By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Living in British Columbia in this day and age we are a bit spoiled. Our politics, well functioning, have become almost humdrum. We’ve lost the kookiness we were famous for, you know, the old days when the Bennett clan ran the show, with ‘The Zalm’ taking over with his own unique clown show and of course, we can’t neglect to mention ‘Flying Phil’ Gaglardi. Our quirky political history pretty much began with the province’s second premier (1872-1874), Amor De Cosmos. He’s a whole story on his own.
We now generally elect fairly sensible, socially responsible politicians who do a fairly reasonable job balancing the various interests of our diverse society. If it appears I’m slightly hedging my bet, you are correct. Sensible skepticism.
And while you can’t please everyone all the time as the maxim states, B.C. really has enjoyed quite an extended period of decent governance. Yes, there have been hiccups and burps here and there – Harcourt, Campbell, Wilson and of course not forgetting Christy Clark – all had their share of indigestion-causing missteps. There is no shortage of problems facing the government today, but these are problems long in the making. How the current government moves on them will speak volumes about their capabilities.
But as a counter to the reasonably decent and efficacious government, we have in B.C., one need only look across the Rocky Mountains to Alberta where disgraced outgoing Premier Jason Kenny exemplifies pretty much everything that is wrong with politics. As just one example, his pandemic response will be textbook material on how not to handle a public health crisis for years to come.
It’s not completely his fault. There is a seriously odd vibe that runs through the Alberta body politic. Partly an outgrowth of rural conservatism, infused with a dash of Christian religiosity and topped off with a heady bullishness from the old days when oil seemed a never-ending resource.
It seems there’s never quite been a politician in Alberta the stature of Peter Lougheed, although I’m sure some would disagree. Certainly, I wouldn’t quibble over Ernest Manning.
But before I run out of precious column inches, the raison d’etre behind this week’s editorial was in fact news out of Edmonton. The Alberta legislature recently held an essay contest for women aged 17-25 titled ‘Her Vision Inspires’.
Led by the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, the idea was for entrants to detail their vision for the province and how they would make it a reality as members of the legislature. A panel of female UCP MLAs was to then judge the entries with the winning essays recently posted online.
And much to the shock and awe of many, the third-place winner was a scorcher . . . for all the wrong reasons.
Focusing on women’s ability to give birth the essay suggested rewarding Albertan women for their “reproductive service” with cash and medals for those that have multiple children. As the Globe & Mail pointed out, this uncomfortably echoed policies from Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union.
“While it is sadly popular nowadays to think that the world would be better off without humans, or that Albertan children are unnecessary as we can import foreigners to replace ourselves, this is a sickly mentality that amounts to a drive for cultural suicide,” the essay read.
Other nuggets of ‘wisdom’ in the essay included a statement of “biological reality” that “women are not exactly equal to men.”
The author also argued against encouraging women to enter traditionally male-dominated careers because it diminishes women’s role in the “preservation of our community, culture, and species.”
And for that wonderful little diatribe, she was awarded a $200 gift certificate.
Armstrong-Homeniuk of course backtracked faster than Wile E. Coyote while the rest of UCP caucus – in the midst of a leadership race to replace Kenny – largely opted for silence.
I haven’t quite figured out which part of the equation horrifies me the most: the fact a 17-25-year-old woman could actually hold these horrid views, or the fact this essay was reviewed by the all-women judging panel and actually awarded third prize.
And so it goes, just another day in Alberta politics I suppose. Seems they’re the kooky ones now.
I just hope the kookiness stays on their side of the Rockies.
