Last week, Heather McPherson, New Democrat Member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona, was sounding as belligerent as any Alberta Conservative on the topic of what she termed “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.” In a lead-up to a question in the House of Commons, a clip of which Ms. McPherson distributed on
Continue readingTag: Canadian Politics
Alberta Politics: Why Conservatives love the monarchy, and how without a Canadian monarch real republicans could be democrats
It’s been more than a week since the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, but his pale blue eyes still stare resolutely from the home page of the Government of Alberta’s website. Given the challenges facing Alberta, a number of social media commentators have crossly suggested this is
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Erin O’Toole’s startling course change on carbon taxes suggests Jason Kenney’s influence over Conservatives is waning
Federal Opposition Leader Erin O’Toole’s screeching smuggler’s turn on carbon taxes yesterday likely wouldn’t have been possible without the current disarray of Alberta’s Kenney Government. When word of Mr. O’Toole’s plan to put a price on carbon as part of the Conservative election platform leaked to the CBC on Wednesday
Continue readingAlberta Politics: More flimflam than usual in yesterday’s four-province news conference touting small nuclear reactors
By recycling some old news about their joint project to promote “small modular reactors” yesterday, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick have proved dubious ideas in Canada have a half-life worthy of a uranium isotope. Well, maybe not quite that persistent. Some of those suckers can hang around for four
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Another Alberta spring day: Premier lectures, Speaker apologizes, dissident pastor’s secret sermon revealed as anti-vaxxers chant ‘lock ’er up!’
Jason Kenney had barely decided what to do about his United Conservative Party’s dissident COVID-denial caucus when a mob of three or four hundred anti-vaxxers turned up on the steps of the Alberta Legislature yesterday and started yelling that Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw ought to be locked
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Hundreds of maskless demonstrators, apparently none from GraceLife congregation, protest COVID-defiant church’s closing
Several hundred mostly maskless protesters packed the rural road in front of GraceLife Church southwest of Edmonton Sunday to protest against the closing last Wednesday of the Edmonton-area church by Alberta Health Services and the RCMP. Catcalling police, vandalizing the car of the chief of the nearby Enoch Cree Nation,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What Jason Kenney calls the virus-versus-vaccine race is part of Alberta’s problem fighting COVID-19
According to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s logic, Alberta’s doing a better job of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic than New Zealand. New Zealand, a country with a population roughly the same size as Alberta’s with a similar demographic makeup, is widely considered to be one of the few success stories
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Renewing the domain for another year
So my renewal for this domain came up. I thought long and hard for whether to bother renewing it… since its obvious to all that my blogposting on this has been much reduced since the advent of other social media platforms – notably for me Twitter, and because of the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP gobsmacked by widely anticipated Supreme Court ruling – Jason Kenney: No Plan, No Way!
According to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, he was so sure his government would win its challenge of the federal government’s carbon-mitigation law that he never gave it a second thought, let alone plan what to do if the Supreme Court of Canada thought otherwise. Gee, it just seemed like a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Supreme Court settles the carbon pricing matter in Ottawa’s favour – and maybe a lot more than that
Canadians worried about the survival of the country had cause for relief yesterday morning with news the Supreme Court of Canada had ruled 6-3 the federal government is entitled to impose a national carbon-pollution pricing system – in other words, to act like the government of Canada. Had the court
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: MP Alistair MacGregor calls for an emergency review of changes to regulations regarding frozen spot prawns
NDP MP Alistair MacGregor The progressive opposition FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2021 MP ALISTAIR MACGREGOR WRITES LETTER TO STANDING COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS IN DEFENCE OF WEST COAST Read more… The post MP Alistair MacGregor calls for an emergency review of changes to regulations regarding frozen spot prawns
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Awkward! What can Erin O’Toole do now that Conservative Party delegates have ignored his plea to acknowledge climate change?
Question: What is Erin O’Toole supposed to do now that we all know 54 per cent of the delegates to his online Conservative Party of Canada policy convention have formally refused to acknowledge climate change is an actual thing? Answer: Pretend it never happened, of course. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Do we have a prime minister or a mouse? Canada doesn’t need U.S. permission to call China and bring the Two Michaels home
It appears China has thrown Canada an unexpected lifeline, offering us a chance to redeem our relationship with the world’s No. 2 economy and save the Two Michaels. Is Justin Trudeau up to the challenge? Canadian Michael Spavor (Photo: Facebook). On Friday, the Chinese government put Michael Spavor on trial
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Canada has only a few hours to play the only decent card it holds to free the Two Michaels – but that would take courage
News media reported yesterday China has announced the espionage trials of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor will go ahead swiftly this week and next leaving official Canada with only a few hours to play the only decent card it holds to free the unfortunate pair. Unhappily for the Two Michaels,
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Pro-Israel lobby group has no credibility to lecture NDP on racism
According to Yves Engler, the NDP’s upcoming convention will likely feature attempts by the party hierarchy to suppress two key resolutions on Palestine solidarity. Photo from Flickr. It’s heating up. With a month to go before the NDP convention, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has twice attacked
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Canadian gun control discourse distracts us from far-right threats
Gun rights advocates attend a pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, January 20, 2020. Photo from Flickr. In February, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government released further details of its plan to ban more than 1,500 “assault” and “assault-styled” weapons. These include a buyback program and options for municipalities to have individual laws
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Amid pandemic chaos, CFNU President Linda Silas ends bid to lead Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas, an engaging and articulate public voice for a national drug insurance plan, enhanced public health care, and the rights of all working people, said yesterday she is ending her campaign to lead the Canadian Labour Congress. The global pandemic has upset a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta MP launches petition to make House of Commons stop calling assault rifles assault rifles
It is an actual fact that Alberta MP David Yurdiga launched a petition yesterday calling on the House of Commons to stop using the term “assault rifle” to describe assault rifles. Mr. Yurdiga is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, naturally. United Conservative Party Calgary-North MLA Muhammad Yaseen
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Casino capitalism comes to newspapers and it sure looks like the dealin’s done!
Newspapering was a great career, fun and pretty well paid too, once upon a time. I’m pretty sure, though, that the whole daily newspaper thing is really closing in on the end of the line now. Evidence? Tom Kent, who led the Royal Commission on Newspapers in 1980 and 1981
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Was Travis Toews’s decision not to buy new boots in 2019 the start of the UCP’s run of bad fortune? Just askin’
While nervously awaiting Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews’s budget tomorrow, let’s spare a thought for the uniquely Canadian tradition of finance ministers buying new shoes to wear on Budget Day. According to the Wikipedia, Walter Edward Harris, who served a spell as finance minister in Louis St. Laurent’s Liberal cabinet,
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