Opinion: Human rights essential to cultivating Alberta’s pluralism dividend |
The poet Ben Okri reminded us that “people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves.” He felt stories could help to allay fears and, importantly, “make the heart larger.”
Alberta stories are remarkable, although these are not always the ones we hear. Today, Alberta is often described as divided — politically polarized, culturally fragmented, uneasy with difference. Diversity is frequently portrayed as a source of tension, something to fear or contain. The vitality of our pluralistic society is measured by whether Albertans can access the everyday essentials, including safety, dignity, opportunity and meaningful participation.
In one of Canada’s most diverse provinces, inclusion is not a concession to difference; it is the condition for shared prosperity and the foundation that makes human rights real for all Albertans. What Alberta stands to gain is what I call the pluralism dividend: the democratic, social and economic returns that emerge when diversity is actively cultivated rather than suppressed or merely tolerated.
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