Conservative voters in Alberta seek respect from newly elected Liberal government

Julia Wong · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

At the Morinville Grill connected Tuesday, meal was being served with a broadside of predetermination speech arsenic voters dished connected their hopes for the Liberal authorities led by Mark Carney.

Corey Brenneis is an Albertan who voted Conservative successful Monday's predetermination but said she doesn't caput the caller Liberal leader.

"I deliberation Carney's going to beryllium each right," she said. "I don't consciousness doom and gloom."

With the Conservatives sweeping astir each riding successful Alberta, voters — including those successful Morinville, Alta., a municipality about 40 kilometres northwest of Edmonton — privation to see more respect from the recently elected Liberal number government.

The Liberals secured 2 seats successful Alberta, 1 successful Edmonton and 1 successful Calgary, and captured astir 28 per cent of the fashionable ballot connected Monday. In 2021, the Liberals earned a small much than 15 per cent of the fashionable ballot successful the province, according to Elections Canada. 

But the state traditionally votes conservative, and residents like Brenneis say they want more openness from Ottawa.

"I privation to beryllium listened to and [know] that radical present matter," she said. "Treat america fairly. Like, dainty Alberta fairly."

Fellow diner Matthew Brister, who besides voted for the Conservative enactment connected Monday, said helium expects the existing issues with the Liberal authorities to proceed but has hopes for however the state and Ottawa interact going forward.

"[It] would beryllium bully if determination was a greater grade of respect for our ownership of the assets and the improvement of the resource," helium said.

Western alienation

Feelings of occidental alienation person been simmering for years, and the predetermination brought it again to the surface.

During the campaign, Reform Party laminitis Preston Manning said a ballot for the Liberals would beryllium a ballot for occidental secession.

On Tuesday, Manning issued a connection saying plans are successful the works to signifier adjacent steps, including what helium called "independence-oriented proposals."

While Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her authorities would not enactment guardant a referendum connected whether the state should secede from Canada, the UCP tabled authorities Tuesday that would loosen the rules for referendums successful wide to beryllium held.

The thought for Alberta to abstracted has enactment from Peter Downing, a laminitis of the occidental separatist question including the defunct Wexit party.

"We're conscionable going to beryllium organizing implicit the adjacent small while. And successful presumption of organizing, organizing to trigger the legislative requirements successful Alberta to get a separation referendum connected the ballot and legally enforceable," helium said.

Downing likened a imaginable referendum to the 1995 Quebec referendum and the 2018 Brexit vote.

"Do you privation to stay successful Canada, oregon bash you privation to leave? I deliberation that's the 2 questions connected the ballot that we're looking for," helium said.

While a caller Angus Reid canvass suggested that one successful 4 Albertans and 1 successful 5 radical from Saskatchewan would ballot to separate, the immense bulk privation to stay successful Canada.

Take it seriously, prof says

Even though it seems improbable that Alberta volition separate, "we person to instrumentality earnestly the information that astir a 3rd of the colonisation has expressed immoderate involvement successful this," said Brendan Boyd, a governmental subject prof astatine MacEwan University.

"It truly is going to beryllium absorbing to see. Mark Carney is — and helium said this — he's not Justin Trudeau truthful that's 1 thing. He has that concern background. He's already talked astir vigor and resources arsenic a priority."

Smith said she has made it wide to Carney that she wants to spot vigor policies changed.

"If it is the lawsuit that there's statement present astir … getting our resources to market, uncovering caller markets, these are benignant of the baseline to reset the narration with Alberta," she said Tuesday astatine an unrelated property conference.

Carney himself acknowledged successful his triumph code that determination is enactment to beryllium done successful the Prairies.

"During this abbreviated campaign, I went to Saskatchewan and Alberta a mates of times, adjacent though, you know, we're Liberals. It's tough. It's pugnacious retired there. I grew up there, but I went due to the fact that I mean to govern for each Canadians," helium said.

Boyd said helium believes Carney could code immoderate of the frustrations and concerns from radical successful the Prairies by focusing connected moving with Alberta and Saskatchewan connected circumstantial issues alternatively than focusing connected nationalist programs.

He added that it's unclear close present whether separatist sentiments successful the state could worsen during a 4th Liberal term.

"I bash deliberation there's astir apt a spot of a headdress to this, particularly erstwhile radical are besides focusing their eyes southbound of the borderline arsenic good and determination is this unit coming from the United States," Boyd said.

"It truly does beryllium connected what policies and what that docket looks similar erstwhile they get backmost into the House and commencement trying to walk their legislative agenda."

WATCH | Little enthusiasm for different Liberal authorities successful overmuch of Western Canada: 

Back astatine the Morinville Grill, some Brenneis and Brister said they didn't privation Alberta to abstracted from the remainder of the country. 

"[I'm] arrogant to beryllium Canadian, always," Brenneis said with a laugh. 

"If we separate, I'll person to determination to Moose Jaw."