Saskatchewan’s NDP has released a report on its labour and employment consultations. And between the 700 participants and the report’s drafters, there are plenty of noteworthy suggestions and recommendations worth discussing. Let’s start with a few of the more detailed points. On process, a couple of observations about the Sask
Continue readingTag: brad wall
Accidental Deliberations: Leadership 2013 Roundup
One might have thought that the final days of municipal elections around the province would make for a relatively quiet stretch in the Saskatchewan NDP leadership campaign. But instead, it looks like most of the campaigns are neatly using greater public awareness of politics generally to build interest in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your weekend. – For those wondering where progressive leaders are going with their policy proposals, the last week offered a couple of noteworthy examples. At home, Tom Mulcair’s Canadian Club speech commented on the importance of real roles for the government and the public in making
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 readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Ottawa Citizen asks whether Stephen Harper’s Conservatives think Canadians are stupid enough to fall for their asinine carbon tax spin. Aaron Wherry confirms that the answer is an emphatic “yes”. – But then, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the Cons
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 readingAccidental Deliberations: On special treatment
Shorter Brad Wall: Based on my close personal connection to Stephen Harper developed through years of shameless toadyism, I alone can assure you that he won’t be playing favourites among the provinces.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on my previous post as to why we should be wary of Brad Wall’s plans for potash royalties. For further reading, I’ll again recommend Mitchell Anderson’s Tyee series contrasting how Norway has handled its natural resources with Canada’s laissez-faire system. (And the lesson seems all the more applicable
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading. – Gerald Caplan weighs in on Jack Layton’s legacy: It seems to me that Jack Layton’s enduring legacy is twofold. First, he set a standard of doing politics that, if followed by others, would change the entire tone of public life for the country.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The great giveaway
No, Brad Wall’s new musings about changing Saskatchewan’s resource royalty structure won’t pass without comment from this corner. But it’s worth noting that the reason for concern lies not a mere flip-flop from the Sask Party’s 2011 election platform, but what’s all too consistent in its behaviour since taking power.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Employment & Labour Legislation Submission
Plenty of others will be chiming in today on the future of employment and labour law in Saskatchewan; here’s my personal contribution. Many other voices have expressed concerns about the limited amount of actual consultation provided through the within process. My intention is not to merely echo those concerns (however
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Regina City Council’s attempt to use the same old spin to sell yet another stadium plan (which leaves most of the cost and all of the risk with the city) might be the breaking point for public trust in then current Councillors. For further reading… The provincial
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On rubber stamps
There’s been plenty of coverage from last night’s Regina City Council meeting, with more surely to come. But aside from the complete refusal of any current Council member to respond to the concerns of the delegations who suggested giving citizens some say in a stadium proposal, perhaps the most striking
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Premiers’ private parley – a summit so secret if you knew what they’d talked about, they’d have to kill you!
B.C. Premier Christy Clark, left, meets Alberta Premier Alison Redford, in snap-brim hat at right, to discuss things too secret for the Western Canadian public to know about. Actual Western Canadian politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated, nor may the vehicle at the front of the Legislature, or the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On failed strategies
Let’s follow up with one more point from Bruce Johnstone’s attempt to justify ramming through a stadium deal without any serious public input – which speaks less to the stadium project than to the bona fides of the politicians who are pushing it: Is it perfect? No, because unlike some
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Michael Harris continues to highlight some of the fundamental problems with the Cons’ view of politics, this time identifying Stephen Harper as being afflicted with “master of the universe syndrome”: When you control all the levers of power, when you have no scruples,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On ballpark figures
John Klein and Marian Donnelly have already raised some important questions about this weekend’s stadium funding announcement. But while the biggest problem with the announcement may well be just how obvious it is that some key issues haven’t yet been worked out in the slightest, I’ll toss a couple more
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – Dave Coles comments on Brad Wall’s attempts to erase a century’s worth of gains when it comes to labour rights, but recognizes that we instead have an opportunity to again lead the way toward social progress: During this moment of relative prosperity
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: ndp and liberals searching for a pulse on the prairies.
Tweet You can be forgiven if you missed it. Hundreds of Liberals from across Alberta gathered in Edmonton last weekend for the biennial meeting of the Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta. Bob Rae Speakers and guests at the weekend conference included interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, Scarborough-Agincourt MP Jim
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Provincial Matters
Charest stands a better chance running against this guy, than against Pauline Marois and Francois Legault Your Friday morning coast-to-coast link roundup: Atlantic Canada: CRA’s quarterly poll numbers have been released, showing the PCs up by 12 in New Brunswick and the NDP up by just 2 in Nova Scotia. The
Continue reading