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The politics of Alberta are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian Provinces . The Capital of the province is Edmonton , where reside the premier, legislature, lieutenant-governor and cabinet. The unicameral legislature—the Legislative Assembly Of Alberta —has 83 members. Government is conducted after the Westminster Model . The province' revenue, although including grants from the Federal Government , is chiefly derived from management of the provincial resources. Alberta has a system of municipal government similar to that of the other provinces. The most significant exception is that Alberta is the only province in Canada without a provincial Sales Tax (''see also PST ''). Albertan politics are generally characterised as substantially more " Right-wing " than those of any other Canadian province. The provincial government has been formed by a series of right-wing parties for decades, beginning in 1935 with Social Credit and continuing since 1971 with the Progressive Conservatives . The current premier of Alberta is Ralph Klein , who, despite making many controversial statements and having had problems with alcohol, remains extremely popular in the province. Alberta's political stability has led to a series of political dynasties. In its history, Alberta has seen only four parties form governments, none of which has returned to power after a single incumbent defeat:
Most of the 26 Albertan general elections held As Of 2006 have resulted in overwhelming majorities for the governing party, a trend unseen in any other province in Canada. No Minority Government has ever been elected in Alberta, nor has any minority ever been brought about due to By-election s and/or Floor Crossings . Alberta was the heartland of the former Reform Party Of Canada and its successor, the Canadian Alliance . These parties were the second-largest political parties in the Federal Parliament from 1997 to 2003, and the furthest to the political right. The Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form today's Conservative Party Of Canada , which is led by the Ontario-born Stephen Harper who moved to Alberta in the 1980s. Both the provincial Progressive Conservatives and the Reform/Alliance parties reflect Alberta's more socially conservative nature when compared to other provinces. Albertans tend to oppose social policies such as Gay Marriage , Gun Control , and Abortion . Albertans are more likely to favour the Death Penalty , and support "law-and-order"-oriented policies. Albertans continue to resent the imposition in the 1980s of the National Energy Program (NEP) by the Liberal federal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau . It was considered to be an intrusion by the federal government in an area of provincial responsibility that led some Albertans to consider separation of the province from Canada. There have been occasional surges in interest since then in the idea of Seceding From Canada , but this movement is generally considered to be on the political fringe. The NEP was ended when the Progressive Conservative Party Of Canada , led by Brian Mulroney , formed the federal government following the 1984 Election . Albertans are the lowest-taxed people in Canada, mostly because of the province' considerable Oil and Gas income. Alberta is one of two provinces that consistently do not receive Equalization Payments from the federal government (the other being Ontario ). In fact, Alberta is the largest net contributor of the program, and the payments are made to poorer provinces to ensure that all provinces are able to provide similar levels of public services. SEE ALSO |
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