"Western visions, western futures explores the interplay between western alienation and western aspirations. Because of regional optimism, western Canadians often feel alienated from the rest of Canada or, more specifically, from the federal government: western Canadians are concerned that their aspirations are not shared by the rest of Canada and worse, that conflicting "national" policy choices and political realities have and will work to undermine the interests of the West. The book is rich in both data and history. Combining strong analysis with graphs and illustrative quotations. It presents a comprehensive overview of key western Canadian trends and policy issues and places these within a national context."--Jacket.