Alberta & Quebec: Separated at Birth?

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel across Western Canada working on one of the Liberal leadership races. I am embarrassed to admit, that before this summer, I was a straight east-west Canadian, i.e. I've been to both the Atlantic and Pacific shores of Canada but had somehow managed to skip over the provinces that bind - the glue that holds us together.

Through my work, I met with Liberals from Selkirk, Man. to the Queen of Sask., to the foothills of the Rockies. It was quite an unforgettable experience, in particular those mind-blowing prairie skies.

Somewhere along the drive between Edmonton and Calgary, I had an epiphany. It was my 27th birthday. We had pulled over for a double double. I closed my eyes. And opened them again. And thought that if I had been blind-folded and plopped down somewhere on that good Alberta pastoral land - I could have sworn I was in a pasture outside of Magog, in Quebec's Eastern Townships. And that's when it hit me:

Alberta and Quebec have tons in common! They are like naughty adolescent twin brother and sister. Alberta is the boy: tough, strong, big on steak, and pick ups - going through the sort of football team stuff - Quebec is the girl: into hippy environment stuff, open liberal views, free love, laissez faire attitude.

Neither likes to be told what to do by the parent (i.e. Canada). Both demand respect and to be treated like adults and will do whatever they please - thank you very much.

But I think that both of them, like any teenager, have a deep down/hidden respect for a strong parent, who isn't a push over, who challenges them, who tells it like it is, who doesn't overtly pander to them, and who, no matter who they bring home or what they experiment with, will be there for them when the going gets tough.