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 readingTag: Peter Lougheed
David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta: Confederation’s biggest kid starts whining at first hint of opposition
“Put ’em up, put ’em up! I’ll fight you with one paw tied behind my back,” former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach tells Dalton McGuinty and Thomas Mulcair as Alberta Premier Alison Redford looks on. Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: The villainous Mr. Mulcair eyes our oil;
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: The premier Premier
The Institute for Research on Public Policy ranks Peter Lougheed as Canada’s best Premier from the last 40 years. Rounding out the top 5: 1. Peter Lougheed2. William Davis3. Allan Blakeney4. Frank McKenna5. Robert Bourassa I ran a similar “best Premier” contest among blog readers back in 2007, March-Madness Style. Lougheed came
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The premier Premier
The Institute for Research on Public Policy ranks Peter Lougheed as Canada’s best Premier from the last 40 years. Rounding out the top 5: 1. Peter Lougheed 2. William Davis 3. Allan Blakeney 4. Frank McKenna 5. Robert Bourassa I ran a similar “best Premier” contest among blog readers back in
Continue readingFive of Five: Peter Lougheed Wins Again
A 1975 editorial cartoon showing the early foundations of the Alberta PC Party’s formula for success Former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed has been named the best “Provincial Premier” of the last 40 years. The poll was conducted by Policy Magazine using a small number of experts and academics. I was
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: a wildrose government will need a real opposition.
Danielle Smith with Wildrose MLA's Paul Hinman, Heather Forsyth, and Rob Anderson in 2010. Despite questioning climate science and refusing to remove one candidate who railed against a policy to protect sexual minorities in public schools and another who claimed his skin colour as a political advantage, Danielle Smith‘s Wildrose Party appears set to
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Peter Lougheed comes down from Olympus and endorses Alison Redford
Former Premier Peter Lougheed surveys the troubled scene in Alberta before endorsing Alison Redford. Some gods may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Lougheed and Premiers William Aberhart and E.C. Manning. The Big Guy has spoken. And he says: “Vote for Alison Redford.” I don’t mean God. Bigger than
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Wildrose leader openly lays out plan for privatizing health care
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith in Promises, Promises, the Medical Comedy. The trouble is, it’s not funny. Real Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Ms. Smith as she really, really appears. There’s not much need for scare tactics by supporters of public medicare: Yesterday the Wildrose Party laid
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: danielle smith is ‘out-ralphing’ alison redford.
Recycled 'Ralph Bucks' could become 'Danielle Dollars'. Eight years after the last round of provincial rebate cheques, popularly known as ‘Ralph Bucks‘, were mailed to Albertans care of Premier Ralph Klein, Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith is proposing a similar ‘energy dividend.’ While ‘Ralph Bucks‘ were popular among most Albertans
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: ‘Everybody’s ready’ for an election call today … but is Alison Redford?
…Get set… GO! How the media sees the Alberta election race, starting today. On the right, Premier Alison Redford. To Ms. Redford’s right, Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith. In the background, NDP Leader Brian Mason. Alberta political leaders may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Alison Redford, Danielle Smith, Peter Lougheed.
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta’s long political sitzkrieg gives way today to Tory blitzkrieg
Alberta Premier Alison Redford, second from left, gets ready to take the “air war” to the Wildrose Party’s Calgary stronghold with strongly negative radio ads. Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: former Premier Ed Stelmach as portrayed in 2008’s Albertans for Change campaign; the premier’s chief of
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta’s Electrolux Throne Speech: breathtaking in its vacuity, but quite possibly effective
Your blogger with Tory campaign mastermind Stephen Carter. Below, Charles Dickens, who also wrote a good story; Finance Minister Ron Liepert. It was either the best of Throne Speeches or it was the worst of Throne Speeches. Heck, maybe it was both at the same time. Yesterday being the 200th
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Sorry, an Order of Canada for Ralph Klein is not appropriate
Ralph Klein, as premier of Alberta. Below: Kevin Taft, an Order of Canada gong. Does the kind of man who would call immigrants to Alberta from Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada “bums” and “creeps” deserve the Order of Canada? Surely one would think not! But anything can happen in the
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Old Year assessment and New Year prediction: Alison Redford, Alberta Newsmaker o’ th’ Year, 2011 and 2012
Alison Redford meets the media minutes after her election in a Conservative Party members-only vote was announced in the wee hours of Oct. 2, 2011. Below: The unexpected results displayed. All politics end in tears, a wise man once observed, meaning that sooner or later, almost all political winners turn
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: looking back at 2011: alberta mla’s who made a difference.
Each year around this time, I compile a list of a handful of Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly who I believe deserve mentioning following their political performance over the past year. This is just my list, so please feel free to agree, disagree, or make your own suggestions in the
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta political TV ad battle: Round 1 to the Wildrose Party
The Alison Redford Party’s first ad from the 2012 election season. Below: Hubby in the headlights. Maybe he’s just seen what’s on that to-do list. Or maybe he just feels strange wearing a sports coat in his kitchen at 7 in the morning. Yesterday, Alberta’s mighty Tory dynasty released its
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: one less lifeboat on the ship: lethbridge liberal mla bridget pastoor to join pc caucus today.
MLA Bridget Pastoor According to a tweet from Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid, Liberal MLA Bridget Pastoor will cross the floor and join the Progressive Conservative caucus today. Ms. Pastoor is currently serving her second term as the MLA for Lethbridge-East, a constituency represented by Liberal MLAs since 1993. She
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Will Gary Mar reinvent the Alberta Tories? Fat chance!
Gary Mar at the wheel of the new, improved, “reinvented” Alberta Conservative Party. Alberta politicians and the parties they lead may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Mar, Ralph Klein and a Tory electoral strategist speaking with an A…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: U.S. opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline: it’s not what you think it is
The headquarters control room of the Keystone XL pipeline: caution, pipeline operations may not be exactly as illustrated, on this blog or on those run by the Alberta government. Below: The Keystone pipeline as environmentalists see it. Below that: the…
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