As by-election test nears for UCP Premier Danielle Smith, new poll shows NDP in majority territory
“We are going to beat the NDP in rural Alberta, we are going to beat the NDP in Edmonton, and we are going to beat the NDP in Calgary,” shouts…
Alberta Politics
National convoy inquiry not going as hoped? Preston Manning plans partisan pandemic panel
Now that the national inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act has turned its spotlight on the organizers of last February’s occupation of Ottawa and various border blockades, and…
Manitoba’s Stefanson to Alberta’s Smith: Drop dead!
When Manitoba Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson blew off Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith’s call yesterday to ship Alberta oil through the Hudson Bay port of Churchill, Wild Rose Country’s most…
Danielle Smith vows not to let school districts impose mask mandates to protect students and teachers
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith vowed Saturday to take measures to ensure masking mandates for children in Alberta’s kindergarten-to-Grade-12 classes can no longer be imposed. Justice Grant Dunlop of the Alberta…
Judge says order to dump school masks contravened Public Health Act, a reminder of how bad the Kenney Government was
A Court of King’s Bench judge ruled yesterday that the Kenney Government’s decision to dump the requirement for kids to wear masks in school during the pandemic last February was…
Signals unintelligence: Danielle Smith’s latest fumbles suggest her government struggles with ineptitude
It’s hardly reassuring to learn Alberta’s new Danielle Smith Government is apparently so inept it didn’t know that it needed a minister to oversee the administration of the province’s labour…
St. Albert city administration wants to cut $500,000 from public library – and add $480,000 for 2 new senior administrators
The City of St. Albert’s administration posted a proposed 2023 budget Monday that includes a brutal $500,000 single-year funding cut to the St. Albert Public Library. A typical scene before…
While Alberta premier fulminates against public health enforcement, court upholds fines against pastor and church
While Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fulminates about Alberta Health Services’ enforcement of public health measures during the pandemic, the Alberta Court of King’s Bench has upheld $80,000 in fines against…
Vaccine-skeptical slate sympathetic to Danielle Smith’s public health views captures all 9 contested positions on UCP board
So what happens now that half the 18 elected members of the United Conservative Party board are vaccine-skeptical allies of Premier Danielle Smith? Mount Royal University political science professor Duane…
A tale of two speeches: Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith mark informal start of campaign leading to 2023 election
Members of Alberta’s only two political parties with MLAs in the Legislature met in convention yesterday – the governing United Conservatives in Edmonton and Opposition New Democrats in Calgary –…
Danielle Smith announces absurdly large cabinet that keeps friends close, some enemies closer, and includes few women
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith named her cabinet yesterday. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Jake Wright/Creative Commons). It is absurdly large. Premier Smith named 37 cabinet members – 24 full ministers…
Today’s cabinet choices should cast more light on Premier Danielle Smith’s 2023 election strategy
Danielle Smith announces her Cabinet choices today. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in her broadcasting days (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). So we’re about to see if Alberta’s still-unelected premier meant it…
A big apology by Danielle Smith and a bad poll for the UCP make it look like her government’s already on the ropes
Coming on the heels of two official statements since she was sworn in as Alberta’s premier that attempted to explain or clarify contentious comments, Danielle Smith’s straight-up apology yesterday for…
Former Edmonton PC MLA, set to serve two years of house arrest, once promised to donate entire salary for scholarships
Back in 2008, while running as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the Alberta Legislature, Carl Benito made the spectacular promise to donate his entire MLA salary to create a scholarship…
Support for Freedom Convoy in Alberta was an inch wide and an inch deep, research for inquiry suggests
Now that the public hearings mandated by law after use of the federal Emergencies Act are under way, we are reminded that Canadian support for the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protesters…
Does being premier of Alberta mean never having to say you’re sorry? Let Danielle Smith explain …
Maybe being premier of Alberta means never having to say you’re sorry! The short-lived shot at Ms. Smith from a twitter account formerly controlled by Jason Kenney’s political staff (Image:…
Danielle Smith’s first news conference as premier: Sovereignty, health care changes, succour for the Great Unvaxxed!
Premier Danielle Smith was sworn in yesterday morning and in the afternoon gave her first news conference in Alberta’s top political job, offering so much news it was hard to…
Danielle Smith v. Rachel Notley: One remarkable political comeback sets the stage for another
When Danielle Smith is sworn in today as Alberta’s still-unelected United Conservative Party premier, there can be no doubt she has executed a remarkable comeback. NDP Opposition Leader and former…
Voters in Calgary-Elbow have every right to be furious with their treatment by the United Conservative Party
It didn’t take United Conservative Party Leader and premier designate Danielle Smith long to change her story about why there will be no by-election in the Calgary-Elbow riding, which has…
Four future Danielle Smith scandals
I don’t think anyone will disagree that Premier-for-now Danielle Smith has gotten off to a rocky start. If I may mix my metaphors, you might even say she blew up…