www.ChrisLaBossiere.com

There has been a lot of discussion, up to and including today's media coverage and Ken Chapman's blog post, which continue to try and define the modern definition of a "Progressive". For reasons I can only describe as trite, there are also people who want to insists that this is an excercise in futility or worse some kind of underhanded political gamesmanship. That's ridiculous in my opinion, because if I self-identify as a "Progressive", then I am correct. Period. No one owns the definition, any more than if I said that I was religious; it could not be debated. "Religious" of course is a philosophy and is quite different for everyone. Just as if my choice of Religion is simply my choosing which one best aligns with MY beliefs.

So back to my point. I don't care what a progressive is. I continue to refuse to be added to a list, bucket or ideology based on YOUR interpretation of what that means. Another way to say this, is that I don't suppose any one party will represent ALL progressives.

But why do I self-identify as a Progressive?

I find that the People involved in the Reboot Alberta movement, are very much like me (The research survey is a good representation of the types of people I have met along the way). I enjoy that they come into the conversation with some basic principles already in place, even though we still have differences. According to Reboot, which commissioned the third-party and scientific survey of people who self-identified as "Progressive", the VALUES of a self-identified progressive are as follows (Top-Ten):

1. Integrity
2. Honesty
3. Accountability
4. Transparency
5. Environmental Stewardship
6. Wisdom
7. Well-being
8. Equity
9. Fiscal Responsibility
10. Respect for Diversity

As Ken has identified in his blog today, the top four are almost redundant and probably apply across all ideologies (we all want Honest politicians). The bottom six begin to shape PRIORITIES that start to align with existing political parties. But I think that's where the problem begins.

These are simply values that I tend to align with. There are many Conservatives, Liberals or Democrats who would also align with these and who feel that their existing party provides them with appropriate representation along these lines. That's cool.

As you have read time and again, I simply don't feel that any EXISTING mainstream Alberta political party does enough in these areas, IN A BALANCED MANNER, to provide me with the level of comfort to give them my vote. The Wildrose Alliance Party would be the closest to something new for me that I might get excited about and get behind. The problem is that the policies and some of the original founders of the party simply leave me concerned with their committment to some of these, and namely Equity and Respect for Diversity.

So here I am. As you know, I am going to put everything I can behind the new Alberta Party, simply because it feels to me like the best balance of the things that are important to me, and the people involved in it continue to make me feel comfortable with my order of the priority.

I would love to hear why you align with a particular political party, or even why you don't align with any at all. But if you are going to try and challenge that my definition of Progressive is inacurrate, you're barking up the wrong tree.

 (This is not written to slight Ken's Reboot movement, the amazing work he and his team has done to help this discussion along, or the numerous people who have already taken a stab at defining a Progressive)