TweetCan the online campaign 1 Calgary Centre succeed in its goal to unite (or crowd-surf) progressive voters behind one candidate in the impending Calgary-Centre by-election? It is not impossible, but it is improbable. The existence of a Naheed Nenshi, Linda Duncan, or Chima Nkemdirim style of candidate who progressive voters could unite behind could
Continue readingTag: Alberta Politics
Alberta 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
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Strikebreaker issues bizarre condemnation of Tory candidate for management role in strike
A strikebreaker drives across an early morning picket line during the Calgary Herald strike in early 2000. Below: Catharine Ford, Joan Crockatt. It takes more than a little brass for retired Calgary Herald editor and columnist Catherine Ford to condemn Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt as someone who all but caused
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Edgar Peter Lougheed 1928-2012
Peter Lougheed helped Alberta come of age in the 70s I’ll leave the extended eulogies for those who knew the man and lived through his heyday as Alberta Premier. What I will say is that Lougheed, despite being in politics long enough to make a lot of enemies, is one
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Some musings on the death of Peter Lougheed, founder of Alberta’s Tory dynasty
Peter Lougheed on the campaign trail in 1971. (Glenbow Archives Photo) TORONTO Peter Lougheed was the last Alberta Conservative leader worthy of the title. By that I mean the premier who in 1971 founded the Conservative dynasty that rules the province to this day was a member of the now
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: r.i.p. peter lougheed (1928-2012).
TweetFormer Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed passed away today. Mr. Lougheed became leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party in 1965 and was first elected as Premier in the 1971 election, defeating the long-governing Social Credit Party dynasty. He served as Premier until retiring from politics in 1985. His Premiership began what has now
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: pity the billionaire. katz group asks city council for more.
TweetOne week after Edmonton’s Chamber of Commerce warned of dramatic consequences if construction of the new downtown arena did not begin soon, the Katz Group, owned by billionaire Daryl Katz, has demanded further financial concessions to the already rich deal that City Councillors agreed to last year. Despite the weak-kneed stance
Continue readingAlberta Diary: The Great Wall of Saskatchewan: popular, yes, but a peacemaker?
Brad Wall, Christy Clark, Alison Redford and Greg Selinger discuss the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline while visiting China. Actual Canadian premiers may not appear to their Chinese hosts exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Wall, Ms. Redford, Mr. Selinger and Ms. Clark. No sooner did Trend Research of Edmonton publish a
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Newest Alberta poll shows overwhelming support for Premier Alison Redford
Premier Alison Redford with her winning PC machine. Below: Opposition Leader Danielle Smith with her less successful Wildrose machine. Below Ms. Smith: Alberta Scan publisher Paul McLoughlin and pollster Janet Brown. Not only are the Progressive Conservatives the most popular political party in Alberta, but Premier Alison Redford enjoys a
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Environics poll shows Tories in full flower, Wildrose withering on the vine
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith with some of her party’s social conservative supporters, who came home to roost a few days before the April 23 provincial election … and stayed! Alberta politicians and their supporters may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Premier Alison Redford and the real Ms. Smith. From
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: alberta cabinet minister dave hancock pictured in american attack ad.
TweetHuman Services Minister Dave Hancock made an appearance in an election attack ad aimed at two Minnesota Republicans, including Representative David Hancock. It appears that the photo of Alberta’s Mr. Hancock was accidentally used in place of his Minnesota counterpart in the ad sponsored by the Minnesota House Democratic-Farmer-Labour Party
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: a dash of transparency over here, a pinch less over there.
TweetSurrounded by dozens of Tory MLAs at a late-afternoon press conference, Premier Alison Redford announced plans to make the expense claims of all cabinet ministers, MLAs, and government officials publicly available on the internet. After a summer of scandals and embarrassing revelations, ranging from the overflowing expense accounts of former
Continue readingIn This Corner: Where in the World is Alison Redford? Not in Alberta, that’s for sure.
Remember during the election campaign way back in April (seems like years ago now, doesn’t it?), Wildrose leader Danielle Smith tried to paint PC leader Alison Redford as someone who doesn’t like her own province. In fact, her exact words were “I think Ms. Redford doesn’t like Alberta all that
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: new alberta health services chairperson’s tory and wildrose connections.
TweetThe President and Co-CEO of a billion dollar oil and gas transportation and trucking company headquartered in Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith‘s Highwood constituency has been appointed as the new chairperson of Alberta Health Services. The previous board chair, Ken Hughes is now Energy Minister and the Progressive Conservative MLA
Continue readingAlberta Diary: ‘Crowdsourcing our confidence’? Don’t bet on 1CalgaryCentre, whoever’s behind it, having much impact
A crowd: They have wine and balloons, and they’re all dressed in white. Does this make them progressives? Have they been crowdsourced? Alberta Diary is not certain and you shouldn’t be either. Below: Calgary pollster Brian Singh, Calgary Centre Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt. “Crowdsourcing our confidence” will get a progressive
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Happy Labour Day! Push-polls prove it… Canadians hate unions … really, really they do!
Some of the participants in a recent Edmonton Labour Day picnic. If the union haters had their way, unions giving food to these guys would be illegal. Below, Merit Contractors Association President Stephen Kushner and the group’s weird website image. Some of my younger readers may not realize this, but
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: big money spent in alberta’s 2012 election.
Tweet Elections Alberta has released the financial disclosure forms submitted by candidates who ran in the April 2012 provincial election and some of the disclosure forms reveal some interesting information about how much money was fundraised and spent during the campaign. The money spent by candidates and political parties in
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Fiscal shocker! Redford Tories promise transparency but deliver opacity!
Secretive Redford Tory, left, moves to the right, while Wildrose transparency advocate, right, opts for a totally different course. Below: Doug Horner and Alison Redford, both smirking. This just in! Alberta’s Progressive Conservative government is secretive! Well… yeah! What’s astonishing is that the Alberta news media appears to be astonished
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