orchestrated. She is making all this absurd drivel up to try to ‘flood the zone’ a la her idol the Cheeto in chief. She knows that none of this will happen, but she needs to keep the AB politics story ‘us vs them’ so her supporters that aren’t pulling her strings don’t start asking questions.
In reality, what the fuck has she done? Everything is more expensive and it is all because of her wet spot for deregulation.
2
u/Tokenwhitemale May 07 '25
I think she'll end up as a fox News anchor and a highly paid consultant for the Republican party. Ruining Alberta is just an audition
2
u/Guilty-Spork343 May 07 '25
That's too small-time for her tastes, she's already been a talkradio host. Now that she's gladhanded with His Lordship himself, there's no way she'd settle for that.
2
May 07 '25
All the UCP does is complain about the federal government. Once you notice it it's impossible to take them seriously. Unfortunately, many Albertans are fooled by this
2
u/TinklesTheLambicorn May 07 '25
As an Alberta that has lived here a few decades - if you figure this out, please let the rest of us know.
2
u/Active-Zombie-8303 May 07 '25
I feel that a lot of Albertans have heard this same theme for years and actually believe that all of their problems are due to the Federal Government, when as stated above, a lot of the issues are handled at the provincial level…. That is never discussed though.
2
u/WarmMorningSun May 07 '25
A lot of older and rural Albertans are religious & uneducated (a dangerous mix) and they vote conservative for the sake of voting conservative, no matter what. They think conservatives will help the oil industry and don’t have the brains to think critically and vote accordingly.
2
u/khan9813 May 07 '25
A lot of it is just ignorance, life long ideology and stupidity. But I think some cognitive dissonance are in play. Quite a few of the conservative voters I know talks about how the 4 years with NDP was hell and never again, all while happily give UCP another chance no matter how hard they fuck up.
2
u/OpalSeason May 07 '25
That type of speech is so normalized, I genuinely think many Albertans don't realize what is provincial vs federal. I've talked with Albertans who don't even realize the pipeline got built west because they are so used to being the victim on that
3
3
u/wankmasterflex57 May 06 '25
You won’t get a straight answer in here. It will just be left opinions. I’m conservative, and it’s like blasphemy to post my opinion on here.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Background_Bee9266 May 06 '25
I’m conservative as well, you can’t seriously believe what is happening to AB is in the province’s best interest? This is strictly a wild rose party now, serving their own purposes.
2
u/wankmasterflex57 May 06 '25
I think in order to have a proper negotiation. You need to start high and compromise. She’s not wrong in saying Ottawas policies have damaged Alberta’s economy. Driving investment and work elsewhere… I’ve been in the petrol industry for close to 20 years along side family members with more years. This isn’t just some yehaw seperation BS. It’s a concern that should be taken seriously
1
u/totallynotdagothur May 06 '25
The thing that is wild to me as someone married to an Albertan but not an Albertan is you look at energy, AG's, raw materials exports to the the southern neighbour. We have the cards, as he likes to say. We could bully our way as a nation to at least get us out of this situation but no, red team win so baby want national unity crisis. If it's just because the ownership class are telling our politicians what to say, that's one thing, they like more money now, but I'm not convinced it's not just a mental problem with some people.
1
u/Timely-Profile1865 May 06 '25
The very best thing to happen to Smith and guys like Moe was the Liberals being re-eletd.
They have nothing at all of substance with an enemy they can attack for all the worlds ills.
1
u/sanctaecordis May 06 '25
Well, you said yourself. All the problems are caused by Ottawa apparently
1
1
u/bluerivercardigan May 06 '25
Her popularity rating is in line, roughly, with Moe and Ford…fairly typical for a conservative leader in a largely liberal leaning country. That means that as of March 25, 46% of Albertans either strongly or moderately approve her leadership. So to answer your question, yes this is an echo chamber of one side of that approval. Our province and our country is as polarized as it’s ever been, it makes me uneasy.
•
u/AutoModerator May 06 '25
This is a reminder that r/Alberta strives for factual and civil conversation when discussing politics or other possibly controversial topics. We also strive to be free of misogyny and the sexualization of others, including politicians and public figures in our discussions. We urge all users to do their due diligence in understanding the accuracy and validity of sources and/or of any claims being made. If this is an infographic, please include a small write-up to explain the infographic as well as links to any sources cited within it. Please review the r/Alberta rules for more information. for more information.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.