Albertans Deserve a Say on Debt Plans

My latest Calgary Herald column looks at how the Alberta government's borrowing plans help make the case for citizens' initiative:

We’re only about seven months removed from the provincial election, so recalling what was said and what was not said during the campaign should be a relatively straightforward task.
For example, it was immediately obvious that the recent decision by the Redford government to go into debt to pay for new infrastructure was not something the Tories discussed at all during the campaign.  Even the premier herself conceded as much last week, but argued that economic circumstances had changed dramatically in the intervening months.
Perhaps if we were to concede that the government’s spring economic assessments were accurate, then maybe the premier’s claim would be believable. However, the Tories seemed to be virtually alone in their rosy assumptions.
If the claim that circumstances have changed is therefore exposed to be hollow, we’re left with a reasonable assumption that the plans now being sprung on Albertans could have and should have been presented before we cast our ballots. Were that the case, Albertans could have rendered a verdict on this new approach.
It may well be that the vision now being articulated by the government would have found an audience. Perhaps a majority of Albertans support this approach, or at least could be convinced.
And while the Tory campaign said nothing at all about going back into debt, they had plenty to say about direct democracy, and in particular, the idea of citizens’ initiatives.
The notion of allowing Albertans the opportunity to gather signatures on petitions and possibly put issues to a referendum was portrayed by the Tories as dangerous and irresponsible. They claimed that this policy was tantamount to “abdicat(ing) leadership on important issues of the day” by “opening up divisive questions . . . to public vote.”
The Tories declared that “Albertans want to know what their leaders think on the issues, so they can trust them to provide the leadership the province needs.”
If anyone is abdicating leadership, it’s the party leader, who lacked the candour and courage to try and sell Albertans on the need to go into debt, and instead took the easy way out.  It’s no doubt true that Albertans “want to know what their leaders think on the issues,” but I don’t think it’s presumptuous to suggest they’d prefer that information before an election.
According to the government, however, they’ve “consulted” with Albertans, and they want the government to press ahead with building more infrastructure. But that actually concedes the point that voters should have a say in shaping government policy.
Consulting does not bind the government in any way. As long as “some” Albertans are asking for the very thing the government intends on doing anyway, they can spin it to appear as though they’re listening. Of course, it’s easy to listen to those who are telling you what you want to hear.
The very mechanism that was the subject of so much Tory demagogy is the one way Albertans could truly be consulted on the government’s new debt scheme. It is also a means of ensuring governments are held accountable when they try and shield their plans from the voters.
There’s nothing stopping the Tories from putting this matter to a vote, but we know that is not in the cards. And maybe Albertans don’t want a referendum on this matter. If so, a petition drive to try and initiate one may well fail.   It’s not a perfect mechanism, and could potentially be open to abuse, depending on how it’s implemented. However, it’s far preferable to the status quo.
We saw earlier this month in the U.S. election how this tool can allow voters to make historic change and address issues that the politicians are too afraid to address.  Voters in Washington state and Colorado approved measures to legalize marijuana. Voters in four other states voted to legalize same-sex marriage. These votes occurred because of citizens’ initiatives.
Voters in B.C. have this tool at their disposal, too. A group called Sensible BC is now organizing to try and force a vote on decriminalizing marijuana.
The politicians work for and answer to us. If Alberta’s politicians have forgotten that, then we need new ways of reminding them