Wildrose Integrity? The Wildrose Party’s creepy video attack on premier-designate Alison Redford.Honeymoon? What honeymoon?Alison Redford was elected leader of Alberta’s governing Progressive Conservative Party in a vote announced in the wee hours …
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David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Six lessons to draw from Alison Redford’s victory
Alison Redford surrounded by media and supporters in the wee hours of this morning. Below: Gar Mar gives his concession speech, AHS Chair Ken Hughes.Alison Redford’s victory this morning in the race to lead the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alison redford is alberta’s new premier.
Former Justice Minister Alison Redford won a surprise victory today to become leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party and Premier-designate of Alberta. Ms. Redford, first elected as the MLA for Calgary-Elbow in 2008 (a constituency previously represented by Premier Ralph Klein), defeated long-time frontrunner Gary Mar to become Alberta’s next Premier. RESULTS First Ballot Results […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta could do much worse than have Alison Redford as premier – and tomorrow it probably will
Alison Redford during Thursday’s TV debate. (Edmonton Journal photo.) Below: The other Iron Lady.If television debates mattered, Alison Redford would win the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership vote tomorrow hands down.She certainly turned in…
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: The Top Ten reasons to worry about Premier Gary Mar
Gary Mar exactly as he appeared at a recent Conservative leadership forum, as some guy looks on. Your blogger is on the road, has limited Internet access and needs to keep it short…. so, perhaps we can explore this theme in greater detail soon. P…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Alberta Tory leadership race, Round 2: Still close … but not too close to call
The final moments of the Progressive Conservative leadership race: politically engaged Albertans may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Remaining candidates Gary Mar, Alison Redford and Doug Horner.With two weeks of electioneering to go until th…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: On This Day in History: The Cheney-Morton Axis – This right-wing nut didn’t fall far from the Dick
Dr. Ted Morton, Wyomingite, Los Angelino and Albertan. Below, Dr. Morton as “Freddy Lee.” Below that, high-risk gun nut Dick Cheney.By strange coincidence – perhaps – this post ran on this day one year ago exactly. Under the circumstances, it see…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Ted Morton says everybody does it? Well, stand up straight Alberta, and listen to your mother!
Do what your mama tells you! Below: My Mom, circa 1937; Ted Morton; Charles Rusnell.It’s been a few hours now since a CBC investigative reporter revealed that front-running Conservative leadership candidate Ted Morton used a fake name on a real gover…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Conservative leadership candidates have high-speed rail line brainwave: All aboard for environmental and financial disaster!
Stand back! A high-sped rail car gets ready for the rocket-ride to Calgary. Below, alternatives models, and leadership candidates Doug Horner and Alison Redford.
RED DEER
Uh oh! The idea of a high-speed passenger rail link between Edmonton and Calgar…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: forty years of political hegemony in alberta.
Forty years ago today, Albertans voted to end the 36 year rule of the Social Credit League and let the light shine as Peter Lougheed‘s Progressive Conservatives scored their first majority election victory and Albertans voted to adopt Daylight Savings Time. The August 30, 1971 election saw the Lougheed Tories edge out Premier Harry Strom‘s Social […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: ken kowalski will run in his tenth election as mla. love him or hate him, he’s got staying power.
Many Albertans now know Ken Kowalski from his higher duty as the long-sitting Speaker of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly, a position he has held since 1997. The MLA for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock announced this week that he will seek election for the tenth time since 1979. His long political career has demonstrated a kind of political longevity and […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: surprised that gary mar is supporting privatized health care? don’t be. just look at his record.
Was it the beginnings of a complicated political strategy, the osmosis of sitting in the Edmonton Sun offices, or the anticipation of an endorsement from former Premier Ralph Klein that caused Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Gary Mar to come out swinging in favour of privatized health care this week? Speaking to the Edmonton Sun editorial […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: pearl calahasen backs doug horner. verlyn olsen, dave hancock, fred horne endorse gary mar.
I have updated the list of Progressive Conservative MLAs endorsing leadership candidates to reflect four recent endorsements. Only days after leadership candidates Gary Mar and Alison Redford got into a very public spat over the success of the Safe Communities Initiative (which Ms. Redford spearheaded during her time as Justice Minister), current Justice Minister and […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta politics notes 8/05/2011
1. Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Alison Redford announced that she would raise monthly payments from the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program from $400 to $1,588 and doubling the allowable income earned for participants. Wildrose communications director Brock Harrison criticized the announcement on Twitter, claiming it would be too costly. The Liberals and […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: recap of the alberta progressive conservative leadership forum in vermilion.
More than 350 Progressive Conservative supporters packed into the main hall at Vermilion’s Lakeland College Campus to hear and ask questions to the six candidates seeking the leadership of Alberta’s governing party. The format of the debate only allowed each candidate a short 30 seconds to respond to questions. Instead of encouraging direct answers, it […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: A note to readers: Why I’m not sorry I skipped Vermillion
Conservative candidates and their supporters gather in Vermilion. Alison Redford is visible near the centre of the photo. Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Former Vermilion MLA Steve West.I’m not all that sorry to repo…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: No new candidates join Tory leadership race; Calgary not destroyed by earthquake again today!
The Alberta Tory leadership candidates, from left to right: Doug Horner, Gary Mar, Doug Griffiths, Ted Morton and Rick Orman. Alison Redford can be glimpsed crossing the street in the background. Real Conservative candidates may not actually resemble H…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Trust us, says Wildrose Alliance Leader Danielle Smith… uh… that’s it
Wildrose Alliance supporters form a line as they wait to rejoin the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. Some will make the trip several times, carrying bags of votes and money. Actual Alberta Tory voters may not be exactly as illustrated. Below:…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Internet buzz predicts Speaker Ken Kowalski’s imminent retirement
Your blogger lectures Speaker Ken Kowalski on something or other at the Alberta Legislature as one of Mr. Kowalski’s aides desperately searches for an avenue of escape. Below: Link Byfield, Lloyd Bertschi.As Alberta Speaker Ken Kowalski might say aft…
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