[getbak]

The reality in Alberta is that we're more likely to start a new party and vote for it than we are to elect the Liberals.

It has been a full century since the Liberal Party held the majority of Alberta's seats in the House of Commons (1911 election). Since that time, 3 separate grass-roots parties have emerged and claimed the majority of Alberta's seats in a Federal election (often sweeping the Province) -- the Progressives, the Socreds, and the Reform/Alliance.


There's a pretty long history of "Western Protest" parties forming when the people on the prairies start to feel exploited, marginalized, and ignored by the Liberals and/or Conservatives.

After the First World War, it was the United Farmers and Progressive parties that emerged. The CCF (the precursor to the NDP) was founded in Calgary in 1932. Social Credit also emerged in Alberta in the 1930s. Then, in the late 80s, Reform came along.


Maybe what needs to happen is a bunch of disgruntled Alberta Liberals to band together with Libs in BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (where they're also marginalized) and basically do for the Liberal Party what the Reform did for the PCs. Hell, they could even resurrect the Progressive Party name, since it was also formed from disgruntled Liberal supporters.