Government and Politics in Alberta

Joseph Garcea is an assistant professor of political studies at the
University of Saskatchewan.

This book is an insightful, balanced academic account of political
developments in Alberta over the past two decades.

Following an interesting thematic introduction by the editors of the
book, Chapter 1 traces the evolution of the political executive and
political leadership since Alberta became a province, with special
emphasis on the modern period. Chapter 2 examines developments in key
public policy areas, notably resource development and fiscal policy.

Chapters 3 and 10 should be read together, because they examine, in
turn, the place of Alberta in the national community and the provincial
government’s constitutional positions since 1930, with special
emphasis on recent decades. Chapters 4 through 9 deal with a disparate
set of issues: political culture, voting behavior, the legislature,
provincial–municipal relations, the mass media, and the politics of
gender. Chapter 11 examines the interesting and widely publicized cause
of the Lubicon band.

Although the principal audience for this book is college and university
students interested in Alberta politics, the clarity of the writing,
free of technical or disciplinary jargon, also makes it an interesting
read for the general public. More books like this one would help people
make more informed choices vis-а-vis the political process.