That all too many of our politicians all too often behave boorishly in our legislatures is an unfortunate fact of life and politics. A recent incident in the House of Commons focused international attention on the antics of its members. Not to be out…
Continue readingTag: Wildrose Party
Alberta Politics: UPDATED: Wildrose Party Finance Critic Derek Fildebrandt suspended from Opposition caucus by Brian Jean over Tweet
PHOTO: Wildrose Finance Citic Derek Fildebrandt was suspended by the party caucus last night by Leader Brian Jean. Below: Mr. Jean, Twitterer Dave Beninger and NDP MLA Deb Drever (CBC photo). Wildrose Party Finance Critic Derek Fildebrandt was suspende…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Wildrose Party’s half-hearted apology to Ontario premier doesn’t mean much
PHOTOS: Wildrose Party Finance Critic and chief Legislative greeter Derek Fildebrandt, demonstrating a typical attitude. Below: Shocked and appalled critics Naheed Nenshi, mayor of Calgary, David Swann, Alberta Liberal leader, Greg Clark, Alberta Party…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Watching the Wildrose in the Legislature: Beverly Hillbillies … or Deliverance?
PHOTOS: The Beverly Hillbillies in campaign mode. Actual members of the Alberta Wildrose caucus may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, left, and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, right, answer reporters’ questions …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Brace for it: Alberta is about to endure weeks of vicious climate-change-induced political weather!
PHOTOS: Environment Minister Shannon Phillips at a related announcement last fall. As you can see, some of the same supporters were with her yesterday, as shown below by the Government of Alberta photo taken at the notorious Sky Palace in Edmonton, whi…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Notley NDP make pigs fly again with support for Climate Leadership Plan
When the Alberta government released its Climate Leadership plan in November 2015, I said that Premier Rachel Notley and Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips had made pigs fly by uniting a coalition of industry leaders and environmental l…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Why there is unlikely to be a Conservative Party of Alberta anytime soon
As prospects of a merger of Alberta’s two estranged conservative parties appear more and more unlikely, Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean has suggested that his party may consider rebranding with a name change before the 2019 election. Postmedia…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: NDP moves to rein in Tory patronage and boondoggles at Alberta’s many boards, agencies and commissions
PHOTOS: NDP Finance Minister Joe Ceci on the day he was sworn in. Below: The full list of agencies to be amalgamated or eliminated by the government in the first round of its “ABC” review; NDP Environment Minister Shannon Phillips; and Tory health …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If the Wildrose Party can’t unite the right on its terms, maybe there’s another way to skin that particular conservative cat
PHOTOS: Don’t look for a happy occasion like this any time in the near future of the Alberta Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties (grabbed from FashionEra.com). Below: Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean, Progressive Conservative Party Presiden…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What makes sense for pill presses in Alberta doesn’t make sense for firearms: Discuss
PHOTOS: An illegal pill press, with illegal firearms (Australian Broadcasting Corporation photo). Below: Progressive Conservative MLA Mike Ellis and NDP MLA Deb Drever (Edmonton Journal photo). Hmmmm… Canada’s conservative parties – first among t…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Notley Government navigates a profound crisis with grace and empathy, as even some conservatives begin to recognize
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who has risen to the challenge of a difficult moment in Alberta’s history. Below: Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee and a scene from the Fort McMurray fire catastrophe, which continues to burn. The lat…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: One year ago today the NDP won in Alberta. The next day hell froze over.
The attention of most Albertans this week is rightfully focused on the wildfires that are raging through northern Alberta and the more than 80,000 residents of Fort McMurray who have fled to safer ground in the south. It is a… Continue Reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Fort Mac fire overshadows an earthshaking political anniversary – the NDP’s election one year ago today
One year ago today, Premier Rachel Notley and her New Democratic Party government swept in to power in Alberta. But celebration of Alberta’s unexpected and historically earthshaking Cinco de Mayo moment – and, of course, other emotions too on the p…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Votaries of right-wing unity gather in Red Deer, vote to form yet another conservative party
PHOTOS: Progressive Conservative interim Leader Ric McIver and Wildrose Leader Brian Jean in a rare recent moment of amity at, but of course, the Manning Centre’s Ottawa beanfest for right wingers in February 2016. This snapshot, the only one of its …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Don’t blame loudmouth extremist Craig Chandler for PC Leader Ric McIver’s troubles – they’re all his own
PHOTOS: Tory Dream Team, 2014 edition. From left to right, Jim Prentice, Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk. You’ve got to admit, from the perspective of 2016, Mr. Lukaszuk is lookin’ pretty good, and not just because of the orange tie! Below: Extreme …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where’s the beef? Alberta’s cattle industry is only getting what it ordered from Earls
PHOTOS: Where’s the beef? Not in Alberta, if this province’s beef industry can do anything about it. One thing this story has nothing to do with is small-time ranchers like the guy on the steer or independent restaurants like the one run by the mom…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Preston Manning is now publicly, openly at the centre of Alberta’s latest ‘unite-the-right’ effort
PHOTOS: The Ambassadors reimagined. Actual unite-the-righters appearing with Preston Manning may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Preston Manning, Wildrose Opposition Leader Brian Jean, “united alternative” Ambassador Rick Orman, …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Shakeup? Lobby firms launch new publications to compete in a previously comfortable niche under the dome
PHOTOS: Glimpses of two lobby firms’ new publications about Alberta’s government. Below: Lobbyist, lawyer and former Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw, journalist Samantha Power, lobbyist and former Stelmach political advisor Elan MacDonald, and lobbyist …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If you were secretly relieved by yesterday’s NDP Alberta budget, you weren’t alone …
PHOTOS: Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci addresses the media during a lockup early yesterday afternoon in Edmonton before reading the 2016 Budget Speech to the Legislature. Below: CFIB Alberta spokesperson Richard Truscott, Edmonton-Centre MLA David S…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Acclaimed to party official’s job, social conservative activist Craig Chandler is sure to embarrass Ric McIver and his sad sack PCs
PHOTOS: Craig Chandler – about the closest thing there is to ballot box poison in Alberta. (Photo from Mr. Chandler via the CBC.) Below: Progressive Conservative interim Leader Ric McIver. Craig Chandler – just about the closest thing to ballot box…
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