Alberta’s “Bubble Zone Bill” to protect abortion clinic patients and staff from harassment, intimidation and potential violence has been passed by the provincial Legislature. When the vote on Third Reading happened yesterday, the entire United Conservative Party Opposition had once again gone into hiding. They’ve done the same thing every
Continue readingTag: Derek Fildebrandt
Alberta Politics: Dispatches from the front lines of Alberta politics: Jason Kenney reveals his nasty streak … again
My, my, Jason Kenney’s vow to become the new Mr. Congeniality of Confederation sure didn’t last very long, did it? Twitterists are having fun comparing the Alberta Opposition leader’s response to a gentle jab by Premier Rachel Notley in the Alberta Legislature Tuesday afternoon with what he had to say
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: It’s all about Derek… Speculation mounts that ousted UCP MLA will run as an Independent in 2019
He’s “wasting his time” if he thinks he can run for a United Conservative Party nomination, says party leader Jason Kenney, but that isn’t stopping Strathmore-Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt from being a thorn in his former party’s side. Once considered a rising star in Alberta’s conservative movement, the spectacular implosion of
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta Candidate Nomination Updates: 2 NDP cabinet ministers announce re-election and 3 more UCP MLAs plan to retire.
Photo: Oneil Carlier, Shannon Phillips, Sonya Savage, and Tyler Shandro. Nominations are picking up speed. Three more United Conservative Party MLAs have announced their plans to retire when the next election is called. Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Wayne Drysdale, Livingstone-Macleod MLA Pat Stier and Little Bow MLA David Schneider will not seek re-election
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Green Party of Alberta chooses Coral Bliss Taylor, former Calgary council candidate, as interim leader
The Green Party of Alberta has chosen Coral Bliss Taylor, not so long ago a candidate for city council in Calgary civic election, to serve as its interim leader while it figures out what to do after the sudden resignation of its last permanent leader in March. Ms. Bliss Taylor,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: O Fildebrandt! No more taking orders from some Ottawa snowflake! A personal anthem for Derek
PHOTO: Derek Fildebrandt, as he sees himself (Photo: Derek Fildebrandt Facebook page). Gone are the days when Derek Fildebrandt had a party whip to tell him not to say dumb things on social media. Nope, the former Wildrose and United Conservative Party MLA for Strathmore-Brooks nowadays sits in splendid isolation
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘Daydreaming in Technicolor’ … the Alberta Party and Derek Fildebrandt present alternative budgets
PHOTOS: The Alberta Legislature gets the Technicolor treatment with publication of two Opposition “alternative budgets.” There was nothing from the United Conservative Opposition, of course. Below: Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel and a costumed Derek Fildebrandt, the Independent “Liberty Conservative,” late of the UPC and Wildrose Party (Photo: Derek Fildebrandt
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Episode 8: The Return of the Leg, Pipelines, and prep for the 2019 election
With Alberta’s Legislature is back in session this week, Dave and Ryan deliver their takes on the hottest issues facing MLAs, including Premier Rachel Notley’s Pipeline motion and how Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous really feels about the British Columbia government. We also talk about the latest candidate nomination news,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Your Weekend BS: The straight poop on profanity in politics and the state of public discourse in Alberta
PHOTOS: Alberta politicians Deron Bilous, Jason Kenney, Derek Fildebrandt and Thomas Lukaszuk, all from the author’s vast collection of snapshots. Trigger warning! This dispatch from the Annals of Political Discourse in Alberta contains words unsuitable for sensitive and young readers. For a more fulsome discussion of why they are included
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s all about Derek (2018, dark comedy) – ‘politics is full of bullshit’ … at least when nothing’s going your way
HOTOS: Independent MLA Derek Fildebrandt at the moment yesterday when he declared “politics is full of bullshit.” (Photo: Screenshot of CBC’s broadcast of the news conference.) Below: United Conservative Party Deputy Leader Leela Aheer, who, unlike Mr. Fildebrandt, probably has a future in politics, and the man who sent him
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Brian Jean, former Opposition leader and unsuccessful contender to lead United Conservative Party, quits Alberta politics
PHOTOS: Brian Jean, when he was still running for the leadership of the United Conservative Party in 2017. Below: Mr. Jean feeling the love during the race to lead the UCP, and as he would probably like his political career to be remembered. (The second and third photos were grabbed
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Third quarter financial results released by Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci suggest NDP economic strategy is working
PHOTOS: Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci, basking in the fiscal sunshine. Below Joe: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, like Mr. Ceci, a New Democrat; Opposition UCP Leader Jason Kenney; and Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel. In one regard, Alberta’s NDP Government and its principal Opposition parties are in agreement about how
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Episode 6: Alberta-BC Pipeline War, UCP loses 2 MLAs, and Alberta Party leadership race
We’re back! After a brief hiatus because Ryan was down south helping Make America Great Again, we are back with a new episode of The Daveberta Podcast. In this episode, Dave and Ryan discuss the ongoing dispute between Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and British Columbia Premier John Horgan over the
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Derek Fildebrandt and Don MacIntyre out of the UCP caucus. Alberta Advantage Party picks a new leader on Feb. 24, 2018.
Photo: Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt in happier days as he joined Jason Kenney on the eve of his victory in the 2017 PC Party leadership race. (Photo credit: @pcyouthalberta on Twitter) Derek Fildebrandt is out of the United Conservative Party Caucus for good, according to a statement issued by party leader
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Groundhog Day 2018: Liberty Conservative ‘Didsbury Derek’ dispatched into deepest darkness
PHOTOS: Derek Fildebrandt as he hoped to be perceived when he went hunting in rural Alberta (photo grabbed from his Facebook account). It didn’t work out as planned. Below: Mr. Fildebrandt as he appeared around the Alberta Legislature, United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, and former UCP Caucus member Don
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Who is running in Alberta’s 2019 Election?
A handful of aspiring elected officials have already put their names forward to run in Alberta’s next provincial general election, which, due to our odd-ball fixed-election period, is expected to be called between March 1, 2019 and May 31, 2019. One candidate has already been nominated. Omar Masood was acclaimed
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Those lame green coroplast arrows point to one thing: the UCP’s cozy relationship with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
PHOTOS: United Conservative Party MLA Wes Taylor with his notorious green coroplast arrow. Below: An example of the fun made of Mr. Taylor by Internet wags; Porky the Waster Hater, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s mascot; Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt and Wildrose Leader Brian Jean in happier times with their lame
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Happy New Year! It wouldn’t be New Year’s Eve without AlbertaPolitics.ca’s Top Ten political predictions for 2018
PHOTOS: Will U.S. spear hunters like this guy still be able to come to Alberta after 2018? Your blogger predicts they’ll have to find ursine victims elsewhere. (Photo: Youtube screengrab, grabbed by the CBC and re-grabbed by me.) Below: Demonstrators on Cambie Street in Vancouver protest against the Kinder Morgan
Continue readingAlberta Politics: As the year runs out, here are AlbertaPolitics.ca’s Top Ten developing Alberta political news stories of 2017
PHOTOS: As time runs out on 2017, here are AlbertaPolitics.ca’s Top Ten developing new stories for the year. Below: Opposition UCP Leader Jason Kenney, NDP Premier Rachel Notley, serial conservative screw-up Derek Fildebrandt and Labour Minister Christina Gray. It’s easy to pick list of news stories that caused a big
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Today marks the 10th anniversary of AlbertaPolitics.ca – which presumably makes this blog an Internet institution!
PHOTOS: Part of the original header on this blog, back in its St. Albert Diary days, which ran from the last week of 2007 to mid-2009. The blog, of course, has continued under slightly different names to the present. Below: The first post, and my picture with Alberta’s two best
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