It’s not a bad thing for Alberta’s NDP Opposition to hammer the Smith Government’s scandalous RStar scheme, as they did yesterday, but it’s frustrating to have to wonder where they were on the issue during last spring’s election campaign. Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). RStar, which
Continue readingTag: United Conservative Party
Alberta Politics: Take Back Alberta leader’s Twitter rant casts some light on the war within the United Conservative Party
The internal workings of the United Conservative Party under Premier Danielle Smith are nowadays quite murky. But now and again we hear of wars, and rumours of wars, even if the end is obviously still to come. United Conservative Party Provincial Board President Cynthia Moore (Photo: Facebook/Cynthia Moore). So it
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP addiction to inflicting ideological solutions on real problems means plague of drug deaths is unlikely to abate
In a better world, the conveniently timed post-election release of statistics showing Alberta had the deadliest month on record in April for fatal drug poisonings would have discredited the “Alberta Model” for treating addiction. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). Tragically, that is unlikely to happen. Alberta’s United
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Yes, Danielle Smith can just apologize and shrug off her ethical failings – so it’s time for a new NDP strategy
Irfan Sabir, the NDP Opposition’s justice critic, wasn’t wrong when he complained on Saturday that Danielle Smith shouldn’t be able to rattle off a meaningless apology in the Legislature and then just sashay away from any consequences for breaking the law. Alberta NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir – his outrage
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Deena Hinshaw can’t be called a hero, but she is a victim of vindictive UCP retribution for things she did right
The enemy of mine enemy is my friend and all that, but it’s not clear that supporters of sound public health policy are on the right track if they decide to portray Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health as a public health hero. Dr. Hinshaw with then agriculture minister
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Stephan, temporarily missing MLA, suggests he had no idea in March there would be an election in May
Jason Stephan, the Red Deer-South electoral district’s absentee MLA, apparently now wants us to believe he had no idea in March that there was an Alberta election scheduled at the end of May. Christina Gray, the NDP MLA for Edmonton-Mill Woods, who is acting as the Opposition party’s spokesperson in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan, on ‘previously planned trip out-of-province with family,’ a no-show for swearing-in
Silly me. I simply assumed that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith didn’t pick Jason Stephan as her justice minister because he showed signs of being too much of a wingnut. Opposition NDP House Leader Christina Gray (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Turns out that probably wasn’t it. He may have been one
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Danielle Smith names her cabinet – not all the omens are good ones
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Back home in Wild Rose Country, Premier Danielle Smith has named her cabinet, so the Internet and airwaves will naturally soon be rife with speculation about What It All Means. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). This is normally a fool’s errand, since less than 24
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Consequence culture strikes! Former health minister Tyler Shandro finds himself out of a job
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – By any reasonable standard, Tyler Shandro was an appalling minister of the Crown. Calgary-Acadia’s new MLA, Registered Nurse Diana Batten (Photo: Alberta NDP). It’s hard to think of any file he handled well, although it’s fair to say that it was during his tenure as minister of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley’s unforced error – that 3% corporate tax increase – probably cost the NDP the election
SAINT JOHN, N.B. – The principal unforced error that most likely cost the Alberta NDP the May 29 election was the foolish decision to blab about a 3-per-cent tax increase for the largest corporations. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). When Rachel Notley said that, with an explanation that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Premier Danielle Smith, fresh off election victory, suggests resurrecting the Family Compact to run Edmonton!
Even before the dust from the historically close 2023 Alberta general election has settled, Premier Danielle Smith was blabbing about creating an extra-parliamentary council of UCP electoral losers to act as Edmonton’s MLAs. University of Calgary Law Professor Martin Z. Olszynski (Photo: University of Calgary). Of course, the day before
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Hot take: If you were hoping for sanity in Alberta after yesterday’s election, you can forget about it
Those praying for a degree of sanity to prevail after yesterday’s Alberta provincial election were bound to be disappointed by the apparent result last night. NDP Leader Rachel Notley concedes the victory to Danielle Smith last night in Edmonton (Photo: Twitter/Saif Kaisar). At the witching hour, the United Conservative Party
Continue readingAlberta Politics: No predictions today, but the stakes are high, maybe existential, so just go vote!
One of the dirty little secrets of Canadian politics at the end of the beginning of the 21st Century is that a lot of political professionals have come to recognize the awesome power of fear. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper (Photo: Screenshot of UCP video). And nothing instills fear
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta’s economy has lagged the rest of Canada under the UCP, well-known economist’s study concludes
No matter how badly they mismanage it, Alberta Conservatives can usually expect to get a pass on the economy. Tomorrow is election day in Alberta (Photo: Michael J/Creative Commons). There’s no point carping about this. It’s not just Alberta. Public opinion research suggests it’s a common delusion among the populations
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What’s driving Brian Jean, whose enthusiasm for politics waxes and wanes? Just Monday’s election, or something more?
Brian Jean – once upon a time the leader of the Wildrose Party Opposition and more recently twice an unsuccessful candidate to lead the United Conservative Party – seems to be as energized as that famous battery-powered bunny these days. Danielle Smith and the late Progressive Conservative premier Jim Prentice
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Copy editors checking facts? That’s thing of the past at Postmedia, apparently, as election column illustrates
This may surprise some readers, but back in the early 1970s, when your blogger was a callow youth working as a cub reporter for the Calgary Herald, newspapers did their own fact checking! A Calgary Herald paperboy (Photo: Calgary Herald Archives). This important task was done by a special category
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Pensions don’t seem to be much of an issue in this election – pension governance expert says they should be
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she didn’t want to talk about the idea of taking Alberta out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating an Alberta pension plan until after the election, and by and large the province’s political commentators have co-operated. Pension governance advisor Tom Fuller (Photo: David J.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta premier’s worst moment in last night’s leaders’ debate happened before the opening bell rang
The worst moment in yesterday’s televised leader’s debate for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith came well before the hourlong event’s opening bell rang at 6 p.m. Premier Smith during the debate (Photo: Screenshot of broadcasters’ pool video). That was when Alberta Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler issued her report on Ms. Smith’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Two new polls Wednesday say UCP and NDP are close to ‘statistical dead heat,’ province-wide and in Calgary
If the latest Alberta voter intention polls are right – and who would be bold enough to predict that? – Canada’s richest province could soon end up in an excruciating political predicament. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on the campaign trail (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). Well, at least it would be a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Heckling of NDP MLA at St. Albert meeting by UCP candidate’s supporters had a nasty Trumpian tone
St. ALBERT, Alberta – I’ve been to a couple of all-candidate forums in St. Albert over the years that got pretty lively, and one in 2015 that was downright rowdy, but the nasty tone of last night’s candidate forum at the St. Albert Inn was something new. Angela Wood, the
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