“I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” – Marc Antony, Julius Caesar, Act III Scene II As I thought about what one should say about Brad Wall, on this the day of his last sitting in the legislature, I found myself repeating the line above in my head.
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Accidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Saskatchewan Party’s sad excuse for a climate change strategy (PDF) is really aimed at nothing more than excusing continued carbon pollution. For further reading…– I wrote just a couple of weeks ago about the Saskatchewan public’s strong appetite for real action against climate change – making
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Great Alberto-Saskatchewanian Licence Plate War of 2017: Everything you need to know …
PHOTOS: Tough talk from Alberta Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous, above, was directed at Saskatchewan’s cranky government. Below: Saskatchewan’s lame duck premier, Brad Wall (Photo: Jake Wright, Wikimedia Commons); Alberta United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, who calls Mr. Wall “the real leader of Western Canada”; Saskatchewan Highways
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Steve Burgess points out that we shouldn’t be the least bit surprise by the latest news of politically-connected billionaires managing to tilt the tax system in their favour. Ed Broadbent calls for a much-needed end to tax policy that favours the wealthy in
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Question Period? Really?
How much longer do we have to put up with this nonsense? The Alberta Legislature has been in session for eight days and the UCP is using Question Period to test-drive political slogans. Jason Kenney UCP leader Ms Soapbox’s personal favourite is the UCP’s claim: “We lead, they follow”. The
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how beyond the scandals and failures we’ve seen to date, the Global Transportation Hub was always built on a dangerous desire to allow businesses to escape rules and democratic oversight. For further reading…– Geoff Leo reports here on Brightenview’s use of benefits for “rural” investors to try to
Continue readingAlberta Politics: So long, Denis; Hello Valérie … Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
PHOTOS: Just-defeated Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre (Photo: City of Montreal.) Below: Montreal Mayor-elect Valérie Plante, who defeated Mr. Coderre in the city’s civic election Sunday, and Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters, both photos from their Twitter accounts. I’ve got some advice for those right-wingers from Western Canada cheering the political demise
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy studies the large-scale use of offshore tax avoidance in the corporate sector, just in time for the Paradise Papers to reveal another set of tax avoidance loopholes being kept open for the benefit of Justin Trudeau’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Brad Wall’s belated attempts to muddy the waters can’t avoid a clear verdict that he’s selling off Saskatchewan’s commonwealth for corporate gain. For further reading…– Kendall Latimer reported on Wall’s announcement that the price of previously-announced corporate tax cuts will be directed toward some other business-oriented use.–
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Western Canada’s artificial alienation: Catalonia here we come! Then again, maybe not …
Right on schedule, us Western Canadians are feeling alienated. Really! Don’t just take my word for it! The digital editions of the gutter press are full of the complaints nowadays of such alienated Albertans as United Conservative Party leadership contenders Brian Jean and Jason Kenney. Likewise, we’re hearing lots of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: In a pragmatic move, Premier Rachel Notley appoints former Tory minister from Calgary to infrastructure portfolio
PHOTOS: Newly appointed NDP Infrastructure Minister Sandra Jansen speaks during yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Edmonton. With her are new Parliamentary Secretaries Jessica Littlewood and Annie McKitrick, left and right, and Premier Rachel Notley (Photo: Government of Alberta). Below: Pierre Trudeau and Peter Lougheed, looking pretty friendly for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Karl Russell and Peter Goodman note that lower unemployment rates in the U.S aren’t translating into higher wages. Alena Semuels points out the barriers preventing people from moving in order to pursue a higher income. And Kevin Brice-Lall interviews Jonathan Rosenblum about the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Paul Wells writes about Justin Trudeau’s natural affinity for the rich and privileged, while the Star remains unduly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to fulfilling promises of Indigenous reconciliation and tax fairness. And Chantal Hebert discusses
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: The Energy East Blame Game. Who blames who?
Today’s announcement by the TransCanada Corporation that it would no longer pursue the construction of the Energy East Pipeline from Hardisty, Albert to St. John, New Brunswick triggered a storm of statements, accusations and criticisms from politicians trying to drive their political narratives. Here is a quick look at who is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the Saskatchewan Party’s choice to poison our province rather than coming clean about the dangers of sour gas. For further reading…– I’ll link again to the reports from the National Observer and the Star on the sour gas hazard and cover-up, along with Emily Eaton’s take (and Elizabeth
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – The Equality Trust examines the UK’s increasing level of personal precarity – and how public policy needs to be changed to support the people who need it, not those who already have the most. And Eduardo Porter offers a reminder that tax cuts
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Breaking the silence
Needless to say, there will be plenty more to discuss about the Wall government has exposed residents of Saskatchewan’s oil patch to avoidable (and sometimes fatal) hazards in order to avoid acknowledging the dangers of fossil fuel development. But for now, there’s already plenty worth reading in the Price of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the corporate sector’s expectation that it will be able to write laws and set public policy for its own benefit – and the disturbing number of examples of it being allowed to do just that. For further reading…– Jenny Uechl reported on both the secret CAPP meetings which
Continue readingAlberta Politics: From the Twitter account of the former Deputy Leader of Free Alberta: Angela Merkel’s the leader of the free world
PHOTOS: The leader of the free world, listening to Neil Young on sound cancelling headphones. Click here for the soundtrack to this post. The confused looking elderly man with a comb-over to her left is thinking: “Who is that person?” Probably not in those exact words, though. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Thank you, Ralph! While Alberta awaits the Green Apocalypse, Norwegian version of Heritage Fund hits $1-trillion US
PHOTOS: A Norwegian oil rig in the North Sea. (Photo: Norsk Teknisk Museum, Wikimedia Commons.) Below: The late Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, who founded the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund; the late Alberta premier Ralph Klein, who gave every one of us Albertans enough money to buy an iPod and
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