The shadow of Mayor Rob Ford continues to loom over Toronto. Actual Canadian mayors may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Short-lived Battle River School Trustee Jim Andre and the real Rob Ford. Don’t doubt for an instant James Andre – the Tweeter and re-Tweeter of racist, sexist, homophobic and
Continue readingAuthor: David Climenhaga
Alberta Diary: Polishing a … tarnished reputation: the ‘National Newspaper’ as Stephen Harper’s pathetic enabler
Your blogger with Rev. Bill Phipps, former United Church of Canada moderator and, in 2002, the NDP’s challenger to Stephen Harper. Below: Harper doubters Andrew Coyne and Tim Harper. “The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures.” – Junius, published
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Hoist with their own petard, Harper Tories face veterans’ Remembrance Day protest
A typical Canadian Remembrance Day ceremony: the scene in St. Albert one year ago today. Below: B.C. Conservative MP Mark Strahl, on-air Conservative partisan Don Cherry, and NDP Veterans’ Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer. No Canadian government in living memory, and probably no Canadian government in history, has worked as hard
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Shed a tear for Rob Ford … or risk making a ‘red meat conservative’ blubber
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone – as long as the person getting stoned is a conservative. Below: a typical strained pea conservative blubbers, although not in this case about the cruel treatment meted out to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford by liberal bullies and the media.
Continue readingAlberta Diary: U of A counters Redford Government whims by skimming institutes’ donations
Why send guys like these when you can just skim the cash right off the top? Actual employees of the University of Alberta Accounting department may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: U of A President Indira Samarasekera. Well, I don’t suppose you can accuse the University of Alberta of
Continue readingAlberta Diary: A tale from the political crypt: a tip o’ Broadway Bob’s Top Hat to Hizzoner Rob Ford
Bob McClelland spotted walking down a staircase in Victoria, circa November 1985. (Ancient Vancouver Sun photo.) Mr. McClelland didn’t know it yet, but forgiveness for his sins was at hand. Below: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. He’ll be forgiven soon too. Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a province
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Rising Tory interest in St. Albert-Edmonton nomination could set the stage for something completely different!
Ryan Hastman’s business card, handed out at last weekend’s Conservative Convention in Calgary. Below: Mr. Hastman, Independent MP Brent Rathgeber, competing Tory candidate Michael Cooper and the other side of Mr. Hastman’s card. ST. ALBERT, Alberta There’s a new candidate in the race for the Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Stephen Harper to Canada: ‘It’s not my fault! Now shut up and vote for me’
Trying to change the channel: Unfortunately for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the remote seems to have disappeared under a pillow and the movie stuck on the TV screen stars Mike Duffy, shown above moving toward the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary Friday night. Actual Canadian Senators may not appear exactly
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Halloween 2013: a meditation on power
Prime Minister Stephen Harper just one year ago. Actual Canadian prime ministers may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Senator Mike Duffy and former Harper cabinet member Jim Prentice. Last Halloween, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper went trick ’n’ treating, he was monarch of all he surveyed. This year, he’s
Continue readingAlberta Diary: How will we get back to the 19th Century without Stephen Harper? Why he should go, and won’t
A forlorn Richard Nixon waves goodbye to Washington for the last time from the steps of the presidential helicopter on Aug. 9, 1974. Don’t count on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to do the same thing any time soon, even if it destroys his party. Below: Stephen Harper looking appropriately gloomy
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Ceremonial Speech to Chamber starts session, sitting or whatever: Some Honourable Members, ‘Arf! Arf!’
Heather Forsyth, who after years in the Alberta Legislature has suffered significant hearing loss, and Quill, the topic of the most interesting Alberta news story of the day. Tout le monde Alberta news media were busily explaining yesterday afternoon that a new session of the Alberta Legislature had commenced at
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Are rats abandoning a sinking Alberta Tory ship? The evocative departure of Doug Elniski
Doug Elniski, back and centre, always the tallest guy in the room, at Alison Redford’s side on Oct. 2, 2011. Below: Kirk Patterson aboard Silk Purse somewhere, by the look of the clipping snatched from his Facebook page, in Japan; the ingenious Sir Winston Churchill. My university friend Kirk Patterson,
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Disillusioned by Tory hard line, one union’s ad campaign suggests tilt toward Wildrose
“The Alberta Way,” a hard-hitting 30-second TV spot from the province’s largest union, attacks the Redford Government’s broken promises and hard-right policies. It will go into heavy rotation on Monday. Below: Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith; PC Environment Minister Diana McQueen. Never mind for the moment which of Alberta’s right-wing parties
Continue readingAlberta Diary: ‘Conservative activist’ seeks Brent Rathgeber’s Edmonton-St. Albert Parliamentary seat
Michael Cooper, left, celebrates after a fashion the May 2, 2011, federal election victory of Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber, as Mr. Rathgeber celebrates it in a more traditional and energetic way. (St. Albert Gazette photo.) Below: Mr. Cooper’s official campaign website photo; Mr. Rathgeber not long after his break
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta’s Wildrose Party strategists plan to have drained the Lake of Fire by Sunday
Explaining the new rules to the Wildrose Party’s many social conservatives. Wildrose political strategists may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Social conservative pastor and former Wildrose candidate Allan Hunsperger preaching; the late Oscar Wilde being the life of the party. To paraphrase Johnny Cash, they fell into a burning
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Coming soon, perhaps, a legitimate reason for Canadians to thank Conrad Black!
Linda McQuaig addresses the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees annual convention in 2008. (AUPE photo taken by Daryl Dyck.) Below: Conrad Black in the uniform of the Governor General’s Foot Guard, and not, as you may have thought, that of a security guard. It occurs to me that we Canadians
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Give me a minute, people … there’s some interference or something …
Count on it, Alison Redford is getting up to something as we wait for a clearer picture. Illustration by William Prettie, currently exhibiting in Cambridge, Ont. Regular blog posts will return soon.
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 18: It’s election day today, it’s important; please make sure you vote!
Today’s St. Albert voting locations. Today is election day in St. Albert, and it’s hard to imagine a more important election for our community in recent years. The intervention by well-funded anonymous groups on behalf of an agenda-driven slate of candidates makes this election just too important to ignore. If
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 17: Last advance poll at St. Albert Place today
St. Albert place on Canada Day. The fireworks, as a matter of fact, are exploding right over the East Boardroom, where an advance poll will be held from 9 a.m. to noon today. (St. Albert Leader photo) Once more, with feeling: Monday is election day, but the final advance poll
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 16: Final advance poll at St. Albert Place tomorrow
St. Albert place on Canada Day. The fireworks, as a matter of fact, are exploding right over the East Boardroom, where an advance poll will be held tomorrow. (St. Albert Leader photo) Monday is election day, but the final advance poll will be held from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow
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