Lots of St. Albertans love their dogs and want to see them run. St. Albert dog owners, of course, may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Councillor Malcolm Parker striking out with his leash law idea. ST. ALBERT, Alberta If you don’t think much about municipal politics, you may not
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Alberta Diary: The rehabilitation of Brian Mulroney: There’s a reason he’s looking so good these days
Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney in his heyday, grabbed from the website of Libraries and Archives Canada, and doesn’t he just look terrific! Below: Mr. Mulroney as he appears nowadays; Earnscliffe Strategies Principal Robin Sears. Have you noticed how Brian Mulroney is looking pretty good lately? Back in the day,
Continue readingAlberta Diary: XL Foods, Tories and a frightened, politicized inspection agency offer a textbook case of brand destruction
“If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef!” Not any more, though, thanks to the efforts of Alberta politicians, companies and the federal food inspection agency. From left to right above: Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry “Cold Cuts” Ritz, Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson and Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Actual politicians may
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Files from the You-Heard-It-Here Department
Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe and Mail tries to remember when he first thought that thought. High-profile national prognosticators may not appear exactly as illustrated. “It’s semi-official: The Enbridge Northern Gateway project is kaput!” – David J. Climenhaga, Alberta Diary, July 19, 2012 “You heard it here: Northern Gateway’s dead”
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Sun News Network apologizes … sort of … while the CRTC runs and the CBSC surrenders
Intrepid CRTC investigator looks into Sun News Network’s on-air obscenities. Agents of the Canadian broadcast regulator may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Sun News commentator Ezra Levant; Bernie M. Farber. Canada’s broadcast regulator has dropped its investigation of foul-mouthed commentator Ezra Levant’s obscene on-air language last June after Sun
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Ex PC MLA speaks: Fear and loathing on the Alberta Conservative trail
Conservatives get together to discuss their futures in Alberta. Political figures may not be entirely as illustrated. Below: Former MLA Doug Elniski. CALGARY Doug Elniski is a nice guy … for an Alberta Tory … and he’ll tell you that himself. But take it from me, it’s true. The former
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Ex-MLA speaks: Fear and loathing in the Redford Government’s back rooms
Ex-MLA relations in the government of Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Alberta politicians may not be entirely as illustrated. Below: Former MLA Doug Elniski. CALGARY Doug Elniski is a nice guy … for an Alberta Tory … and he’ll tell you that himself. But take it from me, it’s true. The
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Time to call out the media for uncritically reprinting ‘Fraser Facts’
Sun News Network columnist Lorne Gunter, bottom centre, listens as a Fraser Institute “senior fellow” tells a wonderful story about the benefits of private health insurance. Right wing bloviators may not be exactly as … oh, never mind! Below: The real Mr. Gunter. Claims by the market-fundamentalist Fraser Institute widely
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Victor Toews demonstrates how wedge politics biteth like a serpent
Mennonites in Paraguay. Below: Victor Toews and Omar Khadr as they appear nowadays. Way below: Ron Anders in one of his waking moments. You’d think Victor Toews would have felt a little empathy for Omar Khadr. Mr. Toews is the Paraguayan-born public security minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Continue readingAlberta Diary: If it’s Alberta, it ain’t goin’ across the border: time to connect the dots on XL Foods
“If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef!” Alberta Beef Producers’ advertising models may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: I [HEART] [ALBERTA MAP] [BEETS]; Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson and Premier Alison Redford. Do you remember that brilliant advertising campaign, “If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef”? Well, nowadays –
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Are storm clouds forming in Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s sunny skies?
Alberta Premier Alison Redford, left, gives a member of her caucus his marching orders. Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Ms. Redford, Stephen Carter. Alberta Premier Alison Redford would appear to be unassailable. A recent cross-Canada poll by Angus Reid found her to be the
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Considering plagiarism? Just forget it! Nowadays you’ll be busted for sure!
Peggy Wente gets ready to write her next column. Globe and Mail columnists may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below, the real Ms. Wente, looking like she’s in a mug shot after being busted for plagiarism; the late Ken Adachi. There has never been a shortage of plagiarism in Canadian
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Motion 312 and reproductive rights: pay attention to what Tories do, not to what they say
What? What? I’m pro-choice and pro-life, Edmonton St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber seems to say in this shot grabbed from his website. Below: Kitchener Centre MP Stephen Woodworth. In this era of routine political deceit, wise voters are advised to pay attention to what their elected representatives actually do, not
Continue readingAlberta Diary: About Stephen Harper’s ambassadorial timeshare: maybe he missed the lesson on the Statute of Westminster!
Canadian and British Joint-Embassy diplomats work out their timeshare arrangements. Below: The young Stephen Harper on the day he missed his history lecture after lingering too long over Atlas Shrugged; Perfesser Dave feeds lines to Opposition leader Tom Mulcair last weekend; Mr. Harper at the NCC. Like Sir John A.
Continue readingAlberta Diary: If Alberta’s Tories loved Peter Lougheed so much, why do they have so little to say about him?
Linda Duncan at the Alberta NDP’s 50th annual convention over the weekend. Below: Ralph Goodale, Peter Lougheed. We have 28 federal electoral districts in Alberta of which 27 elected members of the Conservative Party of Canada. Of those 27 Conservative MPs, one has since been kicked out of caucus for
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta NDP’s Brian Mason lays claim to Tory Peter Lougheed’s legacy
Free of his moustache, Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason addresses his party’s 50th annual convention in Edmonton yesterday. Below: Federal NDP Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, who also spoke yesterday; former Alberta Conservative Premier Peter Lougheed. Freshly shorn of his trademark moustache, Alberta New Democratic Party Leader Brian Mason made the
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Adoration of Peter Lougheed moves beyond canonization into deification
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s message at Peter Lougheed’s state funeral. Below: Premier Lougheed with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who haunts us still. With his state funeral yesterday afternoon, the official adoration of former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed moved beyond canonization into deification. If other Canadians happened to pause and listen
Continue readingAlberta Diary: News from Imperial Washington: Alberta Diary’s surprise endorsement (sort of) from afar
You want moments in American history? Apropos of nothing, here lies Alexander Hamilton, slain in a duel by his political foe Aaron Burr, who got off scot free. Top that! Below: Danielle Smith, disapproving of my tinfoil cap. Your blogger is normally disinclined to give too much of this space
Continue readingAlberta Diary: The only sector where you can’t have a union is the only one with no health and safety rules? Explain, please…
Alabama farm workers in 1935 – not so different from Alabamberta farmworkers in 2012. Below: Premier Alison Redford. LETHBRIDGE, Alberta Literally everybody – and that includes Alberta Premier Alison Redford – knows that permitting an industry to “voluntarily” self-regulate the health and safety of its own workers amounts to a
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Yikes! U.S. program with remarkable knack for spotting future foreign leaders picks … Danielle Smith
Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith prepares to set off on her 19-day American tour. Future America-friendly leaders may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Ms. Smith for real. With tout le monde political Alberta focusing on the province’s final farewell to Peter Lougheed, founder of the 41-year Conservative dynasty who
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