Code Politics—Campaigns and Cultures on the Canadian Prairies

Politics on the Canadian Prairies are puzzling. The provinces share
a common landscape and history, but they have nurtured three distinct
political cultures -- Alberta is Canada’s bastion of
conservatism, Saskatchewan its cradle of social democracy, and Manitoba
its progressive centre. The roots of these cultures run deep and have
sparked comment and debate, yet their persistence over a century of
change has yet to be explained.

In Code Politics, Jared Wesley draws on over eight hundred
pieces of campaign literature to reveal that the region’s
dominant political parties have used one key device -- rhetoric -- to
foster and carry forward their province’s cultural values or
political code. Social Credit and Progressive Conservative leaders in
Alberta emphasized freedom over security, whereas New Democrats in
Saskatchewan turned that message on its head. Successful politicians in
Manitoba, by contrast, steered a middle course, underscoring the
importance of moderation in their campaign platforms. From William
Aberhart to Tommy Douglas to Gary Doer, party leaders have employed
distinct codes in their campaign discourse to shape their
province’s political landscapes.

By treating election campaigns as rituals that allow political
leaders to renew their community’s core values, this
groundbreaking study provides the key to solving the so-called Prairie
paradox.