Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith: in trouble with her party’s social conservatives. Below: House Leader Rob Anderson. And so it begins: Rob Anderson, an ambitious social-conservative in the Wildrose Opposition’s shadow cabinet has publicly fired a rocket at his leader after she changed her tune on whether a Wildrose government would
Continue readingTag: Danielle Smith
Alberta Diary: It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy – especially if you’re Alison Redford
It’s just one long summer vacation for Alberta’s Tory family. Premier Alison Redford, possibly not exactly as illustrated, can be seen in the front seat of the Edsel at left. Below: The Wildrose Party on their way to summer school at Chestermere Slough; Kelley Charlebois; Thomas Lukaszuk. It’s summertime, and
Continue readingAlberta Diary: It’s semi-official… the Enbridge Northern Gateway project is kaput!
Enbridge Inc., as seen and described by the U.S. National Transportation Board. Below: Federal Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, Alberta Opposition Leader Danielle Smith and B.C. Opposition Leader Christie Clark. No! Wait! Ms. Clark’s still the premier! If you thought NDP Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair was mistaken – or, worse, just
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: what happens after prime minister harper? prime minister redford? prime minister mulcair?
TweetWith the start of Stampede season came the latest round of gossip and predictions about what the future might hold for Calgary MLA and Alberta’s Premier Alison Redford. Earlier this week in a column in the Edmonton Journal, Graham Thomson speculated that Premier Redford’s next political challenge could be the
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Unsuccessful at the polls, Alberta market fundamentalists want the courts to impose two-tier health care
What heath care for the rest of us will look like if the market fundamentalist right’s battle for insurance companies’ “rights” ever succeeds. Below: Private health-care advocate John Carpay; Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne; Alberta Liberal Health Critic David Swann. Not satisfied with their failure in the Alberta provincial election,
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: calgary stampede: the greatest political show on earth.
TweetThe Greatest Show on Earth, also known as the Calgary Stampede, kicked-off celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend. Between the chuck wagons and rodeo clowns, politicians off all stripes will drop into Calgary over the next week to kiss babies and grill pancakes. Twitter was, well, atwitter with chatter comparing
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Is nothing sacred? Turbulent pastor jumps to the front of Calgary’s Stampede Parade!
Pastor Artur Pawlowski and members of his flock march at the head of the Calgary Stampede Parade on Friday. Below: Pastor Pawlowski with Alberta Solicitor-General Jonathan Denis. Below that: Pastor Pawlowski with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. All photos grabbed from Facebook pages belonging to Pastor Pawlowski or his Calgary Street
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Risky theories… Dangerous economic experiments…. Can we afford Harper’s Conservatives?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper… (Creepy Voice): “Dangerous experiments and risky economic theories. Can we afford these Conservatives much longer?” Below: Leo de Bever and a youthful Paul Krugman. The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and its Alberta branch plant known as the Wildrose Party continue to push risky
Continue readingAlberta Diary: A little nugget from the past: Wildrose candidate’s abortion position
A scene from the Lethbridge-West riding, as seen by the Wildrose Party. Below: Lethbridge-West candidate Kevin Kinahan. During the campaign leading up to the recent Alberta provincial election, the website of Lethbridge-West Wildrose Party candidate Kevin Kinahan had two sections outlining his perspective on the party’s health care policy –
Continue readingAlberta Diary: With Alberta’s budget all but balanced, where’s Ted Morton now that we don’t need him?
Cock of the walk: Everybody wanted to talk to Ted Morton on June 26, 2011. His message to then-premier Ed Stelmach: Balance the budget or else. (Calgary Herald photo.) Below: Alison Redford, Rob Anderson. Can it be less than two years since Ted Morton, then Alberta’s steely-eyed finance minister and
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Budget crisis? Civil service raises? Go pop a Valium, Smith!
Hey Marge! Danielle Smith says there’s a budget crisis and this is no time to be giving raises to civil servants! Marge? Typical Albertans may not be exactly as illustrated this summer. Below: Danielle Smith. It’s hard to imagine all that many Albertans getting their knickers in a twist at
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The trouble with A-Bombs: if the blast doesn’t get you, the fallout just might
A typical Canadian reads the news from the Ottawa Press Gallery while Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney sends another email in the background. Below: Wildrose Party House Leader Rob Anderson; former federal PC leaders Joe Clark and Peter MacKay discuss the interesting pod marked “Return to Preston Manning” they
Continue readingAlberta Diary: The trouble with A-Bombs: if the blast doesn’t get you, the fallout just might
A typical Canadian reads the news from the Ottawa Press Gallery while Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney sends another email in the background. Below: Wildrose Party House Leader Rob Anderson; former federal PC leaders Joe Clark and Peter MacKay discuss the interesting pod marked “Return to Preston Manning” they
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta Silly Season starts with fallout from Jason Kenney’s A-Bomb blast
Federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, centre, with Public Safety Minister Victor Toews, left, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right, get ready to assure members of their party’s Alberta caucus they’ll be protected from a*****e visitors from their home province. Actual federal Tory ministers may not appear exactly as
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta Silly Season starts with fallout from Jason Kenney’s A-Bomb blast
Federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, centre, with Public Safety Minister Victor Toews, left, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right, get ready to assure members of their party’s Alberta caucus they’ll be protected from a*****e visitors from their home province. Actual federal Tory ministers may not appear exactly as
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives Finally Acknowledge Their Progressive Side
Alberta Premier Alison Redford took part in Edmonton’s annual Pride parade earlier this month, making her the province’s first premier to ever participate in a Pride event. While this might seem awfully late compared to other provinces, it’s actually a pretty big deal for Alberta. When I left Alberta in
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta liberals choose to keep raj sherman as leader.
Tweet Liberal leader Raj Sherman at Edmonton’s 2012 Pride Festival. Edmonton-Meadowlark MLA Raj Sherman will keep his job as leader of Alberta’s Liberal Party after a vote at the party’s annual general meeting in Calgary. Of the estimate 300 Liberal Party members who attended last weekend’s AGM, 94% voted to
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Wedge politics, not religious freedom, behind Danielle Smith’s refusal to apologize
Police officers walk in Saturday’s Pride Parade. Below: Danielle Smith, Alan Hunsperger. Since she won’t apologize for remarks made by one of her candidates during the recent election campaign that many Albertans thought were offensive and anti-gay, Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith found herself trapped this week between a rock
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Wedge politics, not religious freedom, behind Danielle Smith’s refusal to apologize
Police officers walk in Saturday’s Pride Parade. Below: Danielle Smith, Alan Hunsperger. Since she won’t apologize for remarks made by one of her candidates during the recent election campaign that many Albertans thought were offensive and anti-gay, Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith found herself trapped this week between a rock
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alison Redford opens Edmonton Pride Festival – but goes AWOL from parade
Your blogger, with Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman. Where were the PCs? Below: Some of the throng in Churchill Square, NDP MLAs David Eggen, Rachel Notley and Deron Bilous, Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman. Edmonton’s Pride Parade yesterday can only be described as a massive success, proof of the assertion real
Continue reading