Western Alienation? What Western Alienation?

It's one of those times. Alberta is enduring an oil bust so "Western alienation" is back in the news. The word of interest here is "Western." Although some Albertans may disagree, Alberta is not the West. The alienation occurring out here is generated primarily in Alberta with an echo in Saskatchewan. We don't hear much whining from B.C. or Manitoba. Indeed, why would we: B.C.'s economy is humming along nicely and Manitoba is the second largest recipient of equalization payments.

A recent survey by the Environics Institute reported a lot of alienation going around with those Canadians living in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan and Alberta, particularly Alberta, being the most disenchanted. Regional alienation of one kind or another is of course part of the Canadian tradition, with much of the ire directed at Ontario. And the Environics survey did indeed show Ontarians to be quite content with their place in the federation.

Personally, despite being an Albertan, I feel I have exactly as much influence in the country's affairs as I should have. (I'll leave our ridiculously unfair voting system for another day.) I have one vote, each Ontarian has one vote. That's democracy—political equality.

Of course, if you aggregate the citizens of Ontario then they have much more influence than the aggregate of Albertans simply because there are many more of them—3.5 times as many. They should, therefore, have 3.5 times as much influence. That's how democracy is supposed to work: 3.5 citizens have 3.5 times as much influence as one citizen. Democracy is for citizens, not jurisdictions.

If Albertans aren't happy with the democratic process, then perhaps they should leave. Then they can listen to Red Deer and Drumheller whine because they don't have as much influence in the Republic of Alberta as Calgary and Edmonton. And so it goes. We are forever tribal.