TweetFresh from a war of words with popular Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths responded the a question from Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman with this poorly thought-out retort in Question Period today: “It could be asked by rural Albertans why 17 per cent of the population that
Continue readingTag: Laurie Blakeman
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Education Minister delivers teachers contract ultimatum to school boards.
TweetAfter months of posturing and picking fights with Alberta’s teachers, it appears that Education Minister Jeff Johnson was just posturing. But what the rookie cabinet minister was trying to accomplish is still unclear. Minister Johnson announced this weekend that he would back down on his ultimate made last week that
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Rogue party activists to discuss ‘collaboration, and cooperation.’
TweetThe latest episode of Alberta’s ongoing “cooperation on the centre-left” saga will continue on January 23, when rogue activists from the Liberalberta Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Alberta Party will host a “Soapbox, Suds, and Wings” night in Edmonton. The event, which is being organized by Edmonton-Mill Creek
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Why wait? Read 2013’s shocking political headlines right now on Alberta Diary!
The Dagny Taggarts, a synchronized skating team from Ottawa get ready to do their popular routine, “Where Is John Galt?” Defence Minister Joan Crockatt is in the front row, second from right. Below: Senator Tom Flanagan; U of C economics student Kim Jong-un, in full Calgary drag; Deputy Premier Thomas
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Wildrose MLA’s “panties” comments recorded in Hansard.
TweetNearly every word uttered during debates on the floor of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly is recorded into the official transcript known as Hansard. Sometimes, Members of the Legislative Assembly make odd comments, and those odd comments are recorded into Hansard. During debate on Bill 6, the Protection and Compliance Statutes Amendment
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: tory strategy leaves wildrose looking rookie green and bruised pink.
TweetLearning how to be an effective opposition MLA in Alberta includes a very steep learning curve and the constant challenge of facing a governing party that despises opposition. As any observer of Alberta politics can point out, the Progressive Conservatives have not sustained 41 uninterrupted years in government by being
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alison Redford opens Edmonton Pride Festival – but goes AWOL from parade
Your blogger, with Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman. Where were the PCs? Below: Some of the throng in Churchill Square, NDP MLAs David Eggen, Rachel Notley and Deron Bilous, Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman. Edmonton’s Pride Parade yesterday can only be described as a massive success, proof of the assertion real
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: photos: politicians in edmonton’s pride parade 2012.
Tweet Dave Colburn, chair of Edmonton's Public School Board. NDP MLA's David Eggen and Deron Bilous. Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman (second from the left) Edmonton City Councillors Ben Henderson, Kim Krushell, and Dave Loken. Liberal MLA Raj Sherman Quebec NDP MP Dany Morin and former Edmonton candidate Lewis Cardinal. See
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 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 readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: kevin taft goes rogue with new book: follow the money.
“If Alberta increased its tax rates by $11 billion our province would still have the lowest tax rate in Canada.” This was only one of the notable figures presented by Kevin Taft at the launch of his new book, Follow the Money, held last night at the Garneau Theatre in
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Liberal MLA Blakeman to run for Speaker, again
Edmonton Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman with Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman last summer when they were both running for the leadership. Well, Ken Kowalski is marching into history, so why the heck not? At any rate, earlier today, Edmonton Centre Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman sent along a Twitter message saying
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