The sad truth is that we Albertans are hypocrites. On the federal scene we have been the powerhouse of democratic reform since the late 1980s. We champion fixed dates for elections; the right of citizens to initiate and vote in referendums on issues of their choice; the right of constituents to recall their elected representative under certain circumstances; free votes in the legislature on every bill except the budget; referendums on major issues; no new taxes or tax increases without the consent of voters in a referendum. We've often said that MPs should vote the wishes of their constituents - even if that goes against the party and its leader. We also preach smaller government and less spending as the only way to lower federal taxes.

But what have we done provincially about democratic reform and smaller government?

Unlike Ontario and B.C., which have legislated fixed dates for their provincial elections, we allow our provincial election to be called at the whim of the Premier, to suit his personal ambitions and partisan advantage. In this regard, Premier Klein is little different from Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.

In the past ten years, four MLAs have brought forward bills to give Albertans the right to initiate and vote in referendums on issues which they consider important. Jon Havelock, Lorne Taylor, Denis Ducharme and then Tony Abbott introduced citizens' initiative legislation in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. Premier Klein did not support any of these bills, nor did he introduce meaningful democratic reforms of his own.

Most Albertans feel that constituents should be able to recall their MP under certain circumstances. Nobody should be completely immune from the possibility of getting fired. Recall is like a bumper on your car: you hope you will never have to use it, but you want it there in place just the same. But there is no recall legislation in Alberta. Unlike people in the real world, MLAs - and MPs - enjoy total and absolute job security for up to five years at a time.

There is no meaningful debate in Alberta's legislature, as all major decisions are made behind the closed doors of the premier's office or a party caucus. There have been no free votes in the Legislature about car insurance or health care or electricity deregulation or fiscal policy. Almost everything is decided in secret, then presented to the public as a done deal, and then pushed through the Legislature in record time. For example, you will never know whether your MLA voted for or against placing a cap on personal injury damages, as this was not debated or voted on in the Legislature.

As for referendums, Albertans haven't voted in a provincial one since 1971, when the majority supported switching to daylight savings time. In Alberta - like in Ottawa - every issue is artfully managed and tightly controlled by politicians, with the assistance of dozens of well-paid communications professionals in the Public Affairs Bureau. On the federal scene, Albertans believe that important national issues like capital punishment or immigration policy should be decided by Canadians directly, without politicians creating confusion or manipulating the debate for partisan purposes. But provincially we're afraid of having an honest debate about a controversial issue like taxpayer funding for abortion.

We don't have taxpayer protection legislation in Alberta. Just like federal politicians, our MLAs can raise any tax at any time for any reason, without having to make their case directly to taxpayers. When Liberals in Ottawa raise our taxes, we Albertans are outraged. But Premier Klein raised provincial taxes in 2002 - thereby breaking his 2001 pre-election promise that "the only way taxes are going in this province is down" - and we don't seem to mind.

As for smaller government, you won't find it in Alberta. Since 1996 Alberta's population has grown 17% but spending on government programs grew by 86% - far faster than growth in federal spending.

This provincial election gives Albertans an opportunity to stop being hypocrites. We can ask candidates whether they support taxpayer protection legislation, citizens' initiative legislation, and other democratic reforms, and cast our ballots accordingly. It's time to start practicing provincially what we preach federally.