As you have probably heard a hundred times over the past month, the Calgary Stampede turns 100 this year. Calgary has changed a lot over this time. A seat at the 1912 rodeo cost 50 cents. Calgary’s population was 70,000. And, oh yeah, back then Alberta was a Liberal bastion,
Continue readingTag: Jean Chrétien
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alison redford attends the bilderberg. thomas mulcair visits the oilsands.
Tweet Premier Alison Redford is attending the 2012 Bilderberg Group conference. There are no shortage of internet conspiracy theories about the mysterious Bilderberg Group conference, but now Alberta Premier Alison Redford will know the truth about the invite-only private annual meeting of the world’s top neo-liberal financial, business, and political
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: An Open Letter about Rob Ford to the City of Toronto, from the Rest of Canada
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, a political figure so big he has his own gravitational field! Toronto politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Dear Toronto: It’s time we had a frank talk about that Chief Magistrate of yours. We are speaking of course about Rob Ford, the big guy who
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Conrad Black, Stephen Harper & Jean Chretien: A Study in Contrasts
Which Prime Minister do you think more closely reflected mainstream Canadians’ views of Conrad Black, the Lord who was not allowed by Prime Minister Cameron to sit as a Tory in the House of Lords after his conviction? Black not wanted as Tory in UK Jean Chretien, who had a
Continue readingThe big Iraq FAIL. What say you now, Jason Kenney?
The first time I ever heard of Jason Kenney was the lead up to the call for a war in Iraq. Our PM Chretien was standing up to Bush as were most nations around the globe. But one little porcine man five o’clock shadowed an ugly anti-Canadianism on the horizon
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: liberal party of canada convention 2012 – renewal past the tipping point.
Zack Siezmagraff Guest Post by Zack Siezmagraff I am confident that the LPC convention this past weekend, which I attended as a delegate and past candidate for AB-Yellowhead , is an event that I will look back at in 50 years and tell people, “I was there”. For those of you
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Liberal voting reform endorsement reduces chances of NDP-Liberal merger
The question of a Liberal-NDP merger was something that was discussed quite openly following Harper’s ascent to a majority. Such poltical heavyweights as Jean Chretien even weighed in on the idea, and Jack Layton (an opponent or merger) has now passed away. It is thus worth noting, given recent events, how such
Continue reading$200K payout to Chretien bad news for Liberals
That’s all the Liberals need, as bad a shape as they are in, to have the ‘sponsorship scandal’ dredged up again. Funny, the Conservatives are living a scandal-a-day and yet you just know the big news for the next month will be Sponsorship. Adscam. Scandal. *Sigh*
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: NCC: Not Much Blood on Canada’s Hands!
NCC logo.jpg It's Christmastime in Canada – when all self-satisfied ideologues take a moment to lift the finger of blame and point it at somebody else. "Credit" for outstanding performance in this regard must go to National Citizens Coalition President andf CEO Peter Coleman. In ringing defence of the former NCC
Continue readingbastard.logic: …and Michael Moore is FAT!
Terry Glavin, last True Leftist™ in Canada, finds the late, lamented Kyoto treaty (and environmentalism in general) wanting — and apparently it’s all Al Gore’s fault. No, really: Kyoto could have been an instrument to force technological innovation in the world’s advanced economies in such a way as to clear a
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 readingWhat the Liberals really need
More of this.Whatever his faults, Jean Chretien was a leader. He just went ahead and did it. It pissed off a lot of people but he was a fighter who knew how to win. Bonus: the media ate it up.
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Perfesser Dave explains the problems with separatists in the Canadian government
Bryan Mulroney having fun with his confidant and Quebec lieutenant Lucien Bouchard, one of many Conservative separatists who have spent time in the House of Commons. Below: Perfesser Dave; Western sovereignist Stephen Harper.Some stories are just too c…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Chantal Hebert points out that the biggest difference resulting from the NDP’s emergence as Canada’s official opposition may have to do with gender rather than age:A lot has been written and said about the yout…
Continue readingThey Call Me "Mr. Sinister": Written Unselfconciously
By Susan Delacourt: Though I have immense respect for all the presenters this morning, I found myself a little puzzled by their description of what they describe as conservatism. In fact, as they were rhyming off “generally ascribed” Conservative value…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Success places Harper Conservatives between a rock and a hard place
A young Stephen Harper with the rock in the background. The hard place was yet to come. Below: Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s last truly liberal prime minister.This column appeared in Friday’s edition of the Saint City News.The people of Canada have spok…
Continue readingPample the Moose: Brooke Jeffrey, <i>Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984-2008</I>
As I write this review, Canada appears to be on the eve of an election call. It thus seems fitting to reflect on elections and campaigns past. For the past two weeks, I’ve been making my way through Divided Loyalties, Concordia political scientist …
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