There was probably a time it made sense to erect statues of Winston Churchill in Canada. Lame duck premier Jason Kenney and Mark Milke, a former political aide who is now president of the Winnie Dinnie Society of Calgary, show off the spot in downtown Cowtown where the hulking eight-foot-something
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Alberta Politics: Alberta is calling, again: Top-notch education at the U of A! (Never mind how we’re trying to bring it down a notch or two …)
The Alberta is Calling vanity advertising campaign featuring the voice of the province’s soon-to-be-retired premier continues to tout benefits for would-be newcomers to Alberta that Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party Government has striven to undermine. The Jason’s Calling vanity ad touting the University of Alberta (Image: Government of Alberta). This
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney’s not wrong about Danielle Smith’s ‘Sovereignty Act’ plan – it’s nuts!
As much as one hates to agree with Jason Kenney, the man’s not wrong to call Danielle Smith’s “Sovereignty Act” proposal in her frontrunning campaign to lead the United Conservative Party “just nuts.” Danielle Smith, at right, the frontrunner in the race to replace Mr. Kenney. Beside her is Service
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Give Jason Kenney, crowing about how good management made Alberta’s budget surplus possible, credit for chutzpah!
Give Jason Kenney credit for sheer brass! Yesterday, Alberta’s premier, so recently told by his own party to pack up his stuff and take a hike, was taking credit for the province’s unexpected recent resource jackpot. Alberta Pollster Janet Brown, forecasting good tidings for the UCP (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Protecting free speech on campus? Forget about it, Pierre Poilievre is just dog-whistling
Federal Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre seems to have generated a lot of publicity for himself lately with a much re-tweeted pledge to force Canadian universities to “protect free speech” by withholding federal research grants and other funds from post-secondary institutions that won’t knuckle under to his demands. Former U.S.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney’s cabinet shuffle, clearly necessary, nevertheless gets delivered in a slippery way
As is typical of the man, Jason Kenney’s cabinet shuffle yesterday, while clearly necessary, was delivered in a slippery manner. Justice Minister Tyler Shandro (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). Leastways, the usual cheerful statement alerting the media that a big upcoming announcement was in the offing appeared in no one’s email inbox
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rebecca Schulz vows to change the United Conservative Party’s nasty tone, but not necessarily its right-wing agenda
Promising to change the United Conservative Party’s tone, although not necessarily its right-wing agenda, Rebecca Schulz stepped forward in Calgary yesterday as the latest candidate to replace Jason Kenney as party leader and Alberta premier. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, whom Ms. Schulz hopes to replace (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). She wants
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta pulls plug on efforts to control COVID-19; Rajan Sawhney quits cabinet, joins race to replace Jason Kenney
One minute before midnight tonight, the United Conservative Party Government will pull the plug on all public health measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19, even as the disease continues to infect and kill Albertans. Premier Jason Kenney during a visit to the University of Calgary’s school of engineering
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jason Kenney’s “Breaking Bad” Press Release
Last week, the feds granted BC a 3-year exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act decriminalizing the possession of up to 2.5 grams of certain illegal drugs for personal use. Judging by Jason Kenney’s response, you’d think Breaking Bad had set up shop next door. Leaving aside Kenney’s hypocritical
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What do you do about a problem like Shane Getson, the UCP MLA whose Facebook post appeared to call for the PM to be lynched?
With apologies to the Sound of Music, what do you do with a problem like Shane Getson? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Photo: Justin Trudeau/Flickr). More specifically, what should the Alberta Legislature do about a member like Shane Getson, the United Conservative Party MLA for the rural riding of Lac Ste.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: For a high-profile minister, UCP’s first official leadership candidate, Travis Toews, has flown under the radar
Despite his high-profile job as Alberta’s finance minister and soaring political ambitions, Travis Toews has kept a remarkably low profile. Mr. Toews schmoozing supporters in the Alberta Legislative Building Rotunda (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Just look at the uninformative media coverage of the announcement when Mr. Toews, Alberta’s minister of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Kimberlyn McGrail examines the excess deaths caused by COVID-19 in Canada. Eric Berger discusses the continued lack of progress in diagnosing and treating a growing number of long COVID cases. Joshua Chong reports on the CCPA’s study showing that women continue to
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The UCP’s summers of shrinking ambition: from the Summer of Repeal to the Summer of Resignation via the Best Summer Ever
Do you remember that time Jason Kenney promised a Summer of Repeal? A recent shot of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney during the lead-up to the Summer of Resignation, which will commence soon, one hopes (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). Back in 2017, the night he won the leadership of the United Conservative
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Mr Kenney Goes to Washington
May 26, 2022 marked Jason Kenny’s last appearance in the Legislature as Alberta’s premier (we think). His final week was replete with members’ statements applauding his leadership, his legacy, and everything his government had accomplished over the last 3 years. He was especially proud of one achievement: his appearance before
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Kenney Government’s persistent habit of advocating U.S.-style gun laws bears repeating, and remembering
On May 17, just three days after the racial-hate-motivated massacre at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, N.Y., the Kenney Government was publicly complaining about new federal regulations intended to ensure that the increasingly frequent mass shootings in the United States stay south of the world’s longest undefended border. Alberta Premier
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to start your week. – The Associated Press reports on Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s warning that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Mary Papenfuss discusses how people living in Trump-supporting counties (with lower vaccination rates driven by COVID denialism) have thus far been twice as likely to die
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: 51.4% (the end of Jason Kenney?)
It finally happened.* Despite the UCP government changing the law to allow the purchase of party memberships without someone’s knowledge or consent, the UCP executive changing the rules setting out when, where, and how Jason Kenney’s leadership review would take place and Kenney’s announcement that an approval rating of 50%
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Two Days In Alberta Politics
It’s Friday – end of the week, and the last 2 days of politics in Alberta have been a whirlwind … on Wednesday, Kenney said he would step down after getting 51.4% support in a leadership review vote, and on Thursday, the UCP caucus voted to keep Kenney on as
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Heeeeere’s Kenney! Alberta’s premier is back by unpopular demand!
Heeeeere’s Kenney! One night after saying he was quitting, Alberta’s premier is back by unpopular demand. UCP Party Secretary Janice Nett (Photo: Linked-in). You have to admit that, by any yardstick, Jason Kenney’s announcement he would be resigning as leader of the United Conservative Party and premier of Alberta after
Continue readingAlberta Politics: After 51% vote, Jason Kenney announces he’ll quit as UCP leader and Alberta premier – but maybe not just yet …
Short days ago, Jason Kenney boasted to a right-wing podcaster in Washington, D.C., that he’d never lost an election. Likely UCP leadership candidate Brian Jean (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). That changed yesterday with the result of a vote that, ironically, Alberta’s premier technically won by a hair. But while Mr.
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