Alberta is on the verge of a very important election, featuring an extreme right-populist party?the United Conservative Party (UCP)?versus the New Democrats. Anger and Angst: Jason Kenney?s Legacy and Alberta?s Right examines the chaos of the current UCP Alberta government leading up to the election, and asks why it has happened. Answering these questions, this book leaves the reader with a better understanding of politics, ideology, and the New Right. Anger and Angst has its origins in the aftermath of the 2019 election. In February 2020, a group of academics and other political observers gathered in Edmonton for a free-wheeling discussion of Alberta?s unfolding political scene. Though no one could predict the twists and turns that followed, it was clear to everyone assembled that Alberta was entering a critical, if uncertain, period of political turmoil. Combining 22 essays on politics, the economy & environment, education, housing, childcare, and right-wing populism, this book critically examines the extraordinary years of the UCP?s time in office, 2019-2023, a period arguably the most chaotic in Alberta?s political history. At this book?s heart lies an account of how the UCP has governed; the ideas, personalities, and social forces that have driven its agenda. The editors argue that an entrenched elite, based largely in the oil and gas sector, is increasingly fearful of losing its power; fearful, more broadly, of the province that Alberta is struggling to become. In an effort to maintain its power, this elite has constructed an elaborate mythology based on a culture of grievance and victimhood. Given the current national discourse around energy transition and provincial autonomy?and the rise of the populist right across Canada?Anger and Angst will provide valuable insights and information to people both inside and outside of Alberta.
Chronology of Events, 2019-2023 1. Introduction - Trevor Harrison and Ricardo Acuña POLITICS 2. TBA political attitudes and voting - Janet Brown and Brooks DeCillia 3. A Window on Jason Kenney?s Fall from Grace - Ricardo Acuña 4. The Religious Roots of Social Conservatism in Alberta - Gillian Steward 5. Decoding the UCP?s Freedom Mantra - Trevor Harrison 6. ?We Reject the Premise of Your Question.? The Media and Jason Kenney?s Government - David Climenhaga ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT 7. Extraction First: The Anti-Environmental Policies of the UCP Government - Laurie Adkin 8. The Future is Past: A Political History of the UCP Energy Policy - Kevin Taft 9.Alberta?s Brain Drain Redux: The Migration of Alberta?s Youth Under the UCP - Rick E. Mueller 10. Turning the Screws, Turning Back the Clock: The UCP and Labour - Jason Foster, Susan Cake, and Bob Barnetson 11. Alberta?s Job Creation Tax Credit: A Hidden Gift to Oilsands Producers - Bob Ascah PUBLIC SECTOR 12. Choice Over Rights: The UCP?s Ultra-Right Vision for Education - Bridget Stirling 13. Alberta is Open for Business: The Renewed Push for Health Care Privatization - John Church 14.Ground Zero in Canada?s Higher Education Shock Doctrine: UCP Alberta?s Post-Secondary Sector - Marc Spooner 15. Subsidized Rental Housing and Homelessness Under the UCP - Nick Falvo 16. Early Learning and Child Care: The Role of Government Under the UCP - Susan Cake SOCIAL ALBERTA 17. Dysfunction in the Family: Provincial-Municipal Relations Under the UCP - Ben Henderson 18. Back to the Future: The UCP?s Indigenous Policies, 2019-2022 - Yale D. Belanger and David R. Newhouse 19. Simply Conservative? Rethinking the Politics of Rural Alberta - Laticia Chapman and Roger Epp 20. Pepper-Spray for All: The UCP?s Approach to Countering Race-Based Hate in Alberta - Irfan Chaudhry 21. The United Conservative Government, Right-wing Populism, and Women - Lise Gotell 22. Conclusion - Ricardo Acuña and Trevor Harrison Ackowledgements Notes on Contributors
