| What is the purpose of a provincial government? The purpose of the provincial government is to take care of the people of Alberta and to protect their interests. Some of the interests that our provincial government looks after include energy, education, seniors, tourism, provincial parks, agriculture and food, sustainable resources, aboriginal (First Nations) relations, children's services and health care. How does the provincial government pay for its services? The Government of Alberta collects taxes in order to pay for the services the province requires. The two biggest areas in which the Alberta Government spends the money that it collects from taxes are Health Care and Education. In 2006-07, they spent a total of $28.3 billion, and more than half of that was in those two areas. Education All Grade 6 students throughout the province of Alberta learn the same basic things in school, although the are taught differently. Many use the same textbooks, and the provincial tests at the end of the year are all the same. The Department of Education of the Alberta Government makes these decisions. This is the department that decides how much money to give to local school boards to do things like hire school staff and improve school buildings. What do you think? Do you think that it is a good idea that students in Edmonton learn the same things as students in Turner Valley? Do you think that they should learn different things? Resource Management As you will remember from our petroleum unit, energy resources (particularly petroleum resources such as oil and gas) are essential for the Albertan economy. These resources are managed by the provincial government and ensure that billions of dollars are kept within the province. Health Care All throughout Canada, we have universal health care. That means that health care is provided for every Canadian citizen. It is not that way in many other countries. In the United States, people pay hundreds of dollars every month so that they are protected should they ever become sick. There are many people who don't have health care, and those people need to pay huge hospital fees if they ever get hurt or sick. We only have to pay a small premium, or fee, to cover our health care. Those who are seniors or cannot afford to pay the premium are helped out with government subsidies, which are funds that the government provides to those who need it in order to participate in the health care program. By having health care, you and your family are protected in case one of you ever gets sick or hurt. Laws The local, provincial and federal governments all take part in making laws. An example of a provincial law is the one that was created in 2001 that states that all Albertans under the age of 18 must wear a helmet when they are riding their bicycle. We also have provincial laws that pertain to smoking in public places. A law begins when an elected official in the provincial government (an MLA or Member of the Legislative Assembly) introduces a bill, or a suggested law. Other MLAs and the public get a chance to take a look at the bill. If someone in the public doesn't like it, they can tell their local MLA to vote against it. After that, the bill gets a second reading in the Legislative Assembly. At this time the bill is debated and voted on. If the vote passes, the bill moves on to a third reading. If the majority of the MLAs vote for the bill on the third reading, it is sent to the Lieutenant Governor to be signed, and is now an act, or law. Elections The major difference between elections at the local and provincial level is the existence of political parties. It is very hard to get elected if you do not have a political party (which would mean that you are an independent). The Premier of Alberta is the leader of the political party that wins the most seats during the provincial election. This current Premier is Ed Stelmach. There are currently 83 seats to be won. Currently, the most powerful political party in Alberta is the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party. They have won every election in this province since 1971. The second largest party is the Liberal Party. They won the first four elections in Alberta's history, but have not won one since 1917. The other major parties in Alberta today are the New Democratic Party, the Wild Rose Party and the Green Party. None of those parties have ever won an election. The area that you vote in is called a constituency. The person elected to represent a constituency is called a Member of the Legidslative Assembly, or MLA. Turner Valley is in the Foothills-Rockyview constituency and your MLA is Ted Morton (I live in Okotoks, which is in the Highwood Constituency... my MLA is different, his name is George Groeneveld). To win the seat in your constituency, you need to get more votes than anyone else. Voters must live in the constituency, be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old, and live in Alberta for at least six months before election day. The Lieutenant Governor Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The means that even though we elect our own officials, the Queen of England is still our head of state. The queen has a representative in both the federal government and in each of the provincial governments. In the federal government, this representative is called the Governor General. In our provincial government, this representative is called the Lieutenant General. Our current Lieutenant Governor is a former CFL football player named Norman L. Kwong. He is the first Canadian of Chinese ancestry to become Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. The duties of the Lieutenant Governor are to invite the leader of the winning party in the election to become premier, call the Legislature into session, read the `Speech from the Throne` (describe what the government intends to do ion the upcoming session), dissolve the Assembly so that anb election can be called, and sign all bills that pass the Legislative Assembly into law. The Prime Minister recommends a person to the job of Lieutenant Governor, and the Governor General then appoints that person. What do you think? Do you think that Alberta should have a Lieutenant Governor? Should Canada be a constitutional monarchy? How is the Provincial Government Structured? The provincial government is structured as follows; Cabinet Ministers Cabinet members are MLAs who are selected to become ministers of different departments in the government. Some of those departments include Education, Environment, Employment, Immigration and Industry. Here are some of the differences between regular MLAs and members of the cabinet; |
Democracy
From pages 128 to 149 of
Pearson Education's Voices in
Democracy
Pearson Education's Voices in
Democracy
Provincial Government
"In democracy
everyone has the
right to be
represented, even
the jerks." - Chris
Patten.
everyone has the
right to be
represented, even
the jerks." - Chris
Patten.
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| FROM THE CURRICULUM 6.1.5 analyze the structure and functions of Alberta’s provincial government by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: • How is the provincial government structured? • What is the role and status of the Lieutenant Governor within the provincial government? • What are the responsibilities of the provincial government (i.e., laws, taxes, services)? • How are representatives chosen at the provincial level of government (i.e., electoral process)? • What are the differences between the responsibilities of a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and a cabinet minister? |
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2007 Alberta General Election Statistics
Alberta Legislature
