Western alienation
Western alienation is the current challenge the Canadian government is facing. The debate about the isolation and exclusion of the western provinces, namely; British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba from chief Canadian political affairs and economic policies in favor of central provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Western alienation concludes that the two ends are economically, socially, and politically championed or represented better than earlier on, This has created utterances about the rise of separation among western Canadians even though alienation began in the 19th century. Therefore western alienation is simply defined as a provincial or regional and political ideology of dissatisfaction.
In the year 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, introduced a “National policy “to widen the base economy of Canada and restore the trust of Canadian citizens in the development of the Nation (Shawn, 47). The strategy focused on constructing a transcontinental railway, on paying prairies and to create a manufacturing headquarters in eastern Canada.
Introduction of the National Energy Program by the government, due to the rapid elevation of oil prices in the year between 1979 and 1980.This aimed at increasing the Canadian possession in the petroleum sector,reallocation of the income created by oil production and refining to the federal government. However, the project was uttermost, not famous in the west—this increased distrust of the federal government, specifically in Alberta. Albertans condemned the program,claiming the plan to exploit the natural resources of their province.
Thesis: Western alienation creates mistrust in both the federal government and regional government, this leads to the prevalence of unequal policies among region in Canada
Causes of western alienation
Various factors have stimulated western alienation in Canada. Classified into two, mainly political factors and economic factors. Political factors, for instance, consist of inequitable political presentation and national relief given to the federal government concerning the issue of Quebec sovereignty. Additionally, the political agenda driven by political representatives from eastern Canada, who mainly concentrated on central regions of Quebec and Ontario at the charge of the western grievances. Economic factors consist of redistribution of profit from western province to eastern province via taxation and equalization payments policy.
Political Factors
Federal and provincial governments do not appear to be neutral institutions. Thus, hostile leaders extend their control, ruling, and manipulation into society without respect for boundaries. Lack of well set and detailed boundaries between the two levels of governments have become more dominant. Federal political representatives tend to expand their boundaries of influence at the cost of their provincial counterparts in the name of protecting the attentiveness, and provincial equivalents also defend their regional engrossments (Shawn, 29). Thus the splitting of power between two levels of governments and intrinsic competition leads to alienation.
A political system founded in 1867 has not changed to current Canada. The institutional structure of federalism, monarchial institutions, and bicameralism have experienced little official transformation since 1867. Since 1867 the population has tremendously increased, thus making interrelations between the current society and the government institutions a challenge(.
Population distribution in Canada: Westerners who think isolated from other provinces believe that politicians favor places with larger populations,which are Quebec and Ontario,where they can secure more seats (Wesley and Jared, 300). Thus they pass policies that favor such areas, even though such policies may not have a direct effect on the west. Still, such favoritism may have an impact on isolating western Canadians. Due to unequal population distribution,western Canadians inadequately represented in both the houses of commons and the senate. Alberta and British Columbia have fewer representatives than the province of Quebec and Ontario
Quebec sovereignty .part of the western Canadians believes that Quebec gets unnecessary attention from the rest of the Nation due to concerns about its desire to secure a supremacy association from Canada,for instance, the Canadian government hired performers from all over Canada to take part in “love-ins” across Quebec during 1995 referendum (Stevenson and Garth, 452)
Bloc Quebecois (BQ) has national policies, and their move into the federal politics irritates the west moresince the party supports policies believed to be detrimental to the west, for instance, carbon taxes and other policies aiming the oil industry. Some Albertan conservatives wanted the federal law amended to make marriage strictly a provincial matter.(Stevenson and Garth, 454).
Economic factors
Economic factors such as equalization payments and transfer payments have resulted in great alienation, specifically in Alberta. Equalization payments specified by the federal government to the only six current provinces. There are no constraints over how the federal government planned and budgeted for money at the provincial level.
Equalization of salaries
Every province in Canada is assigned a right equalization equivalent to the amount by which its commercial potential is lower than the average fiscal magnitude of all the regions. Regions that secure an economic capacity above the provincial standard are said to be the “have,” whereas the ones below are the “have not.” Equalization payments then calculated according to the provinces’ relation to the standard. Mostly payments are managed to ensure equality among the regions and meant to provide a revenue net benefit to the receiving areas from their resource equivalents. However, equalization payment has been a tool in sidelining the provinces which do not meet the expected provinces’ standard; this has led to the economic issue and caused regional anxiousness in the whole Canada republic. The more significant part of the gap is derived from variance in population, topology and productive activities among the regions (Adam, 420)
Control of land and resources
The three Prairie Provinces were viewed as unequal by the central provinces upon joining the alliance but as a resource base and new markets for the manufactured products from the central regions.The western areas were viewed as just a protectorate when Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba failed to protect their natural resources (Shawn, 42).The federal government took control of their assets on account of that only the federal government could deploy resources demandedregional development and establish systematic immigration into the region.
Additionally, the Manitoba Act of 1870 announced that the crown lands to be conserved for dominion, this notion was put across by Ottawa when Alberta and Saskatchewan joined the alliance in 1905. However, this matter in federal-provincial relations added up to the current western alienation (Adam, 432)
Federal procurements and spending
it is a potent trigger to western alienation; thee western people think that they contribute more than the benefits accrued to them. Based on the recorded data, Alberta contributed below $2500 per capital to the federal system between the years 1961 to 1989. on the other hand, the British Columbia region only contributed $208 per person, into the system more than it received (Shawn, 49). Generally, the Atlantic region and its territories received more from the central government than they donated. Hence influencing western alienation from other areas that gave more than it received.
Tariff policies and establishment of a resource hinterland
Securing control of prairie’s land resource is consistent with the national government’s initial strategy for the west as a hinterland and upcoming market for the processed goods and products from the central provinces. For instance, Macdonald’s National policy protected the manufacturing sectors in Ontario and Quebec, against stiff competition both in Canada and Overseas. As a result, West Canadians had to purchase processed goods from Eastern Canada at a higher rate compared to international market prices. However, as Ottawa was shielding central Canada’s manufacturing industry, it provided no or little protection for western regionals’ resource-based businesses. Goods originated from western Canada, such as oil, potash, cattle, and coal were sold at average international prices. The contrast activities by the central government have led to a history full of frustrations in the west and facilitated western alienation (Shawn, 44).
The national energy program
initiation of the project as a strategy to secureaccess to oil reserves in a growingly international market. The program enforced western petroleum refiners to sell oil and gas to Canadians below the world market prices, using a specified pricing strategy(Adam, 432). Also, the central government elevated the allocationsof the oil and gas revenue from 10% to 24% for firms mining and refining the oil (Shawn, 47)
Geographical factors
Highly populated areas of the four western regionals are isolated from southern Ontario by Northern Ontario, a sparsely populated area. This effect was detected as early as the 1880s when the federal government attempted to combine the northwestern Ontario part of Manitoba.Because ofeasy administration from Winnipeg, Ontario ruthlessly protested and forced Macdonald to pull back
The traveling connections between Eastern and western are considered inferior by the current North American standards. It took averagely 36 hours to travel from Winnipeg to Toronto. Also, the only means by land is going via the Ontario superhighway (Shawn,46). Thus, many Canadians moving from East to West and back, discredited all the Canadian routes, at the cost of going through the United States. Because it is shorter and relatively cheaper. Such consideration has continued despite the strict border manning and controls. The liking has lasted since the September 11 attacks. Thus some people have related the Canadian government to an ocean that physically splits its people of western and Eastern Canada. People of west Canada viewed west as a colony,ruled from the far end of Ottawa (Wesley and Jared, 570).
Transportation policies
The control of land resources in Prairie Provinces by the federal government to finance the construction of the railway across the prairies. Despite the use of westerns’ assets to deduct the construction cost of the railroad, the Canadian Pacific railway operated as a monopoly and with high freight charges imposed on the western people (Shawn, 45).The national government thought it would be reasonable for the railway to run at a profit, and the west could absorb the cost of operating on the unprofitable sections.
Cultural issues
Western Canada has experienced gradual growth in population in the early part of the 21st century. The influx of immigrants led to the marginalization of the British and french. Thus the tribalistic composition of the western regions does not give a clear structure that guided many of the national policies based on culture and language (Shawn, 58).Hence contributing to western alienation.
Deficit and debt
They add up to the economic complaints witnessed in the west, Gibbins and Arrison established regional and central budget deficits, as a new factor to western dissatisfaction. The central government desired recently to clear their budget deficits with some regionals. Even after the drawbacks, the province of the west has the least debts to GDP ratios among all provincial governments(Shawn, 51).
Harper’s government reactions towestern alienation
Stephen Harper became the 22nd prime minister of Canada and served nearly ten years. During his tenure in office, western alienation activities were recorded, these include:
In the 2008 national elections, the conservative partyperformed well and won a powerful minority,indicating an average increase in the democratic vote with elevation in the House of Commons by 143 out of 308 positions. Thus his government fought for regional balance through the popular vote (Wesley and Jared, 356)
The government –propelled volatility triggered by both the liberal government and conservative government in 2006-2007, destroyed the assets and diminished the quality investment life for Canadian business people (Ibbitson and John, 487).The conservative party secured a federal election because they had promised to defend and protect income trusts from extra taxation. The policy enhanced oligopoly in the Canadian banks and other financial institutions. However, this tax trust policy received criticism from the central regions claiming there was insufficient consultation by the government before executing the decision.
On November 22, 2006, the Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, presented the ‘Quebecois’ nation debate, a day before the Bloc Quebecois resolution came to a ballot. The English type changed the word ‘Quebecer’ to ‘Quebecois’ and the addition of the phrase “within a united Canada.” Harper deeply explained that the definition of Quebecois depends on personal choice to self- identity. Survey research carried out by leger marketing, approximately 1500 Canadians participated in the survey. The study revealed that Canadians deeply separated about the motion that Quebecers be considered as a nation (Pammett, 300). The tabling of the motion Quebecers as a nation indicates that harper’s government did not support the concept of western alienation.
Western alienation is a ‘solvable’ problem
According to an investigation of isolation based in Canada by Gibbins. He proves out that through an integrated system of government, western alienation can come to an end. Based on his argument,two approaches are dealing with western discontent within a federal state. Firstly inter- state Federalism should find a solution to provincial concerns through negotiations between the two levels of government. The second approach,towards regional conflict resolution, occurs within the federal government that is via Canadian government
- Division of power
The current definition of federalism does not define clearly, mutually exclusive, and elements of mobilization between the federal government and the regional governments, thus there is no clear and precise account of boundaries between the two governments. Therefore issues that may emerge while solving local concerns within the inter-state federalism start here.(Herman, 342).
The constitution outlines the activities that are complete for the central government, which has not been demanded by the regional government, for example, currency and militarysince the list is not either exclusive or exhaustive. Thus poses a real challenge when such problems arise. Also, there are fields like agriculture where the two levels of governments perform the same role,with the central government supersede in case of a conflict. Various authors have argued out that the present struggle for power among the two levels of government serves to elevate western alienation. National political leaders and elites tend to expand their spheres of influence on the cost of their regional counterparts, and this triggers the provincial counterparts to stand up and protect regional interests
The separation of power between the federal government and the provincial government has dramatically influenced the present western alienation, therefore eliminating the struggle for power and western alienation. A clear, precise, and particular sphere of influence must be outlined clearly in the constitutions through Interstate federalism as a problem resolution.
- The Canadian parliament
The institutional structure (federalism) has experienced a few formal changes since 1867. The primary political bodies and institutions are similar to the British type, consisting of a house of commons, appointed depending on population presentation and the Senate, which initially purposely to be a regional balance to the House of Commons. However, the operation of this institution has not evolved with Canadian society. As a result, the western Canadians face are rounded up in a political structure that does not allow the fair and equitable representation of provincial interests (LeDuc and Lawrence et al., 201).
Gibbins argues out powerfully that Canadian senate pales when compared to the American senate in terms of defending regional interests because they are elected hence ensuring effective governance and equitable representation of every state. In the house of commons, the party with the highest number seats in an election forms the government, and the party leader crowned to the place of a prime minister. This greatly influences lack of party loyalty and embracing non –ideological ways to winning the elections, contributing to alienation (Berdahl and Gibbins, 542)
From the above scenarios, Gibbins concluded that to do away with western separation in Canada. There must be a functioning senate, with fair and equitable representation of each region and senators to be elected through a democratic system to enhance the equal representation of marginalized areas.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussions and findings, it is indeed true that western alienation creates distrust between the federal government and the provincial government. Thus resulting in the prevalence of unequal policies within the Canadian region, as demonstrated under political factors when the government systems seem not to be neutrals re systems. Also, the essay highlights the history of western alienation right from the year 1867. How it has evolved up to the present isolation, it indicates factors that have facilitated western separation and the effects of this political phenomenon to the people of the west and government institutions as a whole. Through the research, western alienation can be defined as a regional political ideology of discontent. Also, the study indicates that” western alienation is a central part of the Canadian west.”
The research has dramatically shown that western alienation can be brought to rest when governmental institutions need to be flexible to accommodate current changes. Additionally, there must be a regional balance in the Senate House. Thus Canadian federal system should implement new senate reforms to allow the election of senators through the ballot to end west alienation
Work cited
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