Apparently someone in the United Conservative Party could run a sophisticated vote-diversion scheme but the party didn’t have the technical wherewithal to operate a simple candidate vetting process capable of eliminating candidates with a high potential for causing embarrassment. And not at the same time either, so it’s not as
Continue readingTag: Prab Gill
Alberta Politics: Forget Julius Caesar, we’re watching the Perils of Pauline, starring Jason Kenney!
It may be the Ides of March, but on the Alberta political stage, today’s production seems to be the Perils of Pauline, not Julius Caesar. For those of you hoping to see Brian Jean strike back at Jason Kenney and take up the leadership of the Freedom Conservative Party, the
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 30: The creepy Prab Gill video, the return of Joe Anglin, and Brian Jean’s revenge
With the Speech from the Throne coming on March 18 and Premier Rachel Notley expected to call an election soon afterward, Dave and Ryan discuss how the parties are trying to frame the upcoming election, Brian Jean’s revenge, the creepy Prab Gill video, Joe Anglin’s candidacy, the SNC-Lavalin scandal and
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP leadership campaign reveals ‘how an aggressive campaign could hijack online votes,’ U.S. journalist writes
Digital-election-theft allegations swirling around the 2017 United Conservative Party leadership campaign should be a sharp warning for the U.S. Democratic Party, which plans to use similar technology in some of its 2020 presidential primary races, says an American journalist who specializes in covering election technology and democratic issues. While a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP video of MLA and NDP advisor is certainly creepy – but is it ethical or even legal?
There’s no question the thought of United Conservative Party operatives skulking around inside an important provincial government office building making videos of people coming and going is unsavoury, not to mention downright creepy. But is this ethical? Is it even legal? Is it appropriate behaviour for a political party that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alleged UCP electoral shenanigans begin to attract a wider audience than just Alberta
Thanks to Opposition Leader Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party leadership race he won last year, not to mention the way he won it, electoral politics in Alberta are starting to get international attention. I kid you not! I had a long phone conversation today with a journalist from
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Questions about UCP party votes abound: There’s smoke, but is there fire? Brian Jean’s ship was sunk, but did a kamikaze sink it?
There’s smoke! Is there fire? On Friday, StarMetro’s Edmonton and Calgary editions reported that the Office of the Elections Commissioner has hired a retired Edmonton Police detective to dig into reports Jeff Callaway’s 2017 “kamikaze” United Conservative Party leadership campaign was illegally funded. Ken Brander, who has a background investigating
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Why is the UCP keeping the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties on life support?
Inquiring minds want to know: Why is Opposition Leader Jason Kenney keeping the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose Parties around? Media generally refer to Mr. Kenney as the United Conservative Party leader. But in reality, he’s the leader of the United Conservative Party, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Wildrose Party,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Former UCP MLA alleges ‘suspicious donations’ from PAC associated with Jason Kenney used in 2017 to undermine Brian Jean
Calgary-Greenway MLA Prab Gill used the final Question Period of the fall 2018 session of the Alberta Legislature Thursday to allege that “more than $40,000 in very suspicious donations” was given to a United Conservative Party leadership candidate to undermine candidate Brian Jean. Mr. Jean was the former leader of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Prab Gill is back in the news, rumoured eyeing Freedom Conservatives, so stand by for another attack on Tzeporah Berman!
Prab Gill is back in the news, offering up the potential for more embarrassment for Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party. Stand by for Mr. Kenney to attack … Tzeporah Berman! Isn’t that what always happens when Mr. Gill hits the news? Mr. Gill is the former Progressive Conservative
Continue readingAlberta Politics: NDP introduces to post-secondary tuition-fee setting a measure of fairness for students
Alberta’s Legislature returned to work yesterday as Rachel Notley’s NDP Government got the ball rolling with a bill that will keep a lid on post-secondary tuition and ensure foreign students don’t get stuck with unscheduled tuition increases part way through their studies. This may be a long way from what’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Janis Irwin running for NDP nomination in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Daniel Williams wins UCP contest in Peace River
Photo: More than 200 people packed into the Bellevue Community Hall tonight to support Janis Irwin’s bid for the NDP nomination in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood. Janis Irwin launched her campaign for the New Democratic Party nomination in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood this evening at the Bellevue Community Hall. Irwin is a community advocate and educator, and she
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Odds-on favourites for disaster … ‘Jimmy the Geek’ sets Vegas odds for the UCP MLAs most likely to resign next
Now that Alberta’s Opposition United Conservative Party has been around for a year – it’s first anniversary was on Sunday – we note that the right-wing party has seen the resignation of no fewer than six of its MLAs for various reasons in its first year of operation. In fairness,
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Episode 16: Derek Fildebrandt introduces the Derek Fildebrandt Party
In this episode of the Daveberta Podcast, Dave Cournoyer and Ryan Hastman discuss whether Derek Fildebrandt‘s Freedom Conservative Party will be relevant in the next election, Rachel Notley‘s role at the recent Council of the Federation meeting in New Brunswick, the decision by Greyhound to withdraw from western Canada, and Edmonton-Mill Woods MP Amarjeet Sohi‘s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Prab Gill saga seems to have legs, so UCP Leader Jason Kenney attacks environmentalist Tzeporah Berman …
Astonishingly, the Prab Gill saga appears to have legs. Yesterday, the Star Metro arm of the Toronto Star’s effort to create a national footprint, informed Alberta readers there’s no way the United Conservative Party will be revealing the contents of its insider investigation of ballot stuffing and snatching by Mr.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: UCP quashes giant bozo-erruption in the making by dropping anti-Muslim nomination candidate
The United Conservative Party quashed a giant bozo-erruption in the making this week when the party asked S. Todd Beasley to withdraw his candidacy for the nomination in the new Brooks-Medicine Hat district. Beasley, who was an organizer for the anti-NDP Alberta Wide Rallies held in 2016 and is the organizer
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Elevation of Devin Dreeshen to role of UCP Boy Wonder must be a bitter pill for Derek Fildebrandt
What a bitter pill the elevation of Devin Dreeshen to the role of Boy Wonder of the United Conservative Party must be to Derek Fildebrandt! The Independent MLA for Strathmore-Brooks, after all, used to be the Boy Wonder of the UCP himself. Unless Mr. Fildebrandt can pull off a truly
Continue readingAlberta Politics: By-elections conveniently over, United Conservative Party pushes out MLA accused of ballot stuffing at nomination meeting
With many Albertans apparently in a mood to take Jason Kenney’s claim at face value his year-old United Conservative Party is renewed, reformed and ready to govern, you can’t be too careful about evidence that the same-old-same-old Tory entitlement continues to lurk on the Opposition benches of the Legislature. Not
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Sixth MLA leaves the UCP. Prab Gill resigns from caucus following ballot-stuffing investigation.
The polls suggest the United Conservative Party is poised to form government in 2019, but how united the caucus actually is remains questionable. Calgary-Greenway UCP MLA Prab Gill issued a statement yesterday announcing that he has left the UCP caucus to sit as an Independent MLA following the conclusion of
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Three candidates drop out of Peace River UCP race, showdown in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, and a Sweet nomination in Edmonton-Manning
The number of candidates in the United Conservative Party nomination contest in the sprawling northwest district of Peace River has dropped from five to two. Lisa Wardley, deputy reeve of Mackenzie County, and Dan Williams, who worked as a political staffer for Jason Kenney, are the two remaining candidates in the contest after
Continue reading