The former Alberta Health Services Board, fired yesterday by Health Minister Fred Horne, as seen by the 99 top executives of the provincial health care agency. Actual AHS board members may not appear exactly as portrayed by the health minister. Below: Former AHS CEO Stephen Duckett, former AHS board chair
Continue readingTag: Gene Zwozdesky
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Who’s the boss? Fred Horne and Stephen Lockwood spar over AHS performance pay.
Tweet“Regardless of how people feel about the decision of the AHS board, I don’t think anybody would want me or a colleague to interfere with the terms of their employment they’ve agreed to. It’s a decision for the AHS board.” – Health Minister Fred Horne on Alberta Health Services performance
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Laurie Blakeman now the longest-serving opposition MLA and other #ableg milestones.
TweetThis week Edmonton-Centre Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman was recognized in the Legislative Assembly as being the “longest-serving member to serve exclusively in opposition in Alberta’s history. Ms. Blakeman was elected on March 11, 1997 and, as Speaker Gene Zwozdesky noted, she has served continuously since that time for a total of 5,876
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: What to expect in the spring sitting? Dirt, mud, and more dirt.
TweetAfter a three-month break, Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly will gather today in Edmonton to start the spring sitting. The commencement of this year’s first sitting will be unusual in that it will lack the traditional pomp and circumstance that comes with a Speech from the Throne. Lieutenant Governor Donald
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Great Plains Politics 101: Why everything new in Alberta’s Legislature must be old again
Perfesser Dave with Gene Zwozdesky, a.k.a. Mr. Speaker, the Speaker of the Alberta Legislature, with that rara avis, a recent Alberta Throne Speech. But not the one for March 5, 2013. Quick quiz: Why is that? Below: Alberta Premier Alison Redford in a screen grab from last week’s “State of
Continue readingIn This Corner: Tories have bungled tobacco file, but it’s no scandal.
The Edmonton Journal’s main headline today, “Speaker clears Redford” takes its place on the list least surprising headlines ever, right up there with “Winter will be cold” and “City to raise taxes”. There was never any doubt that Speaker Gene Zwozdesky would find some way to proclaim that Premier Alison Redford in no way misled […]
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Everythinggate: Perfect storm lands Alberta premier in shark-infested waters!
As a perfect storm blows, Alison Redford’s strategic brain trust parries Opposition attacks about the conduct of her government. The premier is in the centre of the boat, wearing a cowboy hat. Actual Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Your blogger with Paul Martin; queue-jumping inquiry chief John Vertes. As the political …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Wildrose MLAs stage walk out during dramatic tobacco conflict.
TweetTheatric and dramatic antics dominated this afternoon’s hour-long Question Period in Alberta’s Legislative Assembly. To start the drama, the official opposition Wildrose Caucus raised a point of personal privilege claiming that Premie…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Wildrose Party wages permanent negative campaign against Redford Tories.
TweetThe Wildrose Party is running a permanent negative campaign against the long-governing Progressive Conservative Party. Not taking time to break after their defeat in the May 2012 election, Danielle Smith and her 16 Wildrose MLAs are pushing hard t…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Two additional reasons morale is better at Alberta Health Services: Liepert & Duckett are gone
Dr. Stephen Duckett, right, doesn’t mince words while talking to Doug Knight, then the President of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, in September 2009, Below: former Health Minister Ron Liepert. Morale among doctors, nurses and other medical staff is dramatically better than it was two years ago at Alberta
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Two additional reasons morale is better at Alberta Health Services: Liepert & Duckett are gone
Dr. Stephen Duckett, right, doesn’t mince words while talking to Doug Knight, then the President of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, in September 2009, Below: former Health Minister Ron Liepert. Morale among doctors, nurses and other medical staff is dramatically better than it was two years ago at Alberta
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 readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Zwozdesky’s in, Kowalski’s out and all’s right with the Tory universe
Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta’s new Speaker, with your blogger and a Speech from the Throne … though not today’s. This compliment may come out sounding a little more backhanded than intended, but the Alberta Legislature could have done a lot worse than choose someone like Gene Zwozdesky to wear the Speaker’s
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta MLAs get down to work – sort of – later today
Bill 1? It’s a secret! Alberta MLAs may not be exactly as illustrated. It’s great work if you can find it! The first session of the 28th Legislature of Alberta opens later today and will sit for … hold onto your hats, people … all of six days. In their
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: assembly housekeeping: new staff, new speaker, & new public accounts committee chair.
Tweet As the Opposition Caucuses and Parties reorganize following electoral changes caused as a results of the April 23 election, there will be a number of staff and role changes in Assembly. The new Assembly will convene for the first time to elect a new Speaker on May 23, 2012
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 readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Choosing a Speaker for Alberta: Your chance to vote … sort of
Your blogger with yet another of the candidates to be called Mr. Speaker, the dulcetly mellifluous Gene Zwozdesky, looking none too thrilled about this photo opportunity in Speakerly garb. I have been surprised by the amount of interested generated by my post suggesting there is a three-way or possibly four-way
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Calculating the odds in the race for Alberta’s Legislative Speaker
Your blogger with Robin Campbell, Ken Kowalski’s possible replacement as Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. Below: Laurie Blakeman, Gene Zwozdesky, and Wayne Cao with you-know-who. JASPER, Alberta Just when you thought it was safe to go out of the house again, there’s another election! But you don’t get to vote
Continue readingIn This Corner: MLAs Behaving Badly.
Today, for your amusement/outrage, your humble correspondent presents MLAs Behaving Badly. By sheer coincidence, all of the MLAs in this blog are PCs. Seriously, it’s just a coincidence. Thomas Lukaszuk The first example of an MLA Behaving Badly was widely reported: Thomas ‘Tommy Boy’ Lukaszuk’s run-in with a constituent. You
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