“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction,” King Solomon is reputed to have said, with the wisdom for which he was renowned. King Solomon, as imagined by Gustave Doré, circa 1866 (Image: Wikimedia Commons). Whether it was Solomon who
Continue readingTag: United Conservative Party
Alberta Politics: After five years, RCMP investigation into Kamikaze Affair ends with a whimper, not a bang
After five years, Canada’s national police force has concluded no charges will be laid in the notorious Kamikaze Affair, as allegations of fraud and identity theft in Jason Kenney’s victorious 2017 campaign to lead the newly formed Alberta United Conservative Party came to be known. RCMP Superintendent Rick Jané at
Continue readingAlberta Politics: David Parker, the bad boy of Alberta conservatism, reflects, sort of recants, and promises to be less rude
After reflecting on Premier Danielle Smith’s recent words of chastisement, the bad boy of Alberta conservatism, David Parker, said in a tweet yesterday evening that he’s repented and “will not use personal insults in my public communications going forward.” Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, the last target on X of
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Why Sarah Hoffman is running for the Alberta NDP leadership
The former health minister shares her plans for health, climate, and housing NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman joins the Daveberta Podcast to talk about why she is running for the Alberta NDP leadership and her plans for health care, climate, and housing. We discuss Hoffman’s experiences as Minister of Health and
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Will Take Back Alberta’s sinister supremo meekly submit to the premier’s command to quit tweeting?
Now that he’s been ordered by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith shut the heck up and stop slagging federal Conservative boss Pierre Poilievre and his lovely wife, will Take Back Alberta’s founder and sometime executive director David Parker meekly do as he’s told or will he make like Darth Vader and
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A national pharmacare program at last? Forget about it, says Alberta’s UCP – just give us the cash!
No sooner did the federal Liberal and New Democratic parties say they’d reached a deal on a national pharmacare program at the end of last week than Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government insisted it wanted no part of the plan. Friends of Medicare Director Chris Gallaway (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Danielle Smith keeps saying she’s going to ‘de-risk’ natural-gas-fired electricity generation – what exactly does she have in mind?
According to the Council of Europe, “de-risking” means “the phenomenon of financial institutions terminating or restricting business relationships with clients or categories of clients to avoid, rather than manage, risk.” Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, pretty much the arch-fiend the way Ms. Smith describes him (Photo: UN Biodiversity, Creative Commons).
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Don’t imagine for a moment the UCP has lost interesting in getting its paws on your pension
Just because Albertans have overwhelmingly rejected the idea, don’t imagine for a moment Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government has lost interest in getting its hands on its citizens’ share of the Canada Pension Plan fund, whatever that may turn out to be. Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland UCP MLA Shane Getson (Photo:
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Is denigrating women in politics by mocking their appearance OK with the UCP? If it isn’t, the silence is deafening
Even before former health minister and deputy premier Sarah Hoffman’s NDP leadership campaign launch was over Sunday, the first tweets insulting her physical appearance began to appear on the social medial platform previously known as Twitter. Take Back Alberta’s David Parker, who’s now setting the tone for the entire United
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Former justice minister Kathleen Ganley makes her bid to lead Alberta NDP official; others to follow soon
Yesterday was the official start of the Alberta NDP leadership race and Kathleen Ganley was the first to make official what pretty well everyone in political Alberta already knew – to wit, that, yes, the former justice minister is running to replace Rachel Notley as the leader of the Opposition
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Danielle Smith says she cares deeply about transgender Albertans, then unveils grotesquely harsh, othering policy
Of all the clownish, bizarre, and cynical policies of the United Conservative Party, surely the most grotesque we have seen so far was today’s launch on social media by Premier Danielle Smith of what is sure to become known as the War on Trans Kids. University of Calgary political science
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP claim it’s achieved a significant ‘red tape’ reduction goal isn’t backed up by meaningful facts
The United Conservative Party government patted itself on the back for eliminating one third of the province’s red tape at a poorly staged news conference yesterday in a part of St. Albert’s Arden Theatre usually reverved for the consumption of intoxicating beverages at intermission. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Danielle Smith struggles to pump up new drugstore ‘clinics’ as primary care – no slur on pharmacists, but that dog won’t hunt!
The sight yesterday of Premier Danielle Smith and two of her ministers struggling to pump up the tires of a corporate scheme to pass off pharmacists as practitioners of family medicine and their drugstores as clinics was as embarrassing as it was disturbing. Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. CEO Jeff Leger
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If it is to be properly settled, the divisive argument over use of the Emergencies Act needs to go to the Supreme Court
Another day, another fatuous statement from Alberta United Conservative Party attacking the Trudeau Government. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). This time the news hook for the UCP’s fatuity was the ruling by a Federal Court of Canada justice that the Liberal Government’s use of the Emergencies Act on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Minister’s letter to municipalities demanding an accounting of all federal money they receive is classic UCP red tape
The United Conservative Party Government’s demand that all of Alberta municipalities report any agreements they have in place with the federal government by the end of the month will be expensive and time consuming, especially for Alberta’s largest cities. Former Progressive Conservative Party deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk (Photo: David J.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What does Alberta’s premier have to say about TBA founder’s call for UCP supporters to join NDP to mess up its leadership race?
It would be interesting to know what Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has to say about the call by the founder of her party’s influential Take Back Alberta faction to his supporters to use the NDP’s upcoming leadership race to infiltrate the Opposition party and try to elect its leader. Take
Continue readingAlberta Politics: With UCP support, police chief’s solution to homeless crisis moves ahead, whether Edmonton city council likes it or not
Edmonton’s police chief and the UCP ministers there to support him on his plan to clear Edmonton’s parks and avenues of hundreds of tents housing homeless people seemed antagonistic, annoyed and agitated at yesterday’s government news conference. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). This is evident if you
Continue readingAlberta Politics: That was the weekend that was: -38, grid on the brink, UCP flooding the zone, NDP all but struck dumb, and more
The United Conservative Party Government and its supporters appeared to be flooding the zone, Steve Bannon style, today to recover from the embarrassment of the near collapse of the provincial electrical grid during last weekend’s polar vortex deep-freeze. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). There was a stream of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Online speculation about cold-weather electricity crunch highlights the UCP’s lack of credibility
Chances are vanishingly small that Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government somehow managed to intentionally cause last night’s cold-weather electricity crunch that led to every Albertan with a smartphone receiving an emergency alert pleading with them “to immediately limit their electricity use to essential needs only.” Somebody’s screenshot of Saturday’s emergency
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP minister tells Edmonton mayor he can forget about seeing anyone from the province at a summit on homelessness
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi can forget about seeing Jason Nixon – Alberta’s minister of seniors, community and social services – at the summit on housing and homelessness he hopes to organize with provincial, city, First Nations, and federal leaders. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Indeed, Mr. Sohi
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