Disagree with the Alberta NDP government all one wants.
In fact, pick the governing party's policies apart as well as dig up some tangible, credibly source-based and peer-reviewed information and let's have ourselves a discussion!
That's a healthy and vibrant democracy in action.
But when identity politics start to drive down the wedge of division, the opportunities to engage in meaningful discourse quickly evaporate.
During the recent meet and greet visit of official Opposition Leader Brian Jean at the Sundre Legion, a member of the crowd declared the NDP were "communists" who must be stopped at all costs.
The Wildrose Party leader had an opportunity to gracefully dispel such notions. He might have reminded the packed room of about 150 people that this kind of exaggerated hyperbole does not help arrive at solutions.
Worse, such claims are a disservice to the memories of the tens of millions of people who have perished at the hands of actual communists such as Stalin and Mao Zedong ó and many more who still to this day endure inhumane suffering at the hands of regimes like North Korea.
Instead, Jean gladly allowed the individual to vent, further fuelling rhetoric-based emotions against the NDP.
Such public forums should be focused more on brainstorming ways to work with the government ó which does represent a significant portion of Albertans also ó as opposed to fighting it with a "grab your pitchforks!" zeal.
Not once during the discussion was the success of the Sundre hospital negotiation mentioned, let alone suggested as a framework for future similar adventures with the provincial government. It simply doesn't fit that narrative of demonizing big bad government. On a provincial scale, even the response to the Fort McMurray fire that was largely hailed a resounding success didn't count as a footnote.
Instead, when Jean addressed the crowd, he made sure to repeat numerous times how Justin Trudeau's Liberals and Rachel Notley's NDP are on some kind of evil crusade to "destroy" Alberta and the country's economy along with it.
Thinking logically for just one moment, what sense does that even make? Politicians might differ on policy, but they all share to an extent a desire for power. So destroying our economy would actually be magnificently counterproductive to the governing parties' goal to get re-elected.
Yet while vilifying his opposition, the Wildrose leader was there largely to discuss whether the party's membership was willing to consider uniting with the former rulers of the land ó the conservative competition that brought his party to its knees during the last election.
Such a willingness to consider working with the party that for almost half a century allowed our province's resources to be squandered while remaining so vehemently opposed to the party in power ó which has had barely a couple of years to damage control decades of conservative mismanagement ó just to win some votes should ring alarm bells.
Although perhaps bells did ring for some residents. There was no shortage of people who were not shy to remind Jean precisely what the PCs did not only to Alberta but to the Wildrose Party as well ó the infamous floor crossings that to this day have left a sour taste in many a voters' mouths.
In the end, the Notley government was democratically elected in a fair and open process. Of course Albertans have every right not only to disagree with her administration's decisions but to be heard as well.
Flooding Wildrose MLAs such as our riding's Jason Nixon with letters and calls is a great start, but it's also just preaching to the choir.
If the NDP is remotely serious about retaining power in the next provincial election ó especially if the right unites ó the party knows it will have to heed voters' concerns or potentially face political annihilation after merely one term in office. That gives the electorate more leverage.
None of this is in defence of the provincial government, but rather a plea for a less emotionally charged and combative approach to politics and more of a collaborative spirit keeping in mind Albertans are all in this together.
