Western Canada

Western Canada, defined politically

This article is about the region in Canada. For the school in Calgary, see Western Canada High School

Western Canada is a region of Canada, also known as simply the West, generally considered to be west of the province of Ontario. Although its precise definition is a source of some debate, it is usually reckoned to consist of the following four provinces (from west to east):

• British Columbia
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba

The latter three of these provinces are collectively referred to as the Prairie provinces, or simply the Prairies.

Definitions

Although many Canadians include the province of British Columbia (BC) in the generic region of "Western Canada," many British Columbians tend to distinguish themselves from the other three Western provinces and see their province as constituting a geographic region of its own, known as the "West Coast" or "Pacific". However, these feelings are generally concentrated in Vancouver, Victoria, and the coastal regions of the province.

British Columbia has many distinctions from the three Prairie provinces, particularly geographical and climatic. The presence of the Rocky Mountains has historically tended to isolate BC and has resulted in a somewhat different culture and attitude in that province. Coastal British Columbia is sometimes separated and termed "Pacific Canada" due its distinct climate and to the strong difference in culture, which is more in line with the coastal regions of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and northern California, including a more liberal political alignment that features strong support for environmentalism.

Another issue with regards to defining Western Canada is that many in the most Western provinces (British Columbia and Alberta) do not consider Manitoba part of the region because Manitoba is, geographically speaking, located in the centre of Canada. Manitobans, however, consider themselves to be Western Canadians, and the province's economy and history mirror its Western neighbours far more than Ontario and Quebec, which together are often referred to by the residents of those provinces as Central Canada. In the West, they are almost invariably called Eastern Canada.

Demographics

The combined population of Western Canada as of 2005 is nearly 10 million, including approximately 4.3 million in British Columbia, 3.3 million in Alberta, just under 1.0 million in Saskatchewan and 1.2 million in Manitoba. This represents about 30 per cent of the entire Canadian population (source: Statistics Canada, April 1, 2005 estimates).

Major Population Centres

• Vancouver, BC- 2,208,300
• Calgary, AB- 1,038,700
• Edmonton, AB- 1,016,000
• Winnipeg, MB- 706,900
• Victoria, BC- 334,700
• Saskatoon, SK- 235,800
• Regina, SK- 199,000
• Abbotsford, BC- 162,800
• Kelowna, BC- 153,000
• Nanaimo, BC- 90,000

Geography

Western British Columbia adjoins the Pacific Ocean but both Alberta and Saskatchewan are landlocked. Manitoba is almost landlocked but for a small coastal area of Hudson Bay on the north east border, where the port of Churchill is located.

The coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island enjoy a moderate oceanic climate due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, with temperatures similar to those of the British Isles. Winters are typically wet and summers relatively dry. These areas enjoy the mildest winter weather in all of Canada, as temperatures rarely fall much below the freezing mark. The interior of the province is drier and has colder winters and substantially hotter summers.

Alberta borders the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Southern portion benefits from frequent moderate climatic conditions known as "chinooks" where warm winds raise the winter temperature sufficiently to allow a full range of winter sports and the occasional game of golf. Alberta's weather is exceptionally changeable, and short-sleeve weather can occur in January and February, or conversely it can (albeit rarely) snow in August.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba experience extremes in weather, although Manitoba suffers the brunt of both extremes more so than Saskatchewan. Winters in both provinces can be classified as harsh with Arctic winds and −40 °C temperatures possible. Winter maximums in both provinces average between −10 °C and −15 °C. The extreme nature of the Manitoba climate has resulted in the capital city Winnipeg being nicknamed "Winterpeg". In contrast summers can be extremely hot with temperatures sometimes exceeding 35 °C.

Politics

In Canadian politics, the term 'The West' is often used as shorthand for the supposedly Conservative leanings of Western Canadians, as contrasted with the supposed liberalism of Central Canada. The exception is in coastal British Columbia, the city of Winnipeg, in Manitoba, (which are generally far more liberal) and (at least at the provincial level) Edmonton, Alberta (nicknamed "Red-monton" for its liberal leanings). The social democratic New Democratic Party had its origins on the Canadian Prairies and enjoys considerable support in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as British Columbia, although in recent years this party has made somewhat of a shift to the right, particularly in the case of Saskatchewan.

As of May 2005 the British Columbia Liberal Party (much to the right of the federal Liberal Party, more akin to the Conservatives) formed the provincial government in British Columbia, the Conservatives in Alberta, and the New Democratic Party in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The Western provinces are represented in the Canadian Parliament by 92 MPs in the House of Commons (BC - 36, Alberta - 28, Saskatchewan & Manitoba - 14 each) and 24 Senators (6 from each province). Of the 92 MPs in the Commons: 66 are Conservatives, 13 are Liberals and 13 are New Democrats. David Emerson, the current Minister of International Trade in the federal cabinet was elected as a Liberal but crossed over to the Conservative Party shortly after the election. The West has been the most vocal in calls for reform of the Senate, in which Ontario, Quebec, and particularly the Maritime Provinces are seen as being over-represented. However, the population of Ontario alone (12.5 million) exceeds that of all the Western provinces combined; and the population of Quebec (7.6 million) approaches their combined population. Conversely, the total population of Atlantic Canada is 2.3 million and this region is represented by 30 Senators.

Climatic and economic conditions have contributed to a net out migration from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Alberta and British Columbia which have stronger economies. In fact, the current population of Saskatchewan is only slightly larger than it was in 1931 and is slowly declining. British Columbia is often referred to as "Beautiful British Columbia", "God's Country" and "Lotus Land"; Alberta as "Wild Rose Country" or "The Land of Opportunity"; Saskatchewan as "The Land of Living Skies"; and Manitoba as "Friendly Manitoba" or "Land of 100,000 Lakes".

See also

• Eastern Canada
• Northern Canada
• Central Canada
• Atlantic Canada
• List of regions of Canada
• Secessionist movements of Canada - Includes several movements in Western Canada