The news release from the Northwest Territories Government doesn’t even mention Alberta, but just the same it’s a powerful symbol of what’s gone awry in the province to the south under the United Conservative Party Government of Premier Jason Kenney. The release published yesterday in Yellowknife said that the N.W.T.’s
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Alberta Politics: Ominous Omicron variant, prime minister Justin Trudeau, and rival Brian Jean all throw sand in Jason Kenney’s gears
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney hardly seemed to know what to do yesterday. As a result, he did nothing. Mr. Kenney was scheduled to make a big announcement about health care – widely assumed based on hints dropped by the premier himself to be a relaxation of holiday restrictions just in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Kenney Government backs off plan to immediately implement widely condemned K-6 curriculum draft
Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange yesterday executed a reluctant partial climbdown from Alberta’s controversial draft kindergarten-to-Grade-6 curriculum, announcing the Kenney Government will delay implementation of changes to how four subjects are taught in elementary schools. Educators mostly cautiously praised the announcement as a step in the right direction. Alberta Teachers
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Kenney rival Brian Jean wins UCP nomination in Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche; hastily announces vote result himself
With Brian Jean as the United Conservative Party’s candidate in the still unscheduled by-election in Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, there will be no one running who supports Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. In addition to Mr. Jean, who makes no bones about the fact he intends to try to replace Mr.
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 82: Best of Alberta Politics with Adrienne King and Matt Solberg
Adrienne King and Matt Solberg join the Daveberta Podcast for our year-end episode of 2021. We delve into Premier Jason Kenney‘s leadership challenges, the fireworks at the end of Alberta’s longest legislative session on record, and the upcoming Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election. Adrienne King works for the Now Group,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Why the UCP won’t use Bill 81’s nomination-stacking provisions to mess with the NDP
There’s been some online chatter since the passage of Bill 81 about the possibility the United Conservative Party might use the Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2021, to seed the NDP with lunatic candidates who could destroy the Opposition party or secret neoliberals who would switch their allegiance once elected. Since
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Despite a few dissenting voices, unsettling new nomination-stacking law shows Jason Kenney firmly in control of party and caucus
Presumably the risk remains small that deep-pocketed United Conservative Party activists will ever buy party memberships in the names of hundreds of random Albertans, funnel the funds to the party, and use the new “members’” stolen identities to vote for nomination candidates who meet the approval of the party’s leader.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Pay attention to MLA Dan Williams’ attacks on Alberta Health Services – he’s likely saying exactly what Jason Kenney thinks
Peace River MLA Dan Williams’ member’s statement in the Legislature last Thursday attacking Alberta Health Services leadership for trying to require employees to be vaccinated against the disease that has caused the deadliest pandemic in a century will sound to many like a bizarre rant. Mr. Williams got up on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Omicrom variant arrives in Alberta – so naturally Jason Kenney is talking about easing COVID restrictions
The first case of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has arrived in Alberta, Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw confirmed yesterday at one of her routine pandemic update news conferences. There was no sign of Premier Jason Kenney, of course, presumably because there was no way to
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Critic of UCP COVID response has Twitter account suspended after complaining fake account used his name and image
IMPORTANT NOTE: I’m pleased to report Dr. Joe Vipond’s Twitter account was restored to him 21 minutes after this post was published. I’m not taking credit. I rather imagine it was all the tweets Twitter received yesterday and this morning. DJC Calgary Emergency Room physician Joe Vipond, who has been
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Touting it as a winner, UCP picks hydroponic pea shoot producer for optimistic jobs announcement
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Alberta’s United Conservative Government has been reduced to doing what market fundamentalists like Jason Kenney usually vow they’ll never contemplate: picking winners and losers. Or, the way these things often seem to turn out, picking winners and discovering later that they’re actually losers.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Matt Wolf’s job is ending. Accept it!
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s personal online troll is moving on. It can’t be because he was an embarrassment. Matt Wolf’s been an embarrassment as long as he’s worked in Alberta. Matt Wolf’s most famous tweet, published just before the fourth wave of COVID-19 hit Alberta (Photo: Screenshot of Twitter). It
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Good news about COVID vaccine for kids? Never mind that! Jason Kenney has a rant about David Suzuki
Jason Kenney actually had some good news to impart yesterday – that the rollout of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine will commence in Alberta on Friday. Instead, Alberta’s premier spent most of his time at the microphone at an afternoon news conference about the vaccine delivering an unhinged diatribe about environmentalist
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What is it about environmentalist and scholar David Suzuki that makes Alberta Conservatives lose their minds?
What is it about David Suzuki that makes Alberta’s Conservatives lose their minds? On Saturday, the high-profile Vancouver-based scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster spoke at a protest in Victoria where he warned of the possibility of violence if politicians keep failing to act against climate change. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Photo:
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta’s UCP may not be all that united, but Jason Kenney’s position is more secure than it was a week ago
The agenda for the final day of the United Conservative Party annual general meeting yesterday showed “Catholic and Protestant Service” at 9 a.m., followed by election readiness training for the rest of the day. Presumably delegates who took part in the devotions prayed hard for providence to smile on their
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 81: Taking ideas and turning them into action. An interview with City Councillor Michael Janz.
Newly elected Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz joins the Daveberta Podcast to talk about the recent municipal election, his experiences during his first month on City Council, what he hopes to accomplish in the years ahead, and how ordinary Edmontonians can have an impact on decisions at City Hall. We
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Interesting times for Jason Kenney: Premier’s loyalists fail to block motion to defang rebel constituency associations
The motion that would have quickly solved Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s most pressing political problem failed to pass last night at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting near Calgary. The constitutional amendment proposed by the Edmonton-North West UCP constituency association, which is headed by Premier Kenney’s communications manager, would
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Expecting a battle royale over Jason Kenney’s fate at this weekend’s UCP annual general meeting? Don’t bet on it!
Whatever happens to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney in the weeks and months ahead, the smart money’s on him winning every fight at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting that starts tonight near Calgary. So don’t get your hopes up that the AGM will turn into a battle royale that’ll
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Does spat between once-simpatico columnist and Jason Kenney signal the end of the road for Alberta’s premier?
Et tu, Brute? Was political columnist Rick Bell’s news conference question yesterday about allegations of cash being funnelled from political action committees to Jason Kenney’s supporters in advance of this weekend’s United Conservative Party annual general meeting a sign the end is near for Alberta’s increasingly unpopular premier? Alberta Premier
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta signs on to federal child care deal its premier once mocked as ‘9-to-5, urban, government and union-run institutional daycare’
Premier Jason Kenney didn’t look all that cheerful at yesterday’s announcement Alberta had finally signed on to participate in the Trudeau Government’s national $10-a-day-child-care program. While the premier fidgeted in the background, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the other federal Liberal politicians at the morning news conference in Edmonton seemed
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