“Rat-free, PST-free and Liberal-free” has been a Conservative mantra in Alberta since the reign of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. But is this trifecta now in jeopardy? The decline of government revenues caused by the drop in the price of oil has once again sparked… Continue Reading →
Continue readingTag: Kevin Taft
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Goodbye? The future looks bleak for the Alberta Liberals
TweetIt has been a long time since things have looked good for the Alberta Liberals. The provincial party has been teetering on the verge of the political abyss for years but lately the future looks especially bleak. Recent announcements that popular Calgary Liberal MLAs Kent Hehr and Darshan Kang are moving
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Will MLA Steve Young survive the PC caucus?
TweetWhen former cop Steve Young was elected as the MLA for Edmonton-Riverview, it was considered to be a huge coup for the Progressive Conservatives. With Mr. Young as their candidate, the Tories succeeded in scooping the traditionally Liberal voting constituency previously represented by popular MLA Kevin Taft. All indications suggest
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Looking back in perplexity: where did all of Alberta’s money go again?
First World money and Third World roads. If we’re so rich in Alberta, why do we seem so poor? A motorist negotiates one of Edmonton’s famed potholes. Actual Edmonton drivers may not have snappy uniforms like this fellow. Below: Author, professor and former Alberta Liberal politician Kevin Taft, the cover
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: When did Alberta become a have-not province?
TweetEighteen days ago, Alberta became a have-not province. Eighteen days ago, Premier Alison Redford appeared on Albertans television screens to warn them of the notorious “bitumen bubble” that has been keeping the price of our oil down. Today, after eighteen days of political spin about deep budget cuts and tough
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Will Premier Redford’s TV message address Alberta’s tax dilemma?
Tweet“Our party was elected to keep building Alberta — to focus our spending on the priorities that you told me were important, and that is exactly what we’ll do.” – Premier Alison Redford in an email to Progressive Conservative Party supporters on January 23, 2013 Premier Alison Redford will star
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Misleading with statistics: the Fraser Institute on health care and ‘value for money’
This just in! The latest mainstream media news straight from the Vancouver studios of the Fraser Institute, complete with no fact checking! No sooner noted than illuminated – yesterday morning mainstream media was credulously reporting another “Fraser Factoid,” this one a report by the far-right political lobby group purporting to
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Who are Alberta’s top MLAs of 2012?
TweetIt has become tradition on this blog that near the end of each year I publish a list of Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly who have been the best, worst, or most notable of the past year. Each year’s list has taken a different form and focus (see 2010 and
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: The Katz Katastrophe
The bending of election rules by the provincial Conservatives isn’t new. It’s a regular affair by now. Kevin Taft’s lawsuit against Elections Alberta, the ongoing debacle of large union and corporate donations, and the disproportionate sway that the oil patch has on Albertan democracy, are not new. Daryl Katz is
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Alberta Liberals set to rebrand as Liberalberta, sources say.
TweetThe Alberta Liberal Party is rebranding its image with plans to relaunch its website, adopt a new logo, change its official colours, and, according to Liberal sources, rename itself Liberalberta. Last forming government following the 1917 election, Liberals are the constant underdogs of Alberta politics and being severely hampered by connections to unpopular Liberal
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta liberals choose to keep raj sherman as leader.
Tweet Liberal leader Raj Sherman at Edmonton’s 2012 Pride Festival. Edmonton-Meadowlark MLA Raj Sherman will keep his job as leader of Alberta’s Liberal Party after a vote at the party’s annual general meeting in Calgary. Of the estimate 300 Liberal Party members who attended last weekend’s AGM, 94% voted to
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: After the Big Zero, the Alberta Party awaits the Big Goodbye
Your blogger with Dave Taylor, back in 2010. Below: Glenn Taylor, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Chima Nkemdirim. While it’s true former Alberta Party MLA Dave Taylor never crossed a bridge he couldn’t burn, the political experiment he was part of is likely finished all on its own without his
Continue readingElection Predictions and Ridings to Watch
Today is election day in Alberta and quite a day it will be. I am guaranteed to be glued to my television screen and interweb module well into the wee hours of the morning. I suspect that it will be late before we know who the premier will be and
Continue readingElection Predictions and Ridings to Watch
Today is election day in Alberta and quite a day it will be. I am guaranteed to be glued to my television screen and interweb module well into the wee hours of the morning. I suspect that it will be late before we know who the premier will be and whether they will have a … Continue reading Election Predictions and Ridings to Watch →
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: alberta election: the leaders’ debate will matter.
In a typical provincial election in Alberta, the televised Leaders’ debate is a mere formality in a process that would inevitably lead to the election of another massive Progressive Conservative majority government. Even when the perceived winner of the debate is from an opposition party, the effects only . In
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: On the trail of the party crasher … and where’s Kevin Taft now that the Liberals really need him?
Third (or fourth) party leader Raj Sherman crashes Premier Alison Redford’s party this afternoon. Sheesh! Ms. Redford must be thinking: “Oh butt out, Raj!” Below: Kevin Taft; Dr. Sherman – “Uh oh! Here he comes!” – accompanied by an uncomfortable looking local candidate Bruce Miller. (This photo by David Cournoyer.)
Continue readingIn This Corner: Two good men: Hugh McDonald and Kevin Taft.
Just before we get into full election mode, with all the name calling and accusations and all that stuff that makes politics such a classy profession, I’d like to take a few moments before I launch into 28 days of name calling and accusations to say a few nice words
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: edmonton tory candidate posing for photos at police service media conference.
PC candidate Steven Young on the Edmonton Journal website. Staff Sergeant Steven Young was the face of the Edmonton Police Service at a media conference held yesterday announcing the police service’s new advertising campaign. Mr. Young also happens to be the nominated Progressive Conservative Party candidate in Edmonton-Riverview, a position
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: worthwhile ideas from the alberta liberal party.
Raj Sherman The title of this blog post will sound like an oxymoron to many Albertans. Launching an election campaign early, PC MLA-turned-Liberal leader Raj Sherman released his party’s 2012 election platform yesterday. After reading the platform, I was surprised that the Liberals were actually able to pull together such
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