The medium is the message. And in March and April 2019, the medium and the message will be Rachel Notley. Rachel Notley, premier of Alberta, personally popular but leading a New Democratic Party that has trailed its conservative rival in recent polls, called an election this morning. Albertans will go
Continue readingAuthor: David Climenhaga
Alberta Politics: Never mind the Throne Speech, yesterday’s excitement was still about the Kamikaze Campaign
Never mind the Throne Speech. Yesterday’s excitement all took place in the basement media room of the Alberta Legislature Building an hour afterward. The afternoon Speech from the Throne by Alberta’s NDP Government was pretty much what you’d expect under the circumstances, which are that Premier Rachel Notley is expected
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley accepts nomination; accuses Jason Kenney of coolly lying about ‘Kamikaze Campaign’
Based on what we’ve learned in the past 24 hours, it’s hard to dispute Premier Rachel Notley’s blunt assessment at her nomination meeting in the Edmonton-Strathcona riding yesterday that Opposition Leader Jason Kenney has been coolly lying about the role of his 2017 leadership campaign in the so-called “Kamikaze Mission”
Continue readingAlberta Politics: CBC exposé about Jason Kenney’s campaign has echoes of Richard Nixon
Perhaps it’s just me, but with each passing day Jason Kenney reminds me a little more of Richard M. Nixon, the talented but deeply flawed American president who in 1973 resigned from office rather than be impeached by the House of Representatives and sent packing by the Senate. Last night’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: This is serious now: the Mounties have entered the Kamikaze Campaign investigation
Some days Alberta politics are like that fine old Johnny Nash song: “I can see clearly now the rain is gone …” A lot has happened since 3 o’clock yesterday morning when the CBC broke the story the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had taken over the investigation by the Office
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Forget Julius Caesar, we’re watching the Perils of Pauline, starring Jason Kenney!
It may be the Ides of March, but on the Alberta political stage, today’s production seems to be the Perils of Pauline, not Julius Caesar. For those of you hoping to see Brian Jean strike back at Jason Kenney and take up the leadership of the Freedom Conservative Party, the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Beware the Ides of March: Brian Jean, Jason Kenney, Joe Anglin and the annals of Alberta conservatism
I suppose today, the day before the date in 44 BC made famous by the demise of Julius Caesar, would be an appropriate moment to remind all potential victims of political plots … beware the Ides of March! It says something for both the ruthlessness and absent likeability of United
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Audreys Bestsellers: Kate A. Boorman’s What We Buried back at top of fiction list; Public Servant’s Guide leads non-fiction list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended March 10, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. What We Buried – Kate A. Boorman * 2. Apostrophes VIII:
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What would Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May do in Rachel Notley’s shoes? Not the same thing as Alberta’s premier
What would have Elizabeth May have done in Rachel Notley’s shoes? The leader of the Green Party of Canada says she would have summoned up the memory of Peter Lougheed, founder of Alberta’s 44-year Progressive Conservative Dynasty, but not the way the province’s first NDP premier has. “I think that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Be careful what you wish for, Conservatives: Canadians may like a tougher Trudeau
Memo to Conservatives, New Democrats and others who are crowing about how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to have been revealed as a harsher and less cuddly politician than he has been thought to be till now: Be careful what you wish for. If Mr. Trudeau is revealed as a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Deficit hawks fall silent in Washington but screech in Alberta and Canada – what gives?
It’s starting to feel like spring, the days are longer, and the deficit hawks, apparently, have all flown north for the summer. As a result, nowadays, the hawks’ angry shrieks are seldom heard in Washington! “The federal budget deficit is ballooning on President Trump’s watch and few in Washington seem
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Kate A. Boorman’s What We Buried remains atop Audreys Books Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers List for second week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended March 3, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. What We Buried – Kate A. Boorman *
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP candidate who played role in Kamikaze Campaign forced to walk the plank
Another United Conservative Party candidate has been sent packing for being neither “forthright” nor “forthcoming” with party Leader Jason Kenney. Leastways, that’s the UCP’s story, and they’re stickin’ to it. Randy Kerr, recently chosen as UCP candidate in the Calgary-Beddington riding and a prominent figure in the party’s rapidly metastasizing
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP leadership campaign reveals ‘how an aggressive campaign could hijack online votes,’ U.S. journalist writes
Digital-election-theft allegations swirling around the 2017 United Conservative Party leadership campaign should be a sharp warning for the U.S. Democratic Party, which plans to use similar technology in some of its 2020 presidential primary races, says an American journalist who specializes in covering election technology and democratic issues. While a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Liberals could have helped themselves and helped Canadians by going for full national pharmacare now, but … nope!
When Canadians heard Monday there was to be a big announcement on pharmacare yesterday, many of us concluded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shell-shocked strategic brain trust was finally ready to start acting like a Natural Governing Party again, instead of like lemmings racing for a cliff. It would have been
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP video of MLA and NDP advisor is certainly creepy – but is it ethical or even legal?
There’s no question the thought of United Conservative Party operatives skulking around inside an important provincial government office building making videos of people coming and going is unsavoury, not to mention downright creepy. But is this ethical? Is it even legal? Is it appropriate behaviour for a political party that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney invites the tax-cut fairy back to Alberta! She’s bringing snake oil!
Oh for crying out loud! The tax cut fairy has returned to Alberta! She’s brought snake oil! United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, lately rebranded The Policy Guy ™, has promised a massive cut in business taxes to create jobs. In Calgary yesterday, Mr. Kenney vowed to slash the lowest
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Could Justin Trudeau be coated with Trump-like Teflon? It’s possible, and here’s why …
Is the SNC-Lavalin Affair really the Trudeau crusher Andrew Scheer and his strategic team obviously think it is? No sooner had former justice minister Jody Wilson-Reybould completed her startling testimony last Wednesday before the House of Commons Justice Committee – replete with detailed allegations of political interference in the justice
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Will Alberta conservatives blame Rachel Notley and Justin Trudeau for Line 3 delays in Minnesota? Of course they will!
Will Alberta’s conservatives find a way to blame Premier Rachel Notley and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the delays in construction Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 Expansion announced yesterday? Why not? Given the credulity demonstrated by Alberta’s mainstream media when it comes to such stories, such an effort should get plenty
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What We Buried, speculative fiction by Kate A. Boorman, tops Audreys Books Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers List this week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended Feb. 24, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMOMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. What We Buried – Kate A. Boorman *
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