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Originally Posted by OptimalTates
Just curious. Have you noticed any change in political leanings or beliefs?
I can't talk to members of my extended family who are farmers and ranchers about political issues anymore (and often times they are super religious). My grandfather would have disowned anyone not blindly voting right. When we did have discussions around climate change ("global warming" at the time), those who would concede that it existed and maybe humans were part of the issue, would argue that global warming may even be beneficial for them as it would reduce the duration of winter.* They didn't seem to care about research that shows that extreme weather, like the "100-year" droughts and floods would become much more frequent.
Seemed like the previous generation was very much about global warming being a hoax or part of nature ("the ice-age happened without human involvement! What about the 1930s?") to the next generation being "well sure climate change exists but nothing we can do about it." But now they're the Canadians being hit by it the hardest. It's like the slowest form of "leopards ate my face" but there's not going to be schadenfreude when I'm eating my $250 box of Froot Loops my wife got me for a special anniversary gift.
I know they are some of the most resourceful people and the mindset of "we have survived, we will survive" is probably truer than most, but how do we bridge that gap when anyone campaigning on some form of climate change policy gets dropped to the bottom of their list?
*Even if current research indicates that areas of land in Canada that were not considered quality agricultural areas are now believed to become suitable, that wasn't what they meant. |
I don't want to really get into political beliefs of others - but I would say for me, I had blindly voted PC for most of my life as that is what my parents did and the rest of the community would do. As I age, I pay a little more attention to politics (still not as much as I should), and have become more concerned about the direction of the UCP. Personally, I am just at a point where I can't invest my time into it - the fighting, mud slinging, overspending, you do this while I do that - it's just so off putting and doesn't align with me at all. It feels like a weekday soap anymore.
This last election cycle, we had the Liberal or NDP candidate (can't remember which) no show - so how do you even take another party seriously?
We live in one of the greatest (yet smallest communities) in all of Alberta - where a neighbour is diagnosed with cancer in the middle of harvest, and 30 combines are at his door the next day to help them finish. Our little local grocery store has 30-40 volunteers come in and do inventory on their own time from 7 pm to 2 am, or every Thursday at lunch drop in to help unload produce. Neighbours drive by and see your cow out, and put it in for you without thinking twice.
Find me, and others, a party that represents those values - and I think you'd have a lot of people interested in hearing what they have to say. I really don't think we have that option at this moment, so the majority just do what they've always done.
I do sense there is a growing concern in rural AB with the UCP and how Kenney has mangled his reign and the pandemic. I would guess that a lot are feeling similar to me that his leadership/party isn't really aligned with the voter's values. I think the bigger concern though is, what do you do?
Vote NDP - who many felt under attack with labour bills and anti-Oil? Whether that was factual or not, that was a sentiment that the NDP needed to address and put at ease, and failed in doing so. Many in Ag are also tied into oil to help support the farm.
Vote Liberal/Green? Would really require a zeroed in effort from either group to grow a presence out here, one that I have never felt (I'd say NDP would be in this category as well to a lesser extent).
But to answer your question, hollering climate change from the mountain tops, signaling out Ag/oil as a main contributor when all we are trying to do is stay afloat - is not helpful. Show us meaningful change - help us break the packers/retail so we can increase our bottom line to lessen our footprint. Adding more tax, while taking away from our already limited profitability doesn't solve anything IMO - it makes people like me disappear, while bigger Corps. come in and take over this industry.
DISCLAIMER - I am not pretending to be a political or climate expert here either, just some random thoughts
