Canada’s ornery state: Alberta

Alberta has undergone a demographic revolution. More Albertans now live in ethnically diverse cosmopolitan cities, having come from abroad or other parts of Canada. But the heritage of the largely white, right-wing conservative countryside still drives much of its politics.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at the Conservative Party of Canada's convention in Calgary, Alta., on Jan. 31, 2026. Right after former Quebec premier François Legault said he would not hold a secession referendum because most Quebecers did not want one, Smith said she would because a minority of Albertans did, writes Nelson Wiseman.The Hill Times photograph by Amir Said

Opinion

BY NELSON WISEMAN

June 22, 2026

TORONTO—Forget Alberta’s policy grievances with Ottawa. Every province has grievances. The roots of Alberta’s cantankerousness are much deeper and older. The province’s chronically bad-tempered and irritable political disposition toward the federal government makes i...

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