Partisanship is poisoning Alberta's democracy

This column is an opinion by Andrew Roth, a factory worker who lives in Lethbridge. For more information about CBC's Alberta election 2023 opinion series, visit the My Priority home page.

In grade school, we were taught about government, politics and democracy. When a provincial election was announced, our teacher assigned us some weekend homework (ugh).

We had to ask our parents and other grownups who they would vote for, and why that person deserved their vote. Also if they knew their chosen party's platform.

Most people replied the same way:, "I am voting for XYZ, because I have always voted for XYZ, like my parents and grandparents. It's just who we vote for around here." 

Then, on the platform: "I don't exactly know, but I know party ABCD would be really bad for Alberta, because party XYZ told me so." 

Ingrained in Alberta

For 44 years, the conservative party ruled the political landscape of Alberta. Partisanship had decades to attach itself to Albertans' way of life until it became almost impossible to discard, like an old beloved car or a binder of 2002 mix CDs. 

As bad as things were when I was a kid, it's only gotten more bitter in my adult years. Now we seem to be going back and forth between Conservatives and New Democrats.  We have gotten to the point where some people would rather cheer on a house fire than help put it out, and only because they enjoy the particular colour of the flames.

I can't be the only Albertan to think this kind of blind voting allegiance is ridiculous. Partisanship is eroding the fundamentals of democracy. People are not making informed decisions at the ballot box. Instead of staying current on policies and politics, they rely on a version they are already predisposed to believe.

The issues are no longer important. Winning is.

For too many voters, it isn't about the individual candidate, or what the policies could be. It becomes about seeing the other side lose, to own them, and then deal with any potentially unfavourable political decisions the winner makes after. Like strip mining the eastern slopes of the Rockies, or cutting funding to essential services by the UCP. Or raising or creating new taxes that were not promised, or not consulting with farming communities before implementing legislation on farm workers by the NDP.

The UCP and NDP create apathy among potential voters by not playing to their own strengths. Instead they run attack ads to make us scared of the other side. If both sides only tell us what's bad about their opponent, then what makes either choice any good? 

I want to hear how they are going to help. Show us how to work together. Let's make partisan politics a thing of the past in Alberta. It can poison new and old voters. 

Partisanship has infected our conversations about environmental sustainability, social change and a medical pandemic. It causes hurt among family members when lines are drawn.

A way out?

Since no party is willing to put their differences aside and work together in the public's best interest, one can only hope for a third party to break through and for Alberta to elect a minority government. It could help start the process of our elected officials working together to represent all voices from multiple communities. Because a million people are smarter than one.

Collective efforts built this slice of prairie paradise. Moving forward with great ideas, great leaders, and people from all sides of the political spectrum is the only way forward.

Now I am not saying that we need to always get along, having differences of opinions is a great strength Albertans possess. Multiple viewpoints let us see things from many different angles. 

However, we need to remind ourselves that, just because we wouldn't invite someone we disagree with to our home for dinner, that shouldn't mean we want them to starve.

My Priority

What's the one thing that means the most to you in terms of the provincial election and why is that? We recruited over a dozen residents from across Alberta to answer that question.Read their opinion pieces as they're published at cbc.ca/opinionproject.

Keep in mind, these pieces should not be taken as endorsements of any particular political party by either the writers or the CBC. They are expressions of the writers' points of view, and a look at how those opinions came to be formed.