Lesson 22 — Activity 3: Voting and Alberta's Party in Power
Completion requirements
Lesson 22 — Activity 3:
Voting and Alberta's Party in Power
Warm Up
In this activity, you will learn why it is important to vote and who got elected into power in Alberta in the 2015 provincial election.
It is very important to study each of the parties to know which one will best represent you when it comes time to vote. Often, you as a voter will find yourself in agreement with some parts of each party's platform. You then have to weigh the issues that seem most important to you when making the final decision. This is the same whether you are voting in your local municipal election, the provincial election, or the federal election. In this activity, you will look more closely at the parties involved in the Alberta provincial election and why it is important that you take part in the political process.
So why is it so important to vote?
Let's take a look at the top five reasons to vote in any election.
Click on the "+" sign to enlarge the image.
As you have learned, whatever party is voted into power, it is that party's agenda that the people have chosen. In the 2015 Alberta provincial election, the New Democratic Party was chosen with Rachel Notley as their leader.
These are some of the things the NDP promised to do:
- reverse spending cuts to health care
- reverse spending cuts to education
- reintroduce a progressive income tax
- increase the corporate tax rate
- freeze post-secondary tuition
- cut school fees
- review the royalty rates
Each time there is an election in Alberta, the current party can either stay in power if they get the most votes by Albertans or a new party can get voted in. In the 2015 election, there was a huge upset as the NDP won a majority government in Alberta, knocking the Progressive Conservatives out of power and ending the 44-year reign of the PC party in Alberta. As you can see, it is very important to get out there and vote if you want to see change or if you don't agree with what the current party in power agrees with.
Click here to learn about Alberta's current premier.
Self-check!
Try This!
Although you are not eligible to vote in an election until you are 18 years old, it is still very important to know about what is going on in your community, your province, and your country so that when the time comes, you will be an informed voter and be able to choose the party that is most closely aligned with your own beliefs.
Click here to watch a video where students in Alberta discuss voting. While you watch the video, think about why it is important for you to vote in elections.