Alberta Liberals collapsing inwards as competition improves

As the province gears up for the likelihood of another election, I can’t help but think of the state of the Alberta Liberal Party.

With their nomination lacking visibility and a lacklustre online presence, the Alberta Liberals appear to be heading for another train wreck. Yet, that comparison feels unfair to train wrecks because even train wrecks had momentum at some point. No, calling the Alberta Liberals a train wreck just won’t do. Instead, the party feels as if it has more in common with an old country barn.

If you’ve ever had the chance to take a road trip in Alberta, you might have spotted one or two of those old, abandoned barns. Located in a distant corner of some farmer’s property, the roof sunken in, the walls collapsing under their own weight and the paint long since stripped to the timbers, these barns have more than a little in common with the provincial Liberals.

When it’s all said and done, these barns are collapsing inward due to their advanced age and lack of utility.

In the coming months, we can expect yet another provincial election. The reigning Progressive Conservative Party is demonstrating how spry it is in its advanced age with the coronation of a new leader, the Wildrose is up in arms over betrayal in their party, the New Democrats are reinvigorated with a new leader grounded in sound progressive values and the Alberta Liberals have reinstated a former leader who didn’t work out quite so well the first time around.

With all the momentum that the Federal Liberals are gaining, one might mistakenly expect that some of their energy might have transferred over to their provincial counterparts. The Federal party is more popular with students than they have been in generations. Yet, the nomination process for Provincial Liberal candidates seems to be hidden within a dilapidated web page that has more in common with my Myspace account than in the modern era. Also, on the topic of a weak online presence, the volunteer list and call out sheet has remained largely inactive despite multiple opportunities to help remind Albertans that they do, in fact, exist.

Instead of developing a transparent and visible nomination process for interested voters, the provincial Liberals still seem stuck in a 20th century electioneering mindset. With more and more of the voting population being under the age of 25 the youth vote is becoming increasingly important in Alberta, the provincial Liberals have made limited inroads when it comes to engaging students in relevant issues, and have done little to differentiate themselves from the other centre left parties.

Finally, the party leadership has shown remarkable degrees of obstinance when dealing with protest parties. The Alberta party for all its flaws have at the very least remained active in trying to engage Albertans and especially students with progressive values.

The provincial Liberals, much like that old country barn, are outdated and collapsing inwards. In a case like this, a new coat of paint simply won’t do. Instead, the barn needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the foundation up. If the Alberta Liberals want to save their party, they need to show a willingness to collaborate, a conscious effort to listen to voters especially students and most importantly, a strong definition of what those values are.