The Liberals’s environmental agenda is merely the latest iteration of a dynamic that goes back to Confederation, if not before. The population differences between the West and Central Canada mean that any election will be decided before votes are counted in Alberta. You might say, well, that is representation by population, but, unlike in other federations, there is no effective regional counterbalance. Not only does the Senate lack democratic legitimacy, it is also heavily weighted towards Quebec and Ontario, which each get 24 seats, while the western provinces each get six. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick each get 10 seats.