For a long time, Western Canada was considered a promised land, a space for new beginnings. At the beginning of the XXe century, prairie land was sold at ridiculous prices, fueling the wildest dreams. The tradition of utopian colonization, the establishment of marginal societies, eager to recreate a better world, has left its mark in the West.
We can think of the phalanstery of the French doctor Adalbert Tanche in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, who wanted to set up a society of socialist anticlericals in 1906, or the socialist commune of Hamona in Saskatchewan at the turn of the 20th century.e century. The quest for freedom, to move away from the shackles of more established societies, guided part of the migrations to the plains.
Alberta was built on the founding myth of a world evolving far from central government, where all political experimentation was permitted.
Then came the discovery of oil and the first oil boom in the post-WWII era, further fueling this myth of an all-possible society. The oil economy has become a pillar of Alberta’s identity, hence the difficulty in accepting its setbacks.
Since then, the life of the province has been punctuated by the vagaries of the oil price, with painful troughs that the population has gone through supported by the hope that the next recovery is looming on the horizon. With the wealth reaped in good times, the province has built an enviable reputation, attracting workers from across the country. It has also forged a distinct character, marked by resistance to central government policies on natural resource management and by what has been called theAlberta Advantage, an advantage represented by a hands-off government, favorable taxes, high wages and accessible and efficient services such as health and education. However, hopes for the next recovery are fading and the Alberta advantage is eroding. The province is going through a definite identity crisis, marked by an exile of the youth.
Brain drain
As a teacher, I have the privilege of working with brilliant, ambitious and bilingual young people on a daily basis. For some time now, more and more of them have expressed their desire to leave, no longer recognizing themselves in the political culture of the province and no longer able to project themselves into the future in a territory that lives on its glories. past. The numbers tend to support this observation.
In the past year, Alberta saw its weakest population growth in four decades. It also loses the balance of interprovincial migratory exchanges. The province, which relies on its population among the youngest in the country to boost its economy, is witnessing an aging of its urban centers and a brain drain that particularly affects young professionals, which could hamper a possible recovery.
In addition to the pandemic and economic slump, two major elements are causing a dangerous disconnection between the province and its youth.
First, there is the government’s lack of will to articulate a convincing discourse on environmental issues. However, the disasters that constantly ravage the neighboring province, ranging from forest fires to floods, show on a daily basis that climate change is not theoretical. Rather than adopting ambitious measures, the Alberta government is following a tradition of denying the perverse effects of the oil and gas industry, where the concerns of the public and environmentalists are ridiculed.
The United Conservative Party’s platform builds on the founding myth by pointing out that Alberta’s oil and gas industry is a success story and shows leadership in environmental matters. While the provincial government is investing in renewable energy, it is also spending taxpayer dollars to change public perceptions of oil through its ” energy war room ‘ whose mission is to restore the image of this polluting industry, especially in the East where it is sharply criticized. The Alberta delegation sent to the Glasgow climate change conference, numbering only two delegates, is also a symbol of the province’s lack of interest in these issues. Young people, who will pay the costs of environmental inaction, deserve more ambition.
Another element must be considered to explain the desire to settle elsewhere for a segment of the next generation: the government is waging a merciless war against post-secondary education. While it has already started to dramatically cut college and university budgets, it plans to do more over the next three years by slashing the post-secondary budget by $ 1.18 billion. To respond to the cuts, post-secondary institutions are slashing student services, laying off staff and sharply increasing tuition fees. Unlike Quebec, where the culture of protest is well established, the idea of taking to the streets and occupying public space is not as popular in Alberta. We saw the students demonstrate this fall, but the movement remains timid. In protest, some simply decide to bow out.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has chosen oil over social programs and ambitious measures to ensure the energy transition. The price to pay will perhaps be that of disillusioned youth, who have good reasons to look elsewhere for their promised land.