Even as Scott Moe and his party have declared they’re determined to let people die on Saskatchewan’s streets for lack of funding, and warned that there’s nothing but further real wage cuts on the horizon for public servants, they’ve managed to find public resources to keep pushing nuclear power –
Continue readingTag: saskatchewan ndp
Accidental Deliberations: On safety concerns
One of the great mysteries of Scott Moe’s tenure in power is how he’s evaded scrutiny for a personal track record which has demonstrated a gross lack of judgment – including getting convicted of impaired driving, causing a separate accident which killed another person, and filing for bankruptcy. In the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Freedom of information filing reveals supposedly independent ‘Blue Ribbon’ Panel had help from staff in Alberta premier’s office
It turns out Janice MacKinnon’s six-member “expert panel” was using a script cooked up in Premier Jason Kenney’s office at least part of the time it was supposedly taking its “deep dive” into Alberta’s books last year. Alert readers will recall that when freshly elected United Conservative Party Premier Jason
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz discusses how decades of laissez-faire economics and deference to the rich have undermined any effective democratic decision-making. Bruce Boghosian observes that structural change is needed to avoid a tendency toward the concentration of wealth and concurrent rise of inequality. And
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘Blue-Ribbon Panel’ report sets stage for full-blown austerity, private health care, soaring tuition and much more
The recommendations of the Kenney Government’s “blue-ribbon panel” on Alberta’s finances yesterday went further over the top than you’d even have expected from a report ginned up by a couple of Fraser Institute ringers, a former bank president, and a few additional followers of the government’s low-tax, market-fundamentalist ideology. As
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP bulls ahead with plan to ignore public employees’ collective agreements
One thing you can say for Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party Government: they don’t even pretend to act in good faith! Early this month they mailed public sector unions a letter asking them to take part in “a consultation session” about the government’s wish to delay contractually stipulated wage arbitration
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Stephen Maher writes that Michael Cooper’s choice to give voice to the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto represents a test of Andrew Scheer’s willingness to take action to match his words. And Scheer’s choice to quietly shuffle Cooper out of a single committee assignment
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP posturing around public sector wages portends a return to perpetual crisis in health care
The United Conservative Party Government’s transparent early manoeuvres around public sector wage negotiations and the heavy hints found in a paper by the chair of Premier Jason Kenney’s “blue ribbon panel” on Alberta’s finances portend a stormy period ahead in public sector labour relations, especially in health care. Since health
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Guest Post: Why Alberta’s NDP will be living dangerously for the next four years
John Ashton is the co-author with former Alberta NDP leader Ray Martin of Made in Alberta: The Ray Martin Story. He has served as staff on 26 NDP campaigns. In this guest post, Mr. Ashton argues Alberta’s NDP may not be the first provincial branch of the New Democratic Party
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On double standards
Shorter Murray Mandryk: I’d never be so unreasonable as to suggest Saskatchewan Party cabinet ministers could be expected to listen to protests against their own government. But for Ryan Meili, I won’t be satisfied by anything short of showing up to rally in support of his political opponents – not
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Marshall Shepherd writes that the U.S. is facing a true national emergency in the form of climate breakdown. And Michelle Goldberg theorizes that the unlikely election and presidency of Donald Trump may open the door to a transformative response, including the possibility
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Laurie MacFarlane writes that flows of income and wealth have everything to do with bargaining power and social decision-making, rather than productivity or merit: (A)ggregate wealth is not simply a reflection of the process of accumulation, as theory tends to imply. It
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Saskatchewan Party’s self-induced aversion to responsible climate policy may producing serious political and economic consequences. For further reading…– D.C. Fraser reported on the NDP’s Regina Northeast by-election win. And Jennifer Quesnel reported on Moe’s response to a meeting with his federal counterparts which signals a refusal
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on these posts as to the show of strength from both Ryan Meili and Trent Wotherspoon in the NDP’s leadership campaign as compared to any of the Saskatchewan Party’s candidates – and how that enthusiasm gap may be important in contrasting Meili against Scott Moe in the years
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2018 Reference Page
A one-stop source for general links on the 2018 Saskatchewan NDP leadership campaign, to be updated as the race progresses. Please feel free to add additional suggestions in comments. (And note that new posts will appear below this one.) General InformationSaskatchewan NDP Constitution (PDF)Leadership Rules (PDF) Leadership 2018 Candidate Information
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On first choices
First-choice support for Ryan Meili in the NDP’s leadership campaign: 5,973 First-choice support for Scott Moe in the Saskatchewan Party’s leadership campaign: 4,483 Moe just barely edged past Meili’s first-ballot vote total on the Saskatchewan Party’s fourth ballot – when second- (or more likely third-)choice support shifted to him from
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2018 – Convention Liveblog
For those following along, I’ll be discussing the leadership showcases and voting results here. For now, stay tuned. Before the showcases begin, I’ll note that there doesn’t seem to be a huge advantage for either candidate within the room – though the noisemakers being used by Trent Wotherspoon’s supporters make
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2018 Links
The latest from the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership campaign as the voting window closes and the results are about to be unveiled. (Note that members voting online are able to cast a ballot until 3:00 PM.) – Not surprisingly, the impending vote has led to plenty more media coverage, including a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here (via PressReader), on the importance of Saskatchewan’s citizens staying engaged and active – rather than viewing the end of the main parties’ leadership races as a basis to tune out until the next provincial election. For further reading…– Again, my reference page for the balance of the NDP’s leadership
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2018: The Non-Prediction
In previous NDP leadership campaigns at both the provincial and federal levels, I’ve compiled regular rankings and/or predictions among the candidates. Needless to say, I haven’t done that for the ongoing Saskatchewan NDP leadership campaign – in part because a two-candidate race has left no need to consider down-ballot implications,
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