Alberta's rights revolution

Abstract

Studies of human rights that focus on international politics or institutions fail to convey the complex influence of human rights on law, politics and society in a local context. This article documents the impact of the rights revolution in Alberta. The rights revolution emerged in the province beginning in the 1970s following the election of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1971. Many of the issues that typified Alberta's rights revolution were unique to this region: censorship, eugenics and discrimination against Hutterites, Aboriginals, Blacks and French Canadians. However, as the controversy surrounding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation demonstrates, Alberta's rights revolution remains an unfulfilled promise.