Book Review: Notley Nation

Notley Nation
By Donald Braid and Sydney Sharpe; Dundurn Books, 2016

As you might have guessed by now, I come from a very political family, and I have spent most of the last 20 years in Alberta. I returned to this province in 2010 - coincidentally the same year one may as well take as the starting point in the author's argument: that the successes of Justin Trudeau, Rachel Notley, and Naheed Nenshi all reflect the growing strength of a younger, more urban and more progressive Alberta, and Canada at large.

Accordingly, as someone who has been in Calgary long enough to remember the mayoral election of 2010 (and voted in it), much of the book is hardly a surprise. Of the 10 chapters, 9 are basically historical, while one is analytical. Therefore I feel the book is most valuable to the Canadians living outside of Alberta.

As a historical account, the book serves fairly well in taking a blow by blow approach to the decline of the Progressive Conservative Association, and the rise of Rachel Notley and the NDP. The coverage of events is a good deal more fair than the portrayal one would receive in Canada's newspapers - ironically, as Braid continues to be a reporter for the Calgary Herald/Sun/National Post. Braid and Sharpe do a wonderful job illustrating the comprehensive decline of the PCAA's relationship with the people of Alberta. It wasn't just that they were doing a bad job governing; it becomes quite clear the "association" no longer gave a hoot about its membership - only corporations. Truly, the impression one gathers is of a highly Corporatist political body.

As someone too young to know Premiers Lougheed or Getty, the historical diversions about these men is welcome. A standout chapter, though, is the story of Grant Notley, "the Social Conscience of Alberta," as a posthumous biography labelled him, and the upbringing of his daughter, the future Premier of Alberta. Their story is amazing in terms of their hardwork, dedication, and values.

The real hit in the book, however, is the unfortunately titled chapter, "Math is Hard," the analytical chapter discussing the changing role of women in politics, and just how important it is. This chapter was very illuminating to me, and served to impress on me how important gender representation truly is.

The only downside to the book is that Braid and Sharpe are occasionally too gentle on some of their subjects. In the aforementioned chapter, the authors provide a very good explanation for the terroristic internet traffic coming from Alberta's far right. However, they don't go far enough to discuss the obvious criminality and insanity of much of the content. I feel it worth noting just how frequently the female members of Notley's government have received death threats. They only mention one, and an early one at that.

Another weakness is their discussion of the media environment in Alberta; clearly this would be a conflict of interest for Braid, as he still works in it, but no story of the Alberta NDP government is complete without exploring the extremely hostile media environment they exist within. Braid himself is one of the few remaining voices of reason and decency within the mainstream media here - and his realistic and reasonable treatment of the economy and Oil business in Alberta will no doubt drive many readers crazy.

In sum, the book is a solid 4/5 - at least to me. If you happen to be an interested outsider, this is probably the best account yet of what has happened in Alberta since the retirement of Ralph Klein.

Thanks for reading.