Thread by @DrJaredWesley

I've been studying Alberta political culture & public opinion for over a decade. I've learned that a lot of Albertans feel personally & collectively "left behind" by their governments, and by the pace of economic & social change that is challenging the "Alberta way of life." +

Acknowledegment is important. The continual airing of grievances by politicians who claim to be "standing up for Albertans" may feel good at the time. +

So, too, might spending billions of dollars on failed pipeline bets, war rooms, and public inquiries to identify and target "the bad guys."+

This is a timeworn tactic. Bible Bill Aberhart used to malign the "Big Shots" in central Canada for Alberta's woes in the 1930s. Ernest Manning played into communist conspiracies. Today, we see populists targeting the "Laurentian elites" and "activists". +

In all of these cases, Albertans are portrayed as victims of nefarious forces. It's a way of deflecting from the challenges within the province, painting the premier as a guardian of Alberta, and kicking the can on the hard work of getting our own house in order.

Thing is: eventually the provincial government is going to have to do something to help the people who are -- and who feel -- left behind. #Festivus is fun for a week or two, but eventually you have to put the aluminum pole back in the crawl space and deal with life. +

Waiting until the next oil boom or jetsetting across Canada in search of a fair deal won't make those hardships and perceptions disappear. It will only make them worse. +

We need our provincial government to stop playing into the victim mentality and put forward a positive plan to regain Alberta's stature as a respectable member of the national and international community. That's the #leverage we should be building.+

Instead, we get more bluster, more deflection, more distraction, more victimhood, more misinformation, and more anxiety.

Happy #Festivus, Alberta. Enjoy it while it lasts. The hangover's going to hurt and reality's waiting for us on the other side. #ableg