Calling capital’s bluff in Alberta
The votes had barely been counted in Alberta when stories purporting to herald capital flight, particularly from the oil sands, were already appearing in venues like the Financial Post. As…
Alberta NDP
Working across the aisle
Among the other lessons learned from Alberta’s recent election, let’s point out one more with implications for the federal scene. While the main opposition parties recognized that they were too…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – CBC follows up on the connection between childhood poverty and increased health-care costs later in life. And Sunny Freeman points out how the…
New column day
Here, on how the rise of Rachel Notley’s NDP serves largely to bring Alberta’s political system into step with those of its regional neighbours. For further reading…– Murray Mandryk had…
On first steps
Dru Oja Jay, David Bush and Doug Nesbitt, Graham Steele and Karl Nerenberg have already offered their suggestions on the first steps for Rachel Notley’s Alberta NDP government (and the…
On rebuilding projects
I’ll have plenty more to say about last night’s resounding Alberta NDP election victory in posts to come. But for now, here’s a quick take on what comes next for…
The Day the NDP Painted Alberta Orange
It had to be one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen on TV. So beautiful I almost couldn't believe it.I just sat there stunned.But it was true.…
Prospect of NDP government in Alberta terrifies Harper Conservatives
The prospect of a Rachel Notley-led New Democrat government in Alberta terrifies Premier Jim Prentice, the Harper Conservatives and their Big Oil backers. The post Prospect of NDP government in…
Alberta: New Poll Suggests the NDP is Heading for a Blowout Victory
With just a few hours to go before Albertans go to the polls, in what could be a historic election, the excitement continues to mount.And while some experts are still…
Zombie Confidence Fairy finally rears its head as the 2015 Campaign of Fear gets up steam in Alberta
A group of five prominent Edmonton businessmen with ties to the Prentice Progressive Conservative Party tried to talk some sense into us crazy Albertans yesterday about voting NDP during a…
On relative popularity
Jim Prentice is warning Albertans that they should vote for him lest they be governed by somebody like Tom Mulcair. Jim Prentice’s approval rating in Alberta is 22%. Tom Mulcair’s…
Failures of imagination and arithmetic
Colby Cosh’s latest includes this explanation as to why he wants to write off the party which holds a strong lead in Alberta’s polls: The province-wide NDP numbers, whichever set…
Hegemony or bust
Earlier this week, I mused thusly: And I’m particularly curious as to whether the PCAA will bet heavily on a high-variance strategy, preferring to exhaust every hope of maintaining hegemony…
A vote for the NDP is a vote for change; a vote for the Wildrose Party is a vote for the same old Tory dynasty
PHOTOS: Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley. Below: Premier Jim Prentice, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, neoconservative godfather Preston Manning. With five new polls yesterday showing Alberta’s New Democrats approaching minority government…
If anything, the headlines are getting worse for Jim Prentice and Alberta’s faltering PCs
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Jim Prentice just hasn’t been getting the good headlines a guy in his position would normally be looking for at a time like this. Typical Fort McMurray…
Swing batta swing
Needless to say, the range of potential outcomes in the Alberta election (along with the continued flow of news battering the Prentice PCs as they try to regain some type…
New column day
Here, on how the sudden disappearance of Danielle Smith and her fellow Wildrose Party defectors offers a case in point of the dangers of forgetting that politicians ultimately answer to…
A Beginner’s Guide to Alberta Politics II
Blogging has been sporadic of late, but with Alberta barrelling towards an election, now is likely a good time for another Alberta Politics FAQ. When will the next Alberta election…
A Modest Proposal for Cooperation Among Progressives in Alberta
“I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection” — Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal (1729) Relax. Ms Soapbox’s…
Enough with the fantasy Wildrose was Alberta’s best opposition, already! It’s baloney!
And then there were five: The Wildrose caucus back before it experienced civil war, desertions and mass defections, including that of its leader, the woman in red above. Below: former…