Editing National Energy Program (section)

==Legacy and Western alienation==
{{main|Western alienation}}
The NEP was extremely unpopular in [[Western Canada]], especially in [[Alberta]], where most of Canada's oil is produced. With natural resources falling constitutionally within the domain of provincial jurisdictions, many Albertans viewed the NEP as a detrimental intrusion by the federal government into the province's affairs.<ref name="McKenzie_1981">{{citation |editor-last=McKenzie |editor-first=Helen |title=Current Issues System: Western Alienation in Canada |location=Ottawa |work=Research Branch, Library of Parliament, Government of Canada |year=1981}}</ref> Edmonton economist Scarfe argued that for people in Western Canada, especially Alberta, the NEP was perceived to be at their expense in benefiting the eastern provinces.<ref name="Scarfe_1981" />
Particularly vilified was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, whose Liberals [[1980 Canadian federal election|had no seat west of Manitoba]]. [[W. Edmund Clark|Ed Clark]], a senior bureaucrat in the Trudeau Liberal government, helped to develop the National Energy Program and earned himself the moniker "Red Ed" in the Alberta oil industry. Shortly after [[Brian Mulroney]] had taken office, Clark was fired.<ref name="globe_advisor">{{cite web |url=http://www.globeadvisor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/gam/20090514/RTD14ART1940 |title=The Power of Persuasion |publisher=www.globeadvisor.com |access-date=24 May 2009 |date=14 May 2009 |first1=Sinclair |last1=Stewart |first2=Tara |last2=Perkins}}</ref>

[[Petro-Canada]], established in 1975, was responsible for implementing much of the Program. Petro-Canada was given the [[backronym]] "Pierre Elliott Trudeau Rips Off Canada" by opponents of the National Energy Program.

According to Mary Elizabeth Vicente, an Edmonton librarian who wrote an article on the National Energy Program in 2005, the popular western slogan during the NEP, appearing on many bumper stickers, was "Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark."<ref name="abheritage">{{citation |last=Vicente |first=Mary Elizabeth |title=The National Energy Program |work=Canada’s Digital Collections. Heritage Community Foundation |date=January 2005 |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/events/issues_nep.html}}</ref> Other bumpers stated "I'd rather push this thing a mile than buy gas from PetroCan."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://parli.ca/let-the-eastern-bastards-freeze-in-the-dark/ |title= Let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark|work= The Dictionary of Canadian Politics|publisher= Parli|year= 2021|access-date= 2 April 2021}}</ref>

McKenzie argued in 1981 that politically, the NEP heightened distrust of the [[Government of Canada|federal government]] in Western Canada, especially in Alberta, where many believed the NEP to be an intrusion of the federal government into an area of provincial jurisdiction.<ref name="McKenzie_1981" />

According to a ''[[National Post]]'' journalist,<ref name="National_Post_2012" />

{{blockquote|"The anger and alienation of this era would provide much of the fuel behind the rise of [[Reform Party of Canada|Reform]] and [[Canadian Alliance]] parties, becoming the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]] that rules Ottawa today. The anger and alienation of Albertans also led Mr. Lougheed to oppose many of Mr. Trudeau’s proposed plans for the Constitution Act of 1982; he argued against granting Ontario and Quebec veto powers, fought for provincial resource rights and insisted on the notwithstanding clause.|Jen Gerson 2012}}