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Attitudes in Alberta are also changing rapidly. The Citizen Society Research Lab at Lethbridge College has been polling Albertans on six key public policy issues since 2009. Their research indicates Albertans are increasingly pro-choice, support legalizing marijuana, are in favour of doctor-assisted death and strongly support same-sex marriage. Notably, support for same-sex marriage in all regions of Alberta has increased by more than 15 percentage points over the past seven years. The days when Premier Ralph Klein famously threatened to use the notwithstanding clause to exempt Alberta from having to legally recognize same-sex marriage are clearly relics of the past.

Progress Alberta, in a recently published report, describes progressive Albertans as the province’s new “quiet majority,” noting the elections of mayors Naheed Nenshi in Calgary and Don Iveson in Edmonton as prime examples of changing demographics and shifting attitudes.

Perhaps, then, it is not surprising to see a newly elected NDP government looking forward rather than backward by taking the lead on important societal issues such as climate change, fossil fuels, poverty reduction and family violence.

What may be most surprising is how quickly Alberta has emerged as a national leader on LGBTQ human rights issues. Just recently, the NDP government introduced gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds against discrimination in the province’s Human Rights Act. Before that, the government under a series of Progressive Conservative premiers (Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice) restored funding for sex-reassignment surgery, updated the Marriage Act to be inclusive of same-sex couples, removed restrictions for transgender individuals to have their birth certificates changed and legislated support for gay-straight alliances in K-12 schools. The rainbow pride flag, for the first time, also waved proudly over the Alberta Legislature to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ athletes and individuals during the Sochi Olympics.