As the folk wisdom goes, be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. Albertans, who have a habit of complaining bitterly when they are not at the top of the national agenda, are a step closer this morning to having their wish granted thanks to the vote
Continue readingAuthor: David Climenhaga
Alberta Politics: Hot takes: Putin outmanoeuvres the West; Trudeau outmanoeuvres the Opposition, and Alberta outmanoeuvres … shoes!
Well, this has been an interesting Alberta Family Day – and it’s not even over yet. In international politics, Russia recognized the independence of two breakaway Russian-speaking provinces of eastern Ukraine and immediately sent in its armed forces to protect them. Senator John McCain (Photo: United States Senate). Naturally, in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: With a murky legal strategy but a clear political one, Jason Kenney vows to challenge use of Emergencies Act in court
Using his favourite medium, Facebook, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced yesterday his government plans to go to court to challenge “the unjustified use of the Emergencies Act” by Ottawa. The one minute and 49 second video clip posted to the social media platform was not particularly informative about what the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Feast, by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller, tops Alberta independent bookshops’ non-fiction bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. I admit, given the events
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Nixon’s UCP nomination challenger Tim Hoven got his campaign off to a pretty good start last night
It looks like Tim Hoven’s campaign to challenge Jason Nixon for the United Conservative Party nomination in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre got off to a pretty good start last night at a rural community hall in the Central Alberta riding. Leastways, a photo that turned up in my inbox shows the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Beware the Ides of March: Date set for by-election in which all candidates will campaign against Alberta’s premier
After dragging his feet for weeks, Jason Kenney yesterday named a date for the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election in which his long-time rival Brian Jean will run for the United Conservative Party on a platform of firing and replacing the premier. The date of election – the Ides of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Ottawa has invoked the Emergencies Act – do you know where your trucks are?
The Canadian government has invoked the Emergencies Act. Do you know where your trucks are? If you don’t, and you run a trucking company, you might want to check. Some of the weapons seized Sunday night at the Coutts blockade (Photo: Twitter). As Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said yesterday,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Small group of Edmonton counter-protesters manages to hold up noisy pro-convoy parade for close to an hour
A small group of counter-demonstrators in Edmonton yesterday managed to blockade a parade of “Freedom Convoy” supporters on their way to the city’s downtown for the better part of an hour mid-day yesterday. When Edmonton Police and Alberta Sheriffs arrived at the intersection of River Valley Road and Fortway Drive
Continue readingAlberta Politics: When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill tops Alberta independent bookshops’ fiction bestseller list for week ended Feb. 6
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. ALBERTA FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. When
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Economic shock of border blockade grows; Canadian Conservatives change their tune … a little
The economic attack on Canada by the operators of trucks now blockading three major border crossings to the United States and occupying Ottawa is certainly causing more damage to the national economy than the sporadic land-defender rail blockades in 2020. Things have gotten so far out of hand that the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta bid to recover $1.3-billion loss from KXL shutdown is politically motivated and unlikely to succeed
A brief statement by Energy Minister Sonya Savage yesterday says Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government intends to use a legacy provision of the now-kaput North American Free Trade Agreement to recover the government’s “investment” in the cancelled Keystone XL Pipeline project. The minister’s statement – heavy with nearly incomprehensible business-bureaucratic
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Kenny pulls plug on vaccine passport, as expected, but still manages to gobsmack news conference watchers
There were exactly zero policy surprises at Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s afternoon COVID-19 news conference yesterday. As predicted by everyone everywhere, Mr. Kenney pulled the plug immediately on the province’s vaccine passport – which was euphemistically known as the “Restrictions Exemption Program,” so he could deny ever having implemented such
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘It’s time for this lawlessness to end’ – Rachel Notley rips Jason Kenney’s inaction on illegal border blockade
The 10-day blockade of the main border crossing between Alberta and the United States had damaged the provincial economy to the tune of about half a billion dollars by yesterday. Yet Jason Kenney – the self-described premier of jobs, economy, pipelines – has done nothing about the illegal blockade on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Right-wing U.S. paw prints are all over Ottawa occupation and other convoy disruptions
Where are Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party now that evidence is accumulating the disruptive and threatening “Freedom Convoy” occupation of Ottawa is being funded and supported by far-right activists in the United States? Mr. Kenney and his crowd, after all, were the guys who demanded a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: $9.8M lawsuit targets Ottawa occupation leaders; GoFundMe cuts off $10M fund; Tamara Lich quits Maverick Party board
Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice yesterday seeking $4.8 million damages for “private nuisance” and $5 million in punitive damages for the beleaguered residents of the national capital’s downtown core from the outlaw truckers occupying the city. The $9.8-million class
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Avenue of Champions by Metis author Conor Kerr returns to top of Alberta independent bookshops’ fiction bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. Readers will notice that Mr.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Emboldened by Erin O’Toole’s fate in Ottawa, UCP anti-vaxx faction eyes Jason Kenney
Emboldened by the success of the social conservative coup plotters who overthrew Conservative Party of Canada leader Erin O’Toole in Ottawa Wednesday, the same anti-vaccine faction of Alberta’s United Conservative Party is now eyeing Premier Jason Kenney. Not that Mr. Kenney is a moderate. Far from it. United Conservative Party
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Five environmental groups file statement of claim in defamation suit against Jason Kenney
After giving Jason Kenney more than two months to apologize for or retract his claims they spread false information about Alberta’s fossil fuel industry, five environmental groups followed through yesterday on their threat to sue Alberta’s premier and the provincial government for defamation. In a statement of claim filed with
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Danielle Larivee, nurse and former NDP cabinet minister, announces plan to return to public life
After all the grim, disturbing and strangely familiar Groundhog Day news yesterday, it was nice to learn this morning of a positive development in Alberta politics – the return of Danielle Larivee to public life. Ms. Larivee, a public health nurse and capable former NDP cabinet minister, said in a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Occupation of Canada’s national capital by a lawless mob must end forthwith
Am I the only Canadian outside Ottawa who thinks this bullshit in our national capital has gone on long enough? Am I the only Canadian who recognizes that the mob now occupying the area around Parliament Hill does not have the interests of Canadians or Canadian democracy at heart? “Just
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