The Wildrose Party, a socially-conservative provincial party hoping to wrestle power away from Alberta’s current conservative government, is defending its election platform against some pretty serious criticism this month. The policy is pretty far to the right of the political spectrum, even by Alberta’s standards. One contentious point
Continue readingTag: Wildrose Party
David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Easter Weekend Campaign Update: Apparently 41 years in power makes you stupid!
Alberta’s listless governing Conservatives are getting creamed in the sign battle by the Wildrose Party, and even by the impoverished NDP. Above and below: NDP signs in Edmonton. Below: Yogi Berra, evidently as puzzled about this as the rest of us. We know that being in power for more than
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Danielle Smith can’t toss the abortion furor under the bus along with Jeffrey Trynchy
The crew of the Wildrose lays smoke to obscure their exact position. Below: Jane Cawthorne (Writers Guild of Alberta photo). Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith can pass off reports of her party’s (half) hidden abortion agenda as scare mongering, and she can try to throw the party official who apparently accidentally
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Ambiguous Wildrose abortion statements emerge as NDP support jumps in Edmonton
Wildrose Apocalypse? Abortion chatter sparks new fears about Wildrose as poll shows NDP mini-surge in Edmonton. Below: NDP Leader Brian Mason. Are residents of the Edmonton region, as disgusted with the antics of the long-ruling Progressive Conservatives as other Albertans, starting to have second thoughts about far-right Wildrose Party’s largely
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Wildrose leader openly lays out plan for privatizing health care
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith in Promises, Promises, the Medical Comedy. The trouble is, it’s not funny. Real Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Ms. Smith as she really, really appears. There’s not much need for scare tactics by supporters of public medicare: Yesterday the Wildrose Party laid
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Albertans deserve a straight answer: Where does Danielle Smith stand on ‘conscience rights’?
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith. (Photo by Dave Cournoyer.) Where does Danielle Smith stand on ‘conscience rights’? With Ms. Smith’s Wildrose Party quite possibly in a position to win a majority government on April 23, Albertans deserve an unequivocal answer to this question. Right now, they’re not getting it. Instead, Ms.
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Conscience Rights in a Free Society
The Wildrose’s stance on conscience rights has quickly become the wedge issue differentiating it from the Progressive Conservatives. “Populist” Danielle Smith’s unwillingness to clarify her personal views on the party’s stance, legitimate fears over wh…
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Conscience Rights in a Free Society
The Wildrose’s stance on conscience rights has quickly become the wedge issue differentiating it from the Progressive Conservatives. “Populist” Danielle Smith’s unwillingness to clarify her personal views on the party’s stance, legitimate fears over which potential Wildrose MLAs will find themselves in cabinet if the party does form government and
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Conscience Rights in a Free Society
The Wildrose’s stance on conscience rights has quickly become the wedge issue differentiating it from the Progressive Conservatives. “Populist” Danielle Smith’s unwillingness to clarify her personal views on the party’s stance, legitimate fears over which potential Wildrose MLAs will find themselves in cabinet if the party does form government and
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Wildrose strategists snarl at media to keep their overextended bubble unpricked
A bubble of Wildrose Party support hovers over Edmonton Journal political columnist Graham Thomson. Actual Alberta political writers may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Mr. Thomson; Dave Cournoyer. Sitting atop an unexpectedly huge bubble of public support with only three weeks to go before Alberta’s provincial election,
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Wildrose offers same old same old as Alison Redford’s fitted up for the Iggy treatment
Former federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff stands in front of the Reform-o-Con propaganda steamroller moments before it lurched forward. Flattened federal politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Dr. Ignatieff; Alison Redford. Does anyone remember Iggy? I couldn’t help but recall former federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Be careful what you wish for: Wildrose may be on cusp of victory in Alberta campaign
Alberta PC campaign tactician Stephen Carter, left, illustrates for Premier Alison Redford and Deputy Premier Doug Horner how he plans to counter recent Wildrose Party gains. Alberta political operatives and their bosses may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: the real Premier Redford, Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith and Wildrose strategist
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta Campaign 2012, Day 1: Fear & Loathing on the Shaganappi Trail
The “chicken ranch” proposed for Calgary back in 2003 by Danielle Smith, now leader of the Wildrose Party, may not have been exactly as illustrated. (You didn’t seriously think I was going to post a picture of a house of ill repute, did you?) Also not exactly as illustrated, below:
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Lesson from Alberta: the need to cultivate the ‘professionally dirty mind,’ uh, clearly illustrated
Um… Nice hubcaps! Below: Proof that it could have been a lot worse! And why is Officer Annette smiling? To do one’s job properly, I have for years told my earnest journalism and public relations students, anyone who works with words and images must cultivate a “professionally dirty mind.”This does
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The need to cultivate the ‘professionally dirty mind,’ uh, clearly illustrated
Um… Nice hubcaps! Below: Proof that it could have been a lot worse! And why is Officer Annette smiling? To do one’s job properly, I have for years told my earnest journalism and public relations students, anyone who works with words and images must cultivate a “professionally dirty mind.”This does
Continue readingBlunt Objects: PCs Still Dominate Alberta – For Now
Continuing with 2011’s incumbent-friendly trend, 2012 seems to be pretty incumbent-friendly as well – so far. Nowhere is this more exemplified than Alberta, which will need to go to the polls before May 31st, where the Progressive Conservative’s still dominate the scene and look set for another majority government, at
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta’s long political sitzkrieg gives way today to Tory blitzkrieg
Alberta Premier Alison Redford, second from left, gets ready to take the “air war” to the Wildrose Party’s Calgary stronghold with strongly negative radio ads. Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: former Premier Ed Stelmach as portrayed in 2008’s Albertans for Change campaign; the premier’s chief of
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Is Alberta’s most entertaining political season in a lifetime drawing to a close? Gosh I hope not!
Get me Wildrose, Rewrite! Your blogger, who many not be exactly as illustrated but used to have a typewriter just like that, pounds out a last plea for a poll showing Alberta Conservative fortunes in decline before heading off to Okinawa. No soap! According to the Edmonton Journal’s political columnist
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Forum poll revealed: With an iPhone and a blog, we can now predict poll results before they’re published!
Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith with the voice of Forum Research Inc. She’s smiling because she likes his answers. Alberta pollsters and politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Dave, about to hang up on another poll. ForumPoll3 by djclimenhaga Forum Research Inc. of Toronto was back in the
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Fraser Institute: 100% political and still a registered charity! Explain, please…
A typical Canadian taxpayer ponders the tax-deductible corporate pork that goes to support the Fraser Institute and its ilk. Below: Fraser Institute critics Donald Gutstein and Graham Steele; the Canada Revenue Agency, where is it? Other than Canadian political parties themselves, the Fraser Institute must be Canada’s most intensely political
Continue reading