The Alberta Liberals are under attack. The Liberals are being assailed from every party from every corner of this province. The march to the middle has been of pronounced presence by almost every political faction in Alberta. The NDP have made open moves toward Liberal voters, campaigning hard in long held
Continue readingTag: David Swann
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Beyond Question Period: Debating Bill 1.
TweetIf you pay attention to political pundits or follow the #ableg hashtag on Twitter, you will have read about how nasty and partisan the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly has been. But if you logout of Twitter for a bit and ignore the embarrassing theatrics of Question Period, you will
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: UofC Liberals sign up 150 young liberals
Liberalism is alive and well in Calgary. As of September 21st the University of Calgary Liberal Association signed up 148 young Liberals from the annual week long clubs week held by the Students’ Union. The membership now counts more than 170 with renewed members, in addition to several new federal
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Hurricane Isaac makes landfall in New Orleans; Hurricane Joan hits Calgary
A prophet laments the unwillingness of the people to heed warnings from on high. Alberta political bloggers may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Nominated federal Tory candidate “Hurricane Joan” Crockatt. At the risk of going all Old Testament on readers, when Hurricane Isaac slammed into New Orleans last night,
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: calgary-centre conservatives and liberals choosing their by-election candidates.
TweetOn Saturday, August 25, Conservative Party members in the riding of Calgary-Centre will choose a candidate to carry their party’s banner in an upcoming and yet-to-be called by-election. Six candidates are contesting the nomination. The Conservative candidate is widely expected to win the by-election in this moderate conservative voting downtown
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tales from the political root cellar: Alberta’s liberal War on Spuds and the Harper election strategy
David Swann in Alberta’s political root cellar, contemplating all those potatoes. Actual Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: The real David Swann, Alberta’s likely reaction to his quixotic efforts. Perhaps it’s just as well that Dr. David Swann, former leader of the Alberta Liberals still toiling away
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Problems with their papers? No word yet on Conservative candidates for Calgary Centre
Members of the Calgary Centre Conservative Constituency Association puzzle over nomination papers presented by would-be candidates. Alberta political insiders may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: CPC Candidates Joan Crockatt, Joe Soares, Jon Lord and Richard Billington. Wherever are the Conservative Party of Canada’s Calgary Centre candidates? Or, more to
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Mystery story: is there an opposition candidate who can win the Calgary Centre by-election?
Your blogger with David Swann: Remember, when the author of this blog appears in a picture with a politician, it does not necessarily imply an endorsement. (That’s enough photos with politicians for one week, thanks – ed.) Below: Likely Conservative winner Joan Crockatt, Edmonton Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan and
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 readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: After the Big Zero, the Alberta Party awaits the Big Goodbye
Your blogger with Dave Taylor, back in 2010. Below: Glenn Taylor, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Chima Nkemdirim. While it’s true former Alberta Party MLA Dave Taylor never crossed a bridge he couldn’t burn, the political experiment he was part of is likely finished all on its own without his
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: murky waters ahead for alberta’s liberal party.
Tweet Raj Sherman delivers his leadership victory speech as leadership chair Josipa Petrunic, and candidates Laurie Blakeman, Hugh MacDonald, and Bruce Payne look on (September 2011). The Alberta Liberals will be holding a vote to affirm or oppose the continued leadership of Raj Sherman on June 16 at the Whitehorn
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta election endorsements.
Over the course of the election campaign, I have identified candidates from all the political parties who would be good MLA’s in the next Legislature. Out of the group of more than 400 Albertans seeking office in the 2012 general election, I have chosen six candidates who I personally believe
Continue readingIn This Corner: Now is the time for all good Liberals to come to the aid of their party.
Important note: The following blog is intended only for people who usually vote Liberal, but who are thinking of switching their vote to either the PCs (to stop the Wildrose) or to the Wildrose (to defeat the PCs). Unwavering PC supporters, bedrock Wildrose supporters and compulsive NDP backers, please leave
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: tories scramble into damage control mode over no-work committee pay.
Alberta MLA's are scrambling to control the monster that has become the "Pay for No Work Committee." Scrambling to balance damage control with party unity on the eve of an election call, MLA’s in Premier Alison Redford‘s Tory caucus are returning pay earned over the past six months from the Standing
Continue readingCalgaryLiberal: Raj Rescues Folks in Rollover
Earlier today Raj Sherman help rescue three people who had rolled off the road on Highway 2 (Calgary Herald). This is one of the reasons why I really like Raj Sherman as a human being: this selfless, service above self attitude he has, where he was on a schedule to be at
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: worthwhile ideas from the alberta liberal party.
Raj Sherman The title of this blog post will sound like an oxymoron to many Albertans. Launching an election campaign early, PC MLA-turned-Liberal leader Raj Sherman released his party’s 2012 election platform yesterday. After reading the platform, I was surprised that the Liberals were actually able to pull together such
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Kevin Taft follows Alberta’s money and finds out where it all went
Your blogger, with another doomed politician, this time the author of Follow the Money, Where is Alberta’s Wealth Going? Just in case you’re thinking of being sarcastic, the sign says “Red Deer Public Library.” Below, the cover of the book. Sooner or later, all conversations about the Alberta economy in
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta election candidate update – january 2012.
With an election fast approaching, Alberta’s political parties are busy nominating candidates across the province. Here is a regional breakdown showing where candidates have been nominated and some of the recent updates. Nominated Alberta Election candidates by region (January 16, 2012) Airdrie: Former Airdrie Mayor Linda Bruce and current Alderman Kelly
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Alberta 2011 in Review
One of my favourite sayings is “If you don’t like the weather in Alberta, wait 30 minutes. If you don’t like the politicians, wait 30 years.” However, the sleepy world of Alberta politics has come alive in recent years and 2011 was no exception. A year ago, Ed Stelmach was
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: january kick-off: big changes or status-quo in 2012?
Fresh back into the new year, it would be easy to assume that January would be a slow month for most of Alberta’s elected officials as they ease back into their regular 80 hour work week. If the first month of recent years are any indication, January has tendency of
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