Episode 73: Alberta politics is never boring
There is rarely a week in Alberta politics that is boring. On this episode of the Daveberta Podcast we discuss the recent fundraising numbers that show the NDP crushed the…
Alberta NDP
Small donors, potential election volunteers, flock to Alberta NDP as disillusionment with Jason Kenney grows
Alberta’s New Democratic Party raised twice as much as the ruling United Conservative Party in the first quarter of 2021. And we’re not just talking about chicken feed here, people.…
Legislature passes transitory vaccine leave legislation, a worthwhile Canadian Initiative, Alberta style!
Never let it be said the United Conservative Party has done nothing worthwhile during the two years it’s been in power in Alberta. Late yesterday the Alberta Legislature passed a…
Few Albertans are likely to be pleased by the UCP’s ‘jaw-droppingly misguided’ K-6 social studies curriculum
Wherever one may fall on the question of traditional arithmetic versus the kinds of new math that frustrate many parents or the value of phonetics over other ways to learn…
UCP gobsmacked by widely anticipated Supreme Court ruling – Jason Kenney: No Plan, No Way!
According to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, he was so sure his government would win its challenge of the federal government’s carbon-mitigation law that he never gave it a second thought,…
Former PC MLA Mike Allen, a man with a controversial past, to seek mayor’s office in Fort McMurray
Former Progressive Conservative MLA Mike Allen, a man who’s been the subject of some interesting stories in recent Alberta political history, announced Tuesday he plans to run for mayor of…
The short, unhappy reign of Alison Redford nevertheless showed a better Alberta was possible – and still is
Seven years ago today, Alison Redford resigned as premier of Alberta. Her rise and fall were swift. Unexpectedly chosen to replace the departing Progressive Conservative premier, Ed Stelmach, in the…
Facing stark choice on COVID-19 response, Alberta delays third phase of reopening plan and blames Ottawa for all its troubles
Cornered by an upswing in the rate of COVID-19 cases and a frightening rise in cases of the more infectious B117 variant, Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government was forced yesterday…
Another poll shows Alberta’s NDP ahead of the faltering United Conservative Party
A new Viewpoint Alberta poll released yesterday shows the Alberta NDP leading the United Conservative Party strongly and, significantly, suggests the New Democrats are picking up support directly from disillusioned…
Two bad polls in one day for Alberta’s UCP don’t tell us what will happen in 2023, but suggest some interesting possibilities
Two bad new polls in one day for the United Conservative Party do not guarantee NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley will return to power in 2023 or that we will…
UCP explains away Jason Kenney’s lost $1.3-billion KXL gamble by lumping it into ‘historic’ infrastructure budget
If you’ve been wondering how the United Conservative Party Government would explain that $1.3 billion gifted for nothing to TC Energy Corp. as a result of Premier Jason Kenney’s foolish…
Episode 70: Who was the most unpopular Premier in Alberta history?
We dive into our mailbag and answer some great questions sent in by Daveberta Podcast listeners. From the possibility of a United Conservative Party leadership review to Premier Jason Kenney’s…
ASIRT won’t do to investigate Lethbridge Police spying on NDP MLA; a judicial inquiry is required
ASIRT may be an OK place to start the investigation into the concerted effort by the Lethbridge Police Service to spy on Shannon Phillips, a local woman who just happened…
Yes, there’s trouble in Kenneyland – but not yet the kind Alberta’s unlikable Conservative premier can’t survive
It’s obvious there’s trouble in Kenneyland. But is there enough trouble to unseat Alberta’s suddenly unpopular premier? Progressive blogger Dave Cournoyer, on the job (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). There’s certainly…
No fiscal reckoning for health care – just yet, anyway – Alberta premier tells largely news-free news conference
O Budget, where is thy fiscal sting? O Premier, where is thy fiscal victory? From 2016, when he first cast his eyes on Alberta provincial politics, until a few weeks…
Alberta Budget 2021 hot take: Sweeter language, same old ‘fiscal reckoning,’ and no path to balance
When Finance Minister Travis Toews got up on his hind legs in the Alberta Legislature to read his 2021 Budget Speech Thursday afternoon, there wasn’t as much tough talk about…
Unsustainable Alberta: Don’t expect the UCP to pay any attention to the Business Council of Alberta in tomorrow’s budget
It’s Alberta Budget Day tomorrow. Finance Minister Travis Toews will table a budget at an afternoon pop-up meeting of the Legislature. Then United Conservative Party MLAs will run like hell…
Our annual Family Day toast to Don Getty, whose best-known achievement was one for the ages
The winters around here are long. Even with social media Canadians need a February holiday. Come to think of it, given what the Internet has turned into in the few…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Nazeem Muhajarine discusses the importance of a response to the coronavirus which recognizes how a virus can change course and pose new…