Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford Prefect
With regards to Albertans voting en masse for right wing parties, Don Braid has an interesting article in today's Herald in which he comments on how Albertans are perceived as "stupid, undemocratic and live in a dictatorship" for their voting habits, yet Quebecers are "considered brilliant when they vote strategically". I've always mused about this difference in perceptions as well. In reality, Albertans and Quebecers are just voting for what's best for their own regional interests, yet they're certainly perceived differently for doing basically the same thing.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...6-ab2b388523cc |
I've never heard anyone make the argument that Albertans are "stupid and undemocratic" while Quebeckers are "brilliant strategic voters". Both provinces, as noted, vote for the own self-interests, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's also the reason why Harper has likely reached his peak in support and still came shy of a majority -- voters in many parts of the country view the CPC as a re-branded Reform Party, which could fairly be described as the Western-Canadian equivalent of the Bloc Quebecois (minus the sovereignty aspirations).
The only reason I make comments about Alberta's undying loyalty to the Conservative Party is because people like calculoso and arsenal like to whine about Ontario/Toronto always blindly voting for the Liberals. This is both a) factually incorrect (see post above) and b) hypocritical, given Alberta's voting record. You know what they say about people who live in glass houses...