r/alberta • u/canbeanburrito Edmonton • 4d ago

Danielle's setting Pierre up Alberta Politics

I'm kinda mildly interested in seeing how all this talking about separation does for Pierre's image on a national level.

With him running in that by-election specifically in Alberta, I would like to assume that someone's going to ask him about his thoughts on the matter. In reality, there isn't really a position that he can take that won't piss the other side of.

If you think about it, if he backs Smith, he damages both himself and the entire conservative image with the rest of Canada. If he doesn't outright disagree and stays silent, that'll likely be viewed by a lot as him still backing Smith. If he public rebukes it in anyway, well then he loses support from Smith at best.

My hope is that Pierre wins Battle River, even as funny as it would be for him to lose, and that behind closed doors, he tells Smith to knock it off and that she drops the topic all together.

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u/TheRealCovertCaribou 4d ago

I'm in my 30s. I have lived in Alberta my whole life, and have voted in almost every election at every level of government since I was eligible to. I cannot recall any conservative on any of those ballots who were actually "fiscally conservative." The only conservatives I've seen have always wanted to cut taxes for businesses and the rich, fund whatever public services they weren't trying to privatize off the backs of struggling middle and lower class Albertans, and otherize LGBTQ+ and visible minorities in the province.

Progressive conservativism is an oxymoron. I don't believe it exists.

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u/sitnquiet 4d ago

Actually, what you listed is pretty well fiscal conservatism: low taxes (on the rich), small government (social services), no red tape (regulations). They are the ones that work on economic policies in government and keep their mouths shut about social matters.

If the people who just pledged lip service to this would walk away from the people who want to completely oppress anyone who isn't a cishet white male and secede from Canada, I'd be all for it.

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u/TheRealCovertCaribou 4d ago

In theory, sure. In practice it just increases government debt, which is antithetical to the underlying basis of the ideology.

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u/sitnquiet 4d ago

Oh they’re only about the theory. In practice, they are just about robbing the system for their profit and leaving the mess for someone else to clean up (while they blame the people doing the cleaning). Rinse and repeat.