Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada

Prior to May 2015, the oil-rich jurisdiction of Alberta had, for over four decades, been a one-party state. During that time, the rule of the Progressive Conservatives essentially went unchallenged, with critiques of government policy falling on deaf ears and Alberta ranking behind other provinces in voter turnout. Given the province’s economic reliance on oil revenues, a symbiotic relationship also developed between government and the oil industry. Cross-national studies have detected a correlation between oil-dependent economies and authoritarian rule, a pattern particularly evident in Africa and the Middle East. Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada sets out to test the “oil inhibits democracy” hypothesis in the context of an industrialized nation in the Global North.

In probing the impact of Alberta’s powerful oil lobby on the health of democracy in the province, contributors to the volume engage with an ongoing discussion of the erosion of political liberalism in the West. In addition to examining energy policy and issues of government accountability in Alberta, they explore the ramifications of oil dependence in areas such as Aboriginal rights, environmental policy, labour law, women’s equity, urban social policy, and the arts. If, as they argue, reliance on oil has weakened democratic structures in Alberta, then what of Canada as whole, where the short-term priorities of the oil industry continue to shape federal policy? The findings in this book suggest that, to revitalize democracy, provincial and federal leaders alike must find the courage to curb the influence of the oil industry on governance.

An impressive collection of detailed research on various facets of the Albertan oil economy from different vantage points—from state corruption to gender equality, from migrant workforces to visual culture.

Matthew Huber, Syracuse University

Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the consequences of oil and gas extraction for politics and governance in Alberta, while also providing readers who are not specialists in Alberta politics with a unique case study for testing the 'oil inhibits democracy' thesis.

Steve Patten, University of Alberta

About the Editors

Meenal Shrivastava is associate professor of political economy and global studies at Athabasca University. Lorna Stefanick is a professor at Athabasca University, where she serves as coordinator for the Governance, Law, and Management program.

With contributions by Ricardo Acuña, Bob Barnetson, Sara Dorow, Josh Evans, Jason Foster, Joy Fraser, Trevor Harrison, Paul Kellogg, Manijeh Mannani, Gabrielle Slowey, Peter (Jay) Smith, and Karen Wall.

Reviews

This book is a clarion warning of an unacceptable shift in the public sphere towards service of particular economic interests and away from democracy and the legitimate role of the government. […] The book also reveals the ceaseless dispute between business and public interests, or considered from another standpoint, between liberty and justice.

International Journal of Rural Management

Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgements
2. Introduction • Framing the Debate on Democracy and Governance in an Oil-Exporting Economy / Meenal Shrivastava and Lorna Stefanick
3. PART ONE • THE CONTEXT OF DEMOCRACY IN AN OIL ECONOMY
   1. 1. Liberal Democracy in Oil-Exporting Countries: A View from the Perspective of Staples Theory / Meenal Shrivastava
   2. 2. Petroleum, Politics, and the Limits of Left Progressivism in Alberta / Trevor W. Harrison
   3. 3. Petro-politics in Alberta and Canada: A New Spatiality of Political Contestation? / Peter (Jay) Smith
   4. 4. Alberta’s Energy Paradigm: Prosperity, Security, and the Environment / Lorna Stefanick
   5. 5. The Political Economy of Oil and Democracy in Venezuela and Alberta / Paul Kellogg
4. PART TWO • RIGHTS CLAIMS IN AN OIL ECONOMY
   1. 6. Petroleum, Patriarchy, and Power: Women’s Equality in Canada and Iran / Joy Fraser, Manijeh Mannani, and Lorna Stefanick
   2. 7. Development at What Cost? First Nations, Ecological Integrity, and Democracy / Gabrielle Slowey and Lorna Stefanick
   3. 8. Worker Safety in Alberta: Trading Health for Profit / Bob Barnetson
   4. 9. Exporting Oil, Importing Labour, and Weakening Democracy: The Use of Foreign Migrant Workers in Alberta / Jason Foster and Bob Barnetson
   5. 10. Gendering Energy Extraction in Fort McMurray / Sara Dorow
5. PART THREE • GOVERNANCE, IDENTITY, AND CITIZENSHIP IN AN OIL ECONOMY
   1. 11. A Window on Power and Influence in Alberta Politics / Ricardo Acuña
   2. 12. The Paradox of Plenty: Ending Homelessness in Alberta / Joshua Evans
   3. 13. “The Sharpest Knives in the Drawer”: Visual Culture at the Intersection of Oil and State / Karen Wall
   4. 14. Blurring the Boundaries of Private, Partisan, and Public Interests: Accountability in an Oil Economy / Lorna Stefanick
6. Conclusion • Of Democracy and Its Deficits: Surviving Neoliberalism in Oil-Exporting Countries / Meenal Shrivastava
7. List of Contributors / Index

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.