PHOTOS: Athabasca University’s new president, Neil Fassina, who started work this week (Athabasca University photo). Below: AU Faculty of Health Disciplines Dean Margie Edwards, former interim president Peter MacKinnon and, regarding a totally unrelated matter, Donald J. Trump Neil Fassina, former provost and academic vice-president of the Northern Alberta Institute
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Alberta Politics: It’s official: Sandra Jansen is now running for the Progressive Conservative leadership
PHOTOS: Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Sandra Jansen, in hat, in the Calgary Pride Parade, photo grabbed from her campaign website. Interestingly, the same photo was used on a Rebel Media page attacking Ms. Jansen. Below: PC leadership front-runner Jason Kenney, political strategist Stephen Carter, who will be working for Ms.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where’s Pat Paulsen, now that America needs him? And why didn’t Jason Kenney phone Brian Jean?
PHOTOS: Pat Paulsen and Bobby Kennedy. Below: Mr. Paulsen in 1970 … and in focus, putative PC leadership candidate Sandra Jansen and Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean. Where’s Pat Paulsen, now that America needs him? Or, to put this another way, seeing as Mr. Paulsen permanently departed this vale of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Canadians can be thankful for small, and probably temporary, mercies in wake of U.S. presidential debate
PHOTOS: Republican candidate Donald Trump stalking Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton around the debate stage in St. Louis yesterday evening (CNN Photo). Below: 20th Century screen star Bela Lugosi, Edmonton political commentator Chanchal Bhattacharya and a Wildrose supporter in a Trump-style ball cap (National Observer photo). Happy Thanksgiving! I guess we
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Five years ago today, Alison Redford was sworn in as premier of Alberta … and the wheels fell off the Tory bus
PHOTOS: Alison Redford takes the oath of office as Alberta’s 14th premier. Below: Ms. Redford speaks her first words as premier of Alberta and is greeted by enthusiastic well-wishers as she walks through the Legislature’s Rotunda. Bottom: Gary Mar, whom Ms. Redford defeated for the leadership of the PC party
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A compelling counter-narrative: Are Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley singing from the same hymn book?
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Chris Schwarz, Premier of Alberta/Flickr). Below: Brad Wall, Saskatchewan’s cranky premier; a tease from the Calgary Herald’s web page that maybe, just maybe, swings and misses; SAIT journalism instructor and former Calgary Herald reporter Jim Cunningham. CALGARY Was Prime
Continue readingAlberta Politics: NDP appoints former Liberal strategist Corey Hogan to head Alberta Public Affairs Bureau
PHOTOS: Corey Hogan, centre, in a screen shot from The Strategists political commentary show on CBC Calgary. On the left is Stephen Carter and on the right is Zain Velji. Below: Recent Public Affairs Bureau leaders Mr. Hogan again, Mark Wells and Martin Kennedy. I’m not sure why the Notley
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley’s demand for a pipeline quid pro quo demonstrates the steely side of Alberta’s premier
PHOTOS: Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley. Below: Peter Lougheed, Alberta’s first Progressive Conservative premier, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his father, the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau. GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alberta Rachel Notley’s decision yesterday to make support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan put a national price on carbon conditional
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta Tories pray ‘third time’s a charm’ as their effort to recover their party’s missing mojo begins today
PHOTOS: Ever wonder what happened to Hazel? Do you still think Father Knows Best? Did you love Donna Reed? Will Alberta’s PCs decide to try to take us Forward to the Fifties … in Jim Prentice’s car? That’s The $64,000 Question! Below: Declared PC leadership candidates Richard Starke, Jason Kenney,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Meet Alberta PC leadership candidate Richard Starke: thoughtful, centrist, kind to animals … and thus probably doomed
PHOTOS: Vermilion-Lloydminster Progressive Conservative MLA Richard Starke, looking appealingly Clint-Eastwood-like in this official portrait from his website, announced yesterday he is seeking the leadership of the Alberta PC Party. Below: NDP Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt, another member of the Legislative Squeeze Box Caucus, and former Speaker Gene Zwozdesky, a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Right-wing newspaper owners want your taxes to subsidize their obsolete, mismanaged, biased publications
PHOTOS: A typical daily newspaper press, once a common sight in small cities and larger towns throughout North America. This one was photographed through a window Tuesday in Brigadoon, Alberta, so it should be good as is for another 10 years. Oh, wait, I made it out of town this
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘Bernard the Roughneck’ campaign has been in preparation for months, may soon target Rachel Notley
PHOTOS: Neal (Bernard the Roughneck) Hancock’s first appearance on a well-known right-wing video blog in January 2015. (Screenshot) Below: Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Jason Kenney with his new friend Bernard, who was making a rare public appearance in mufti; Shannon Stubbs with her husband Shayne Saskiw and a friend; and
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It can’t help the oil-well drillers’ campaign that ‘Bernard the Roughneck’ appeared in 2014 theatrical production
PHOTOS: Neal Hancock, nowadays better known as Bernard the Roughneck, with his co-star in a 2014 theatrical production in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. The play was about a boot-maker who had his foot amputated. Below: Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs (from her Facebook account), Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors President Mark Scholz (from the CAODC’s website), […]
The post It can’t help the oil-well drillers’ campaign that ‘Bernard the Roughneck’ appeared in 2014 theatrical production appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Bernard the Roughneck in his own words: Neal Bernard Hancock responds to his critics
PHOTOS: “Bernard the Roughneck,” Neal Bernard Hancock, addresses the media in Ottawa in this screenshot of the CBC’s tape of his interview. Below: Mr. Hancock at the same event with Mark Scholz, president of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, David Lefebvre, director of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association (which the CAODC describes […]
The post Bernard the Roughneck in his own words: Neal Bernard Hancock responds to his critics appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley does remarkably well in face of unrelenting campaign of vilification … Sun newspapers? Not so much …
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Below: Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, the Mr. Congeniality of Confederation if you believe his press clippings; Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. Notwithstanding a flagging economy and an unprecedented campaign of continual vilification by mass media, Astro-Turf agitators, corporate-bankrolled think tanks, right-wing academics and a nearly hysterical online conservative rage machine, Alberta […]
The post Rachel Notley does remarkably well in face of unrelenting campaign of vilification … Sun newspapers? Not so much … appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: We don’t need an inquiry – we need to bring the hammer of defunding down now on scofflaw private schools
PHOTOS: NDP Education Minister David Eggen – he’s trying to do the right thing, but he’s making it worse. The time has come to bring the hammer down and defund schools that won’t obey Alberta’s law on gay-straight alliances. Below: Rev. Brian Coldwell, chair of two private schools determined to break the law (CBC photo), […]
The post We don’t need an inquiry – we need to bring the hammer of defunding down now on scofflaw private schools appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Strategist Stephen Carter’s reputation instantly boosts Sandra Jansen’s still-unannounced PC leadership bid
PHOTOS: Political strategist Stephen Carter, who says he’s now advising potential Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Sandra Jansen. Below: Ms. Jansen, who says she’s very close to making a decision on whether to run, and Jason Kenney, so far the only declared candidate in the race. It must be great to have a reputation so highly […]
The post Strategist Stephen Carter’s reputation instantly boosts Sandra Jansen’s still-unannounced PC leadership bid appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Media scolding about ‘political correctness’ is baloney; hats off to MRU student who spoke out against Trump cap
PHOTOS: “Make America Hate Again.” (Jake May, MLive.com) Below: U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and Canadian politicians Kellie Leitch and Jason Kenney. They’re not the only ones, unfortunately. Can anyone in Alberta’s mainstream media seriously claim to have been surprised by the vile stream of threats, abuse and harassment unleashed on a Mount Royal University […]
The post Media scolding about ‘political correctness’ is baloney; hats off to MRU student who spoke out against Trump cap appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta Government names five new members to Athabasca University Board of Governors
PHOTOS: Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weasel Head, newly appointed to the board of Athabasca University, with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Below: New AU board members McDonald Madamombe, Debby Kronewitt-Martin, Lynn Hamilton and Cheryl Hunter-Loewen; and AU’s next president, Neil Fassina. The Alberta government has moved quietly but dramatically to begin the difficult work of […]
The post Alberta Government names five new members to Athabasca University Board of Governors appeared first on Alberta Politics.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Guest Post: Is the Wildrose Party seriously suggesting Alberta permit private blood brokers?
PHOTOS: Mr. Justice Horace Krever, who led the Canadian Royal Commission into Canada’s tainted blood scandal. Below: Guest poster Trevor Zimmerman (Ray Domeij photo), Wildrose Health Critic Drew Barnes, Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman, and Kat Lanteigne, co-founder of BloodWatch.org. Guest post by Trevor Zimmerman Last spring, Wildrose Health Critic Drew Barnes stood up in […]
The post Guest Post: Is the Wildrose Party seriously suggesting Alberta permit private blood brokers? appeared first on Alberta Politics.
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