After three years of slagging him in the media, Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith met Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel for the first time yesterday (The image is a dramatization of actual events). Three years after becoming leader of her party, Official Opposition Wildrose Party leader and southern Alberta MLA Danielle Smith
Continue readingTag: Doug Horner
David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Everything new is old again in Alison Redford’s first post-election cabinet
Where’s Waldo? Yesterday’s official cabinet swearing-in photo. Who is missing? With roughly 40 per cent of its members new to a cabinet role – and 15 per cent of them brand new to Alberta’s 87-seat Legislature – Premier Alison Redford’s new cabinet announced yesterday should have given the impression of
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alison redford and her new cabinet could lead a new urban agenda.
Premier Alison Redford's new cabinet ministers (photos from premierofalberta Flickr feed). Premier Alison Redford appointed her post-election cabinet ministers today after forgoing an initial press release and announcing them on Twitter. These picks and the legislation they will bring forward over the next four years will shape the direction Premier Redford
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Today’s cabinet appointments likely to disappoint Alberta’s ‘strategic’ voters
“What was I thinking?” A progressive Alberta elector contemplates what he’s wrought by voting “strategically” for the Redford Conservatives. Alberta voters may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Premier Redford. Later today, Alberta Premier Alison Redford will announce whom she has picked to fill her cabinet. As a consequence, today
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: return to the dome and inside baseball politics.
Alberta's Legislative Assembly Building With election withdrawal setting in like a bad hangover, much of the media attention this week focused on the 38 rookie MLA’s attending outgoing Speaker Ken Kowalski‘s Legislature 101 course and the resumption of inside baseball politics under the Dome. Bridget Pastoor and Premier Alison Redford
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: return to the dome and inside baseball politics.
Alberta's Legislative Assembly Building With election withdrawal setting in like a bad hangover, much of the media attention this week focused on the 38 rookie MLA’s attending outgoing Speaker Ken Kowalski‘s Legislature 101 course and the resumption of inside baseball politics under the Dome. Bridget Pastoor and Premier Alison Redford
Continue readingCabinet Speculation
Hey, I’m awful at predictions, but why not speculate on cabinet postings. Premier Alison Redford has discussed the possibility of some repositioning of portfolios and the possibility of a downsize to cabinet. It is quite likely that we will see 20 ministers in the cabinet including the Premier. As far as responsibility juggling, we could … Continue reading Cabinet Speculation →
Continue readingCabinet Speculation
Hey, I’m awful at predictions, but why not speculate on cabinet postings. Premier Alison Redford has discussed the possibility of some repositioning of portfolios and the possibility of a downsize to cabinet. It is quite likely that we will see 20 ministers in the cabinet including the Premier. As far
Continue readingCabinet Speculation
Hey, I’m awful at predictions, but why not speculate on cabinet postings. Premier Alison Redford has discussed the possibility of some repositioning of portfolios and the possibility of a downsize to cabinet. It is quite likely that we will see 20 ministers in the cabinet including the Premier. As far
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Top Ten Losers and Winners of the Alberta Election
Danielle Smith, leader of the upstart Wildrose Party celebrates her… Wait! That’s not Danielle! That’s Alison Redford! (Reuters Photo, snatched from the Internet.) Remember: Alberta political winners may not always be exactly as illustrated by the media and the pollsters. Below: The real Danielle Smith. ’Tis late and the CBC’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: predicting alberta’s election results.
We have received more than 100 entries for the joint Daveberta and CalgaryGrit Great Alberta Election pool and have entered these predictions into a state of the art spreadsheet to discover some interesting predictions for tomorrow’s vote. Alberta election pool seat count prediction: Averages (from CalgaryGrit.ca) The average of the seat count
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: If you have any doubts left Alberta’s Conservatives are done like dinner, this should settle ’em
“I never thought I’d vote PC” … just embarrassing. Below: Ralph Klein back when he was premier of Alberta; Saddam Hussein. If you have any doubts left there are only three more sleeps before the end of the Progressive Conservative Era in Alberta, look no further than the video and
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: the reform-conservative family feud continues in alberta’s election.
Wildrose is under attack! The same people that caused the Liberal Party of Canada to be in power for 13 uninterrupted years now have Wildrose in their crosshairs. They want nothing more than to see the Redford PCs re-elected to impose their big government knows best, ivory tower views on
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Who wins if the Alberta Legislature’s fit to be tied?
Strange Bedfellows: Danielle Smith and Brian Mason imagined discussing voting strategy in the Legislature… Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated … or as weird as reality! If you think the Alberta election campaign has been exciting up to now, just wait. Any minute now, someone’s going to start
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: gary mar ordered to take unpaid leave pending investigation. alberta pc party releases leadership campaign audited financial reports.
Gary Mar Premier Alison Redford has ordered former cabinet minister Gary Mar, now the Government of Alberta’s representative in Asia, to take an unpaid leave of absence during an ethics investigation of a recent fundraiser held in Edmonton. Mr. Mar, who placed second in the 2011 PC leadership, hosted a
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: former culture minister lindsay blackett not seeking re-election.
Lindsay Blackett First-term Calgary-North West Progressive Conservative MLA and former cabinet minister Lindsay Blackett has announced on his website that he will not be seeking re-election. Mr. Blackett served as Minister of Culture & Community Spirit from 2008 until 2010, when Premier Alison Redford appointed her first cabinet. During his time
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: looking back at 2011: alberta mla’s who made a difference.
Each year around this time, I compile a list of a handful of Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly who I believe deserve mentioning following their political performance over the past year. This is just my list, so please feel free to agree, disagree, or make your own suggestions in the
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta to balance budget, cure cancer, put men on Mars by 2013
Members of the 2013 Alberta Mars Mission solemnly mark Peter Lougheed’s birthday with cupcakes, non-alcoholic soda and a spacewalk. The Alberta Space Ship Wild Rose can be observed lower right. Alberta political promises may not turn out to be exactl…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: ‘budget dialogue’ survey really an online monologue.
In the pantheon of poorly written and meaningless online surveys, the Government of Alberta’s new ‘Budget Dialogue’ online survey now rests upon a high pedestal (other recent polls belong in their own pantheon). If you were not so lucky to have been invited to join Premier Alison Redford, Finance Minister Ron Liepert, or Treasury Board President […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta candidate nomination update – october 2011 (part 2)
I have updated the list of declared and nominated candidates standing for the next Alberta provincial general election. By my count, the parties have now nominated the following number of candidates out of 87 constituencies in the next election: Alberta Party 11/87, Liberal 20/87, New Democratic Party 49/87, Progressive Conservative 39/87, Wildrose 53/87. Here are some of the recent additions to […]
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