The government of Alberta is carried out by a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. The capital of the province is Edmonton, and here reside the premier, legislature, lieutenant-governor and cabinet. The legislature consists of one house -- the Legislative Assembly -- of 83 members. Government is conducted after the Westminster model. The province's revenue, although including grants from the Federal government, is chiefly derived from management of the provincial resources. Alberta has a system of municipal government similar to that of the other provinces. The largest exception is that Alberta is the only province in Canada without a provincial sales tax (PST).
Albertans politics are more right-wing than those of any Canadian province. The provincial government has been from a series of right wing parties for decades, first with Social Credit and today with the Conservatives. The current premier of Alberta is Ralph Klein, who despite having beaten a problem with alcohol, remains extremely popular in the province.
Alberta is the heartland of the Canadian Alliance, the second largest political party in parliament and the furthest right. Both provincial governments and the Alliance reflect Alberta more socially conservative nature than other provinces. Albertans due to historic roots, tend to be less in favour of social ideals such as gay marriage, gun control, and abortion. Albertans appear more pro-death penalty but are actually more law-and-order focused. The existence of a two-tier health care system is not a prime focus of Albertans. They are looking toward revamping of the health care system to improve services and reduce costs. This is consistent with the conservative policy headed by Premier Ralph Klein.
Albertans have long memories and remember well the National Energy Policy NEP of the Trudeau Liberal government that essentially took away the right of the province to control its resources, something that is basic to the Canadian Constitution. With this off-hand treatment from Ottawa, Albertans began to rumble about separation due to alienation from the federation. This rumble re-emerges from time to time; however, it is in no way a main-stream focus for the province. Alberta remains a staunch supporter of federalism.
Albertans are the lowest taxed people in Canada, mostly because of the province's considerable oil and gas income. Alberta is the only province without a sales tax. The federal government has attempted on a number of occasions to redistribute Alberta's wealth, most famously with Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Policy (NEP). This policy was removed by the Mulroney conservatives in 1984, however. Alberta is still one of the provinces which pays transfer payments to other, poorer, provinces.
It is interesting to note that prior to the discovery of oil and gas in Alberta, the province was considered one of the poorest in the country. See also: List of Alberta Premiers
