Alberta Day and Leger poll finds mixed feelings towards the province
Posted September 2, 2022 10:18 am.
Premier Jason Kenney officially kicked off the first ever Alberta Day on Thursday, a day which makes the 117th birthday of Alberta becoming a province.
Kenney spoke outside the Alberta Legislature Thursday morning, saying the new Alberta Day is meant to celebrate the province, but also remember the First Nations who came before.
“We believe Alberta is worth celebrating, and it is worth taking a moment to pause and express gratitude and appreciation for the vision and sacrifices of those who preceded us,” Kenney says.
The date, September 1, was chosen to mark the anniversary of the day Alberta entered the confederation in 1905.
Alberta Day takes place on a Thursday this year, but events are planned for the weekend. During its celebration, Culture Minister Ron Orr bashed the prime minister and “Laurentian elites’ saying “The family compact of Laurentian elites have always skewed the deal in their favour.”
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He continues on saying “The attacks of our recent (Justin) Trudeau government on our energy, our resources, our wealth, our freedom, there are just so many ways that Albertans have struggled to achieve our full and our fair place in this Confederation. But you know what? Albertans will succeed.”
Recently, Leger released a poll revealing Canadians’ favourite provinces and territories.
It suggests Canadians love Alberta’s natural beauty, landscape and wildlife, putting the province in second place for the most-liked province, just behind British Columbia.
However, opinions on the people who live in the province are much lower. 47 per cent of respondents say they chose Alberta as their least favourite province because of the people.
“I’ve lived in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. I think the people are nicest here so it surprised me a little bit for sure,” says one Edmontonian.
The poll also found Less than 2 in 10 Canadians strongly feel Alberta or Quebec have been successful in their efforts to change the status quo of Canadian governance and 16% of respondents believe Alberta is a threat to national unity.
Alberta Day takes place on a Thursday this year, but many events are planned for the weekend across the province.
