I asked 100 Albertans what matters to them in the election. It left me with a new outlook on politics

Getting out of her silver pickup at a south Calgary truck stop, Abby Stahl looked at me with skepticism.

CBC doesn't care about what I think, she said.

But we do. That's exactly why I was there, hanging out and approaching strangers on the windy asphalt. And we struck up a conversation.

During this campaign, I and other CBC journalists have been hitting the streets. We've interviewed more than 100 people at local gathering places — shops in Canmore, an Edmonton mall, the library in Red Deer, and other spots from truck stops to train stations.

We asked: What matters to you this election? And that question became a doorway to understand what's really going on in the lives of Albertans.

Many people were hesitant, worried politics have become too polarizing to talk about publicly, let alone on camera. Others spoke eagerly, as if happy to finally get a chance to share their views. It's my first time covering an election, and it's made me wonder if the heated nature of today's political debates means we sometimes fail to see people's humanity.

My biggest takeaway is that, despite divisions, Albertans really want to find a way to move forward together.   

Stahl decided to take a chance.

"COVID is my biggest issue — how we dealt with it and the economy," she said, once I turned on the camera.

Lockdowns hurt small businesses, and now inflation is making it even more difficult to pay the bills, she said, adding factors like the carbon tax are only making things more expensive. 

And it doesn't help when politicians slam each other with half truths, she added. Just because you want to support oil and gas doesn't mean you're against the environment.

"We are oil," she said. "We definitely need to be clean. Everyone wants this and we want to be better. It's not true to say we don't give a shit about the Earth. I want my kids to have a future."

We heard this a lot. People are worried about paying their bills or being able to access health care when they need it, worried about stable employment and safety from crime. Their preferred solutions might be different, but there was a similar anxiety.

At a Tim Hortons in Bowness, I met Betty Hendrickson, a retired teacher worried about health care, the quality of public education and climate change, especially for her children and grandchildren. 

It just doesn't feel like things are getting better anymore, she said.

"I hope they have the kind of life we had," she said. "We always could expect that life would get better for the next generation, but I don't see that. I'm greatly concerned that we've reached the pinnacle. What's going to happen to them in terms of income and their world?"

In many cases, a person's concern really came down to their family. Sometimes those concerns were really specific.

That's the case for Ana Conroy, whose daughter Avalee uses a wheelchair for mobility. She says Avalee has been on a waiting list for help addressing the chronic pain in her legs for years.

Standing outside the Calgary Zoo, Conroy said she'll vote for whoever can support her daughter because "there needs to be voices for kids with disabilities."

"I can't afford to look at the big picture," she said. "We're struggling for help."

For others, the concern is long term, such as keeping good land in farming.

That's what rancher and grain farmer Les Groeneveld wants the candidates to be talking about. I met him at the cattle auction in Strathmore. His neighbour is putting solar panels over farmland. 

"A lot of land is being taken out of production and being put into solar panels. That isn't food," he said. "That's what I think our land should be used for, producing food."

"I hope the farm carries on," he added. "You put your whole life into something and you hate to see it disappear."

Just down the highway, I set up the tripod in Siksika Nation. There, the conversation was still deeply personal but more about reconciliation and forgiveness. People said they want candidates to present a vision to help those struggling with addiction on Calgary streets, and to work through the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

Brandy Righthand said she wants stronger safety measures for children in foster care. 

"We have a problem with all these kids that have these addictions, that are going down a bad route. The people in authority are supposed to be listening to them, but they're not being heard," she said. "I just hope the children will be heard."

That word "hope" came up a lot; many Albertans are feeling discouraged. 

"I'm very disappointed with all the politicians," said Adriana Parans, who stopped to talk just before getting on the CTrain in downtown Calgary. "Maybe I don't want to vote for anybody, which is not helpful, but that's where my mind goes."

The election feels "Americanized" and dramatic, she said, blaming party leaders for sowing division.

"People are divided on issues and they're hostile," Parans added. "We can have different opinions. At the end of the day, we're still people, and we can still be kind to each other."

CBC journalists have been collecting this insight, sharing it with the rest of the news team and also sharing it with Albertans through our radio shows, online stories, TV and Instagram coverage. It's helping us understand what people are really focused on this election.

Heading into this project, I knew I'd hear certain themes: health care, education, the economy and leadership. I expected to find stark contrasts in beliefs, frustrated people with strong opinions.

But despite the attack ads and rhetoric from party leaders, on the ground, there was less polarization than I expected. There was complexity. Few people fell clearly to the left or right once we got to talking, and many felt that politically charged division was a problem, no matter their own leanings.

The chance to listen to the why behind these topics left me with a new outlook on politics. After dozens of these conversations, I'm thinking maybe we're not as divided as we feel.

What matters to you this election?

We're still listening. Submit your answer online, and if you'd like to share your experience directly with other Albertans, record your own one-minute video and upload it in the form.

Add your voice to the project here

Questions? Email CBC producer Elise Stolte at elise.stolte@cbc.ca.