On July 1, we will come together to celebrate the 149th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Although Alberta did not officially become a province until 1905, we have become an integral part of our nation's shared history.
2016 marks the centennial of women being granted the right to vote in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the first Canadian provinces to grant this fundamental right. It proved to be a key turning point in Canadian history. Just 13 years later The Alberta Five, who later became known as the Famous Five, won the legal recognition of women as “persons” under the British North America Act. Together, through a lifetime's worth of relentless activism, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Irene Parlby became the faces of an entire generation's campaign for fairness.
This year also marks the 175th birthday of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the prime minister who oversaw the inauguration of Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation. The first French-Canadian prime minister, Laurier proved to be one of our country's most skilled consensus builders, allowing him to earn the longest uninterrupted term of office as prime minister. At a time when Western Canada was little more than a concept, Laurier took the steps necessary to turn this dream into reality, encouraging immigration and settlement to ensure long-lasting success. He truly was the father of modern Canada.
Another area where Alberta has left its mark on Canadian history is in our response to calamity. We have seen more than our share of disasters, from the Frank Slide of 1903, to the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918-19, to the depression-era droughts of the 1930s, to the massive Chinchaga River fire of 1950, to the Edmonton and Pine Lake tornados of 1987 and 2000, to the Slave Lake fire of 2011, to the floods of 2013.
It has been said that adversity does not build character, it reveals it. This was again made readily apparent in 2016 with the wildfire at Fort McMurray. First responders, military personnel, and firefighters from across Canada came together to conduct the largest peacetime evacuation of a major urban centre in Canadian history. Thousands of lives were spared. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Canadians took it upon themselves to do what they could to help, providing temporary homes for evacuees, offering assistance where possible. I believe this speaks to the character of both our province and our country. We are dedicated, driven and resolute. When adversity strikes, I can think of no more resourceful and selfless people.
I've always felt that it is important to recognize Alberta's role in Canadian achievements, and I look forward to joining you at events throughout Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills on July 1.
We certainly have much for which we can be proud, this 149th Canada Day.
- Nathan Cooper is the Wildrose MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
