Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada

In probing the impact of Alberta’s powerful oil lobby on thehealth of democracy in the province, contributors to the volume engagewith an ongoing discussion of the erosion of political liberalism inthe West. In addition to examining energy policy and issues ofgovernment accountability in Alberta, they explore the ramifications ofoil dependence in areas such as Aboriginal rights, environmentalpolicy, labour law, women’s equity, urban social policy, and thearts. If, as they argue, reliance on oil has weakened democraticstructures in Alberta, then what of Canada as whole, where theshort-term priorities of the oil industry continue to shape federalpolicy?