For residents of ‘Canada’s Texas,’ a sense of ‘western alienation’

Paul Lemieux’s back lot is as good a gauge as any with which to assess the vigor of Canada’s oil and gas industry – and the mood in rural Alberta. In good times, the heavy equipment he rents out to the oil patch is mostly gone. These days it’s packed.

Henry Goulet determines his well-being by looking at the state of people’s roofs. He owns a repair business, and when the industry is in good shape, people keep up their homes. Right now, they aren’t.

And for Pat Matvie, the measure is all around her. After 25 years as an oil field consultant, she was laid off over Christmas. On a recent day she packs her things: At age 62 she is taking a job as a grade operator, three hours north of Edson, and is living in her recreational vehicle for the summer.

These Albertans are fed up: at Liberal policies under Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at other provinces protesting