Sure Thing: Alberta's Dysfunctional Relationship With the CPC - Election 2019

Albertans, you do know that it was Harper's government that set the equalisation formula you so despise, don't you? And Harper's government didn't get any of the pipelines you wanted built. Do you ever feel that the CPC has taken Alberta for granted?

And now all our UCP MLAs are off in Quebec and Ontario campaigning for the CPC instead of doing their jobs here. And the CPC MPs are also off in the east, campaigning there, instead of campaigning here. They don't feel they have to re-apply for their jobs here.

This is because they know that Albertans are a "sure thing". Like, almost all the ridings in Alberta are the CPC's booty calls. They can ignore you, not return your calls, and then show up once every 4 years and you let them back in with open arms.

I live in rural southern Alberta. In the 11 years I have been here, I have never had a federal CPC candidate come to the door. Only this last election did the provincial UCP candidate come around door-knocking.

I have written letters over the years to my CPC MP about issues and concerns that I have had. Once I got a form letter back assuring me that I should just trust that they were doing the right thing. The rest? Nothing. Not even the courtesy of a form reply.

I have never heard of any community events my MP has held until after, when the photos show up in his occasional newsletter. I don't know who gets notified. Perhaps those are people in the inner circle of the AB CPC.

To be honest, in 11 years I have never set eyes on my MP in person. Not once. Ever. I don't know what he does, but he isn't doing it in any of the places I go to.

Maybe other people's experiences are different, although I don't think I have heard of any of the people I know in Alberta actually having met their CPC MPs either.

It seems maybe you have to be someone significant, someone they consider useful, to get an invitation to their pancake breakfasts or meet-ups. Or even a reply to your letters.

I'm just wondering... maybe the CPC would respect Albertans more if the whole province wasn't such a push-over. Maybe if they had to work for it a bit, they wouldn't be so arrogant about winning for sure here.

I mean, don't you ever feel a bit taken for granted by the CPC? They know they are going to win almost all the seats, so why bother making any effort at all? Not here at election time, or while they are in Ottawa.

Maybe if Albertans stopped being so easy, maybe if we even just made the races closer, they might feel they actually had to earn our votes. Think about it. Think about voting for someone else, to send CPC a message that we are not pushovers. That they need to earn support.

I am not the only one who feels this way...