Western Alienation: L’Aliénation a This Morning De L’Ouest : Roundtable Une Table Ronde De This Morning
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WESTERN ALIENATION: L’ALIÉNATION A THIS MORNING DE L’OUEST : ROUNDTABLE UNE TABLE RONDE DE THIS MORNING On Feb. 7, 2001, the CBC radio Le 7 février dernier, la radio de program This Morning held a la CBC présentait, à son émission public forum on the question of This Morning, une table ronde western alienation. The host consacrée au sentiment d’alié- was Michael Enright and the nation qu’éprouve l’Ouest du panelists were: pays. Les personnalités suivantes The Right Honourable Joe participaient au débat : Clark, Leader of the Progressive M. Joe Clark, député de la Conservative Party, Member of circonscription de Calgary- Parliament for Calgary Centre. Centre et chef du Parti David Kilgour, Liberal Member progressiste-conservateur; of Parliament for Edmonton M. David Kilgour, député Southeast and the author of libéral d’Edmonton-Southeast two books on Western Canadian et auteur de deux livres sur history: Uneasy Patriots, l’histoire de l’Ouest canadien Western Canadians in Confederation and (Uneasy Patriots : Western Canadians in Inside Outer Canada. Confederation et Inside Outer Canada); Diane Ablonczy, Canadian Alliance Mme Diane Ablonczy, députée allianciste Member of Parliament for Calgary Nose de Calgary-Nose-Hill; Hill. Mme Doreen Barry, professeure de science Doreen Barry, professor of politics at politique à l’Université de Calgary; University of Calgary. Mme Sheilah Martin, professeure de droit Sheilah Martin, professor of law, University à l’Université de Calgary; of Calgary. M. Philip Resnick, professeur de science Philip Resnick, professor of political science politique à l’Université de la Colombie- at the University of British Columbia, author Britannique, à qui l’on doit Politics of of Politics of Resentment, British Columbia, Resentment : British Columbia, Regionalism Regionalism and Canadian Unity. and Canadian Unity. In a first-time collaboration, Policy Options Pour cette première collaboration, Options is pleased to publish an edited transcript of politiques est heureux de publier une version part of the discussion. The guest editor was révisée d’une partie cet échange. Peter This Morning Associate Producer Peter Kavanaugh, producteur associé à This Kavanaugh. Morning, était le rédacteur invité. 6 OPTIONS POLITIQUES AVRIL 2001 Western alienation Michael Enright: Joe Clark, let me sug- Diane Ablonczy: I wouldn’t say it’s Doreen Barry: Western gest to you that while there are pock- alienation in the sense of a coldness or alienation isn’t a myth. ets of resentment and perhaps even a withdrawal or estrangement because anger in the west, the current tub- I think western Canada very much It has its roots deep in the thumping about western alienation is wants to be part of the national region’s history, particularly a myth. It’s a creation of the media— debate. Western Canada is growing, it’s on the prairies, which the eastern media perhaps—or of some strong, it’s vigorous, it has solutions entered Confederation on political parties. and ideas to bring to the table. And it Joe Clark: No, it’s not a myth. wants to do that. I think its frustration a different basis from There’s a deep-seated alienation in is that the central government, the the other provinces. western Canada. There has been for west believes, is utterly indifferent to And the legacy of western some time. It takes its form sometimes the ideas and the aspirations that west- alienation is this deep and in simply an anti-system feeling, ern Canada wants to put on the table which is deeply rooted here. That’s in the national debate. abiding suspicion of the probably the minority part of it. I David Kilgour: Alienation, as you federal government. think there’s also a significant sense of said, is a psychological term, and it’s And the conviction that frustration that western Canadians are one that’s been applied to us. A west- Confederation was for the not able to have the impact upon—or erner, an Albertan, today told me he think we’re not able to have the thought even the expression was a benefit of central Canada. impact upon the shaping of the put-down. But whether you call it nation. Is it a crisis? Not yet. I think it alienation or disaffection it certainly think that Albertans feel alienated is a very significant opportunity for a exists, and has existed. It’s an histori- from other Canadians on a personal national government. cal thing that the people here in this level. I think, though, that when we Sheilah Martin: Well I think it’s a theatre know and your listeners from look at the way that the anger or con- real feeling that is justified if we look the west know about. But it’s an oppor- cern for place has manifested itself, it’s at history, and at the structure of the tunity that all governments have to alienation from a central government. government and where Alberta and face, and it’s one that we’re facing by, Not even alienation from other the west sits in it. Westerners’ feelings, for example, reducing taxes. An provinces or from the east, but with their concerns about their place in Albertan in the back row told me the central government apparatus, and Confederation, have been remarkably today that his taxes this went down by how that works and structures things durable, and have existed whatever $500. So we have listened to the west, for the west. political party has been in power. So it and to Albertans, and we have lowered Michael Enright: What does that can’t just be alienation from a particu- taxes and lowered them significantly. mean? What do you mean the struc- lar type of political party. And I think Doreen Barry: Western alienation tures and how it works? We have a in large part as well, it’s attitudinal. isn’t a myth. It has its roots deep in the Parliament, we have people elected Philip Resnick: Well, I wouldn’t say region’s history, particularly on the from all parts of the country... that everyone in western Canada feels prairies, which entered Confederation Sheilah Martin: When you look at alienated, and I think one should rec- on a different basis from the other the impact, though, that a province ognize the divergence. There is a sig- provinces. And the legacy of western the size of Alberta can have in that nificant divergence of opinion alienation is this deep and abiding sus- Parliament, when Quebec and Ontario between the larger cities and certain picion of the federal government. And have the majority of the seats ... Of other places. I’m thinking of cities like the conviction that Confederation was course precedence is given to the parts Winnipeg, maybe Edmonton, for the benefit of central Canada. of the country that have more popula- Vancouver and Victoria, on the one Michael Enright: I want to get into tion. But over time that structure may hand, where I don’t think the senti- the question of alienated from what. have contributed to the feeling that ment is nearly as strong, and the In my lifetime, we’ve had four prime we’re not being listened to as carefully smaller cities, the suburbs and so on, ministers from thewest. One of them is as we might have liked. on the other hand, where I think the here tonight. The west has been Michael Enright: I want to throw a feeling is strong. Having said that, I do involved in federal-provincial confer- number at David Kilgour. An Ontario think that historically there has always ences over the years. What are we talk- MP represents about 96,070 con- been a sense that the west is different. ing about here? Who is alienated from stituents. An Alberta MP represents The issue that’s arising now out of this what part of what aspect of Canada? about 96,075 constituents—just about most recent election is a certain desire Sheila Martin: That’s a very good the same. What’s your problem? for recognition as a distinct part of this question. We need to be specific here David Kilgour: Well actually you’ve country. and to analyze it carefully. I don’t raised a good issue. The Supreme Court POLICY OPTIONS 7 APRIL 2001 A This Morning roundtable Philip Resnick: There’s no came to my attention most dramatical- other occasion. With appropriate mod- question that a lot of the ly — this question of things being dug esty, I think this is a larger question in, of western Canada having come late than that. resentment and frustration to the country — had to do with the David Kilgour: It is indeed. I agree in recent decades in the practical issue of government purchas- with you on that, Joe. west has arisen from the ing. A pattern of purchasing had grown Philip Resnick: There’s no question sense that Quebec has up that had most of the buying being that a lot of the resentment and frus- done in central Canada. There was tration in recent decades in the west dominated the national some in Atlantic Canada, but most of it has arisen from the sense that Quebec agenda ... But I think in central Canada. It was very hard to has dominated the national agenda. there’s something much change. The question of setting up sep- That is an ongoing issue and it was more specific which has arate agencies like ACOA and the alluded to in the CF-18 discussion we Western Opportunities Department were just having. But I think there’s triggered the current round have taken on lives of their own, but something much more specific which of discussion, and that is part of the reason we set them up in has triggered the current round of dis- the outcome of the most the first instance was to try to find cussion, and that is the outcome of the recent federal election.