AlbertaTory

Raj and Hugh: a perfect pair?

2011-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today's anticipated Sherman Showdown came and went in the Alberta Legislature without a bang. In fact, you'd almost struggle to find even a whimper in the good doctor's "revealing" documentation.

Instead of tabling conclusive proof to back up his allegations about deaths on a surgery waiting list and a massive payout of hush money from Capital Health to doctors so they would keep quiet, Raj Sherman tabled what amounts to about 3o or so pieces of correspondence that any MLA could find in their respective inboxes.

By now, even the most ardent Rajaholics must be starting to question if their golden boy has the goods. I've certainly been challenging that notion on Twitter and had an interesting reply that I think deserves some follow up.

About mid-way through today's Question Period, Edmonton-Gold Bar Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald stood and asked a series of questions about a discrepancy of financial numbers in a government Annual Report on Healthcare (forgive me, I can't remember whether it was AHS or the former Capital Health and Hansard isn't out yet for me to check). The gist of Mr. MacDonald's question was that one number was $69 million higher than the other. I'm willing to bet that there's a pretty benign explanation for this that can easily be sorted out by someone from Alberta Health or the Auditor General's office. But his line of questioning, combined with the string of comments I received on Twitter tonight, suggests that Hugh MacDonald, Raj Sherman and his supporters believe this discrepancy represents the hush money allegedly paid out to doctors mentioned in Dr. Sherman's original statement.

Now Hugh MacDonald, for those who don't know, is one of the more entertaining MLAs during question period. He has been described by fellow blogger Dave Cournoyer as being like a dog that chases cars without actually knowing what he'd do if he managed to catch one. He will regularly ask questions alleging some government cover up or another. He takes some liberties that other opposition MLAs might not take. This is because, when it comes to the kinds of things he alleges, Hughie is almost always wrong.

The most infamous example of why it is perhaps prudent to take the "discoveries" of Hugh MacDonald with a grain of salt is an incident dating back 8 years ago, in the spring of 2003.

One afternoon in April, MacDonald was walking past then-MLA for Edmonton-Glenora Drew Hutton during committee. He happened to notice a leaflet in a pile of papers on the desk in front of Mr. Hutton that was an offensive piece of hate literature that a number of MLAs had received in correspondence.

Now rather than ask if Hutton knew what was in his folder, he had two other Liberal colleagues (Kevin Taft and former MLA Bill Bonner) walk past Mr. Hutton to confirm that to MacDonald had seen what he thought he had seen. They indeed confirmed it and, from then on, he was convinced, because it was in his correspondence folder, that Hutton was responsible for distributing this hate piece to fellow MLAs.

Rather than ask Drew Hutton about this matter, he elected to raise a point of privilege with the Speaker to condemn this hate literature and imply that Hutton was responsible for distributing it. Without first asking Hutton about it. Without telling him he'd bring forward a point of privilege. Without considering that Hutton, whose wife and children are Jewish, probably doesn't have much appetite for hate literature. Without thinking that maybe, just maybe, it was in his correspondence folder because he had received it as correspondence.

The whole thing played out over the course of 3 days. You can sift through the exchange here, here, and here - click on first hit to get to the relevant parts of Hansard. The end result was Hugh MacDonald being forced to apologize to Mr. Hutton and very nearly avoided being hauled in front of the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, the Legislature's disciplinary body. Of course, the matter wasn't resolved until Mr. MacDonald's allegations were reported all over the media and an innocent person's character was impugned all the while. Sound familiar?

Come to think of it, maybe Hugh MacDonald and Raj Sherman are a good team. They both seem to have the same understanding of the consequences of making wild accusations without substantiation. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

But to those of Raj Sherman's supporters who think they've found in Hugh MacDonald their Sherlock Holmes, the man who'll be able to trace the missing money supposedly paid out to doctors as hush money, I have some unfortunate news...

... precedent suggests that this is actually the guy you've got on the case:

Catching up

2011-03-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Friends, I've been a bad and neglectful blogger. Unlike the previous incarnation of this blog, your humble author now has all of those distractions of a real life that seem to get in the way of blogging. Not a good excuse, of course, but its mine and I'm sticking to it.

Nevertheless, I've got some catching up to do. I'm going to do a quick (or quick-ish) hit on a few items from the last few weeks and promise to flesh certain topics out over the coming days. Shouldn't be too hard considering what's coming down the pipe this week. Here goes...

THE BUDGET

Finance Minister/Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove delivered Budget 2011. I'll admit that I'm not thrilled with another deficit. I certainly understand the rationale of building while costs are low and we have money in the bank, and particularly appreciate that the budget continues commitments to my hometown of Fort McMurray and the Oilsands (mentioned repeatedly in the Throne Speech, by the way).

But I worry that we're draining the savings in the Sustainability Fund a bit too fast. I do respect, though, that this is quite clearly Ed Stelmach's last Budget and one that he feels reflects the direction he has tried to offer this province. That said, one of the things I'm going to be looking for from whoever gets my support in the PC Leadership race is a more stringent set of fiscal plans that sets a clearer direction for the provincial treasury. One that allows for more flexibility than "no deficits, ever" but also doesn't consider something like raising royalties (we've seen that movie before).

DRILLING STIMULUS

Speaking of royalties, oil and gas, and the like, the Edmonton Journal recently posted an editorial criticizing the Government of Alberta's new well drilling incentive. The folks over at Alberta Venture (who, incidentally, seem more and more like a magazine catering less to business and more to centrist and left-leaning points of view) chimed in in agreement.

Their beef is essentially that the Government is spending $1.6 billion on a drilling stimulus program for what some are calling a "sunset industry" while we're running a multi-billion dollar deficit. If you look only at those two sets of numbers and, if like most who are crying fowl, you are not a fan of the oil and gas sector to begin with, you may think you've got a great argument on your hands.

Unsurprisingly, the Journal got some blow back to their editorial. Letters from Gary Leach, Executive Director of the Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, and Don Herring, President of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors are pretty indicative of the feelings within the industry.

While there are those who would love to see Alberta shun oil in favour of alternate forms of energy and economic activity (pixie dust, perhaps?), I think most Albertans - especially those in the oil and gas industry - appreciate and understand what this stimulus program does for the province.

Let's look at some of the results that can be attributed to the stimulus program. In 2010, the number of people employed by Alberta's energy sector increased by 17,000. Between March and December of 2010, there were almost double the number of active rigs in Alberta compared to the same time in 2009. Land sales in 2010 jumped to $2.4 BILLION, compared to $732 million in 2009.

The simple fact is that the drilling stimulus program makes Alberta an attractive place to do business. That's especially important since our neighbours to the west and east are no longer run by NDP governments and are actively drumming up business for their respective energy sectors. We need to keep pace - the drilling stimulus program keeps Alberta competitive and, more importantly, provides good, stable jobs for Albertans.

POLITICAL POSITIONING IN FORT MCMURRAY

In an earlier post, I spoke at length about a certain character whose words were pointing towards him seeking a Wildrose nomination in my hometown. More signs of that nomination campaign notwithstanding, I'm told by a Wildrose friend in Fort McMurray to expect the possibility of a Boutilier-Boutilier ticket running for the WAP in the two Fort McMurray seats. One Boutilier will obviously be current MLA Guy Boutilier, but the remains a mystery (at least they wouldn't tell me, anyway). A possibility who I'm told WON'T be the other Boutilier on the ticket is Fort McMurray Oil Barons President Andrew Boutilier, who is preoccupied with a young family.

While a same-name ticket is clever in a basic and juvenile way, I don't think that campaigning on name recognition alone will be sufficient in Fort McMurray this time around. Many voters in the community haven't been in town long and will likely be more concerned with a candidate's platform, community involvement, and ability to be an effective voice for the region in Edmonton rather than what a candidate may have done in a position 20 years ago. Regardless, it will be an interesting pair of races to watch.

RAJ

If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I've started to lose patience with the shenanigans of Dr. Raj Sherman. While I certainly felt for the good doctor when he was expelled from the PC caucus, I also know that there is always more than one side to the story (namely, the juicy "woe is me" version that sells newspapers).

I've watched with increasing confusion as Dr. Sherman as paraded around with any and all comers ranging from the Friends of Medicare to a handful of Wildrose MLAs/candidates selling his story. I thought the bizarre goings on had reached a climax when he announced to a crowd in Southern Alberta that he was going to seek the Leadership of a provincial political party, but hadn't decided which party - and hadn't yet told his family. But the real facepalm to the forehead came when he declared, in the House, that 250 people had died on a waiting list in the mid-2000s because of a shortage of operating spots... and that Capital Health had paid Doctors millions of dollars to keep it quiet... and that Capital Health went so far as to run a second of books to keep the payouts hidden.

Now Dr. Sherman was happy to make these allegations within the protection of the floor of the Legislative Assembly, but was pretty tight-lipped as soon as he stepped outside of the Chamber. This hesitation, combined with the fact that one of the implicated persons, Dr. Trevor Theman of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, has stated that he had NEVER heard of what Dr. Sherman was alleging - not even as a rumour - has me thinking that Dr. Sherman has either been perilously misinformed or that the whole thing is something cooked up to try and make the Goverment look bad.

He promises to table his "evidence" this week, so we'll see if he's got a leg to stand on. But my money is on this whole episode proving to be the turning point in the demise of Dr. Sherman's career in the Alberta Legislature.

PC LEADERSHIP

I've been involved in provincial politics in this province since I bought my first PC membership at the age of 15. For the first time since then, I am facing an election where I don't know who I'm supporting at the start of the race. The onset of the PC Leadership race came as a bit of a surprise to most of us, of course, so its a little more understandable that we all weren't quite as invested as we have been in other races (and certainly compared to general elections).

So here I am, for the first time in nearly 15 years, a free agent. While a number of friends in various camps have been doing their best to sway me towards their candidate, and others are assuming that I'm already with one camp or another, I remain as close to the average undecided voter as I've ever been.

I plan to take advantage of this free agency to weigh some of the issues I consider important against the platforms of the various candidates as they roll out. As an aside, I don't expect full platforms at this stage of the game - especially not while the Leg is still in session. Besides, anyone who thinks a campaign should release its whole platform on day one probably doesn't have a good idea on how to run an election anyway.

Some of the things I want to hear about from the PC Leadership candidates over the next little while will be their commitment to the Fort McMurray region, their ideas on the Highway 2 corridor from both an infrastructure perspective (including High Speed Rail) and as an economic generator, thoughts on creating a better working relationship on the macro level with our counterparts in Ottawa, and renewing the PC Party machinery into a more effective and efficient (and aggressive) political operation.

I'll be sure to touch on these and other points as the race unfolds. And don't worry, you'll know when I've made my decision ;-)

In the meantime, thanks for reading if you've made through all of this! I'll try to be a little more frequent with the blogging in the weeks ahead.

Building Fort McMurray: Divisive politics don't add up

2011-02-16T13:38:00.001-08:00

Those of you who know me know that I wear my hometown of Fort McMurray on my sleeve. Although I now live in Edmonton, I maintain a keen interest in the affairs of Fort McMurray. The success of Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is, I firmly believe, vital to our continued prosperity as a province.

If you follow my non-Albertatory account on Twitter, you'll know that I tweet regularly on McMurray and oilsands issues. And you'll also know that I often find myself getting into lengthy exchanges with now-former Wood Buffalo Regional Councillor John Vyboh.

With the exception of the Montreal Canadiens, John and I don't see eye-to-eye on much of anything. I campaigned for/supported candidates he was running against in the provincial elections of 1997 and 2001 (when he ran for MLA as a Liberal, and lost both times), and the municipal elections of 1998 and 2010 (when he ran for Mayor, and lost both times). Needless to say, we're usually on opposite sides of any debate.

Yesterday, Premier Ed Stelmach and half of the Alberta cabinet were in Fort McMurray to talk to a variety of local stakeholders and the public as part of the ongoing cabinet tour. I firmly believe that Premier Stelmach has, in terms of support for Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region, been the best Premier since Peter Lougheed.

Vyboh was tweeting throughout the day about how he was disappointed and wanted to see more action from the provincial government. This pattern of criticism towards the provincial and municipal governments, incidentally, has become fairly regular since his most recent election defeat.

I challenged his assertion that Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) have been constantly short-changed by the provincial government when compared with the amount of economic output in the region. During my time working in the Alberta Legislature, I was always impressed at the level of interest in Fort McMurray expressed by PC MLAs from across the province. Even though I was but a lowly communications staffer, I was always ready to entertain discussions on McMurray issues with my colleagues and did so regularly. Based on these experiences I absolutely believe that, contrary to spin from some disgruntled individuals, this Premier and his caucus are more committed to Fort McMurray and the region than any government in a generation.

That said, an opinion alone does not a compelling case make. I promised to dig up some numbers to back up my opinion, and was quite interested by what I found.

I should note that there are some difficulties in identifying with pinpoint accuracy the total amount of revenue that a particular region generates. I'm not an accountant, nor do I have gobs of time to unearth every piece of relevant data. So I build my case with the biggest ticket items when it comes to revenues and spending to get a general idea what's really going on with respect to provincial investment in Northeastern Alberta.

Revenues are represented by the amount the Government of Alberta collects in oilsands royalties (not region-specific, but the bulk of oilsands production occurs in the RMWB). Since 2006, provincial coffers have been boosted by oilsands royalties to the tune of $11.462 billion.

Spending includes operating grants to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the two local school boards, Keyano College, and the Northern Lights Regional Health Authority (now part of AHS). I should note that I don't have specific health grants to the Wood Buffalo region for 2009-10 since I couldn't find it on AHS' website, so I've allocated the same amount of funding from the previous year to make a rough calculation. Since 2006-07, operating grants to the 5 largest entities in Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo total close to $1.698 billion.

Spending also includes major capital projects like new schools, health facility upgrades, new bridges, affordable housing units, sewer upgrades, and the ongoing twinning of Highway 63. Those projects total almost $2.422 billion.

Finally, spending includes grants from programs like Community Spirit, MCFP, CFEP, and CIP. That comes to roughly $7.4 million.

All these spending numbers total $4,126,915,000, while the oilsands royalties collected by the province total $11,462,000,000. So roughly 36% of what the province collects in oilsands royalties are returned to the Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo region.

Now some would consider that a short-changing, but I disagree. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, at an estimated 103,000 residents, represents 2.76% of Alberta's population. And yet it receives about 36% of the value of oilsands royalties back from the province.

I know that oilsands royalties aren't the only source of revenue for the Alberta Government, but royalties from all energy sectors together do provide a sizeable chunk of the government dime. The royalties collected from all sectors from 2006-07 to 2009-10 total $41,896,100,000. Divide that by the $4,126,915,000 in previously mentioned spending and you're look at just under 10% of royalty dollars collected across Alberta being directed to a region with less than 3% of the population. I'd say that's a ratio that shows this government has a solid commitment to investing in the Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo region.

There was another set of numbers I stumbled upon that I also thought painted a more accurate picture than Vyboh and other boo-birds are trying to paint. Alberta Finance and Enterprise produces something called the Blue Book. Within it, I was able to find how much the Government of Alberta transferred in grants and operating funds to the major entities I listed above. I searched within this data for the fiscal year 2009-10 to see how much the government transferred in grants and operating funds (not capital projects) to the largest municipalities in the province. I thought this would be useful because it would likely help prove my point that the provincial government is indeed paying special attention to the needs of Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo and funding accordingly.

Here's what the province transferred to the following municipalities in 2009-10:

City of Calgary: $483,301,069

City of Edmonton: $513,718,734

City of Grande Prairie: $30,993,482

City of Lethbridge: $50,533,354

City of Medicine Hat: $38,801,180

City of Red Deer: $51,955,422

Strathcona County: $37,450,977

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: $178,993,103

And here's what that works out to on a per capita basis:

City of Calgary: $451.04

City of Edmonton: $656.56

City of Grande Prairie: $617.07

City of Lethbridge: $583.13

City of Medicine Hat: $635.08

City of Red Deer: $576.74

Strathcona County: $453.89

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: $1,732.18

I don't mean to start a war between municipalities on how much they're getting from the province here - I think we all understand the economic benefit for the entire province that is generated by the Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo region and, I hope, appreciate why the province has been giving it extra financial attention.

Part of the reason behind wanting to dispel the spin that Vyboh and others of his mindset have been presenting is because of what is expected to be his next political move. As I mentioned above, Vyboh has twice been an Alberta Liberal candidate in Fort McMurray and has long been identified as a federal Liberal supporter. During the last municipal election in the RMWB, though, a number of supporters of the local MLA threw their support behind Vyboh's bid for Mayor. Although they were political foes in two elections (three if you count the 1998 municipal race), they came together against a common enemy: RMWB Mayor Melissa Blake.

Mayor Blake, to her credit, doesn't play the politics of division. I have always found her to be proactive and well-respected leader who is able to build positive relationships with stakeholders and other levels of government to deliver results for her region. Voters in RMWB clearly agree, returning her to the Mayor's chair with over 73% of the vote. Vyboh's politics of division were soundly rejected with only 22% support and the concurrent defeat of his ally from the previous Council, Mila Byron.

Vyboh is now turning his attention to provincial politics and is expected to seek the Wildrose Alliance nomination to serve as running mate to local MLA Guy Boutilier in the new Fort McMurray-area constituency. This convenient ideological shift is opportunistic, if not laughable. But I also think it is doomed to fail. RMWB voters have shown that they are more interested in the new generation of leadership growing in their community. One that builds relationships and works collaboratively to further the community's interests rather than personal agendas. And, as illustrated above, those kinds of positive relationships are greatly benefiting the citizens of the RMWB.

I've asserted that, contrary to what Vyboh and his boosters are spinning, that the provincial government CLEARLY sees the need for increased investment in the Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo region. Although no amount of provincial investment and attention will be enough for some who are either trying to win a seat in the Alberta Legislature or hang on to the one they already hold, I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo have done very well by Premier Ed Stelmach and his government. I hope the next Premier will continue to show the same leadership for my beloved hometown.

Do as I say, not as I do

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this blog is mainly to talk about provincial politics in Alberta. But, once in a while, the author has to make an exception.

One of those rare occasions was thrust upon me last night when I caught wind that Linda Duncan, our local opposition MP and the darling of Edmonton's chattering class, might be using her taxpayer-funded office to coordinate NDP activities.

In an e-mail from the U of A Campus NDP (who, as an aside, should probably clean up their distribution list), a lengthy list of local door knocking opportunities are promoted and campus New Democrats are urged to help out.

The contact person for all door knocking in Edmonton-Strathcona is Erica Bullwinkle, a long-time New Democrat who I've heard is also Linda Duncan's campaign manager. That's not the egregious part, of course. The offensive bit is the contact e-mail listed if you want more info or to sign up: DuncaL1@parl.gc.ca

For those of you unfamiliar, parl.gc.ca accounts are the official, taxpayer-funded e-mail accounts that every Member of Parliament has to conduct their constituency work (read: not coordinate party door knocking).

Here's a part of the e-mail in question for context:

________________________________

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 14:56:51 -0700

Subject: U of A Campus NDP Meeting and Volunteer Requests

From: uofandp@gmail.com

To: uofandp@gmail.com

Hello fellow campus New Democrats!

The U of A Campus NDP is planning to re-coordinate our efforts to get

New Democrats seen and heard on campus. If you're interested in being

involved in the club, including planning strategy and bringing in

speakers from the provincial and federal NDP, come to our upcoming

meeting:

Thursday, February 17th at 3 PM

SUB 4-20

Also, it is quite likely we will have a federal election called in the

next month or two. Help your Edmonton NDP candidates get ready! Here

are some ways you can help get rid of Stephen Harper's Conservatives

and put progressive MPs in their places:

Re-elect Linda Duncan in Edmonton-Strathcona

Upcoming door-knocking sessions (open to everyone, regardless of

experience level):

Canvass in Windsor Park, Saturday February 12, 1pm: Please meet at

home of (name and address omitted).

Canvass in Garneau/Strathcona, Sunday February 13, 1pm: Please meet

at the home of (name and address omitted).

Canvass in King Edward Park, Sunday, February 20, 1pm: Please meet at

the home of (name and address omitted).

For more information or to sign up for any of the above sessions,

contact Erica Bullwinkle at DuncaL1@parl.gc.ca.

________________________________

This begs the question: just how much partisan NDP efforts are being coordinated through Ms. Duncan's taxpayer-funded Parliamentary office?

Regardless, this is a shocking misuse of Parliamentary resources. Ms. Duncan and her campaign team should know better than to blatantly operate NDP party activities from what is supposed to be a public, non-partisan office.

I guess they've been so busy accusing Conservative Senators of running campaigns on the public dime, they forgot to enforce their own righteous indignation on themselves. Ooops.

The Long Goodbye

2011-02-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

I said when I started blogging again that I wouldn't merely be a party cheerleader and that I'd sometimes be frank about some of the goings on in the party. Today will be one of those days.

Ed Stelmach's proposal to step down and have a leadership vote in September is a terrible idea. For the party, for the government, and for his reputation.

His reasoning has been well-published in the media. He wants to complete his legislative agenda in the spring session. He wants to give candidates lots of time to sell memberships and raise money. It's the same timeline we used last time.

Respectfully, these are all easily rebutted.

While I wholeheartedly respect his desire to put his final stamp on the government of Alberta, he rang a very clear bell when he stepped up to the microphone cast week and told us he was resigning. And you can't unring the bell. A series of natural events have now been set in motion that will culminate in the election of a new leader. The acceptable timeline for the occurrence of such events depends on the mood of party members and electorate. The more they are looking for change, the faster it must happen. And, in our current circumstances, 8 months is just too long. Period.

Frankly, passing the last of one's legacy bills should not take up 4 months of debate in the Legislature. Pick a handful of key legislative items that you want in place, get them and the budget passed after a month or two, and adjourn. Trying to squeeze every last sitting day out of this administration's tenure looks desperate and does a disservice to the next PC leader who will surely want to move quickly to put their own stamp on government.

This extended timeline also does a disservice to the party. Where the Premier suggests a summer-long campaign to let candidates sell memberships and raise money, I firmly believe that summer would be better spent with a new leader and cabinet team hitting the road and introducing themselves to Albertans and outlining their priorities. And while raising money for leadership candidates is nice, raising money for the party as a whole is far more important. Every dollar raised for a candidate is a dollar that is NOT going to the party to help fight the next election. And we need that money more than any election since 1993. Delaying the race will weaken our financial position as a party, and I don't think that's the legacy one should be aiming to leave.

Many defenders of the September timeline will say that an 8 month timeline is what we operated on in 2006 and it's just fine now. I'm not sure if those folks have taken a peek at the current political volatility in Alberta, but it's worth a ponder. Our opponents have planned an entire campaign against the PC Party based on Ed Stelmach as Leader. That rug has now been yanked out from underneath them and given us a window of strategic advantage. The longer we drag out our leadership race, though, the more opportunity we give our opponents to define our next leader before they can define themselves. If you disagree, I invite you to look up historic examples filed under Dion, Stephane and Ignatieff, Michael.

On top of all of this, I think our Constituency Associations are also going to suffer implications from a delay in electing a new leader on two fronts.

First off, every Constituency Association in the province has to be "re-founded" before the next election. This is because the upcoming electoral boundary changes require new associations in place with all of the logistical hoops that go along with it: distributing funds from existing accounts, transferring memberships, electing new boards, etc. Although this is a process we go through every 8 years in Alberta, it still takes an extraordinary amount of time and effort on the part of both party staff and local volunteers. These are people who will now be otherwise occupied until the conclusion of the leadership race. The longer it goes on, the less time we're giving ourselves to complete this important pre-writ work.

More importantly, we need to nominate candidates in 87 constituencies. This was work that was supposed to be completed by this summer, but will obviously be put on hold as long as the leadership race is going on. Local boards and the party office simply won't have the resources to run candidate nominations while we're in the middle of the race and, before that's even considered, the new associations need to be formed anyway. In days gone by, the PC Party would rarely nominate candidates more than a few months before an election. It wasn't considered necessary. I long disagreed with this practice and was thrilled when the Premier said we wanted candidates in place early so they could start knocking on doors now. The need for this kind of proactive approach to nominations remains, but dragging out the leadership race only delays the nomination process to the point where we may only have a few months before an election to nominate our candidates. This is especially true since many potential candidates wont commit until they know who's the Captain of the ship. Meanwhile, the opposition will have had their candidates at the doors for months. Why would we put our candidates at a disadvantage unnecessarily? There is zero advantage here. None.

The worst part of this, in my opinion, is the damage this risks to Ed Stelmach's reputation. As I pointed out in my first entry last week, I think Ed is one of the most honorable and decent people who will ever serve in the Alberta Legislature. The September timeline he's proposing, though, does him no favours. The goal for any departing leader, regardless of circumstance, should be to leave with their organization in a position of relative strength. I worry that the consequences outlined above will erode much of the goodwill Ed Stelmach has earned and the good work he has done. Instead, people will be focused on a perception that the Premier's inner circle are desperately clinging to their jobs as long as possible. That perception may be untrue, is probably the worst way to leave office, and is not deserved for the Premier and his team. But the longer this race drags on, the more fuel is thrown on that fire. Why subject yourself to that?

So to any PC MLA, Executive, Constituency President, or regular ole member like me who is reading this: please, consider what a September leadership vote could do to our party going forward.

We have the ability to get this done sooner so we can move on with all of the important work that needs to be done before we ask Albertans to renew their trust in us. Talk to the people who can make this happen - implore them to do what's best for our party. Pass the budget, pass the last few legacy bills, adjourn this spring, and call a leadership vote for June.

Let us get on with founding our 87 local PC Associations to build our party at the grassroots level. Let us get on with nominating the best possible team of men and women to fly the PC flag in the next election and in the Legislature. Let us get on with raising the money we need to fight a winning campaign in every corner of the province. Let us look forward to the future, not cling to the past.

Let us get on with choosing Alberta's next Premier.

Is the Alberta Liberal Party worth saving?

2011-02-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

With the resignation of Alberta Liberal Leader Dr. David Swann today, some tough questions are being raised about the viability and the very future of the Official Opposition.

While some in the media (and many in parties who would love to cash in on the demise of the ALP) are preparing the funeral rites for the longest standing party in Alberta politics, I wouldn't be jumping on that bandwagon just yet.

The title of this blog asks the basic question: Is the Alberta Liberal Party worth saving? My answer, which may surprise some, is yes. But hear me out...

There's no question that the last few years haven't been the greatest for Alberta Liberals, but its a far cry from the darkest times the party saw when they were completely shut out of the Legislature. And they do have some things to be happy about, namely the fact that they've finally recovered financially from the Cadillac campaign that Nancy Macbeth ran in 2001.

Naysayers would have you believe that the Liberal brand is pure poison in Alberta and would be a waste to try and revive. But an objective look at some numbers should tell you otherwise.

In order to be successful, political parties need an identifiable voter base, brand recognition/definition, and money. Simple as that.

Liberals in Alberta can consistently count on the support of at least 25% of Alberta voters these days. In the 2008 election they scored 26.37%, 29.4% in 2004, 27.33% in 2001, 32.75% in 1997, and 39.73% in 1993. You have to go back to 1986 to find a time when Liberal support was below that 1/4 mark (just over 12%). Federally, Liberals have done poorly in the last two elections in Alberta (11% in 2008 and 15% in 2006), but before that enjoyed a decent level of support with 22% in 2004, 21% in 2000, 24% in 1997, and 25% in 1993.

My point is that, generally speaking, at least one in every four Albertans is willing to mark their ballot for a Liberal candidate. That's not enough to win an election (unless you're in some kind of Euro pizza parliament), but it is something that an organized party with a good leader can build on.

That ability to build leads into that next requirement from above: brand recognition/definition. This is Canada and, in Canada, the Liberal brand is everywhere. Although they haven't been formally affiliated with Alberta Liberals for some time now, the Liberal Party of Canada has dedicated provincial wings in every province and territory of this country. And Liberals exist as a provincial party in every province and the one territory that doesn't run on consensus government. They are the ONLY brand that is that widespread provincially. Voters know that the Liberal Party is out there and they know, generally speaking, where they sit on the political spectrum (this hovers around the centre depending on province and leader). In a province that has tens of thousands of people arriving from other parts of Canada every year, being a political brand that they knew "back home" can be a very powerful asset.

The third requirement, money, is directly related to the first two items I talked about. If your supporters know who you are and, more importantly, if you know who your supporters are, you can raise money. Raising money is made easier, of course, if you have a strong leader and good team of organizers. And contrary to popular belief, there are some VERY smart organizers in federal Liberal circles in Alberta. They haven't been very active with the provincial party over the last two elections, but that doesn't mean they're lost to the cause. With the right leader and a mandate to thoroughly harvest and develop Liberal supporter lists, they could build viable constituency associations through most of the province and raise a respectable amount of money in the process.

And, with these three things in place, the Alberta Liberals can again become a force in provincial politics. The task is undoubtedly daunting, but not impossible. And considering much of the required party infrastructure (albeit skeletal in nature) exists, it may be an easier task than trying to build an un-established and yet un-defined party to occupy the same place on the political spectrum.

So if I'm a prominent progressive Albertan thinking of running to lead a political party, I have to ask myself where I focus my efforts. I can try to my stamp on something that is still in its infancy and trying to be all things to all people. Or I can bring my vision to an established brand that is well-known with a measurable and dependable level of support, and that has the infrastructure and skilled operatives who can work to broaden that support and raise money from said supporters if I'm the right leader.

Not that I ever expect myself to be in that hypothetical position, but I know where I'd be directing my efforts if I were.

Questions before Answers

2011-01-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

This post isn't going to be a terribly long one... mainly because I still have less to say than I have to think about.

We're 4 days into the unofficial PC leadership race and people seem to be tripping over themselves try to find the "answer" for the PC party. Depending on who you ask, that answer could be Ted Morton, Doug Horner, Alison Redford, Jim Prentice, Jim Dinning, Dave Hancock, and the list goes on.

The answers that folks will come up with over the course of this race will depend a lot on the question they're asking. Who can bring Wildrose Alliance supporters back into the PC fold? Who will appeal to moderate Albertans? Who will best continue the work started by Premier Stelmach? Who will be our best voice on the national and international stage? And the answers to these questions will probably be different depending on who you ask.

Lots of folks have asked me who my "answer" is - but I'm not there yet.

I think Albertans of all stripes understand that we're in a different political climate these days. There are more and more of us talking about the direction our province needs to go and how we should set out to make it happen. Even though a lot of people think that PCs are afraid of these kinds of discussions, I personally find it exciting. Its said that a strong opposition makes for a strong government and, although the opposition is fractured right now, it is definitely more of a force in Alberta politics than we've seen in a long time.

Because of all this, I think PC members (and any Albertan who chooses to join the party to help select the next Premier) shouldn't jump too quickly towards a candidate that they think is the "answer". The next Premier of Alberta shouldn't be chosen as a quick fix to whatever we think the most pressing problem in the party might be. In other words, we shouldn't be rushing to find an answer without first determining the right question. And, at least in my mind, the right question is going to be far more complex than the simple ones I listed above.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a partisan and I want the PC party to pick someone who will have a broad electoral appeal and attract good candidates to match. But we owe it to ourselves and to Albertans to take a long, hard look at where we want this province to be in 5, 20, 100 years and beyond - not just the next election cycle. That kind of in-depth reflection is going to give us the right question to ask when we go to mark our leadership ballot. At this stage of the game, our party still has the best chance of implementing the kinds of policies that will make those dreams a reality. But we need to show Albertans that we've done our homework, chosen an intelligent and charismatic Leader to outline our plan, and offered up a slate of top-notch citizens to be part of the team that makes it happen.

For now, I'm going to take my time to determine what my ballot question is. Until I'm confident in what that question is for me, I won't set out to answer it prematurely. I hope my fellow Tories do the same.

Four Years Later...

2011-01-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Real life has a very funny way of throwing you curveballs when you least expect them. Same goes for politics (which is not to be mistaken for real life since it is often so far removed from it).

I had been agonizing over whether or not to resume blogging. There was so much going on in Alberta's political landscape that I simply couldn't help myself from participating more actively online. I even had an idea for an inaugural post on the topic of political labels and why they aren't as dastardly as some parties (or one, anyway) would have you believe.

And then yesterday happened.

The weeks and months ahead will undoubtedly be full of analysis, speculation, and posturing when it comes to the changing of the guard within the PC Party of Alberta. I hope I can be a helpful contributor to those debates as they move forward. But this is still a bit of a strange period for those of us the PC party as we adjust to the news of Ed Stelmach's departure. For now, I can't help but share some personal reflections on Alberta's 13th Premier.

I had a PC membership card in my wallet before I had a Driver's License and have had the good fortune to get to know most of those who served in the PC caucus since the late 90s. The first two Tory MLAs I met after my own were the late Dave Broda, then MLA for Redwater, and Ed Stelmach, then MLA for Vegreville-Viking and Minister of Infrastructure. I was seated at a table with these two gentlemen and their wives at my very first function as a member of the PC Youth. Although there was a room full of people far more important than I, they made a point of taking the time to chat to this obviously-keen young fellow. It was the kind of first impression that every politician should strive to make.

A few years later, I remember during the election of 2001 a couple of us young PCs used our reading week break to tour across the northern Alberta constituencies and help our MLAs/candidates for a half-day or so on each stop. The final stop of day one was Vegreville where we'd be going door knocking with Ed Stelmach. We were looking forward to it. Two of us, another young PC from Vegreville-Viking, and Ed. The only problem was that the only one of us who had a vehicle with more than two seats was the young local volunteer. So there we were, three linebacker-sized youth and the Infrastructure Minister piled into an early 90s model 2-door Ford Escort. There is nothing policy-wise that stands out in my mind from that night, but I will never forget trying to get out of the back seat of that damned Ford and having to eventually tuck my legs in, roll onto the pavement, stand up, and dust off. Ed has assured me that he won't ever forget that ridiculous sight, either.

Over the years I became more and more involved with the party, I often ran across Ed Stelmach at functions across Alberta. I enjoyed the opportunity to chat with him, partly because the portfolios he held (Infrastructure, Transportation, Intergovernmental Affairs) were areas of policy that I was interested in, and partly because he was just such a good guy to chat with one-on-one.

I still remember attending a meeting of PC Association in Calgary years ago where Ed Stelmach was the guest speaker. I caught up with him in the parking lot after the event and talked about overpasses, freeways, and the need to beef up Highway 63 (old habits die hard) until long after the parking lot had cleared out. Not wanting to monopolize much more of his time, I thanked him for the chat and wished him a safe flight back to Edmonton. He chuckled at me, pointed at his Buick, and said he wasn't flying... the Transportation Minister should drive the highways he's responsible for. It was classic Ed Stelmach.

Fast forward again to a cold night in early December 2006. I was at the hangar in Edmonton where Alberta's new Premier would be announced. Those who read this blog in those days knew I was a staunch Jim Dinning supporter and was happy to be there to help with the final push. I remember watching the results come in, riding-by-riding, and trying to do some guesstimating based on the returns from strongholds for each of the three final contestants. With about a dozen constituencies from across the province in, I knew what was to come. There wouldn't be enough Dinning votes to take it on the first ballot, and there was no way that Dinning would be the second choice of Ted Morton voters. Ed Stelmach was going to be Alberta's next Premier. Casually walking over to the Stelmach side of the room, I found Ed's eldest son Les (who is every bit the gentleman that his father is) and quietly congratulated him on his father's win. It wasn't my guy, but it was a good and decent guy and that was enough for me.

Over the next four years, we all watched as Ed Stelmach tried to put his own stamp on the way government, and the PC Party, were run. The shortcomings of some of those efforts are well-known and will be discussed in the coming months as Alberta searches for a new Premier (and don't worry - I'll be frank enough to talk about them, too). But there were some good things that shouldn't be overlooked.

On the government side, I think the Premier's efforts to help get less-fortunate Albertans into stable, permanent housing will have a long-lasting effect on both our society and our economy. From a party perspective, its encouraging that we're starting to see the development of a more professional and multi-faceted campaign strategy for the party. Hopefully the days of a Kleinfeld-esque campaign about nothing and using only old methods of voter contact, and only sparingly, are over within the PC Party. They must be if we are to continue in the current political climate in Alberta. I hope the next Leader continues to champion both of these important initiatives.

In the meantime, I guess what I've been trying to say as I've been jotting down some of my memories of Ed Stelmach is pretty simple.

For 25 years of public service... for sharing yourself with Albertans when your family would have gladly had you home... for trying, even if not always succeeding, to do the right thing... for taking the time to talk to "the little guy" in thousands of venues across Alberta... for, difficult as it was, falling on your own sword.. and above all, for being yourself...

Thanks, Ed.

The Enlightened Savage: Revealed!

2009-02-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

Ahem...

*clears out cobwebs*

Good afternoon, friends.

It seems as though I've been called out by my friend the Enlightened Savage. Let me provide some context:

As you all know, I've been on a blogging hiatus for a while. Recently, I commented on facebook that I had a blog post brewing in my head. This, it seems, was well-received by some of you out there.

I would have expected ES to be one of those well-wishers, but it seems not. Rather, he's cheekily claiming that my return to the blogosphere would be a foolish mistake.

If ES wants to play hardball, I'll play.

One of the greatest mysteries in the Alberta blogosphere is the identity of the Enlightened Savage. I have heard all kinds of names tossed around by those trying desperately to figure who this disturber of the cyber-peace is. Some have been close, some have been waaaaay off. But no one has ever nailed it on the head.

How do I know this?

Because I am one of the few who DO know the secret identity of the Enlightened Savage. Few, that is, until this post gets published.

ES is ready to call me out from under his veil of anonymity. Let's see if he's still as cocky once everyone knows who he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Enlightened Savage is none other than...

...

Mike Holmgren, former coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Holmgren, as you can see from the photo, has a pretty short fuse and a big mouth... ideal qualities for a political blogger.

Some of you might be wondering why Holmgren would be blogging about politics in Canada, but it makes perfect sense. The Seahawks are, geographically speaking, one of the closest teams to Canada in the NFL and have a big Canadian fan base. Holmgren, never one not to speak his mind, has been eager to tell us canucks how to conduct our affairs.

Moreover, the increase in the popularity and activity over at Enlightened Savage corresponds with the Seahawks absolutely dismal performance this season... apparently the coach spent a little too much time on the MacBook and not enough with the playbook.

So there you have it, folks... the BIGGEST scoop of the Alberta blogosphere this year.

How do you like them apples, ES? Or, should I say, Mike? ;-)

The finale

2008-04-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have often spoken about the remarkable change in attitude and tone coming from this government since Premier Stelmach took over. One of the areas where this change is the most pronounced is Alberta's arts community.

The Edmonton Journal has a good piece today on Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett and the gusto with which he has embraced his new role.

This is something that you just would not have seen under Ralph Klein. To describe his relationship with the arts community as "standoff-ish" would be an understatement.

But things have changed. I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks in Edmonton talking with our new MLAs and just generally observing the mood. There is a profoundly different (and positive) spirit in the corridors of the Legislature these days. It's encouraging. It's exciting!

As an aside, the story in the Journal reminded me of an episode before the election where Alberta's political leaders were asked to name their favourite Alberta artists. The Premier was a bit taken aback by the question and didn't really have a response, but I suspect Minister Blackett will be taking care of that.

For my part, I'd like to offer a shameless plug for 3 of my favourites: Tim Hus, Cam Penner & the Gravel Road, and Scratch Improv.

Finally friends and faithful readers, I must bid you adieu.

As some of you may know and as I have eluded to in my last few posts, I will be moving to Edmonton this evening to start a new and challenging job working for the men and women of the PC caucus in the Alberta Legislature.

I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you all over the past few years. Having an outlet for my take on politics in our province has been a great joy and, during my time in British Columbia, even kept me somewhat sane. Although I look forward to my new position in Edmonton, it means that I will no longer be blogging.

I want to thank each and every one of you who have visited this site over the last few years. I have very much enjoyed being a part of your regular reading and have been continually astounded by the calibre of people who read this blog.

Although I am removing myself from the blogosphere, I will remain a keen consumer of blog news and views and encourage you to do the same. I have often stated that I fell ass backwards into blogging and in no way profess to be an expert. That said, I have learned a lot about technology, the powers of social media, and about Alberta and Albertans in general. The blogosphere is indeed a wonderful thing and we should all embrace it.

Thanks again for reading! Stay in touch!

Alberta Views and the views of this Albertan

2008-04-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

The folks over at Alberta Views magazine have been doing some innovative things to try and engage Albertans in a discussion of the issues (both serious and playful) that we deal with on a regular basis.

Part of these efforts include engaging Alberta's political bloggers to provide some feedback on a couple of stories that are appearing in their upcoming May issue. When they spoke to your humble author, they were hoping to get some reaction from a few different viewpoints in response to one or more of the aforementioned articles.

As an aside, this whole idea highlights one of the positive aspects of the blogosphere. Alberta Views is, admittedly, not known as a conservative-friendly publication. But in the interests of a broad public discussion, they are trying to tap a variety of opinions and share them with their own readership. Kudos are well deserved.

By the time these articles are available for public consumption, I will no longer be in a position that would allow me to offer comment. Graciously, Alberta Views offered to send me an advance copy of a pair of articles they were hoping I'd offer my two cents on. As such, I will actually be offering a reaction BEFORE the articles are published. I know, I know... cart before the horse. After reading them, though, I thought they were definetly worth some reaction and hope that I can encourage you to go out and pick up a copy of the May edition (or just subscribe).

As I said, there are two articles in question. The first is a piece by longtime Alberta political reporter Darcy Henton entitled "The Year Alberta Stayed Home".

The title would suggest that this might to be a piece dedicated to outlining the left's many arguments against Alberta's electoral system. Turns out they only get a brief glance, the article is actually a supurb summary of the provincial election campaign. Liberal optimism... Tory stumbles... Union attack ads... it covers the whole damn thing and does it well.

I'm guessing that the magazine hopes the article will generate some discussion on re-engaging Albertans, though. I offered some thoughts at the tail end of a multi-issue post about a month ago which you can read here.

The second piece, "Urban v. Rural" by novelist Fred Stenson, is an extensive look at the urban-rural divide in Alberta from its earliest days right up to its influence on Premier Stelmach and the current government in Edmonton.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in many different parts of the province (not just Edmonton and Calgary), I was particularily interested in what take the author would have on the issue. I find myself agreeing with him almost entirely, particularly in his optimism for the future of rural Alberta.

One of the issues that the article touches on that I follow with great interest is electoral redistribution. I concur with the assertion that, after the next round of electoral boundaries redistribution, the majority of Alberta's seats in the Legislature will come from our urban centres. While I don't agree that we should greatly enlarge our rural constituencies (they're hard enough to represent as it is), I welcome the addition of seats in the urban centres to bring representation closer to the actual ratio. Calgary and Edmonton are due for more seats, especially since Edmonton actually LOST a seat in the 2004 redistribution.

My hometown of Fort McMurray is also long overdue for a second seat in the Legislature. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will soon become the 3rd largest municipality in the province. All of Alberta's other mid-sized municipalities (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, St. Albert and Sherwood Park/Strathcona County) have two seats. Alberta's economic engine is long overdue for theirs.

I'm grateful that Alberta Views allowed me a sneak peek at these two articles so I could get my thoughts out while still able. Regardless of your thoughts on the issues presented, these two pieces are well-written and worth the read.

Stay tuned Sunday afternoon for the final post on Albertatory (and the explanation why).

Dinner / Plans

2008-04-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of attending last night's Calgary Premier's Dinner at the Telus Convention Centre.

Not long ago, there were many who speculated that the party's ability to fundraise in Calgary had all but dried up. Judging from the record-setting attendance of almost 1800, I'd say that speculation was pretty moot.

To his credit, Rick Bell did an excellent job in summing up the mood in the room last night. Corporate Calgary is getting used to the new group running the show in Edmonton, but they're rolling up their sleeves and are ready to play ball.

One of the items that the Premier touched on in his speech last night was the work that has been done to strengthen the western Canadian economy as a whole. There have been a number of articles recently raising alarm bells that the B.C. and Saskatchewan economies have been stealing some of our economic thunder. I think the alarm bells have more to do with the fact that we're not used to seeing this, rather than it actually being a bad thing.

Roger Gibbins has an excellent piece in today's Calgary Herald (which, sadly, I cannot find online) that outlines the positive effects of strong and vibrant economies across the west. The stronger these economies are, the more we benefit from each others successes as westerners and, more importantly, the better prepared we are to shield ourselves from economic turbulence abroad.

------------------------------

Shifting northward, the newly-elected Capital Region PC MLAs are already starting to earn their keep. Since session started earlier this week, a steady stream of Capital Region MLAs have been rising to seek information about the new Capital Region Integrated Growth Management Plan.

As someone who is about to become an Edmontonian (more on that on Sunday), I am a big proponent of this new plan. As much as I loathe to admit that some things in British Columbia are functional, some of the benefits of regional governance are quite easy to identify if we look at the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

One of the particular benefits is an integrated transit system. A friend of mine who lives in Burnaby joined me in Edmonton a few weeks ago and was shocked to see buses for the respective transit systems of the City of Edmonton, City of St. Albert, and Strathcona County all operating routes in and out of Edmonton. I hadn't really thought about it since I was so used to seeing all 3 transit systems in the Capital Region but, as someone who has often used Translink in the GVRD, I could certainly understand his confusion.

Questions about the possibility of the same for Alberta's Capital Region were raised by new Edmonton-Calder MLA Doug Elniski yesterday. That led me to do some digging and allowed me to find the transit-specific section of the Capital Region plan. I was encouraged to see that integrated transit is an important part of the overall vision for the Capital Region, and look forward to seeing it fleshed out as the plan moves towards implementation.

A word about hope...

2008-04-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is a rare privilege indeed to be able to watch a longtime political colleague make their maiden speech in the Alberta Legislature. I will actually get the opportunity several times this session after a number of people I am pleased to call friends were elected on March 3rd.

First up, though, was Manmeet Bhullar, the new MLA for Calgary Montrose. Based on word count alone, Manmeet has probably done more for his constituents in his opening speech than had been done in the previous 13 years. The content, context, and exceptional passion in his speech, though, is what made it truly memorable.

You can watch his maiden speech thanks to the Legislative Assembly's online video archive here (he speaks from the 2:47:20 mark to the 3:05:08 mark). And while the words alone don't give Manmeet's delivery justice, I am pleased to share them with you below:

Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me congratulate you on once again assuming the position and being elected to the position of Speaker. You, sir, are an ambassador for Alberta values, and I salute you and I thank you.

It is a profound pleasure for me to stand today and second the Speech from the Throne. It is an honour to have been asked by the Premier. It is especially an honour because we are the government that has a vision that will take Alberta to new frontiers. This, sir, is a moment that I will forever cherish.

As the Member for Calgary-Montrose it will be an honour to servethe community in which I was born. I was born in Penbrooke in 1980, and I was born in a family of immigrants, a family of individu-als that came to this country with not more than their dreams. I, like many of my constituents, am the product of the hard work and the determination of so many immigrants. I am the product of people that came to this country, leaving back a very comfortable life for a life of struggle, for a life of hard work, all so their future could have a better life.

My constituency is composed of Penbrooke, as I said, Abbeydale, Applewood, Marlborough Park, and Monterey Park. It is a very diverse area. It is diverse with respect to ethnic and religious backgrounds. It is diverse in socioeconomic conditions. Almost 32 per cent of my constituents are first-generation immigrants. Theseare folks that have come to this country with their dreams, just like my parents came.

Sir, we have come to this country, all of us. Some were born here, some families have been here for many generations, and others have just arrived, but the one common denominator is dreams. Every-body has come here with dreams. It is my hope and my pursuit toensure that new Canadians fulfill their dreams for their families and for future generations to come, but it is also my hope and my pursuit that they engage in Alberta, they engage in Canada, and they take an active leadership position in this country to help shape the future of this province and this country.

Beyond the external diversity of my constituents there are great similarities. There are grandparents, there are parents, there are siblings, there are many children, all of whom want the same things in life. Mr. Speaker, I’m proud to say that the young families in my constituency will be delighted to know that this government is working to create 14,000 new child care spaces in this province. Calgary-Montrose is composed of hard-working people, peoplethat do their part and expect the government to do the same. We have proved that we are sound fiscal managers of this province, and that is why we are able to get rid of health care premiums in a fiscally responsible manner. That is giving back to our constituents. The many mothers and fathers who I spoke with during thecampaign that spoke about and expressed their concerns about safety in Calgary-Montrose, that expressed their concerns about crime andgrowing violence: these folks will be pleased to know that we are working to ensure that we get a hundred new front-line policeofficers this year and 300 over the next three years.

Sir, the single mother from Calgary-Montrose that I met whoworks in a factory and has high hopes for her children to get a university education will take comfort in knowing that this government is committed to ensuring that we have a great post-secondary education system.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, this is very personal for me. That constituent is very similar to my mother. You see, my mother worked in a factory for many, many years. My mother worked in a factory for many years so that I could have opportunities that she never had. She had to leave school at a very young age in India because her mother passed away and she was left to raise her siblings. Upon coming to Canada, she’s worked many jobs, two jobs at a time, whatever it took to ensure that I and my siblings had opportunities they were never given. So this, sir, is so personal for me, and I will do everything I can to encourage young people in my constituency to complete high school and to get a postsecondary education.

Mr. Speaker, as you may know, I’ve devoted much of my time to working with young people. I have found that what young people often need is a mentor, a positive role model, someone that believes in them, because as Marianne Williamson once said, “ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Sir, I had one such mentor, a humanitarian like none other: Bhai Jasbir Singh, a humanitarian in India who started health care initiatives, who started four hospitals where the rich went because it was the best treatment and the poor went because they could pay whatever they could afford. He was a testament to true service. It is easy for us to stand and say that we are public servants, but he received no salary for his public service. He received no benefits for his public service. In my pursuit I hope and I pray that I can just do an ounce of what he was able to do in his life.

Mr. Speaker, I see hope all around us. That hope we need toinstill in our young people is all around us. The volunteers who give so tirelessly give us hope. The police officers and firefighters and EMS personnel that lay their lives on the line every single day give us hope. The teachers who see potential in children that children don’t see in themselves and in some cases potential that parents don’t even see in children: that gives me hope. The nurses who take an extra minute to comfort a patient give me hope. The single mother who doesn’t let the fatigue of a long day of work at home and outside of the home prevent her from reading to her children every night gives me hope.

Sir, the woman I met door-knocking who is raising her grandchildren because, as she put it, her daughter was not ready to grow up – this woman fought for legal custody of her grandchildren so that she could give them some opportunity, give them some hope – she gives me hope. Now, the beautiful part of that is that we chatted for some 15 to 20 minutes at her doorstep, and I said: “ You know, I applaud you. I applaud you for being so strong.” She said to me: “ You know, most days I don’t feel strong. Most days I actually feel quite weak, and some mornings I wake up thinking I don’t know if I can carry on with this.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say, but as I looked in her eyes, I could see the tears.

The answer was that she is stronger than most of us because in spite of fear, she acts. In spite of being terribly afraid, she acted. In spite of being terribly afraid for the future of her children, she acted. I applaud her for her strength and courage to take such a bold step. She is the sort of individual that gives me hope.Yesterday’s Speech from the Throne offers hope for the present, hope for the future, and hope for taking advantage of all that Alberta has to offer. The government is putting forward an ambitious plan that appeals to Albertans’ wants and needs. This is a track that delivers on promises and offers an ever-increasing quality of life.

My constituents are going to be pleased with the new ring road around Calgary because that’s more time they get to spend at home instead of in traffic. By making it a priority to improve the effi-ciency and the effectiveness of health care delivery and providinghospitals to meet the needs of a growing province, we are demon-strating, sir, that the government has the right plan for health care. What gives me great pride to be an Albertan is the fact that one-quarter of new jobs created in this country are because of us. Thatis a profound thing. I am absolutely proud to be an Albertan, to contribute so much to this country. But that, sir, means that we must continue on a path of solid economic management and growth in innovation.

To ensure that we remain prosperous, the government is working on adding value to our exports and broadening our economy. As Canada’s largest producer of wind power and petrochemicals our energy resources afford us much prosperity, but we must strive to be as entrepreneurial as possible and to make the most of our skills and innovation. Just today I learnt of some of the great innovations coming about because of our nanotechnology strategies. We will be a leader in this field by 2020. This is solid vision, this is true leadership shown by the Premier, and, sir, this will make sure we have a place in the international community forever.

There’s one more story that I must share, and it’s of a constituent I met during the campaign. My volunteer knocked on her door and said, you know: I’m here with your candidate. We heard somerustling, and after about a minute the door opened. I was shocked to see a young woman standing before me in tears. I said: “ My apologies. I don’t mean to interrupt you. You seem to be going through something.” She said: “ No, I wanted to open the door for you. I’ve just lost somebody, but I still wanted to meet you.” That moment touched me because it shows us the great position we are in. The people of this province and the people of Calgary- Montrose have entrusted us with such a position. We shall never take this for granted. This shows me the importance of public life, something that we should remember when we take every action, something that we should consider every time we make a decision and have to consider whether it’s a decision for greatness or if it’s just a political move.

I want to inspire young people in my constituency. I want to inspire a generation of young people, and if I can inspire just one of them to get a postsecondary education, I will have done my job. In order to inspire young people, though, we need to ensure that instead of our young people feeling inadequate, we must instill in them the understanding that they have the seeds of greatness implanted in them. Instead of our young people feeling limited because of the financial means of their parents, we must express to them that they have unlimited potential and unlimited opportunity in our great province.

Instead of people seeing divisions and borders between people of different faiths and cultures, we must provide a venue for young people to experience human unity. Instead of our young people being marginalized by the way they dress, the music they listen to, or the one mistake they’ve made, we must accept them, we must love them, and we must give them a chance to change. Instead of teaching our young people to judge others, they must learn to bring out the best in others. Instead of young people feeling that beauty is based on shapes and sizes and that love is conditional, they must see and they must feel that they are beautiful and they are loved. Instead of our young people hearing that one person just can’t do anything or witnessing prejudice and judgment, they must know that the ability to do great things, to uplift humanity, to serve, to prosper, to contribute, to live in harmony with fellow human beings is their potential.

The greatness of humanity, the greatness instilled in every human being, the greatness of serving is to be realized and developed. That is my hope, that is my dream, and that is why I am the MLA for Calgary-Montrose. Thank you, sir.

Throne Speech

2008-04-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune of being in Edmonton yesterday for the Speech from the Throne, delivered by Lt. Gov. Hon. Norman Kwong.

This will surprise absolutely none of you, but I was very impressed with some of the items being addressed by the Government as it moves forward with a fresh mandate.

A few items stood out in my mind.

First, I was pleased to see that the Government of Alberta have taken a solid idea from the Federal Government in identifying the following 5 key priorities:

Ensure Alberta's energy resources are developed in an environmentally sustainable way.
Increase access to quality health care and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care service delivery.
Promote strong and vibrant communities and reduce crime so Albertans feel safe.
Enhance value-added activity, increase innovation, and build a skilled workforce to improve the long-run sustainability of Alberta's economy.
Provide the roads, schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing economy and population.

We're seeing some serious cohesion between the mandate letters issued to the new members of Executive Council and the 5 priorities outlined above. The continued work on these priority areas means Albertans are going to see some pretty significant improvements in their daily quality of life.

One of the other big standouts in the speech was the specific mention of Fort McMurray on two key files: affordable housing and the twinning of Highway 63. The fact that these two items in one specific region were singled out as part of a speech that traditionally deals in more general terms should be encouraging and goes to show that Fort McMurray's voice is still very much being heard in Edmonton.

The third specific that I find to be in particular favour is the commitment to finalize the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement with British Columbia. Breaking down inter-jurisdictional trade barriers has been a driving force behind those who have been involved with PNWER, yours truly included. The fact that the TILMA Implementation Act is the flagship bill of this session shows that the Government of Alberta is ready to take action on broadening and strengthening our already formidable economy.

From the gallery I was pleased to see former Livingstone-Macleod MLA David Coutts present for the introduction of this bill. Dave was one of the founding members of PNWER and should be very proud of the tangible results now stemming from the work he and the other PNWER founders started years ago.

While in the gallery, I also noted that the Alberta Liberal caucus seem to give off the aura of a small platoon of walking wounded. They seem totally demoralized and generally unenthused.

As the House moves from yesterday's speech to today's regular proceedings, it seems that they are indeed a directionless ship. Listening to Kevin Taft's retort to the Speech from the Throne confirms that he (and, presumably, his party) have learned nothing from the election.

His speech is in the same dry, lecturing, professor-know-it-all tone Albertans became accustomed to and subsequently rejected. He's complaining about the same things that managed to get his party slaughtered on March 3rd. And, rather than dealing with important issues, his party is choosing to filibuster and waste the Assembly's time by calling for division on two almost wholly procedural motions, losing by a vote of about 50 to 7 each time.

With respect to the opposition, their two-fold dilemma is becoming very clear: Kevin Taft is a lame duck leader living on borrowed time... and there seems to be no one interested in replacing him.

It's been a while...

2008-04-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts over the course of the last week. To say that it has been busy would be a gross understatement. As is customary after these absences, here comes a long post on anything and everything:

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A BUMPER CROP

I was fortunate enough to be in Edmonton on Wednesday to watch the members of the PC caucus get sworn is as Members of the Legislative Assembly. In his post-ceremonial remarks, Lt. Gov. Norman Kwong referred to the new caucus as a "bumper crop". I couldn't agree more.

I was particularily humbled to see so many first-time MLAs, including a few great friends, get sworn in. The looks on their faces as they took the oath was truly inspiring, I look forward to watching them in action as spring sitting of the Legislature gets under way.

As a brief aside on this item, there was one MLA missing from the swearing-in ceremony. Calgary Lougheed MLA Dave Rodney stayed in Calgary to be with his wife as she prepared to give birth to their first child. A healthy Baby Rodney (I don't yet know his/her name) was born late in the week. Many congratulations from this humble scribe to Dave and Jennifer on their new addition!

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SOMETHING ABOUT WINDMILLS AND TILTING...

Speaking of the upcoming session of the Legislature, Daveberta gives us a heads up that Edmonton Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman will be running against incumbent Speaker Ken Kowalski for the right to play referee under the dome.

I seriously had to check if this was a late April Fools post, or if it was for real. Turns out it's the latter.

Based on the rhetoric coming from the pro-opposition forces, it seems as though Ms. Blakeman is doing this to take a stand for women across Alberta. The dismissal of her chances by those of us over on Team Blue is also being spun as a sign that we don't take women seriously.

Au contraire, mes amis.

The reason that I and so many other conservatives pay little attention to Laurie Blakeman isn't because she's a woman. Its because she's highly melodramatic and generally unpleasant.

On the other hand, the notion of Bridget Pastoor running for Deputy Speaker isn't at all ridiculous. Ms. Pastoor is pretty well-liked by those of us on the other side of the aisle. She works hard, is forthright, and doesn't go around wailing into any available camera.

Honey versus vinegar... makes all the difference in the world when doing the people's business.

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A FALLEN STAR IN OTTAWA

There are few people in the House of Commons who command respect like York Centre Liberal MP and former hockey great Ken Dryden.

Between his years of experience on the ice and in the boardroom, people know that when Ken Dryden says something, its worth listening to.

Or at least it used to be.

You see instead of getting Mr. Dryden to stand up and actually ask questions or make statements about things that actually matter to Canadians, he has become Stephane Dion's point man on the Chuck Cadman non-scandal.

This is perplexing for a couple of reasons. First, there are a plethora of nauseating attack dogs in the Liberal caucus. Mark Holland or Ruby Dhalla would love to have this file, I'm sure. And yet, for some reason, they gave to one of the few people who had any shreds of credibility left in the Liberal caucus.

The other reason that this is perplexing is that the only reason that the Liberals keep hounding on this non-story is to try and make some gains in British Columbia. And yet they get an MP from several thousand kilometers away to try and make their point. To me, this shows just how weak and inept their strategy AND the BC caucus is.

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FINALLY, A WORD ABOUT THE U.S. ECONOMY

I have made little secret that I'm a big fan of Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths. His ability to see the big picture and apply it to circumstances in Alberta is exceptional. Recently, Doug wrote a note on Facebook about the current economic situation in the United States which he has graciously given me permission to share with you:

"I don't have an MBA, but I can't see how the new US policy is going to help turn the tide of their economic slowdown. In fact, I don't think it takes a PhD to see that what they are doing is going to amplify the problem and lead to a recession that will take years to recover from. Here is my reasoning, right or wrong.

Markets go through corrections all the time. Even in Edmonton the last two months have seen a drop in housing prices, but the correction is usually mild and short lived. The key to surviving it is to stay calm and hold. In the US there is a market correction going on that has been amplified by the sub-prime mortgage mistake. People who couldn't afford a house were give mortgage at below prime as an incentive to buy and so it was affordable to them. When they went to renew, between the depreciation in the property (the correction) and the new realistic mortgage rates, they couldn't afford the homes and had to walk away.

So now three things are happening at the same time. The US is lowering interest rates hoping to goose the economy. The US is dumping billions into the sub-prime mortgage crisis to stave of bank bankruptcies and help people refinance (again). The US is dumping billions into the economy to goose it through the downturn too. Three actions that might seem fine, but . . .

The US is not in the same position it was to fix other 'market corrections' because 1) they have a devalued/devaluing dollar that is creating subsector inflation (all goods imported will grow more expensive because you are buying them with American dollars that are worth less and less against other currencies - and the US imports a lot of goods) and 2) the US has a national debt that is growing rapidly and will shortly lead to new admonishments from the World Bank and significant trading nations (and that in turn leads to further depreciation against world currencies.)

So, all of this together means the US is feeding more and more dollars into a weaker and weaker economy that is already experiencing inflation. Those action will only generate more inflation as the currency continues to devalue and inflation grows. That is a potential runaway train. Now, all of this can easily be turned by raising interest rates marginally and slowly to slow spending, slow borrowing, and encourage savings and debt pay down. However, how do you do that when the policy is to keep rates low to turn the tide of the slowdown?

The result will mean out of control inflation and market collapse. The only way it will turn around at that point is for interst rates to rise to 15 - 20% for close to a decade (nothing else will slow inflation quickly or easily at that point) as we did here in Canada two decades ago.

The solution is to suffer small now for sake of the future. Maintain interest rates, or raise them slightly, and use all of that money they are putting towards this crisis and wars to pay down the national debt. This will restore confidence in the economy, raise the bond rating, restore a healthy debt ration from the individual right up to the government, and mean success in the future to deal with social issues. A few may suffer in the meantime by doing this, but all will suffer in the long run if they don't.

I am afraid they aren't ready for that, however. And we are tied so closely to the US, we must be prepared. It will be ugly unless they realize the errs of their way. But hey, I don't have an MBA."

A call for Hillary

2008-04-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't really been commenting on the U.S. Election, but a friend of mine passed along this article and couldn't resist pointing out something from the last paragraph...

"I wouldn’t be getting up at 5 a.m. and going to bed at 2 a.m. if I didn’t believe I would be the better candidate to beat John McCain," Clinton said to a cheering crowd.

My friend rightly asks an important question:

If she's going to bed at 2 a.m. and getting up at 5 a.m., who the hell is answering the phone at 3 a.m.?

TaylorWatch 2008

2008-04-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

At the risk of seeming like I'm beating this story to death, I have to admit that I am truly amazed at how the future of Alberta Liberal Deputy Leader Dave Taylor is on everybody's minds.

The most rampant rumour is that Taylor is getting ready to hang up his spurs as the MLA for Calgary Currie... partly because he's growing tired of elected office, partly to avoid being pressured into taking over the leadership of the Alberta Liberals.

Last night, though, I heard a shocking departure from the aforementioned widespread rumour.

Normally I wouldn't give something like this much creedence, but the person from whom I heard what I am about to share was, aside from Taylor himself, about the most credible source a blogger could ask for.

Apparently, Dave's frustration doesn't stem from being in elected office in general. Rather, it stems from being in the Alberta Liberal Party.

I don't have any details of what specifically irks him about the state of affairs in Alberta's Official Opposition but I'm told that, if the right person were to make the ask, he would consider crossing the floor to join the PC caucus.

I wouldn't have believed it myself if it didn't come from such a reliable and knowledgeable source.

One of the most interesting stories in Alberta politics this season just got a whole lot juicier.

A brief word about hockey

2008-04-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Now I know that there are many Oilers fans out there who are licking their wounds after being bounced from playoff contention by the mighty Calgary Flames. While I was certainly cheering the Oilers comeuppance for having the gall to beat us in our home rink just a few days earlier, I offer some words of comfort for the Oil.

While you may not be making the playoffs, you do have a team of exciting young players who will certainly be fun to watch next season. For all of your short-term worries, you can take solace in the fact that you are not nearly the worst team in the NHL.

No, that title, the awful and shameful distinction of being the absolute worst team in modern hockey history goes wholly and unequivocally to the Toronto Maple Leafs...

... and MacLean's goes a great job explaining why.

And now for some actual gossip

2008-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not have figured it out, yesterday's post about Hugh MacDonald running for Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party was motivated mostly by my desire to catch some of you on April Fools Day.

I say it was only "mostly" motivated because, given an ACTUAL rumour swirling around, we may yet see Hugh MacDonald (or Laurie Blakeman, or any number of the other Liberal MLAs) throw their hat in the ring to lead Alberta's Official Opposition.

This is because the hot word on the street in all kinds of Alberta political circles is that the perceived front-runner for the eventual race, Calgary Currie MLA Dave Taylor, is getting ready to quit.

It seems that when Dave-o signed up as a candidate for the Alberta Liberals in 2004, he figured he was about to embark on a juggernaut that was set to replace the PCs as the governing party in Alberta.

We all know how that story has turned out.

And so, politicos all over the province are hearing that the Member for Calgary Currie is ready to jump off the sinking red ship and swim back to the private sector.

Now I will admit that I'm not totally sure what Dave Taylor will DO in the private sector, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that he'd be happier in just about any position other than Deputy Captain of the Titanic.

Everybody will be on high alert for this development. Potential candidates for the ALP Leadership... potential candidates in the by-election... the Liberal campaign team who will somehow have to try and mount a campaign with almost zero money and no more star MLA... a lot of people will be watching Calgary Currie very closely in the weeks and months ahead, including yours truly.

Stay tuned!

Alberta Liberal Leadership Race set to heat up

2008-03-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

It seems that the Liberal Party of Canada aren't the only ones who are facing internal leadership struggles these days.

Kevin Taft has indicated that he plans to lead his party into the upcoming sitting of the Legislature. Some senior provincial Liberals are pleased with the slow-and-steady approach to picking a replacement and are asking for a lot of lead time as they prepare for their next Leadership Convention. It seems, however, that there are those within the Liberal caucus who are a little more restless.

Rumours are flying that Edmonton Gold Bar MLA Hugh MacDonald has already started laying the groundwork for a leadership bid and is antsy to get the race underway.

Hugh's problem isn't with Taft, though. Rather, he's wanting to cut off perceived front-runner and Calgary Currie MLA Dave Taylor. Dave's aggressive and abraisive style hasn't sat well with many in the Alberta Liberal Party, including the Member for Gold Bar.

MacDonald has apparently been arguing that Taylor's candidacy would be far too divisive amongst the already-decimated ranks of the Alberta Liberals, a message that is meeting with considerable agreement, and will be positioning himself as a unifying candidate.

There is also word that another previously rumoured candidate, Edmonton Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman, will in fact be throwing her support behind Hugh MacDonald. Both elected in 1997, they are the most experienced members of the Alberta Liberal caucus. I'm told that Blakeman's rationale for supporting MacDonald is two-fold. First, she believes that his uncanny ability to uncover government slip-ups is something that the Official Opposition needs more of. Second, she contends that even though there are more Liberal MLAs from Calgary than Edmonton, the heart of liberalism in Alberta is still in Edmonton and an Edmonton voice must remain as Leader, lest they lose their remaining seats in the Capital.

A man with a blue collar background, MacDonald will likely be looking for support from the Alberta Liberal Party's new friends in Alberta's organized labour movements who should be far more effective at identifying and motivating supporters than Dave Taylor's scattered support base.

I know I've been less than kind to Hugh MacDonald in the past, but I will admit that I'm pleased to hear that he's going to try and give Dave Taylor a run for his money. If nothing else, MacDonald has certainly proven over 4 terms that he has staying power and a much more institutional connection to his party than his opponent and that could serve him well in a showdown with a relative newcomer.

I'm looking forward to watching this saga unfold and to getting answers to the many questions it raises. How much caucus/executive support will MacDonald receive? Will Dave Taylor respond by stepping up his own campaign? What becomes of Kevin Taft during all of this?

We'll all want to stay tuned!

For those who think a conservative can't care about the environment...

2008-03-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

... please read this story.

Now that we have our mandate...

2008-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

... its time for the mandate letters.

Before I get into some of the specific directions that the Premier has given his cabinet, I wanted to share a thought that came to me after having lunch with a good friend of mine yesterday.

This friend is certainly politically aware, not terribly partisan but certainly not a PC supporter.

I didn't ask her how she voted this last election and I still don't think it was for us, but she's symbolic of a number of Albertans whose hostility towards a PC government simply isn't there anymore. She's a teacher and was thoroughly impressed with how the issues surrounding the pension liability were handled. She and I both agreed that there is still much work to be done, but there have been very promising steps taken. As someone who would have gladly led a protest against anything Ralph Klein did, she generally notices a remarkably different tone from this government.

Things like the mandate letters are a prime example of this. They are also a pretty good indicator of some of the major initiatives coming down the pipe over the next year or two.

Some of the items that stood out in my mind them include:

from Advanced Education and Technology
-reduce the interest rate on student loans from prime plus 2.5 percentage points to prime.
-increase the number of physician graduates from 227 to 295 by 2012;
-increase the number of registered nurse graduates from 1,375 to 2,000 by 2012; and
-increase the number of licensed practical nurse graduates from 559 to 1000 by 2012.

I suspect that the most ardent of Student Unionists will claim that the reduction in the interest on student loans is insufficient. These are the same people who don't truly understand the cost of their education and won't be satisfied until our post-secondary education system is completely free. For many students, however, this reduction in the interest rate will come as welcome news.

The reduction in the goal for physician graduates is a pretty clear admission that our targets during the campaign aren't achieveable in the near-term. Still, a sizeable increase shows that we're willing to make a serious effort. The numbers for RNs and LPNs is very encouraging given the important work they do on the front lines of our health system.

from Children and Youth Services
-support the creation of 14,000 new child care spaces by 2011, including in-school and out-of-school care, family day homes and day cares; and
-provide low and middle income families with a subsidy to cover the costs for out-of-school child care.

This is a big commitment and will build on the work Janis Tarchuk had already started with the provincial boost in the wages of Alberta's child care workers. Given the wording of this action item, I suspect that the end result will be somewhere between the left wing's universal day care proposals and the federal government's choice in child care plan.

from Environment
-inform Albertans on our environmental stewardship to ensure a clear provincial, national and international understanding of Alberta’s leadership, commitment and action on the environment.

This is going to be a VERY important job. With the increasingly alarmist rhetoric coming from opponents of the oilsands and Alberta in general, it will be critical for us as a province to get out there and tell our story in as aggressive a manner as the anti-development filmmakers have been.

from Finance and Enterprise
-introduce a 10-per-cent tax credit to stimulate private sector scientific research and experimental development in Alberta.

This item really ties in with some of the initiatives that the Departments of Environment, Energy and Advanced Education and Technology will be pushing over the next number of years. Incentives are always more stimulative than penalties and this tax credit should move to encourage companies to increase their R&D budgets with the end goals of reducing environmental footprints and increasing productivity and profitability.

from Health and Wellness
-improve the health care delivery model to ensure the roles, responsibilities and structures in the system support the most efficient delivery of services.

There are already groups who are claiming that the verbage of "improving efficiency" is code word for privatization. This is typical and, frankly, contributes nothing to a productive debate on the future of healthcare.

I don't believe that the American system is the way to go. I'm fairly certain that no one in the government caucus, particularily Health Minister Ron Liepert, believes it either.

The driving belief behind this call to dramatically improve efficiency is that the health budget has become a black hole for taxpayer dollars. Budgets have doubled in the last 10 years and we have seen no improvements in the level of care.

Those who manage our respective health regions, particularily those who get paid excessively for doing it, are simply not delivering results. Their free ride should be coming to a swift end as we move to get real value for the dollars that go in to our healthcare system.

from Housing and Urban Affairs
-make additional public land available for affordable housing purposes.

This little item may not create many waves in most of Alberta, but I can tell you it is issue #1 when it comes to affordable housing in Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region.

While the shortage of skilled tradespeople to build housing is certainly a critical issue, the root cause of the problem can be traced to a lack of land on which to build said housing. Even though Fort McMurray is surrounded by unused land, it is almost exclusively crown land controlled by the province.

An action item calling on the Minister to release more land for housing development is hugely important in the fight to bring housing costs under control in my hometown and, if acted upon swiftly and decisively, will be very well-received by the residents of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo.

from Transportation
-double the provincial investment in highway repaving and bridge repair over the next three years.

This is a big ticket item, and an important one to boot. While our highway system is certainly extensive, a number of routes need upgrading. I will in interested to see which specific highways are on the priority list for repaving.

I will admit I was surprised not to see any specific action items regarding the timetable for Highway 63 listed in the mandate letter. No doubt it is an area of this department that will be closely watched by many.

from Treasury Board
-implement the 20-year Capital Plan.
-create a strategic plan for developing the oil sands region.

These two simple sentences will pretty well ensure that Lloyd Snelgrove will be one of the busiest people in the Alberta Legislature.

The 20-year Capital Plan is already a public document that contains a number of visionary and long-term projects, but implementing it will be a huge undertaking that will require the involvement of every single department.

The idea of a strategic plan for developing the oil sands region is long overdue. Still, the Minister has a number of intelligent people he can lean on for direction as he moves forward on this item. What should be encouraging to all Albertans is that we are likely to see a much broader consultation than perhaps would have been undertaken by the previous regime. I look forward to hearing from those who will no doubt have the opportunity to provide much input on this action item, namely Wood Buffalo Mayor Melissa Blake and Heather Kennedy from the Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat.

Some of the mandate letters are shorter on details than others, but I don't think that means that there won't be anything for those Ministers to do. Heather Klimchuk and Lindsay Blackett, for example, won't have a shortage of action items over the next little while. For Minister Klimchuk, she'll need to see through the final stages and release of the license plate consultation (something near and dear to this plate geek's heart). Minister Blackett, meanwhile, has to essentially re-create a deparment that hasn't existed since the 1980s and bring it into 21st century Alberta.

I'm anxious to see what specific legislation the spring sitting of the Alberta Legislature will bring and what dynamic we'll see unfolding on both the government and opposition benches. Each group seems to have their own unique strengths as we head back into session. After today, though, we certainly seem to have a pretty clear direction.

Wednesday Round-up

2008-03-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

A number of things are on my mind these days...

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Monday's byelections can hardly be considered a victory for the Liberals. By my admittedly simple math, turning 4 Liberal seats into 3 is not exactly a crushing show of momentum. The near loss of Vancouver Quadra should also be setting off some pretty serious alarm bells within the Liberal Party of Canada.

No matter how they spin it, Liberal popularity is going down and Conservative popularity is going up. Indeed, the only convincing Liberal victories were for two people who ran AGAINST Stephane Dion in the leadership race.

Martha Hall Findlay says that the Liberal Party is united. I suspect any semblance of unity in that party is coalescing around the notion that Dion is the weakest leader their party has ever seen.

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Staying federal for a moment, I'm glad to see Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has been taking Dalton McGuinty to task for taking little action to help Ontario's flailing economy.

While the feds have offered broad-based tax relief, McGuinty seems content to offer platitudes and excuses as to why his government is unable to kick-start their economy before its too late.

This is something we here in Alberta should be watching very closely. Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans has already indicated that the potential for Ontario to become a have-not province is very much on her radar screen.

Some of the more forward-looking politicians in Ontario, including Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis, have already started to openly muse about out-of-province employment alternatives for their constituents. Francis is floating the idea of making Windsor a hub for long-distance commuting to Alberta, something that already happens from a number of cities in Canada. While some may view this as a drastic suggestion, I think he sums it up best when he states "Is it difficult to work in another city, leaving your family during the week? It is. But it is equally difficult being out of work."

Dalton McGuinty has now coasted to victory TWICE thanks to a disorganized Ontario PC Party rather than his own luminary ideas.

As a Canadian whose taxes pay much more IN to equalization than he gets OUT of it, I sure hope someone in Ontario comes up with a way to revitalize their economy and soon. It may be heading down the drain, but some of us out west are getting awfully tired of being the plumbers of Confederation.

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On the topic of people in the ivory towers on Front Street, I made the mistake of watching the CBC's latest "documentary" on Northern Alberta's oilsands entitled "Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta".

I use the quotation marks because this piece of left-wing propaganda was about as lopsided as an elephant on a see-saw (a reference they actually use in reference to Alberta). Michael Moore might as well have put it together.

That they overtly use the term "Tar Sands" should have been my first clue.

Reportage about my hometown and the industry in which I grew up always interests me, even though it is usually heavily torqued and largely devoid of facts. This one, though, really took the cake.

While highlighting the biggest sticking points with the opponents of oilsands development, complete with omnious music and a graphic that looks almost identical to something I've seen in a Greenpeace propaganda campaign, this "documentary" does NOTHING to highlight the benefits of the Alberta oilsands.

They choose to speak of the difficulties of families who are separated when a spouse is working in the Wood Buffalo region during the week, yet ignore the fact that the generous income made allows them to afford the $60,000 vehicles and large home they enjoy.

They protray Fort McMurray as a bastion of filth, drugs, crime, and general unruliness. Nevermind that there are tens of thousands of people who are proud to call Fort McMurray their home and who aren't looking at leaving any time soon. No need to tell people about the vibrant community, home to some of Canada's most generous people when it comes to per-capita contributions to charity.

They look longingly at Norway's Statoil, a state-owned company in a heavily-taxed socialist nation that relies on income from offshore oil drilling. They speak glowingly about their small environmental footprint, forgetting entirely that offshore drilling and oilsands operations are two completely different industries.

They also note that Statoil is looking to invest in the oilsands without using an open pit mine, but conveniently omit the fact that this technology (SAGD) has been undergoing development IN ALBERTA for many years.

Their one-sided interviewees highlight that Alberta gets less in royalties than some other major oil producers. The host herself says that, rather than a drastic overhaul of royalties, the Alberta government has been content to simply "tweak" the royalty scheme. Given that Alberta's two major opposition parties (who were proponents of the aforementioned drastic overhaul) were obliterated in the provincial election, it would seem that Albertans do not share the views of the CBC or their "experts".

They claim that Alberta's oil goes exclusively to the United States, leaving Eastern Canadians to clamour for unstable middle eastern oil. This is an outright falsehood. A 5th grader doing research into oil pipelines from Alberta would quite readily discover that one of the major southern terminals for Alberta crude oil is in SARNIA, ONTARIO.

This entire "documentary" serves as an excellent example of why everyone should take anything aired on our national broadcaster with a heavy grain of salt. The fact that the CBC deliberately commissioned this feature is also a pretty good indicator that the Liberal elite in Central Canada have an agenda to shutdown the oilsands through a campaign of fear and misinformation about its effects, both environmental and economic.

The people I feel sorry for are those who watch these seriously torqued "documentaries" and make no effort to fact check or get the other side of the story. That, in my opinion, is the greatest danger here.

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Finally, Graham Thomson had another piece in the Edmonton Journal a few days ago about the abysmal turnout in the provincial election earlier this month.

He kicks around the usual ideas of electoral reform that are being bandied about, namely a Citizens Assembly like the one that recommended STV in British Columbia. This and similar ideas seem to be pretty standard post-election reactions in Alberta these days.

I think, though, that the poor participation in the last election can't really be attributed to people's dislike of our current electoral system. A very small minority of vocal citizens may feel this way, but they can hardly account for the 41% (or less) turnout.

The main reason that people chose not to participate, in my opinion, was the inability of ANY of the political parties to engage Albertans with ideas. Finding a remedy for this doesn't fall to any assembly on electoral reform, but rather to politicians and those of us who are active in Alberta's political parties.

For those in the Liberals, the NDP, and the Wildrose Alliance, that process has been kickstarted as they examine their dismal results in this last election.

For those of us in the PC Party, however, it may prove to be more difficult. The fact that we won such a huge number of seats risks overshadowing the fact that we have much work to do if we want to be the party that re-captures the attention of Albertans, lest another party gets there first. I look forward to highlighting some ideas being thrown out there between now and the next PC AGM this fall... an AGM at which PC members should be prepared to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

For my own part, I think our party needs to adopt a policy in favour of fixed election dates. They're already in place in BC, Ontario, and at the Federal level and make good common sense. In Alberta, we've usually got a pretty good idea when elections are coming anyway so its not like the idea of a fixed election date gives away much of an advantage. What it does do, though, is allow for Elections Alberta to be better prepared.

This brings me to what I think is the second biggest reason that so many Albertans didn't participate.

From the standpoint of Elections Alberta, this election was a complete disaster.

The lists of electors was so out of date that a campaign would almost have better luck identifying voters through the phone book.

Polling locations were so badly organized that some people had to drive half way across their urban riding rather than vote at a school across the street.

The website tool that allowed you to search for your polling location was so unprepared for the number of hits it received that it crashed several times on Election Day.

The list just goes on and on. Now, to be fair, a fixed election date won't solve all these problems, but they will at least allow a proper organization enough lead time to get things in place.

I say a proper organization because, after March 3rd, I'm not sure the crew at Elections Alberta can be called such.

Graham Thomson interviewed Lorne Gibson, Alberta's Chief Electoral Officer, for the aforementioned column. In it he harps on about his desire to have the Chief Electoral Officer directly recruit and appoint the Returning Officers for each constituency.

Now I defended those with PC affiliations who filled the positions as has been the standard, particularily those who took on these vital posts at the last-minute only to have their characters dragged through the mud. That being said, I think that we should adopt a policy that the Chief Electoral Officer recruit and appoint the Returning Officers. After all, we've got time.

But I don't think that Chief Electoral Officer should be Lorne Gibson.

The issues surrounding Returning Officers notwithstanding, Mr. Gibson must have had a pretty good idea that this election was coming down the pipe. Its not like it was the best kept secret in Alberta.

And yet when it came to ensuring the most basic functions of the electoral process were in place... lists of electors, sensible polling locations, access to voting information on Election Day... Elections Alberta failed miserably and the responsibility for that has to rest upon the shoulders of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Moving forward, I think that the Goverment should adopt a policy of fixed election dates. I also think that they should accept the recommendation that gives the Chief Electoral Officer the exclusive role of recruiting and appointing Returning Officers.

Then they should fire Lorne Gibson.

Meeting the new Ministers: Mary Anne Jablonski

2008-03-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, some of my fellow bloggers and I have taken it upon ourselves to provide some background on the 5 new members of Executive Council sworn in yesterday. We got together to decide who would profile whom and the results are starting to roll out.

Phendrana Drifts has done a masterful job profiling Justice Minister and Attorney General Alison Redford and Infrastructure Minister Jack Hayden. Ken Chapman will soon be telling us about Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk, and look to the Enlightened Savage for a profile of Lindsay Blackett, Alberta's new boss of Culture and Community Spirit.

For my part, I get to tell you a bit about someone I greatly admire, Mary Anne Jablonski.

THE HONOURABLE MARY ANNE JABLONSKI

Minister of Seniors and Community Supports

Mary Anne Jablonski can be described as a pretty typical Albertan. Originally from St. Catharines, Ontario, Mary Anne moved west with her husband Bob and their family in 1980. Bob was with the Canadian Armed Forces and was transferred to the base at Penhold, just outside of Red Deer.

Her work as an advocate began long before she was ever elected to office. Her most notable foray into advocacy in earlier days was her work to lobby the Federal Government for a dental plan for the families of Military and RCMP personnel. It was, not surprisingly, successful.

After their time with the military, the Jablonskis settled in Red Deer and began a fiberglass manufacturing company. As in life, Bob and Mary Anne were also very successful partners in their business. Between the business, their three children, and various other projects with Girl Guides, the Catholic Womens League, and the Chamber of Commerce, Mary Anne kept herself pretty busy... good preparations for an aspiring MLA.

I first met Mary Anne during her first run for office in September of 2000. Stockwell Day had just resigned his seat in the Legislature to take over the leadership of the Canadian Alliance. Mary Anne was the nominated PC candidate in Red Deer North and boy did she have her work cut out for her. Stock hadn't exactly left the legislature on the greatest of terms (think $800,000 lawsuit) and the residents of Red Deer North were certainly well aware of it.

Still, she kept her head up and focused on her positive vision of being a hard-working MLA for her constituents. The work paid off and she won a very close by-election by just under 400 votes. This was to be good training grounds because, less than 6 months later, Mary Anne was thrust back into the electoral fray in the 2001 General Election.

Since the by-election, Mary Anne's constituents have sent her back to the legislature with solid majorities. In 2001, she carried the day with over 5000 votes to her nearest opponent's 3100. During the Kleinfeld campaign of 2004, her lead shrunk but still delivered a comfortable 1100 vote margin against the same Liberal she fought in 2000 and 2001. Last week, Mary Anne was again sent to Edmonton on behalf of the people of Red Deer North with a margin of victory approaching 3000 votes. Clearly, her constituents like her.

And they like her with good reason.

Mary Anne has a number of accomplishments to her credit. She is one of the very few MLAs to ever have a Private Member's Bill passed unanimously, the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act. This act allows parents to go before a judge to ask for an order to place their child in a safe house or detoxification facility. It also allows the possibility of an aprehension order to remove the child from a drug house or other unstable environment.

She has also been a solid advocate for issues closer to home in Red Deer. Mary Anne has successfully lobbied for over 400 affordable housing spaces in Red Deer, was an early proponent of regional water and waste water systems, and has been a staunch defender of full consultation before major decisions regarding the Red Deer River have been made.

Over the past 7 years, Mary Anne has been entrusted with a number of leadership positions in the House. These include Chairing or Co-Chairing the Cabinet Committee on Community Services, the Alberta Mental Health Board Liason and Advisory Committee, the Corrections Review Committee, the Youth Secretariat, and the Committee on Strengthening Alberta's Role in Confederation.

Her background as a legislator was clearly a driving factor when Premier Stelmach decided to ask her to serve as Alberta's new Minister of Seniors and Community Supports.

As Minister, Mary Anne will be responsible for a Department that needs proactive thinking. With Alberta's seniors population expected to double in just 12 short years, getting the right programs in place will be key in meeting this crunch head-on.

In an interview with the Red Deer Advocate shortly after her promotion to Cabinet, Mary Anne outlined a number of issues that she wants to address early in her tenure as Minister. Of note, she commits to helping seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible through a number of potential initiatives, including increased support for home care, meals on wheels, and seniors-helping-seniors. Recruitment and retention of front-line workers for those who are institutionalized is also high on the agenda.

Seniors and Community Supports is a department that hasn't had much in the way of profile, but is very important as Alberta moves into its second century. I suspect that those who work in the Department are pleased to see someone who, by all accounts, will take her role very seriously and will be a very active Minister.

Cabinet Reaction

2008-03-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today's announcement by Premier Stelmach was impressive... impressive in the sense that only one Minister doesn't return to Cabinet (more on that below), yet the overall impression is that this is a very new and dynamic team. Some of that can be credited to the re-assignment of current Ministers, some can be credited to the rookies he chose to promote.

Without further delay, my reactions:

THE MINISTERS...

Hon. Ron Stevens (Calgary Glenmore)
Deputy Premier
Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations

I don't think anyone expected Ron to lose his title as Deputy Premier. In the shuffle he holds it and takes on the Department of International and Intergovernmental Relations. Some might think this is a demotion but, as Ken Chapman pointed out, this Ministry is going to have a very high profile in the next few years. It has also been rumoured that Stevens specifically requested this Ministry. I think it'll be a good fit... Ron has the diplomatic skills required to do this job effectively and, as Deputy Premier, can speak with authority when dealing with other governments.

Hon. Lloyd Snelgrove (Vermilion-Lloydminster)
President of the Treasury Board

I think a lot of people, yours truly included, are happy that Lloyd stays where he is. Treasury Board is a very important portfolio and Lloyd's business background is a huge asset when considering how our tax dollars are spent. Now that Service Alberta has been carved off into its own Ministry, Lloyd will really have the freedom to be creative with how the Treasury is managed.

Hon. Doug Horner (Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert)
Minister of Advanced Education and Technology

Another solid Minister who deserved to stay put. Doug Horner is one of the brightest minds in caucus and has won a lot of fans as Advanced Education Minister. There was no reason to move him, and the Premier apparently agrees.

Hon. Dave Hancock (Edmonton Whitemud)
Minister of Education

I thought Dave would be staying in Health. He was doing a good job and is an excellent spokesperson for high profile Ministries. Those who have sour grapes over his move, though, shouldn't. The Health Department will be presenting its own challenges that i'll describe in my reaction to its new Minister. Hancock's move over to Education is NOT A DEMOTION, though. Education is an important and high profile Ministry along the lines of Health, Advanced Ed, Finance, and the like. Dave's talents will be well used as Education Minister and, moreover, I'm willing to bet there are some pretty happy bureaucrats in Education today.

Hon. Mel Knight (Grande Prairie-Smoky)
Minister of Energy

The touted splitting of the Energy Department didn't happen and Mel remains in charge. Contrary to opposition rantings (we all know how much stock Albertans put in those), Mel has been a competant Minister who understands the portfolio. Stability as the Royalty Review process comes to an end is also important, which I think was a big factor in keeping Mel in this portfolio.

Hon. Iris Evans (Sherwood Park)
Minister of Finance and Enterprise

There were some who thought we'd see the end of Iris. They, clearly, were crazy. She has great loyalty to the Premier as one of his original backers and, as a strong voice in the Capital Region, was sure to remain. It will be interesting to see what specific responsibilities she will hold as Finance Minister, particularily now that Lloyd Snelgrove is free to focus solely on Treasury Board issues.

Hon. Ron Liepert (Calgary West)
Minister of Health and Wellness

People who thought Liepert was simply brought in to pacify Dinning supporters can think again. Ron has clearly earned the Premier's trust. His move to Health should be seen as a big, bold neon sign pointed directly at Jack Davis and David Tuer that reads "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT". The Calgary Health Region clearly needs to step up its budgeting and long-term planning methods, and having a Minister from Calgary is a clear sign that the province is willing to listen to concerns... but not to put up with any more sensationalism. That message will be quite clearly delivered, methinks, by Minister Liepert.

Hon. Rob Renner (Medicine Hat)
Minister of Environment

As the senior voice for Southeastern Alberta, I was pretty sure that Rob wasn't leaving Cabinet. I did, however, think he might have been shuffled out of Environment in favour of someone from one of the big cities. Upon reflection, though, the Green Party did best in two RURAL ridings so perhaps a Minister from an urban centre surrounded by prairie makes sense after. Clearly the Premier thinks so and chose to leave him where he is.

Hon. Luke Ouellette (Innisfail-Sylvan Lake)
Minister of Transportation

No question here. Luke is a solid guy who's whole personality screams "I'm gonna build you some roads." The fact that his old Ministry has again been split into separate Ministries of Transportation and Infrastructure respectively gives him the ability to focus solely on upgrading and improving the provincial transportation network. Given some of the goodies in the 20 year Capital Plan, I expect Luke will be a busy man.

Hon. Gene Zwozdesky (Edmonton Mill Creek)
Minister of Aboriginal Relations

Gene Zwozdesky is a very unique individual. For a white male, I am always amazed at his ability to draw such admiration from so many unique cultural groups. I suspect the secret to his success is that he always treats everyone with the same respect and takes genuine interest in their cultural background. These traits will make him an excellent Minister of Aboriginal Relations. The other advantage to Gene's appointment is that he's an urban MLA. We have seen some of the difficulties facing large urban aboriginal populations in cities like Regina and Winnipeg... hopefully Gene will be able to use his talents as an urban MLA and as Minister of Aboriginal Relations to identify root causes of their struggles in order to avoid the experience in other western cities.

Hon. Alison Redford (Calgary Elbow)
Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Good call. Alison has proven herself to be a worthy addition to the team. She's smart, eloquent, and VERY well liked by the powers that be in corporate Calgary (guess who we'll be sending for fundraising calls ;) Alison's team is very proud of her today and with good reason. I suspect the more that Albertans get to know their new Justice Minister, the more they'll like her.

Hon. George Groeneveld (Highwood)
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

I had initially thought that Minister Groeneveld may have been one of the incumbent Ministers to be demoted to make room for someone from the cities, but then realized that Southern Alberta wouldn't take very kindly to losing one of their voices. Add to that the fact that he's actually done a good job in his portfolio and it makes sense that he remains. The Premier himself is a farmer, so you've got to think he's got a pretty good pulse on who will fill the Ag position well.

Hon. Janis Tarchuk (Banff-Cochrane)
Minister of Children and Youth Services

For as much as some of her constituents may have claimed she was invisible, Janis actually accomplished some good things as Children's Services Minister... namely the provincial boost for child care workers' wages. Presumably she's got more up her sleeve and the Premier is ready to let her keep at it.

Hon. Mary Anne Jablonski (Red Deer North)
Minister of Seniors and Community Supports

YES! This was my number 1 must-have in the new Cabinet and i'm pleased she was included. Mary Anne will be an important voice for Red Deer at the Cabinet table as well as an EXCELLENT advocate for those who worked so hard to build this province. I've already gushed about this woman's talents on the blog so I won't rehash it. I will, however, tell you how much I look forward to congratulating MINISTER Jablonski in person.

Hon. Hector Goudreau (Dunvegan-Central Peace)
Minister of Employment and Immigration

Hector Goudreau is a quiet-but-competent member of the team. I say this because, during pre-announcement speculation, Hector admitted publically that he would be disapointed if he was not returned to Cabinet, but understood that the Premier had a lot of talented people to choose from. This is clearly someone who puts the greater good before his own ambitions. He is a very able Minister who was perhaps a bit mismatched with his former portfolio of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. I think the big-picture issues he'll get to deal with as Employment and Immigration Minister will be much better suited for him, and Albertans will likely be impressed with the results.

Hon. Ted Morton (Foothills-Rocky View)
Minister of Sustainable Resource Development

I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of Morton supporters out there who are mighty ticked that their boy isn't top of the precedence list and Minister in charge of a whole lotta stuff. On the flip side, there are those who think that Ted should have been bounced completely. In between that... well, we've got the status quo. To his credit, I think Minister Morton has done an excellent job of managing his portfolio and has surprised some by being quite the team player. I suspect he was kept in place (but moved up the order of precedece) to finish his work with the Land Use Framework. Rumours are that there'll be a shuffle in about 18 months... if Morton keeps up his good work, I suspect he'll get his promotion then.

Hon. Fred Lindsay (Stony Plain)
Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security

I honestly don't know much about Fred Lindsay other than the fact that he's very popular with his constituents and obviously has the Premier's trust. Solicitor General is a pretty straightforward Ministry and he has obviously performed his duties to the satisfaction of the Premier and his Department. Kudos are clearly deserved on a job well done.

Hon. Ray Danyluk (Lac La Biche-St. Paul)
Minister of Municipal Affairs

Ray finally gets to concentrate on what the Municipal Affairs Minister is actually supposed to work on, municipal governance issues. The urban and housing add-ons were clearly a poor match for someone from Elk Point, although he coped with them as best he could until the Premier brought in the help. Ray's a good, colourful person who really does have people's best interests at heart. I think he'll enjoy his job much more now that his Ministry has been streamlined.

Hon. Jack Hayden (Drumheller-Stettler)
Minister of Infrastructure

A lot of people said Jack Hayden was going into Cabinet. It wasn't that I didn't believe them, its just that I wasn't sure that there would be room for another rural Minister. The Premier managed to make it work, and work well. Mr. Hayden is rumoured to be one of the Premier's closest advisors in caucus... with someone going as far as to say that he should have been the Chief of Staff. As a stand-alone from Transportation, Infrastructure will get to deal with a whole lot of capital planning issues... issues that the Premier loves to sink his teeth into. Expect the boss and his new Infrastructure Minister to be working together very closely.

Hon. Yvonne Fritz (Calgary Cross)
Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs

Former Alderman: Check. Registered Nurse: Check. To me, Yvonne is well-qualified to be Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. She brings the experience of a municipal politician together with the background of an urban MLA and the compassion of an R.N., all huge assets when dealing with these issues. This was a very easy call to make on the Premier's part.

Hon. Lindsay Blackett (Calgary North West)
Minister of Culture and Community Spirit

Welcome to the biggest surprise of the day! I can totally understand the rationale of establishing this Ministry as a shoot off from the former Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. I must admit that I thought there would be other MLAs from Calgary that would go to Cabinet over a rookie other than Alison Redford. I also would have lost a lot of money betting on someone other than George Rogers becoming Alberta's first black Cabinet Minister. Still, the Premier obviously sees great potential in Lindsay Blackett. I've never met him, but thought frequently during the election that he seemed to be a very impressive fellow. This, obviously, is an impression that is shared in Edmonton.

Hon. Cindy Ady (Calgary Shaw)
Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation

This was another no-brainer. Cindy was doing very well as the Associate Minister responsible for this portfolio and as the Olympics approach, the importance of her work will grow. She's also a strong voice for Calgary and will be an excellent booster of Alberta across the country and around the world.

Hon. Heather Klimchuk (Edmonton Glenora)
Minister responsible for Service Alberta

When I was pondering whether or not the Premier would add one of the two new women from the Capital Region to Cabinet, I had a hard time deciding which he might choose. On one hand, he had Janice Sarich from Edmonton Decore, a former School Board trustee. On the other, he had Heather Klimchuk, a community activist and PC Party executive member. Both of these women bring unique talents to the table, but in the end it looks like the Premier chose the one with a history of activity in our party and I must say I'm thrilled for Heather. Her bright personality and friendly demeanour will be a great asset to her in livening up what can otherwise be a bit of a boring department. And in case you're reading this, Heather, you can expect a call from me about how to proceed with the license plate review ;)

THE CABINET POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIRS...

Art Johnston (Calgary Hays)
Chair, Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services

I'll admit surprise on this one. I would have figured that a position like this would have gone to an MLA like Dave Rodney, especially after being kept out of Cabinet.

Greg Weadick (Lethbridge West)
Chair, Cabinet Policy Committee on the Economy

Lethbridge is an important city, but with a rookie PC MLA it may have been a bit of a stretch to expect a jump straight into Cabinet. This role will be good training for Mr. Weadick, the people of Lethbridge should be pleased with this appointment.

Tony Vandermeer (Edmonton Beverly-Clareview)
Chair, Cabinet Policy Committee on Health

This is a big committee that needs someone with experience as a legislator. As a former (now returning) MLA and NDP giant-killer (adios Ray Martin), Tony Vandermeer is a solid choice for this role.

Neil Brown (Calgary Nose Hill)
Chair, Cabinet Policy Committee on Public Safety and Services

Until Ken Kowalski retires, the Speaker's Chair is pretty solidly his. I picture Neil filling that role quite nicely, but he deserves something to put his talents towards until such an opening comes up. As a former lawyer, I think Neil will be an excellent chair of this committee.

Wayne Drysdale (Grande Prairie-Wapiti)
Chair, Cabinet Policy Committee on Resources and the Environment

This is a clear show of confidence in this rookie MLA from the Premier. Grande Prairie and NW Alberta already have two very strong Ministers, yet the boss saw fit to give Mr. Drysdale the chairmanship of what will prove to be a very important committee. He, along with Mel Knight, should probably make a point of regular visits to Fort McMurray in light of today's developments.

THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSISTANTS...

Manmeet Bhullar (Calgary Montrose)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology

Excellent! I have known Manmeet for a long time and think he will do a supurb job working with Minister Horner. He has been given an opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business and I know he'll take it to heart. It is also nice to see Calgary Montrose will again have some added clout in caucus after almost 15 years in proverbial darkness.

Doug Griffiths (Battle River-Wainwright)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

I made no secret that I was hoping Doug would get a promotion to Cabinet. While i'm disapointed that this wasn't the case, I think there is very much a silver lining in his new role. Although his Minister is very experienced in Agriculture, I think the Rural Development piece is far better suited to someone younger with a more progressive vision for rural Alberta... someone like Doug. He's one of the smartest guys in the house and has been given an opportunity to really spread his wings on this file... I know he won't disappoint.

Janice Sarich (Edmonton Decore)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education

As I mentioned earlier, I figured the Cabinet post for an Edmonton woman was an even toss-up between Heather Klimchuk and Janice Sarich. This, for a former school board trustee, is a pretty good consolation prize. Mrs. Sarich will likely be an asset to Minister Hancock as they move forward in the Department of Education. She would also be hard pressed to ask for a better mentor than Dave.

David Xiao (Edmonton McClung)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Employment and Immigration

This one, I admit, is a surprise. I didn't really think David Xiao was going to be included on any lists released today. It makes sense upon reflection, though. As an immigrant from mainland China, Mr. Xiao has a unique perspective on the challenges facing immigrants during the entire immigration process. His experiences will be very valuable for his Minister and he too has a high quality man to learn the ropes from.

Len Webber (Calgary Foothills)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy

I figured Len would be going to Cabinet and, like I was with Griffiths, am a bit disappointed. Still, this is by no means a slap in the face. As a Calgary MLA and Mel Knight's right-hand man, Len will be the go-to guy for the energy bosses in downtown Calgary. He will be kept very busy and will likely be one of the first Parliamentary Assistants promoted to full Cabinet when the time comes.

Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley-Calmar)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Environment

Outside of Lacombe-Ponoka, no Green candidate in Alberta got a higher vote total than Diana McQueen's opponent in Drayton Valley-Calmar. Environmental issues are obviously of concern to her constituents and this appointment allows her to put her talents to work addressing the issue head-on. I'm told that she is very well-liked in her constituency and is expected to impress a lot of people when she arrives on scene in Edmonton. I'm looking forward to it.

Raj Sherman (Edmonton Meadowlark)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Wellness

I figured Raj might be going into Cabinet but, as happens from time to time, I figured wrong. Still, Dr. Sherman will provide an important perspective into the health system as the new Parliamentary Assistant to Minister Ron Liepert. This also allows for a good Calgary/Edmonton balance in dealing with what Albertans consistently rate as their number 1 concern.

Thomas Lukaszuk (Edmonton Castle Downs)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs

A lot of people (perhaps Thomas included) thought this was going to be his big break into Cabinet. He has certainly grown from the brash individual who was elected in 2001 into a solid MLA. His youth, my guess, remains an issue. Even though he's now in his 3rd term, Thomas is still a young guy with lots of potential left. He'll be the urban counterpart to a rural Minister in a department that touches all Albertans, a pretty good gig as he's climbing the ladder, i'd say.

Rob Anderson (Airdrie-Chestermere)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security

This is going to be one busy man. He's a new MLA, represents a sprawling constituency, has 3 children under the age of 3 at home, and NOW is a Parliamentary Assistant. From what i've heard, Rob Anderson has the energy and the discipline to handle all of this and more. He's another one that I have yet to meet, but am told will turn a lot of heads in Edmonton.

Evan Berger (Livingstone-Macleod)
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development

Evan Berger's predecessor, David Coutts, leaves some big shoes to fill. It seems that Mr. Berger will get the chance to prove he's up to the task early on with his new role as Ted Morton's Parliamentary Assistant. He's got experience in dealing with the kinds of issues that will keep him and his Minister busy and both men seem to be cut from the same cloth. I suspect they'll very much enjoy working with each other, particularily as they roll out the new Land Use Framework.

AND FINALLY, THE SHOCKER...

I'm sure more than one of you are wondering about my thoughts on the complete demotion of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Guy Boutilier.

Quite simply, I was stunned.

I have known Guy for longer than I can remember. He was the one who brought me into PC Alberta in the first place some 10 years ago. I clearly remember the day he was first elevated to Cabinet in 2001 as Minister of Municipal Affairs... I helped him clean out his office in the Legislature Annex.

There are some who say this was coming. I can understand that... you'll recall that I speculated that Guy was going to be left out of Ed Stelmach's first Cabinet 14 months ago.

I made that call based on all of the speculation I was hearing from others. I didn't believe it, but it was too widely shared for me not to give it creedence. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Fast forward to today. I was hearing almost NOTHING about the prospect of Guy being left out. Some thought he should be replaced, but simply could not rationalize the most economically important region of the country being left out.

And yet, they were.

The rationale for the Premier's decision is something that only he can provide. His reasoning may have been sound, particularily given the otherwise outstanding job he did putting this Cabinet together.

I worry, though, about the consequences for our party in Fort McMurray. Everyone i've spoken to back home today shares the same statement of disbelief.

A lot of questions remain... will Guy be re-promoted to Cabinet in the next shuffle?... will he stay on as MLA for a full term from the backbench?... if there's a by-election, who will run?... who will win?

In the meantime, I will be watching the reaction and potential for backlash in the Oilsands City VERY closely.

OVERALL...

With a few exceptions, I think the Premier did a masterful job in crafting this Cabinet. There are more women, better representation for our big cities, and a more genuinely diverse team. I think the Premier should be very happy with his new team. I look forward to seeing them in action.

Getting stories straight

2008-03-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

As speculation mounts over today's expected cabinet announcement, it seems that Alberta's major news outlets are talking to a bunch of different people.

The Calgary Herald has talk of 6 Ministers for Calgary (very good if true), the highlight being Ron Liepert's expected move over to the Department of Health. The Herald plays up Liepert's accomplishments in his first term as an MLA and Minister.

The Edmonton Journal, meanwhile, speaks of doom and gloom surrounding the prospect of Edmonton proper getting only 2 Ministers. I expect that, as usual, the Journal gets it very very wrong. They too muse about a switch between Dave Hancock and Ron Liepert, but play down Liepert's record and view Hancock's move as a demotion.

Over at the Calgary Sun, Rick Bell is mighty complimentary at the thought of better Calgary and urban representation at the table. He too is hearing the number 6 for Calgary.

The Edmonton Sun's Neil Waugh is the only media source to throw out a firm number of Ministers in Cabinet... 23. He also talks about the 8 "Ministers in training", which I assume will be the Parliamentary Secretaries that have been mused about earlier in the speculation game.

Edmonton's 630 CHED talks about Iris Evans getting Finance and new Edmonton Glenora MLA Heather Klimchuk taking over at Service Alberta. They too speak of 8 Parliamentary Assistants to assist the Ministers in key portfolios. CHED also speculates that 7 of the 14 women in the Tory caucus will be elevated to Cabinet, the highest number ever in Alberta.

QR77 in Calgary, strangely, has no Cabinet speculation posted on their website.

Word is that we'll be hearing pretty soon what the final makeup will be. Once that's out and i've had time to chew it over, i'll be back with reaction.

I should also let you know that a few of us bloggers will be colluding to bring you bios and some inside information on the new faces that will be appointed to Cabinet. We don't yet know who will be profiling whom, but we will be linking to each other's work so stay tuned to the Albertatory, Ken Chapman, the Enlightened Savage, and Phendrana Drifts for the inside scoop on Alberta's newest Ministers.

Who's got the Energy?

2008-03-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Neil Waugh has a very interesting column in today's Edmonton Sun. It all starts with a phone call that Premier Stelmach received from Prime Minister Harper after the election victory on Monday.

The basic gist is the raising of mutual alarm bells about some of the protectionist talk going on down in the United States... particularily alarming if the Democrats take the White House as expected in November.

For as much as the Americans talk about reducing their dependence on foreign oil, what they really mean is that they want to reduce their dependence on Middle Eastern oil. That's where we come in.

We are North America's largest and most stable source of energy for the foreseeable future. The American rhetoric surrounding environmental regulations and NAFTA should have us all concerned and I, for one, am pleased to see that both the Prime Minister and the Premier recognize the dangers of some of the talk going on south of the border.

This talk, however, puts an extraordinary burden on Premier Stelmach's shoulders as he puts together his cabinet.

When it comes to the Industry, Foreign Affairs, and International Trade files, the Federal Government has top-notch Ministers in charge who understand the complexity of their portfolios and how important it is to keep things going with our U.S. trading partners.

On the Energy file, though, Ottawa falls a bit short (seriously, no pun intended). That's just as well anyway, if you ask me, since I think that Alberta should be the Leaders when it comes to dealing with the Americans on Oil and Gas.

Because of this, Premier Stelmach needs to be exceptionally diligent when he chooses which MLAs will become the Ministers in charge of Energy and International Relations respectively. These individuals will need to be ready to jump in with both feet to deal with our southern neighbours to explain to them some of the ramifications on both sides of the border should their rhetoric turn into hard legislation.

A number of portfolios in Cabinet will have room for Ministers who may a few months on the proverbial training wheels.

Energy and International Relations, however, will not.

The Premier simply has to get these two right.

Cabinet Making

2008-03-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

With the dust settled, those of us who pay attention to politics in this province will be turning our attention towards the announcement of a new Cabinet that's expected next week. I suspect that the Premier will have a number of questions to answer during his deliberations... I certainly don't envy him.

The size of cabinet is going to be an issue. I'm under no illusions that we'll see only 18 Ministers (plus the 3 Associate Ministers), but I also don't think we're going to see a Klein-esque ballooning to 24 or 25 Ministers either. I think that you can eliminate the Associate Ministries but turn those seats (not necessarily portfolios) into full Cabinet spots and consider it a good compromise. That makes 21 Ministers, plus the Premier. Reasonable given the size of caucus, I think.

I also suspect that there will be some re-jigging of the Ministries themselves. The biggest rumour i've heard to that effect is the idea of splitting the Energy Ministry into two parts, one that deals strictly with oil and gas and the other that would deal with Utilities, Power Generation, the Nuclear question, etc. I think that's a good move that would potentially allow Mel Knight to stick with the latter and let the Premier put someone from Calgary into the Oil and Gas portion to "calm" the mucky-mucks here in downtown Calgary.

I mentioned yesterday that I think the Premier needs to shake up his current cabinet and inject new blood. I won't get into who I think should be dumped because, frankly, I trust that the Premier will be able to make that decision for himself.

I will, however, offer my thoughts on some folks I think could make a real contribution to our next Executive Council. In addition to elevating current Associate Ministers Cindy Ady (Calgary Shaw), Yvonne Fritz (Calgary Cross), and Gene Zwozdesky (Edmonton Mill Creek) to full Cabinet positions, I think the Premier should take a good look at the following MLAs:

MARY ANNE JABLONSKI (Red Deer North)
Mary Anne has been in caucus since she won Red Deer North in the post-Stockwell by-election back in 2000. Since then, she has earned her reputation as a hard-working and dedicated representative for her constituents and Albertans in general.

When Mary Anne Jablonski has a task assigned to her, she gets it done and gets it done well... these are the qualities you look for in a prospective Minister. Her geography also helps. Even though Luke Ouellette from surrounding Innisfail-Sylvan Lake will most certainly be returning, its important for Red Deer proper to have a voice at the table.

She's experienced, she gets results, and she's extraordinarily well-liked. To me, this is a no-brainer.

LEN WEBBER (Calgary Foothills)
A lot of people (yours truly NOT included) thought Len was in serious trouble in his suburban North Calgary constituency. To be fair, his challenger was certainly of a higher calibre than most Liberal candidates.

Len, it seems, took absolutely nothing for granted. I drove through Foothills on Saturday as I was house hunting and was floored at the number of lawn signs Len had out on private property. I know the results were certainly much closer than the lawn sign war was, but I think that shows that people who support Len are VERY proud to do so... and with good reason.

Len Webber has politics in his blood, his father being former MLA and Cabinet Miniser Dr. Neil Webber. He also has an impressive background in both the blue-collar (Journeyman Electrician) and white-collar (B. Comm from U of C) sectors.

From businessmen to athletes to former Premiers (all of whom endorsed him in an impressive video on his website), those who know Len Webber know him as someone who can put his shoulder to the wheel and get things done.

DOUG GRIFFITHS (Battle River-Wainwright)
Doug Griffiths has one of the sharpest public policy minds of anyone i've ever met, period.

Some may say that the two things working against Doug when it comes to being included in Cabinet are his age and the fact that he's a rural MLA. At first glance they may be right, but I think digging a bit deeper proves quite the opposite.

The age issue, to me, really isn't one. If the Premier is truly going to try and strike a demographic balance with his new cabinet, I think that having a Minister under the age of 40 is an easy call to make.

The worries of a rural overload are a bit more of an issue, but I think they can easily be addressed. Frankly, some of our rural Ministers could use a return to the backbench and I think that replacing one of them with Doug would be a supurb decision. Best of all, Doug is one of the few people who so thoroughly understands how rural and urban Alberta can work with and even feed off of each other when it comes to issues of economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.

Doug would be a rural Minister who really understands the big picture... I can't think of anyone better to put the latte-sippers at the Journal in their place ;)

GEORGE ROGERS (Leduc-Beaumont-Devon)
Here's a guy who doesn't let many things get in his way.

People didn't think a black man could get elected in a town like Leduc. People just wouldn't be ready for that, they thought. No problem, just run and prove them wrong. He did.

He wanted to make the jump to provincial politics in 2004, but there was already an incumbent in his riding. No problem, just challenge him for the nomination and win. He did.

George Rogers has had an exceptional career thus far. He's been a very popular councillor and Mayor of Leduc, even serving for two years as the President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. He's also a well-liked member of caucus.

The secret to George's success is his overwhelmingly positive attitude. I have never seen George Rogers at an event where he isn't in the best of spirits. Sure he understands that there are big issues that need addressing, but he does so cheerfully and with the best of intentions.

If a Capital Region shake up is coming down the pipe when the Premier announces the new Cabinet, there's definetly a chance we'll see George Rogers on the list.

ALISON REDFORD (Calgary Elbow)
Alison was probably our biggest giant-killer on Monday night. Not that Craig Cheffins is much of a giant, but the stigma of the Liberals holding Calgary Elbow was simply too much for the Calgary Elbow PC crew to stomach and they set about making it right. And boy did they ever pick the right candidate.

Alison Redford is everything you want in a Cabinet Minister. She's exceptionally intelligent, very well spoken, personable, and has a broad range of experience.

Her resume speaks for itself. If there's a spot for a rookie around the Cabinet Table, you can bet it'll likely be Alison.

DR. RAJ SHERMAN (Edmonton Meadowlark)
If Alison has the #1 spot for a potential rookie in Cabinet, Dr. Sherman is following closely behind her.

With the plethora of new Edmonton MLAs, we're bound to see increased representation from Edmonton proper around the Cabinet table. Dr. Sherman is one of the best-qualified to take one of these seats.

His experience as an Emergency Room Physician would be invaluable given that Albertans continually rate Health Care as their number one issue. I'm not suggesting he'll be thrown into the Health portfolio, that would be cruel punishment for a brand-new Minister... but I do think that his voice would still be a useful one when the discussions come up in Cabinet.

Add to this the fact that he's young, very well-spoken and presentable, and he thoroughly trounced his opponent in what was supposed to be a close race.

Of the new Edmonton MLAs, there is no one with a better shot at Cabinet than Raj Sherman.

Now what happens next week is anyone's guess. Although I did pretty well in guessing the seat count (I had 68), I have a much worse track record when it comes to guessing Cabinet picks.

I do hope, though, that the Premier recognizes the talents of the people listed above. Even if he doesn't make them Ministers, they should be assigned to important and challenging files... they won't dissapoint.

Caught in a landslide

2008-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Your patience, faithful readers, is appreciated. I know I should have posted sooner than this morning, but real life had to resume on Tuesday and getting settled is no easy task. I'm back, though, and will have much to share in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

So, about that election...

... WOW.

I chose not to share my seat projections on the blog, instead keeping it between a few close friends who were also intimately involved with the campaign.

I had 68 seats. People said I was crazy. Apparently, I was ;)

Congratulations are first in order for Premier Stelmach and the entire PC team. This campaign marked a radical departure for our party and certainly found a number of critics. But in the end, Albertans found that our message best represented the Alberta THEY want to live in.

I want to take the opportunity to congratulate ALL of the new members of the PC caucus:

Ken Allred (St. Albert)
Rob Anderson (Airdrie-Chestermere)
Carl Benito (Edmonton Mill Woods)
Evan Berger (Livingstone-Macleod)
Naresh Bhardwaj (Edmonton Ellerslie)
Manmeet Bhullar (Calgary Montrose)
Lindsay Blackett (Calgary North West)
Robin Campbell (West Yellowhead)
Cal Dallas (Red Deer South)
Jonathan Denis (Calgary Egmont)
Arno Doerksen (Strathmore-Brooks)
Wayne Drysdale (Grande Prairie-Wapiti)
Doug Elniski (Edmonton Calder)
Kyle Fawcett (Calgary North Hill)
Fred Horne (Edmonton Rutherford)
Jeff Johnson (Athabasca-Redwater)
Heather Klimchuk (Edmonton Glenora)
Genia Leskiw (Bonnyville-Cold Lake)
Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley-Calmar)
Verlyn Olson (Wetaskiwin-Camrose)
Dave Quest (Strathcona)
Alison Redford (Calgary Elbow)
Peter Sandhu (Edmonton Manning)
Janice Sarich (Edmonton Decore)
Raj Sherman (Edmonton Meadowlark)
Greg Weadick (Lethbridge West)
Teresa Woo-Paw (Calgary Mackay... my new MLA)
David Xiao (Edmonton McClung)

For a party that our opponents called old and tired, I'd say we've got a great group of new and energized MLAs on the team!

I want, in particular, to say how pleased I am to see Jonathan Denis, Manmeet Bhullar, Kyle Fawcett, Dave Quest, Heather Klimchuk, and Naresh Bhardwaj as new MLAs.

I have known Jonathan, Manmeet, and Kyle for many years. They are all exceptional young conservatives who will do a supurb job for their constituents and add a very important dynamic around the caucus table.

Dave, Heather, and Naresh are all former colleagues of mine on the PC Alberta Executive Committee. It is great to see such top-notch people who have been so involved with the party internally moving over to represent us in the Legislature.

For my part, I was asked last weekend to come to Edmonton to run GOTV efforts in Edmonton Manning for Peter Sandhu.

Peter had a great team who managed to identify a LOT of supporters, we just needed the right strategy to make sure our machine got those supporters out. I was pleased to work with Peter's team, was exceptionally pleased with how well everybody came together to get the job done on E-Day, and was thrilled that we were able to deliver Edmonton Manning for PC Alberta.

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So what of it all, then?

I think the two most embarassed groups after Monday should be the Alberta media and the Alberta Liberal Party, in that order.

For their part, the Liberals were saying what they had to say. No Official Opposition party runs on the messaging that the government is going to win anyway, but send more opposition MLAs to the Capital (that's reserved for the NDP). The Liberals, of course, ran on the public idea of forming government.

What is embarassing, though, is that it seems so many of them believed it privately.

I've worked on enough campaigns to have a pretty good idea of when we're going to win, and when we're going to lose. The ability to have even the most basic idea of how well or badly things will go is pretty important for political operatives. Its a skill that seems to have totally blown past the Liberal braintrust.

One theory I got from a Liberal friend of mine is that the Alberta Liberals spend too much time talking to their own supporters. Getting encouragement from people is great, but its not much of a litmus test if you're always talking to or going after the same people. Incidentally, this friend of mine is one of the few people who was NOT impressed with the Alberta Liberal campaign. Seems his radar is a little more in-tune, perhaps they should be paying more attention to members like him.

The big dunce cap, though, is reserved for members of Alberta's media. Sure, there were some that seemed to have their finger on the pulse of what turned out to be what Albertans were really thinking, namely the Edmonton Sun's Graham Hicks.

But it is absolutely stunning that so many people in the media, people who are trained and paid to research and accurately report current affairs, managed to let their own personal biases interfere with their work SO much that they blew this call in such a spectacular manner... I'm talking to you Graham Thomson, Kim Trynacity, and Don Braid.

If ever there was a lesson to take anything you read or hear from the media with a grain of salt, I'd say its the coverage of this election.

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Post-election, people are wondering what the future holds. I still think there are a lot more questions than answers yet, but i've got a few theories:

-For Ed Stelmach and the PC caucus, some Chamber of Commerce folks had it right. The mandate given to the Premier and his team is one that will allow them to be bold and innovative when addressing the problems facing our province. I think it would be a shame if we squandered that opportunity. Are you listening PC Alberta members??? We've got a convention coming up, time to sharpen those policy pencils and get to work.

-When it comes to making a cabinet, the Premier has a big pool of talent to work with. His first cabinet, although it raised a lot of eyebrows, did the right thing by rewarding those who were closest to him. He had just taken over a caucus that overwhelmingly voted for the other guy. If you're going to try and take control of the ship, you need to make sure the crew is unwaveringly loyal. By and large, that was the case.

Post-election, however, the situation is different. Everyone who was running chose to run under his leadership and, given the mandate Albertans awarded him, they have absolutely no reason to call said leadership into question. Because of this, the Premier will need to move away from rewarding only the most loyal of foot soldiers and instead focus on picking the best and brightest for the tasks at hand. Geographic and demographic balance will also be important, but will be relatively easy to fulfill given the plethora of MLAs to choose from.

-For Kevin Taft, its game over. To raise such hopes of either forming government or come within striking distance and to then fail so completely is simply unacceptable. If Laurence Decore couldn't keep his job after the 1993 Liberal surge, there is absolutely no way that Kevin Taft has any legitimacy to keep his after this.

-For the Alberta Liberal Party, the situation is also pretty bleak. One way or another, Kevin Taft will be shown the door as Leader. The only person even remotely able to do this job is Calgary Currie MLA and Deputy Leader Dave Taylor. Given his standoffish and divisive personality, though, I don't suspect he would fare any better than Taft would in a general election.

Drafting somebody from outside of caucus, too, will prove almost impossible. With Monday's stunning defeat, I think we can expect the Liberal's dire financial straits to worsen. What little fundraising they receive is quite likely to dry up, and they'll have a large stack of bills to pay after this election. Very few people would be willing to step in and try and salvage this disaster, particularily since the party brand has proven toxic to most Alberta voters time and time again.

And the dream of getting Dave Bronconnier to take over the job? I think you can pretty well consider that one over. Bronco's no fool. To take over a party that only has a small rump of volunteers, is deep in the hole, and that has been rejected by Albertans everywhere (including most of Calgary) would be political suicide. Bronconnier is young and has a good thing going at City Hall. He may still decide to make the jump to provincial office one day, but it won't be under the Alberta Liberal banner.

-For the NDP, their boom-bust cycle begins anew. Losing two seats isn't great news, but at least they held on to their bedrock areas of support... the same can't be said for the Liberals. Brian Mason will likely step down as Leader, making way for Rachel Notley to take on the role her father so nobly filled before his untimely death. They may be a small caucus, but Pam Barrett sure did a damn fine job with only two MLAs in her day. They may not be Official Opposition, or even an official party in the Legislature, but I suspect they'll be the two most effective voices of opposition.

-For the Wildrose Alliance, thanks for playing. Until the very right-wing gets beyond petty internal squabbles, they will never be a remotely credible political force. I suspect there will be a lot of finger pointing at the next WRA AGM and wouldn't be at all surprised if this shotgun marriage ended in divorce.

-For the Greens, well done. They didn't elect an MLA, but they increased their support against a tide of Tory blue that swept away a lot of voters who chose other parties. They'll likely continue to be talked about only at election time, but have an opportunity to raise issues that are important to them if they work with their new supporters to keep their public profile up.

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For as happy as I am about the election results, there were two things that disapointed me:

The apparent loss of Shiraz Shariff in Calgary McCall is a loss indeed (I say apparent because it may go to recount).

Shiraz is one of the first MLAs I met when I got involved with PC Alberta. He is cut very much from the same cloth as Premier Stelmach, one of the kindest, honest, and most hard-working people in public life anywhere in Alberta. The team of both family and friends that surround him share that same work ethic and are some of the most determined people I have ever worked with.

If the result stands, I know I will dearly miss having Shiraz Shariff as the voice of Calgary McCall in Edmonton.

The other disapointment is one that I think is shared across the political spectrum: voter turnout.

I disagree with the notion that the low turnout clouds the election results. People stay home for a variety of reasons. Some certainly were not enamoured or inspired by the platforms of any one party, but others may have simply believed that the PCs were going to be re-elected and didn't have any reason to vote to stop it. Decisions ARE made by those who show up, and those who did decided overwhelmingly to allow us to continue governing this province.

I agree, though, with the chorus of Leaders and pundits who believe that we must do more to engage Albertans in the democratic process. I'm against the idea of a move to proportional representation given the exceptional disadvantages it creates for rural MLAs trying to represent a huge geographic region. I do think, though, that the next Electoral Boundaries Commission has some serious work to do in addressing the exploding populations of Alberta's urban centers.

For my part as a Tory, I firmly believe that we cannot rest on our laurels. Our party needs to find new ways to engage Albertans, primarily through the bold and innovative ideas that we now have the opportunity to develop and implement as I mentioned earlier.

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Before I get back to unpacking, I want to go over the 10 predictions I made on Sunday night:

1. The Liberals will win at least one seat that they don't currently hold in Calgary, but they will lose at least one of the four they currently do hold.

RESULT: CORRECT. The Liberals pick up two seats they didn't hold (Buffalo and McCall), but lose one they did hold (Elbow).

2. Craig Chandler will go down in a magnificent blaze in Calgary Egmont at the hands of my buddy Jonathan Denis.

RESULT: CORRECT. Third place. Hehehehehehehe.

3. There will be a grand total of ZERO Wildrose Alliance MLAs in the next Alberta Legislature.

RESULT: CORRECT (pending recount). Hinman loses in Cardston, no one else even comes close.

4. The Greens will have their best showing ever in the history of the province, courtesy of the voters of Lacombe-Ponoka.

RESULT: CORRECT. Joe Anglin walks away with over 3200 votes in Lacombe-Ponoka.

5. The Liberals and the NDP will both lose seats in Edmonton as the PCs win more than double the number of seats we currently hold in the Capital.

RESULT: CORRECT. Oh. Hell. Yeah.

6. Ed Stelmach will win upwards of 80% of the popular vote in Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville.

RESULT: WRONG. I was close, but Ed's 11162 votes were only good enough for 78.1%. Close, but no cigar.

7. Kevin Taft will win considerably less than the 60%+ of the popular vote he enjoyed last time in Edmonton-Riverview.

RESULT: CORRECT. I suppose "considerably less" is arbitrary, but i'd say that 51.8% is a lot worse than the 66% or so he got in 2004.

8. Brian Mason's situation in Edmonton Highlands-Norwood will remain pretty much the same.

RESULT: WRONG. Mason wins handily, but drops from 62% to 52% of the popular vote in Highlands-Norwood. I'm not going to try to spin a 10% drop but winning nonetheless as me being right.

9. George Read will come in 2nd in Calgary North West.

RESULT: WRONG. I thought that the undecideds in Calgary North West might park their vote with the Green since he's the leader. He came in a distant third... I blew this call completely.

10. Paul Hinman will be out of a job.

RESULT: PENDING. Pending the recount, Hinman may no longer be the MLA for Cardston-Taber-Warner. Whether he keeps his job as Wildrose Alliance Leader is also pending, but I wouldn't bet on it.

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Finally, thanks to each and every one of you for reading. Keeping this blog running is very enjoyable and, while I was in BC, kept me connected to what was going on back home.

To those of you who are PCs, I hope I was able to keep you all motivated with a departure from the plethora of Liberal and left-wing propaganda coming out in both the mainstream media and here in the blogosphere.

To those of you who are either supporters or producers of said Liberal and left-wing propaganda, thanks for coming to see what some of us on the other side were thinking. I was doing the same thing when reading your stuff ;)

To those of you who were genuinely undecided, i'm glad you chose to include the blogosphere as an information source. I don't believe there is any news source that is truly unbiased anymore, so its encouraging to see people weighing all of the biases out there.

To my fellow bloggers, its been fun. I have enjoyed the banter back and forth over the past month. In particular, I must salute Daveberta, the CalgaryGrit, Ken Chapman and the Enlightened Savage. You are all a credit to our hobby of citizen journalism and were part of my sometimes-hourly blog consumption. I hope, post election, we'll all be able to keep this discussion going. Just because the election is over doesn't mean we're done dealing with the issues... if anything, our work is just beginning.

We now return you to your regularily scheduled lives.

Boo hoo

2008-03-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

I'm fairly preoccupied running E-Day operations in a very close Edmonton riding, but I couldn't resist taking 5 minutes to post something.

I'd say its a pretty good sign that your opponent knows they're going to lose when they start complaining about the electoral process ON Election Day.

I can't wait to put these whiny, latte-sipping sore losers in their place tonight.

Happy Election Day!

The Final Countdown

2008-03-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

I'm home.

After a great drive across the rockies on Friday, I find myself back in this great, wonderful place.

As you can imagine, it didn't take me long to get thrown into the final push for votes in this campaign.

I find myself exceedingly busy heading into the home stretch, so this will be the last blog post until after the election results are in (at which point i'm sure i'll have a lot to say).

Here, then, is a bit of rapid fire for you:

- I had promised to do a full profile on my home riding of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. That won't happen now, mea culpa. Here's the Cole's Notes version: I'm happy to call both the PC and Liberal candidates friends. There's certainly some volatility in the air up north, but the prospect of habitually low voter turnout may suppress that. For a last minute addition to the Liberal ticket, Ross Jacobs is to be credited for running a good campaign on a shoestring budget. He's sought out disenchanted groups and tried to bring them onside. Ross' biggest challenge will be the manpower required to do a proper get out the vote effort. Manpower is not a problem for Guy Boutilier, who seems to have an even bigger force on the hustings for him this time around. In talking to some of the PC braintrust back home, it sounds as though nothing is being taken for granted this time and a broad swath of new supporters have been identified. All things being equal from here on in, my money is still on a Boutilier victory. It may be a lot closer than in the past, but Guy's team has the necessary resources (if deployed properly) to keep the Oilsands City in Tory Blue.

-Colby Cosh has a great item in the National Post (a paper I don't read that often anymore) that sums up what is wrong with Kevin Taft and the Alberta Liberal Party. I obviously don't share his reluctance in voting for Ed Stelmach, but he's absolutely correct about the attitude that Liberals seem to have towards Alberta.

-On the flip side of the coin, Kim Trynacity does a pretty good job of showing just how out of touch the CBC is with average Albertans.

-Whoever thought that this rally was a good idea needs to have their head examined. Traffic on Whyte Avenue on a sunny Saturday afternoon was seriously backed up. Whether the rally had anything to do with causing the backup or not, frustrated motorists looking for someone to blame for their traffic woes would pass this rally and see a wall full of Liberal signs. Who do you think they're going to blame?

-I'm not going to do a seat-by-seat projection for you, but I will offer a few snippets of what I think we'll see tomorrow night:

The Liberals will win at least one seat that they don't currently hold in Calgary, but they will lose at least one of the four they currently do hold.
Craig Chandler will go down in a magnificent blaze in Calgary Egmont at the hands of my buddy Jonathan Denis.
There will be a grand total of ZERO Wildrose Alliance MLAs in the next Alberta Legislature.
The Greens will have their best showing ever in the history of the province, courtesy of the voters of Lacombe-Ponoka.
The Liberals and the NDP will both lose seats in Edmonton as the PCs win more than double the number of seats we currently hold in the Capital.
Ed Stelmach will win upwards of 80% of the popular vote in Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville.
Kevin Taft will win considerably less than the 60%+ of the popular vote he enjoyed last time in Edmonton-Riverview.
Brian Mason's situation in Edmonton Highlands-Norwood will remain pretty much the same.
George Read will come in 2nd in Calgary North West
Paul Hinman will be out of a job.

The most important thing for everyone out there is to vote. If your ballot isn't already in the box, make sure you get it done tomorrow. Call friends and family and remind them to do the same. Our democracy ISN'T broken as some parties would have you believe, but it is best-served when everybody participates.

See you all after E-Day!

Dr. Daft's Roadshow

2008-02-28T22:32:00.000-08:00

Professor Kevin came out today with a proposal to have the Legislative Assembly of Alberta meet in various locales around Alberta.

As part of his ongoing assertion that democracy doesn't really exist in Alberta (mainly because his party never wins), Taft suggests that a travelling roadshow of all 83 MLAs will help reconnect Albertans with their government.

The idea of bringing government closer to the people is a noble one, i'll admit. But we don't need to keep reaching into what the Liberals seem to believe is an endless pit of money to do it.

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta entails some pretty pricey operations. Moving 83 MLAs, their support staffs, all of the necessary parliamentary clerks, etc. will be a massive undertaking both logistically and financially.

What's even more puzzling is that, in the Journal story, Taft has a quote that explains why this is unnecessary when he talks about the "age of instant communications and conventions attended by hundreds".

The fact that the province is more connected than ever means we need to do a better job of making it easier for Albertans to plug in to what's happening in the Capital. Better and more user-friendly access to Legislative proceedings and a dedicated communications budget for MLAs to communicate with constituents (like Ottawa has) are just a few improvements that would be much cheaper and far more effective than a travelling legislature.

If we still want to get MLAs out from under the dome (again, a noble idea), why not have the newly-formed all-party committees take their meetings around the province? This again has far fewer budgetary concerns attached and would allow communities to hear more focused proceedings about issues that are more relevant to their area.

Personally, I think this proposal is entirely politically motivated. Taft made the announcement in Lethbridge and went to great lengths to assert that Lethbridge would be the first stop on the roadshow. This strikes me as nothing more than an attempt (and a weak one, at that) to try and shore up support to hang on to a Liberal seat that's in jeopardy.

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In other news...

Brian Mason has brought in former BC Premier Dave Barrett to trumpet the idea of Public Auto Insurance. If having the most disastrous BC Premier in modern history as its spokesperson doesn't convince you that this is a bad policy move, I don't know what will.

Speaking of the NDP, the Liberals have finally taken their lead and spent some of their debt on TV ads. They miss the mark, though.

If hearing Kevin Taft speak hasn't motivated Albertans to Liberal yet, what makes them think that more of the same will change people's minds? They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

And finally (and most importantly), tomorrow is it.

After nearly two years of my life in British Columbia, I am finally returning home to my motherland, Alberta.

I said when I left that living in BC would mean my identity would be much less about where i'm from.

I was wrong.

I have been blessed with opportunities that took me to every corner of our great province. No matter where I was, be it in my hometown or a place I was visiting for the first time, I ALWAYS felt at home in Alberta. I have learned that those feelings, at least in my case, don't (and will never) change.

We live in a great country and i'm glad that i've had the opportunity to spend some time living in a different part of it. I will look back on my time on the coast with fondness for the people I have met and the things I have learned.

The most important thing I have learned, though, is about home.

My home is 661,848 square kilometers of mountains and prairies, of forests, rivers and lakes, of proud communities big and small, and of the kindest, hardest working people one could ever hope to meet. She is beautiful in every sense of the word.

And I can't wait to see her again tomorrow.

A Memo to Maurice Tougas...

2008-02-27T16:43:00.000-08:00

... and whoever else is in charge of communications coming from the Liberal war room/phone booth:

Take a pill.

The week started with this gem, written with all of the skillful prose of a smarmy 10 year old. All that was missing was a picture of Tougas sticking out his tongue in defiance. (Kudos to the Journal's Joel Kom for picking up on it)

Today we see another over-the-top piece from the Alberta Liberal Comm Shop and Trudeau Worship Centre on 124th Street.

After three and a half weeks of making absolutely zero impression on Albertans, the Liberals are coming back to the horse they tried to beat to death a few weeks ago... Returning Officers.

The object of their ire is Edmonton Castle Downs Returning Officer Linda Brown. Mrs. Brown formerly worked for Castle Downs incumbent MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, that's what seems to have their knickers in a knot. Her situation is no different than any of the others that the Liberals have complained about, yet they're giving it extra special attention. Partly because they lost Castle Downs by 3 votes (at the hands of a JUDGE, by the way, not a Returning Officer)... and partly because they're running out of ideas on how to fool people into voting for them.

What is truly incredible in all of this is the absolutely INSULTING letter they sent to Alberta's Chief Returning Officer, Lorne Gibson.

In their letter, they quote several pieces of legislation to remind him that he has a duty to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the 2008 Election.

Seriously... do they honestly believe that Alberta's CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER is unaware of his duties DURING AN ELECTION???

The letter is full of typical Liberal arrogance and completely incredulous that anybody wouldn't see things their way. Albertans are used to this from Kevin Taft and the Alberta Liberal Party, but when people like the Chief Electoral Officer are being talked down to in such a manner it really does show how low Liberals will sink.

Calling for outside assistance to Elections Alberta suggests that the Liberals honestly believe that democracy in Alberta is akin to a third world election that requires UN supervision. Albertans know better than that, which is why they've largely ignored the huffing and puffing from the Liberals on this issue (and pretty much everything else they've said).

The related item on the Liberal website mentions that it was a Sun Media story that brought to light Mrs. Brown's appointment. I'm not entirely certain how, over 3 weeks into the campaign, this is news. Nonetheless, I suppose it'll sell newspapers.

What I love, though, is that the Liberals seemed to overlook part of the story, namely:

"Kibermanis said the Liberals are training their scrutineers to be vigilant, but that he's also met Brown and believes she will do her best to remain impartial."

The weak powers that be in the Liberal war room/phone booth have also forgotten another thing. Chief Electoral Officer Lorne Gibson has also gone through thorough interviews with each and every one of these Returning Officers whose good names are now being dragged through the mud.

While he may not be a fan of the process that chooses those Returning Officers, NOT ONCE has he called into question their ability to perform their duties to the standards that the Liberals so arrogantly remind him are enshrined in law.

The saddest thing about this whole debacle, though, is the effect it may have on future elections. In that same Sun article, Paul Stanway explains that names familiar to the government were leaned on to take on the roles of Returning Officer because of a chronic shortage... nearly 20 vacancies left to be filled as the election was approaching.

After seeing the depths to which the Liberals will sink in dragging those who offer to fulfill these important roles, I think even more Albertans will think twice before offering in the next election.

That's the real disservice to democracy here.

Oh Brother, where art thou union dues going?

2008-02-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

Before I start this post, I want to make something very clear: I have nothing against the tens of thousands of unionized workers in the province of Alberta. I know, after being part of a family business that employed members of two of the finest unions in the province (Ironworkers Local 720 and Operating Engineers Local 955), that they are hard working men and women who are proud of their craft and believe in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

Their union leaders, on the other hand, leave much to be desired.

Third parties can certainly have their place in an election. It is perfectly reasonable for a group with a special interest to highlight said interest before or even during a campaign. The ongoing ad campaign from organized labour, however, goes far beyond that.

The big union ad campaign mentions nothing about wanting to change Alberta's labour laws or improve workplace conditions. Instead, for the first time in Alberta, we are seeing organized labour actively trying to take down a government.

The Merit Contractors Association has been diligently pursuing this issue, and rightly so. Their most recent ad campaign (see below) brings to light the eerie similarities between this campaign and the campaign waged in Ontario against their PC Party and in favour of Dalton McGuinty's Liberals.

Mr. McGuinty thanked his union leader buddies for their support by re-writing Ontario labour laws to make them far more favourable to the big union bosses. As the Merit news release (also below) points out, among McGuinty's changes was the removal of the right to a secret ballot during unionization votes.

I can't help but wonder if Kevin Taft has the same deal cooked up with big labour's leaders here in Alberta? The pieces certainly fit together:

Ontario/U.S.-style attack campaign? CHECK.

Massive increase in union donations to the Liberal Party? CHECK.

Vague Liberal platform committments to update the labour code? CHECK.

So what's your agenda, Kevin? Are you and the Liberals, people who have been screaming from the rafters that democracy is being subverted in Alberta, planning to remove such a basic right as the secret ballot from Alberta workers?

I don't expect a straight answer from Professor Taft, lest he let the cat out of the bag. Nonetheless, Albertans should be very weary of this unholy alliance. Big union leaders and Kevin Taft have an agenda that suits them, rather than the rights of our workforce.

In the meantime, kudos to the crew at Merit for keeping this in the spotlight.

February 27, 2008 - For Immediate Release-

Contractors Group says Union Leaders' Secret Agenda will hurt Albertans

Edmonton- Edmonton-based Merit Contractors Association of Alberta launched a second ad campaign challenging union leaders fronting the “Albertans for Change” coalition to come clean about their secret agenda for Alberta.

Merit’s campaign responds to new attack ads against the Stelmach government from the labour coalition headed up by leaders of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the Alberta Building Trades Council (ABTC).

In Edmonton, Stephen Kushner, President of Merit Contractors Association, stated, “For the first time in Alberta’s history, union leaders are aggressively spending mandatory union dues to try to unseat a provincial government with expensive American style attack ads. These ads make no mention of Alberta’s labour laws or workplaces. Merit believes union leaders have a secret hidden agenda that if implemented will not be good for Albertans.”

The Merit ads charge “Albertans for Change” is nothing more than an Albertan version of the “Working Families” special interest organization set up by Ontario union leaders to help Ontario Liberals gain power in 2003 and get re-elected in 2007.

“The payback costs in Ontario were high – especially in the construction industry,” says Kushner. After being elected, Dalton McGuinty’s government rewrote Ontario’s labour laws that, among other things, took away the right of construction workers to have a secret ballot vote on unionization elections.

The Albertans for Change ads say nothing about changing Alberta’s labour laws. However, the legislative proposals of the organizations financing the ads call for similar changes to be made in Alberta. Kushner noted, “This election is similar in tone to recent Ontario elections when labour laws were not debated. Yet, after reading the platforms of both Opposition parties, it’s clear they have bought into the union leaders demands. Albertans should know this information when they cast their ballots on March 3 and not let union leaders tell them how to vote.”

-30-

For more information, contact:
Stephen Kushner
President
Merit Contractors Association
Tel: (780) 455-5999

Bill Stewart
Vice-President
Merit Contractors Association
Tel: (780) 455-5999

A Memo to Calgary

2008-02-24T10:57:00.001-08:00

I'm still going through the Liberal "costing" document in order to exploit its many flaws. My search for an apartment in Calgary, though, has been taking priority so the previously promised debunking won't be ready for a couple of days.

I find myself thinking a lot about Calgary lately since i'll finally be home in less than a week. I've also been thinking about the situation in Calgary this election.

It has been well-reported that Calgarians are not nearly as firmly in the PC camp as they have been in past elections. It should be noted that what has been under-reported is the big blue locomotive bearing down on Edmonton that the Liberals don't even see coming, but I digress.

Calgary is a special city and Calgarians are a special lot. Given the power that the city has wielded in provincial affairs over the past decade, its understandable that there is some anxiety surrounding the new regime. What isn't understandable, however, is the rationale behind a potential shift in the colour of Calgary's electoral map.

Here, then, is a 10-point list of things I think Calgarians should remember on March 3rd:

10. The Flames and the Stampeders are the only red we need.

9. The PC team in Calgary is far more reflective of our city than any other party. To address your local priorities, you can't ask for better than Shiraz Shariff, Yvonne Fritz, Moe Amery, Manmeet Bhullar, Wayne Cao, Art Johnston, Cindy Ady, Dave Rodney, Heather Forsyth, Jonathan Denis, Ron Stevens, Alison Redford, Sean Chu, Arthur Kent, Ron Liepert, Alana Delong, Lindsay Blackett, Jennifer Diakiw, Leah Lawrence, Kyle Fawcett, Neil Brown, Teresa Woo-Paw and Len Webber.

8. Even the man formerly known as the biggest Liberal in town is now keen on Stelmach.

7. Deny it as they may, the Alberta Liberals are pretty tight with these guys. Think he understands Calgary?

6. Kevin Taft cheers for the Oilers.

5. The PC committments to Calgary are comprehensive, realistic, and properly costed.

4. Don't support the Kyoto wealth transfer scheme? Well they do.

3. The people who write the PC platform can actually do math.

2. Pissed off about royalties? Fine. Think that electing (either intentionally or by default) a bunch of people who want to make it worse will help your cause? I didn't think so.

1. I've just spent 2 years of my life being represented by socialists. I'm not moving back to Calgary only to get the same kind of malarky from people in red suits.

Finally, some Love

2008-02-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of us harping on about this election on the internet. In our ramblings, most of us will find ourselves both hitting and missing the mark... and either result is possible from the same post depending on the views of the reader.

One of the blogs i've been following is the Election Insiders on the Calgary Herald's webpage. They feature periodic (certainly not daily) musings from Tory Rod Love and Liberal Daryl Fridhandler.

I usually read Fridhandler more for entertainment than anything else since he's akin to the old Iraqi Information Minister... you know, "there is no PC lead in the polls, Kevin Taft connects with all Albertans, victory will soon be ours!"... that kinda thing.

Rod Love, on the other hand, I read regularily. Not because I agree with everything he says, either. Oddly enough, I seem to find myself disagreeing with him more than agreeing, particularily around the time when he and former PC campaign manager and MLA Marv Moore were complaining that this campaign lacked excitement... no one who had a hand in the planning and direction of the 2004 campaign can complain about boring, period.

Yesterday, though, Rod had a post that goes after the Edmonton Journal's Paula Simons (think Graham Thomson but with longer hair and glasses) for an absurd piece on the politics at play within the PC Party down in Calgary. And i'm talking ABSURD... like "people who get discounts for regular attendance at Star Trek conventions wouldn't come up with this" kind of absurd.

Anyway, Rod sets the record straight for Paula and any other conspiracy theorist out there in the media or the Liberal war room/phone booth:

Calgary Tories don't hate Ed Stelmach. Our guy lost the leadership race, Eddie won it, fair and square. We're Tories first and foremost, and we're not going to let any long-winded, red-faced, know-it-all, talk-down academic from the U of A roll down Highway 2 and tell everyone that his economic disaster is a better option for our city and our province.

Leaders Debate Live

2008-02-21T17:13:00.002-08:00

7:01pm
Mason to close: Talks about his four priorities. Appeals for voters not to stay home, but choose his party... a bit Layton "lend me your vote" esque.

Stelmach to close: Talks about a clear choice about who Albertans trust to guide this province. Does an excellent job of outlining what being a Progressive Conservative means. Asks for support for our positive plan.

Hinman to close: Talks about Albertans knowing how to spend their money better than government does. Relying heavily on notes. Talks about the WRA being the common-sense alternative.

Taft to close: Talks about a government like its people. Shoots at the 37 year reign. Wants to make history and do the job right. Ends with cheezy line about wanting to me you if you see him in the streets. Sounds like he wants to sell you a KevCo 2-in-1 potato peeler and lint brush.

I'll be back with full reflection later this evening... dinner calls.

Thanks for reading!

6:55pm
Open forum on Auto Insurance.

Taft gets in and accuses the NDP and the PCs (and Alliance) of being ideological. This is the most duplicitous answer of the entire night. Kevin Taft is standing here and lying to Albertans when he says his party wants a review and is only interested in what the consumers want. They've been pimping it in the Legislature for years. I've blogged about this before.

I've also blogged about how free-market governments can't get rid of public auto insurance... a post that Brian Mason obviously missed.

I'll admit that I completely missed Stelmach and Hinman's answers on this. I was too busy yelling at the television.

Closing remarks (and dinner) up next!

6:48pm
Graham asks Ed a question on Day Care.

Ed rehashes the previously-announced plans to deal with the issue.

Taft also calls this a crisis. Suggests that day care workers are underpaid (agreed), wants to supplement wages (Janis Tarchuk has already started down this path).

Mason is back on the notes again, its odd. He's talking about a Quebec-esque model of cheap daycare. Not sure that'll work here.

Hinman sounds like he's using talking points from the federal Choice-in-Childcare program.

Open floor now, and Taft jumps in first.

Wants to bring more people into the profession through a combination of tax credits, loan forgiveness.

Mason says that's great, but we also need to address the affordability issue when it comes to daycare.

Stelmach makes a good point about the child care tax benefit, gives props to the Feds. Talks about the action taken to address the labour shortage and the aforementioned action to close the salary gap.

Hinman is big on the social conservative line about not talking children out of the home for daycare. Doesn't want to break up families, somehow brings seniors into this.

Commercial again. Its almost over. Good thing too, dinner's cooking upstairs and i'm starting to come across as a social recluse ;)

6:42pm
Barb's question for Brian Mason about those Albertans who are living "on the edge".

A taylor-made question for Mason that's allowing him to attack us on housing, utility deregulation... shoots at Taft on the Natural Gas rebate.

Hinman talks about some good ideas on tax policy (income splitting, raise the basic exemption).

Taft wants to eliminate health premiums immediately, cut property tax for Seniors, re-regulate utilities, loses his place towards the end.

Ed's back on the speaking points. Nothing sexy here, but it covers facts and the plan.

Mason goes after the 10 year plan to end homelessness. Apparently we should be able to do it in one year. Maybe he should talk to the group in Calgary who wrote the same kind of plan.

Ed shoots back against rent controls and affirms that rent control does nothing to build new affordable housing.

Hinman takes the ideological bend and calls the rent relief program a gift, prefers to reduce taxes on Albertans.

Taft talks about economic disparity in Calgary, a good point. Wants to improve wages... but how? Moves into the idea of education as an enabler... props for stealing a good Obama line.

Ed talking about inflation-proofing the basic tax exemption.

Again back on rent control between Ed and Brian to finish.

6:31pm
Nirmala asks a question about the infrastructure woes and how much they'll spend on it.

Hinman suggests a 10 year plan. Apparently he hasn't read the 20 year Capital Plan.

Ed trots out said plan a la Stockwell again. You can tell this is an area that he understands.

Mason was reading a bit more from his notes than usual at first, he's back off now. Talks about the need to address the infrastructure defecit.

Taft says this gov't isn't short of cash. Wants a long term plan and multi-year funding. Come on over, Kev ;)

Open floor. Hinman goes back to the royalty report, trying to capitalize on voters who think the hike was too much. Suggests that we need to keep the economy booming so we can fund infrastructure.

Ed says infrastructure is an economy enabler. Another line I like. Talks about the ring roads in Edmonton and Calgary (although Calgary needs to go faster). He keeps pulling facts out of his head in a way that Ralph would NEVER have been able to.

Taft continues to blame the oilsands for our woes. At least he gets the terminology right.

Mason takes the shot at P3s that i've been waiting for.

Ed shoots back about Mason's ability to predict the past.

Hinman attacks the province's debt-elimination, oddly.

Taft says we have the money and isn't afraid to open the chequebook.

Commercial break. Thank God.

6:24pm
Kim has a question for Ed about the job losses he claims will occur under other parties' environmental plans.

Starts off talking about the details of our plan and why hard caps are a bad idea. Doesn't directly answer the question, unfortunately.

Mason talks about wind power (good), California emissions standards (hard to do in Alberta), speaks longingly of the only NDP province left in Canada.

Taft talks about getting serious on the environment about hard caps and other legislation. Wants to work with industry to try and save jobs. I won't be holding my breath.

Hinman is against hard caps, but uses the term "tarsands". Shame.

Open floor, Hinman keeps going on about working with the feds with some of the money we send them in royalties in the first place.

Taft channels Al Gore and says climate change is bearing down on us like a locomotive, suggesting we may get mowed down.

Mason is gunning for Taft on his hard cap plan. Notes that the Liberals spoke against the NDP on hard caps in the Legislature.

Taft and Mason are now going at it full bore. So much for ignoring the NDP. I also enjoy Taft's defence of the Journal.

Ed talks about what we've been doing while the opposition argues. Ed's coming back to the initial question and attacks the Liberal plan. Taft thinks he's right, Ed disagrees and disputes his figures suggesting it won't be a big deal.

6:13pm
Thomson asks about slowing down the oilsands.

Taft is saying yes, he'd slow it down. Talks about managing the speed of growth before we derail the economy. Looking forward to Ed's reaction.

Mason calls it the tarsands. You know where he REALLY stands on it given that terminology.

Hinman talks about encouraging new technologies, reads from notes about some of them. Continue development in a responsible manner.

Ed is going after Chretien's line (which I blogged about a few weeks ago :) ) about sharing the wealth, says he'll make sure our resource rights aren't being intruded on.

Open floor now, Mason asks a pointed question to Ed on what his leadership will be. Ed continues to list the accomplishments.

Taft addresses issues that we're facing as a result of resource exploration, keeps relying on the "no plan" line.

Hinman calls this an early election and suggests the PCs have damaged the economy and our reputation... suggests he'd listen more to industry.

Ed talks about all the good news we've seen since the royalty regime, so much for panic.

Brian's back on about a lack of consideration for Albertans.

Ed says Alberta is a beacon of hope and a beacon of prosperity. Its a good line, I wish he'd have trotted it out earlier.

6:07pm
Barb Higgins wants to know why the Leaders aren't connecting with Albertans.

Hinman enjoys the chance to meet Albertans.

Taft is up, not sounding bad at all this time. The claws come out again, a la Joe Clark. Still, this has been his best answer thus far... although the same can be delivered by the Premier (Charisma doesn't solve problems).

Stelmach lists accomplishments, its in line with Taft's answer.

Mason says his wife finds him charismatic, i'd agree. Mason's got the best answer on this one thus far.

Open floor now.

Taft starts talking about his team of candidates (that would be 1 short of a full slate). His speaking style seems to be channeling some cut-rate televangelist.

Mason has a good soundbyte on leadership in energy.

Stelmach is talking about thoughtful, pragmatic leadership to build a plan. Brings up royalties again, talks about being decisive.

Hinman is on a bit of a rhetorical ramble here, not much substance on this one.

6:00pm
Commercial break.

I notice a plug from Daveberta, suggest you head on over and check his out too. Somewhere between us you'll find balance ;)

5:52pm
And we're back.

Question from Kim for Taft on healthcare.

Is there a crisis?

Yes, apparently. Brings in personal story. Shots at horse racing (psst... Ralph's gone, Kev). Points his finger a bit.

Hinman talks about innovation and efficiency and the money following the patient, looking at healthcare consumers like customers.

Committed to public health system. Talks about building the system up, pulling all kinds of facts and committments out. He knows the plan.

Mason talks about training of Doctors and Nurses too, this is obviously something on everybody's minds. Good soundbytes from Mason.

Taft lists off all the places where he won't win seats. He's attacking Ed on Ralph's record again. Brian's on about bulk-buying of pharmaceuticals. Isn't big on this gov't being re-elected.

Hinman agrees with the "drug dealing", wants to encourage innovation as well. Talking about Lethbridge specifically... wonder if he's using this to campaign close to home.

Ed's on talking about the bulk-buying that's going on not just with Alberta, but BC and Saskatchewan.

Kevin hits the panic button and says that people are dying.

Apparently we stole the bulk-buying idea from the NDP. You're welcome, I guess.

5:42pm
Stelmach explains to Thomson that he can be an agent of change. Waves the 2o year plan around a la Stockwell Day, but makes his point.

Mason continues attacking both parties.

Taft needs to stop using his hands, he looks like a doofus. Tells us nothing about WHAT he'll change, just that we need it.

Hinman can teach Taft a lesson or two about hand usage, but is better than his opening statement.

70's socialist policies... EXACTLY. Ed nails it on the head and is ready to go. Brian keeps nagging on Liberals too.

Ed is now letting the opposition fight with each other. Socialists on both sides is the line, he's right.

Ed is looking great here, isn't letting the other guys faze him at all.

Brian back on the floor, going on royalties and supposed government secrecy. Ed's happy to answer.

Free debate one ends. Ed and Brian do well, Taft is weak.

5:36pm
Brian goes first, tries to paint the Liberals and Tories with the same brush.

Premier Stelmach on now. He's confident and not stumbling at all. Lists the basic priorities of the party. Good start.

Hinman starts off going after Stelmach. Is breathing kinda heavy. Sticking very heavily to the notes.

Taft is trying to be folksy. Apparently we deliver less than other provinces... that's a load of malarky. He's talking about grabbing something... maybe his shorts are wedged uncomfortably on his person.

5:30pm
The debate begins. Kevin Taft is on the far left, giving us a goofy grin. The Premier looks relaxed and confident, as does Brian Mason.

Thomson is also on the far left. How entertaining.

Format looks good.

Here we go.

Post Debate Redux

2008-02-21T17:13:00.001-08:00

Some pros and cons for each:

PC Leader ED STELMACH

Pros: Wasn't knocked off message by opposition attacks. Stayed out of the way when Brian Mason and Kevin Taft went at each other. Was sound thoroughly competent by quoting a myriad of facts and figures.

Cons: Didn't come across as a lively or dynamic speaker. Failed to answer the question about specific figures surrounding job losses resulting from Liberal and NDP platform promises on the environment. Waved around a copy of the 20 year Capital Plan... Stock taught us that lesson already.

Liberal Leader KEVIN TAFT

Pros: Retained his composure almost through the entire debate. Stayed on message and avoided getting too specific, instead choosing to focus on broad generalities. Delivers an excellent answer on the question about charisma.

Cons: Looked awkward at times using wild hand gestures, deliberately slow speech, and the goofy grin... seemed like he was trying to overcompensate for the aforementioned lack of charisma. Caught sucked into debating Brian Mason toe-to-toe.

NDP Leader BRIAN MASON

Pros: Delivered the standard NDP soundbytes like FedEx on Christmas Eve. Remained aggressive, but never over the top. Managed to lure Kevin Taft into debating him.

Cons: Used notes a bit too often. Refers to oilsands as "tarsands". Took too long to attack P3s.

Wildrose Alliance Leader PAUL HINMAN

Pros: Understood that this was a chance to introduce himself to Albertans and treated it as such. Clearly placed his party to the right of the PCs in an attempt to woo conservative voters. Repeated the main message of lower taxes and less government.

Cons: Was the least confident public speaker of the 4 on stage. Referred to notes too often, failing to look up at the camera. Went on a couple of off-topic, ideological tangents.

Its hard to pick winners and losers, but there are some key elements that the 4 leaders can be measured against.

ED STELMACH needed to show that he has a clear plan moving forward, distance himself from Ralph Klein's style of leadership, and, if not charismatic, at least not come across as socially awkward. He SUCCEEDED on all fronts.

KEVIN TAFT needed to present Albertans with less rhetoric and more detail of his plan for the province, particularily after calls for a costing of his platform. He also needed to show himself to be more confident than Stelmach and avoid being dragged down into one-on-one debate with Brian Mason. Although not noticeably worse than Stelmach, he clearly FAILED on the other two fronts.

BRIAN MASON needed to elevate the NDP to the same level as the Liberals as an option for voters by getting Kevin Taft to debate him one-on-one. He also needed to talk about some specifics of the NDP plan and keep the pressure up on Stelmach. He managed to SUCCEED on all fronts.

PAUL HINMAN needed to give Albertans a good first impression of this new party by outlining the basic guiding principles of his party. He also needed to present himself in a very competent manner to put potential WRA voters at ease. On the first front, he SUCCEEDED. On the second front, though, he still has some work to do and, thus, FAILED.

Overall, I think Premier Stelmach and Brian Mason should be happy with their performance tonight. Paul Hinman, although rough around the edges, probably did as good as someone who leads a 1-month old party can be expected to do. Kevin Taft, however, missed the big chance he had to score a victory with Alberta voters.

Huh?

2008-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

Today has been a relatively light news day on the campaign trail. Lots of post-debate reaction, but I've already said my piece on that so I didn't feel the need to repeat it. I was almost worried that I wasn't going to have much to blog about today...

... until I saw this.

The Premier describes the Liberal plan as "absurd". I couldn't agree more.

In a truly stunning display of ineptitude, Professor Taft and his crew have presented a supposed costing of their platform that accounts for LESS THAN A THIRD of their platform committments. Apparently, only telling Albertans how they're going to pay for SOME of their plans should be perfectly acceptable.

Equally absurd is the illusion that the Liberals will be able to squeeze $1.6 billion more out of government coffers by reallocating funds that are currently being spent. They contend that the Government of Alberta is rampant with waste and reallocating $1.6 billion should be a piece of cake. Of course they don't give us anywhere near $1.6 billion dollars in examples.

The Liberals still refuse to offer Albertans a fully-costed platform, instead choosing do a half-ass job of trying to paint themselves as a credible, fiscally responsible alternative. I look forward to the laughs that the words "Liberal" and "fiscally responsible" being used in the same sentence will ellicit across Alberta.

The half-ass job of painting themselves as credible and fiscally responsible, by the way, is again shown in a rambling pdf document from the Liberal website that seems to offer more in the way of excuses than an actual plan. I intend to debunk this in detail tomorrow, but one piece that did catch my eye was where they explain that their position on funding for public transit is to keep doing what Ed Stelmach and the PC Party have already started.

More on this, as I say, tomorrow.

For tonight, all I can do is shake my head and wonder if the Liberal campaign will get anymore absurd.

A pre-debate message

2008-02-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

While I was out today, I was informed that Premier Ed Stelmach and the PC Party has released a fully-costed platform. The other parties, meanwhile, have yet to provide costs on their campaign promises.

Now I personally don't expect a costed platform from the fringe parties since they don't really have the resources to do so, nor do I expect it from the NDP since they don't really understand economics anyway.

I DO, however, think that a party that believes they can form the next government would be able to give us an idea of what their promises will cost. Mind you, I also expect them to run a full slate of candidates.

Either way, I decided to let Microsoft Paint do the talking for me...

Debate night

2008-02-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Just a friendly heads-up to my loyal readers that I will be joining the team of politicos who are live blogging the debate tonight.

I'll be starting at about 6:15pm Mountain Time (that's 5:15pm here on Gordo's Carbon Tax Time) and updating regularily once the debate starts.

And, for the record, I'm not betting on anyone having a "you had an option" moment.

Facts don't sell

2008-02-18T16:54:00.003-08:00

The campaign is now at the half-way point and I must sound off on the two groups who have most dissapointed me thus far: The Liberals (Official Opposition) and the Media (Unofficial Opposition).

I'll be the first to admit that the PC campaign certainly hasn't lit many voters on fire yet, but nor has anyone else's. What we've seen coming from the Premier over the last two weeks is pretty well what I expected: a man who understands the importance of a plan talking about sensible and realistic goals for things like the environment, for improving quality of life, and for cracking down on crime.

Meanwhile, Kevin Taft gets little or no traction from the public when he talks about his party's plans to put thousands of Albertans out of work or to introduce irreversible socialist insurance.

And even though they claim to be setting the agenda, I think they know that what they propose is not what Albertans are looking for. Given this, we've seen them descend down the low road of sensationalist mud-slinging.

You'd think that it wouldn't matter much, though. If no one was paying attention when they were talking about actual issues, who'll listen as they wind down the path of irrelevance?

Enter the Alberta media.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not painting them all with the same brush... but a lot of them don't have much understanding of the Alberta electorate and mudslinging makes the job of selling "news" so much easier. When it comes to "news", facts don't sell.

Take the supposed controversy surrounding Alberta's local Returning Officers. Nevermind the fact that not a single one of them have been accused of any impropriety. Nevermind that, if fully quoted in the media, Albertans would know that Chief Electoral Officer Lorne Gibson has interviewed each and every one of those returning officers, was aware of their backgrounds, and is pleased with the work they're doing. Facts don't sell.

There's also the attack from the big labour bosses on Ed Stelmach and the PCs, a relatively new phenomenon in Alberta. Nevermind that most union members like being employed and, in Alberta, don't follow the traditional labour voting patterns. Nevermind that those same union members have no say in their dues being used to attack a party that many (if not most) of them support. Nevermind that Kevin Taft and the Liberals propose to enact legislation that will boost the power of the big union bosses but strip rights from average workers. And nevermind that, coincidentially, organized labour donated almost 3 times as much to the Alberta Liberals as they did to the NDP in the 2004 election. Facts don't sell.

We could also take a look at the media's visits to my hometown of Fort McMurray last week. The Global/Journal/Herald election bus rolled north last Monday (4 days before the Premier was visiting) and filed a series of largely irrelevant stories that drew the ire of some local residents. Later that week, the media van followed the Premier's bus north to the Oilsands City... well except the CBC, of course, who chose to spend our tax dollars flying up and then complained about the weather and their accomodations. Again, the stories filed from Fort McMurray were pretty irrelevant and didn't seem to put much effort into talking to the incumbent MLA or members of his rather sizeable campaign team. They did manage to come up with an anonymous quote supposedly coming from a bureaucrat in Guy's department, though. To be fair, the only candidate who got any face time in the media (Liberal Ross Jacobs) didn't exactly get exposure on the important things like his background or what his issues are. All in all it was the standard drive-by reportage that McMurrayites have come to expect from the out-of-town media. As usual, facts don't sell.

Even at the beginning of the campaign, we got a taste that this was probably coming. On the very day the writ was dropped, a couple of Liberal candidates told a reporter that their Tory opponents (both incumbents) had suggested to them that "This is not your time [in politics]. The men added that the women's time might be better spent at home with their school-aged children." I brought it up on this very blog and identified the semi-anonymous Liberals as Aman Gill and Nancy Cavanaugh (they're the only two Liberal women in Edmonton running against PC incumbents). No follow up on the story, of course. Perhaps a bit of friendly help in tarnishing the reputations of Messrs. Zwozdesky and Hancock, or Tories in general? I know its completely unrealistic to think that the Mother Corp. would be colluding with Liberals. And yet no pursuit of this supposed story. I suspect the facts were more likely to embarass the Liberal accusers, but facts don't sell.

In the absence of substantive debate (and even sometimes in spite of it), it is sensationalist drivel that the media will report and they're lapping up everything coming from the Liberals like thirsty dogs in front of a bowl of water.

So where am I going with all this?

I'm saying that, although the media complains that this election has been pretty boring, I think they probably know why.

They probably know that Albertans are looking for change, but not radical and irresponsible change.

They probably know that Albertans don't appreciate being talked to like idiots who should listen to what the President of the Faculty Club has to say.

They probably know that Albertans don't believe, nor do they appreciate the insinuation, that the democracy that they have participated in all their lives is akin to a third-world banana republic.

Those are facts. But, as we know, facts don't sell.

There is a fact that will sell, though:

Albertans know that the team of 83 people running for PC Alberta is the most diverse and most experienced group to lead this province forward.

From small business owners to municipal leaders, from young professionals to retired educators, from internationally renowned human rights advocates to labour leaders, from doctors to family farmers to environmental activists, PC candidates deliver the most broad and accurate reflection of everyday Alberta.

They aren't afraid to back out of a debate on short hours notice like Liberal Craig "Changed My Mind" Cheffins in Calgary Elbow.

And they damn sure aren't going to run in a constituency they've never even been to, unlike the recently withdrawn Liberal nominee for Peace River.

Sensationalist non-stories aside, most Albertans still believe the PCs present the best option to represent their local and provincial interests in the Legislature.

It may not be a fact that sells with the media or the Liberals, but its a fact that I think most Albertans will be sold on come March 3rd.

On insurance, the Bell is only half-rung

2008-02-18T16:54:00.002-08:00

A comment from yesterday's post returns me to the issue of public auto insurance and specifically looks for reaction to Rick Bell's most recent column on the issue.

Gladly.

Rick is absolutely correct when he talks about the follies of the reforms introduced a few years back. They were poorly concocted half-measures that failed to deliver the changes necessary to the system.

Where he falls off the rails, though, is when he stands up for the alternative though his assertions that other jurisdictions with pro-business governments haven't scrapped their public auto insurance systems.

Saskatchewan recently came to their senses and turfed the NDP. Rick gave a quick call to Ian Hanna, a high ranking official in the office of Premier Brad Wall. Mr. Hanna explains to Rick that the SaskParty had promised not to privatize Saskatchewan's plethora of socialist-born Crown Corporations because Saskatchewan residents are overwhelmingly in favour of them. Why this comes as a surprise to Rick Bell is beyond me.

Saskatchewan is the cradle of Canadian socialism and their crown corporations are a sacred cow... not for any sound reason, but simply because they have always been there. Talking about privatizing crown corporations in Saskatchewan tends to breed the same kind of overheated rhetoric we see on the national stage whenever the talk of private medicine arises.

Brad Wall and the SaskParty aren't saying they don't want to get rid of the crown corporations (including Saskatchewan Government Insurance), they're saying that doing so would be akin to knocking down all the statues of Tommy Douglas.

In British Columbia, ICBC was brought in under NDP Premier Dave Barrett in 1973. When ICBC was introduced, the private insurace companies lost millions of dollars. Upon the Social Credit Party's return to power, it was expected that ICBC would be dismantled and BC would see a return to private auto insurance.

Fast forward to 1975 and consider this from the point of view of those private insurers. Your collosal financial losses caused by an NDP government legislating you out of business are still fresh in your mind. A new Social Credit government is hoping to return the system to the way it was and allow you back into business. The short-term prospects are good, but it has now been proven that BC is prepared to elect an NDP government... one that would undoubtedly shut you down and repeat those financial losses that you suffered through only a few years ago. Any sane businessperson in that situation would be saying "thanks, but no thanks".

The absolute best piece I have come across on the insurance issue thus far comes courtesy of a recent edition of the Edmonton Journal's Lej Out Loud podcast. Provincial affairs writer Archie McLean interviewed former MLA and soon-to-be MP Brent Rathgeber, a pivotal figure in the insurance debates from a few years back. I was on Brent's side of the debate then and am pleased that his arguments against the reforms were not in vain.

One more brief note on this subject.

I have been taken to task by a few Liberals who say that the Alberta Liberal position is to study public auto insurance, but not necessarily to adopt it. If there's anyone out there who buys that, I've got some oceanfront property in Oyen to sell them.

About a week ago, Kevin Taft and the Liberals changed their messaging to talk about "studying" public auto insurance. Before that, stretching all the way back to the initial debates on the issue back in 2003, the Liberal line was all about "introducing" public auto insurance. A quick search through Alberta Hansard or cached webpages on Google confirms this.

So the new Liberal position on "studying" as opposed to "introducing" public auto insurance indicates one of two things:

1. They've looked more closely at public insurance and are seeing that its not the golden solution they once thought it was.

or

2. They're lying.

Either way, they shouldn't be taken seriously.

Redmonton no more?

2008-02-18T16:54:00.001-08:00

This morning I talked about how the Liberals are running scared in Edmonton. I've been on the phone with a lot of friends who are working on various campaigns in the Capital City and they echo the sentiments they're hearing at the door... Edmontonians are very open to Ed Stelmach and the message of the PC Party. A poll done for the Edmonton Journal seems to confirm this, showing a 16-point lead in the Edmonton area for Premier Stelmach.

The most telling indication that the tides are turning in Edmonton, though, landed in my inbox about 20 minutes ago when I was emailed the results of a poll done in Kevin Taft's own constituency of Edmonton Riverview.

The ever-diligent Ken Chapman also has these results posted on his blog, but they're worth repeating.

A simple, 3 question poll was conducted among 1037 residents of Edmonton Riverview between February 18th and 19th. The poll was conducted by Neil Mackie of Ivrnet Technology Services.

The questions and their responses are as follows:

Q1. Are you planning to vote in the next provincial election?

Yes 93%
No 7%

Q2. Which of the following issues will be most important in helping you decide your vote?

Affordable Housing 15%
Environment 26%
Crime and Justice 18%
Health Care 41%

Q3. If you were to vote today, which of the following parties would you vote for?

Green Party 5%
Alberta Liberal 35%
Wild Rose Alliance Party 5%
Progressive Conservative 28%
NDP 7%
Undecided 19%

These results are, frankly, stunning.

Kevin Taft won Edmonton Riverview in 2004 with 65% of the vote compared to 22% for his PC rival.

In the 3 1/2 years since, the residents of Edmonton Riverview have seen their MLA on TV, on the radio, and in the newspapers almost daily in his capacity as Leader of the Official Opposition. This has provided them an unusual ability to review the performance of their MLA. The results are not flattering.

Based on this poll, nearly HALF of those may have voted for Kevin Taft in 2004 are reconsidering that choice.

Of course, undecided isn't an option on the ballot and in order to capitalize on the voters who have yet to make a firm decision, candidates will have to work hard to address the issues that Riverview residents are most concerned with. It is clear, though, that Riverview residents are no longer solidly behind an MLA who has been more concerned with scandal fabrication and selling his books than with the real everyday concerns of his constituency.

So for those who are no longer sold on Kevin Taft's representation, where will they turn?

Enter Wendy Andrews.

I have known Wendy through PC Alberta for a number of years. She has been an active member of our party both in Edmonton Riverview and on a broader pan-provincial level. Whether it be at a policy conference, a chance meeting in an airport, or through her blog, I always enjoy hearing Wendy's perspectives on the issues of the day. She is, indeed, an exceptional mind within the PC Party.

What impresses me most about Wendy is her determination in what may otherwise be viewed as the face of adversity. Often in political parties, the local party associations in areas held by Leaders of other parties tend to be rather lethargic, inactive groups who exist more for a presence rather than to affect real change. Not pcRiverview.

Under Wendy's leadership, the PC Association in Edmonton Riverview has been a real player in developing policy within our party. They have also been steadfast in communicating with Riverview residents to find out what their issues are and how they can best be addressed. It would seem this work is paying off.

Like I say, there is a lot of work to be done. The poll still puts us 7 points behind Kevin with less than two weeks to go. Given that Wendy has already grown the PC brand by 6 points and has seen her opponent drop 30 points from the last election, this is very much within reach.

I, for one, would find it exceptionally amusing if Kevin Taft's overtures to Calgary end up costing him his own seat.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

2008-02-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

There was some talk a while back on another blog about election signage. In addition to the reasonable and interesting debate, there was the usual "Tories are evil" post about a plethora of supposedly illegal PC signs in Edmonton.

Now how does that saying about glass houses go...?

Courtesy of a faithful reader in Edmonton, it seems that there are a number of rather blatant violations of Edmonton's signage by-law coming from Liberal Bharat Agnihotri's campaign in Edmonton Ellerslie.

You may remember Bharat as the man who got himself ejected from the Alberta Legislature for failing to understand the rules. I'm noticing a pattern here.

Edmonton's sign by-law when it comes to the placement of signs on public property is pretty clear. In addition to rules about distance from the road and non-placement on certain limited access roads, there is a very clear rule (pursuant to Section 1210(1) of Traffic Bylaw 5590, Schedule XII, Part C) that states: "EACH SIGN SHALL HAVE A MAXIMUM SIGN FACE OF 0.6 METRES WIDE BY 1.0 METRES HIGH".

For those like myself who aren't great with conversion factors, that would be roughly 2 feet by 3 feet.

Imagine the surprise when, surrounded by Naresh Bhardwaj (PC) and Marilyn Assheton-Smith (NDP) signage of legal dimensions, Bharat Agnihotri had his crew plunk down enormous 4 foot by 8 foot signs on public property at:

23rd Avenue and 66th Street...

23rd Avenue and 91st Street...

and another public location (unidentfied by the photographer)

Word on the street in Ellerslie is that Agnihotri is running scared. It seems his poor performance as an MLA, combined with a supurb opponent and the PC's rising popularity in Edmonton are making for quite the race in this suburban seat.

Wonder what he'll do with all those illegal signs?

Kinda busy... more later

2008-02-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the silence over the last few days. Between moving and, well, moving I haven't been near a computer much.

That's still the case, but I thought I would share something a friend sent to me that sums up my thoughts from the last few days perfectly:

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Bell_Rick/2008/02/16/4851176-sun.ph

Have a nice weekend everyone!

I guess they're all out buying flowers and chocolate

2008-02-14T14:59:00.000-08:00

A fair heads-up: Today appears to be a pretty slow news day, so this post is going to be a pretty disjointed collection of ramblings.

-I know you all visit for provincial news, but it seems a federal election will soon be upon us and I just (literally as I was putting this post together) received some excellent news on that front from Central Alberta.

Many of you many know that Red Deer MP Bob Mills has chosen not to seek re-election. Given that Red Deer has a pretty solid history of conservatism, you know there will be some fine candidates stepping up to the plate.

With that in mind, meet Earl Dreeshen.

I first got to know the Dreeshen family during my time as President of the PC Youth of Alberta. Although I don't get to see them often (mainly conventions), I can tell you that this man is a solid example of everything we should be looking for in a Member of Parliament. He is a dedicated servant to his community and, together with his wonderful wife Judy, has raised two exceptional young Albertans.

If I lived in the Red Deer riding, I can tell you that I would be 100% devoted to seeing Earl succeed in his quest to secure the Conservative nomination. Since I don't, the best I can do is encourage any of you who may live in the federal riding of Red Deer to support Earl. Visit his website, become a supporter on Facebook, buy a Conservative membership and, most importantly, vote for Earl Dreeshen as your next MP. You won't regret it.

-Back on the provincial scene, the Premier came out and announced some important measures to tackle crime in our province. I think this is an underlying issue that may not be making headlines in this campaign, but is something that is definetly on people's minds. I expect reaction to be very positive.

-Don Braid has a piece in today's Herald about Kevin Taft's Big Cities Charter for Edmonton and Calgary falling on deaf ears. It seems that poor Kev can't get a break, doesn't it?

In Calgary, the one man that the Liberals thought they could count on is pretty firmly in the blue camp this election. Up in Edmonton, reaction has been relatively mute.

Perhaps its because their proposed charter doesn't really address the unique circumstances that Edmonton faces with its many surrounding municipalities. I think we'd all hate to see some of this important work made redundant by taking partners away from the table, rather than bringing them together.

-I like Todd Babiak. I find that I usually disagree with him on everything, but he comes across as less smug than his colleague Graham "this IS a smile" Thomson. Perhaps its because Todd DOES smile in his photo... who knows?

Poor Todd, though, isn't on much of a roll these days. He's on the CanWest Election Bus this week and the first stop was Fort McMurray. His piece from my hometown seemed a little disjointed and certainly raised the ire of at least one proud McMurrayite.

Today he blogs about his disbelief that, despite the concerns he's heard from Alberta voters, Albertans are still pretty solid behind the PC Party. This kind of simplistic view shows a lack of understanding of what compels Albertans to vote the way they do. It also shows the media's unwillingness to examine what it is about our opposition parties that is failing to attract the attention of voters.

The good news for journalists, though, is that there's still over half the campaign left. Time to check that disbelief at the door and start digging for some real answers.

-Speaking of people who don't seem to understand Albertans, I noticed a new video of Kevin Taft on the front page of the Liberal website.

Apparently the Liberal war room/phone booth have had their fill of Kool Aid and have bought wholeheartedly into the notion that the more Kevin talks, the more people will like him. I think that's ridiculous and look forward to being proven right on E-day, but I digress.

There's a line that Kevin says that I actually had to rewind and listen again to make sure I got it right.

He actually suggests that Alberta has been the "black sheep of confederation".

If he thinks that that kind of attitude, one that is clearly ashamed of our history and lectures us to smarten up, will win him any votes he'll be in for a mighty shock on March 3rd.

Warning: Rant Ahead

2008-02-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Three items I want to address today, two of which can be qualified as rants.

1. MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY

I said in my first election post that bloggers have a duty to hold the mainstream media to account as well our opponents. Talk about foreshadowing.

The overblown controversy about Returning Officers who have done NOTHING wrong is a prime example of the sensationalist bloodhounds in the media choosing to sell a story rather than take either facts or common decency into account.

Two media outlets specifically draw my ire.

The Edmonton Sun's Jeremy Loome wrote an article that attributes negative comments about outgoing Liberal MLA Maurice Tougas and current Liberal candidate Debbie Cavaliere to the riding's returning officer, Allie Wojtaszek. The comments referenced in the article were in fact made by me on this very blog at the tail end of a post entitled "Taylor crosses the line". The post was written on November 22nd, one day before the comments were quoted on Allie's blog.

The CBC's story in Alberta Votes 2008, though, is even more disturbing. To their credit, the text of their story is factually accurate. What bothers me, though, is that they don't hesitate to post a link to Allie's webpage. This is an invitation from the CBC to any and all to find all about this woman's family, where they live, what her children look like, etc. The photos relevant to the Liberals' character smear are already embedded in the story. A link to her personal website is entirely irrelevant and is an extremely irresponsible use of journalistic freedoms (not to mention our tax dollars).

Journalists aren't like bloggers. They are PAID to report facts and exercise their duties with great caution and responsibility. Sadly, some of them are failing on that front. What's worse is that apathetic viewers and readers may not even realize it.

2. AUTO INSURANCE

Specifically, public auto insurance.

I HATE public auto insurance.

To be fair and honest, I disagree with what the government did with insurance a few years back. I think that tinkering with the system was an overly reactionary measure that prevented what would have been a natural correction in the market.

That being said, I can tell you first hand that public auto insurance is much, MUCH worse than what we have now.

I've been living in BC and had the misfortune of being an ICBC customer for almost 2 years. Let me tell you, Kevin Taft, that people in BC do NOT love their auto insurance system.

Yes, ICBC is cheaper for those who choose to accept only minimum coverage and for young drivers. That is a result of the socialist principles that drive public auto insurance. (And, before I get jumped on for being a blind ideologue, allow me to point out that public auto insurance has been introduced by socialist governments in each province that has the system.)

ICBC, however, is of no benefit for those who have had a lifetime of good driving. ICBC's good driver discount pales in comparison to what private insurers offer to their low-risk customers. My father, whose insurance DOUBLED when he and my mother moved to British Columbia, is a prime example. His grossly inflated premiums are paying to subsidize inexperienced and high-risk drivers who do not have the higher premiums that, in the private system, act as a natural deterrent for bad driving habits.

ICBC is also of no benefit to those of us who understand the value of proper insurance coverage and choose to put more than just the bare minimum on our vehicles. I can again use my father as an example... there is a vehicle in his garage that ICBC refuses to cover for its full value. I cannot fathom the rationale for refusing to cover the full value for someone with a spotless driving record over 40 years. Perhaps the system can't afford too many payouts like that.

I can actually believe that public auto insurers refuse full coverage for expensive vehicles because of the cost of payouts. ICBC is notorious for the excessive bureaucracy and denial or reduction of claims. I have yet to meet anyone here who has had a positive experience with a claim at ICBC.

And yet, Kevin Taft and Brian Mason continue to pimp public auto insurance as the solution to all our insurance woes. They even get Ralph Nader-esque interest groups to back up their assertions. We expect this kind of talk from Brian Mason... after all, public everything is a staple of the NDP. But why is Kevin Taft a proponent of public auto insurance?

My bet is that this is the issue that finally exposes him and his party for the NDP-lite that they are. Although they've managed to convince themselves that they're a reasonable alternative to the PCs, policies like this prove otherwise.

The right thing to do is to follow the Judge's orders and remove the cap on soft-tissue injuries, then re-examine the private insurance system to bring it back in line with other jurisdictions that use the private system. I'm hoping that my party can be convinced to do this.

I also know from experience, though, that the ABSOLUTELY WRONG thing to do is to listen to Kevin Taft and Brian Mason and bring in public auto insurance. It would be a reactionary and, more importantly, an irreversible mistake.

3. CONSTITUENCY PROFILES

Now that the rants are out of the way, I thought I would give kudos to Daveberta and the Enlightened Savage for their ongoing series of constituency profiles.

Of particular interest to me have been Dave's profile on Edmonton Calder and E.S.'s profile on Calgary Currie... Calder because I ran GOTV for the PCs there in 2004 and Currie because I used to work for its former MLA.

The constituency with which I am most familiar, obviously, is Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. I consider myself to be a friend of both the incumbent PC MLA and his Liberal opponent and will be watching this race with great interest. Given the importance of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region to the provincial economy, i've decided to do a similar style of profile on Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo a little further along in the campaign. Stay tuned.

McCarthyism, Liberal-style

2008-02-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well the witchhunt is apparently on and Kevin Taft is leading the charge.

His latest bone of contention is that 4 of Alberta's 83 Returning Officers have PC activity in their past or are married to a PC volunteer. Freedom of association apparently doesn't apply to tories in Kevin's world.

The job of a Returning Officer is an important one. They require exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Moreover, they must remain calm in the face of the hectic campaigns going on around them.

Even though Kevin Taft admits he has absolutely no evidence to suggest that any of his accusees have performed their duties in anything but a highly competent manner, he is still calling for their resignations in his typically petulant, professorial fashion.

Returning Officers must do their duties in an entirely impartial manner, of that we can all be in complete agreement. But to suggest that those who may have a partisan past are unqualified for these positions is short sighted.

Look at Judges, for example. Their positions require total impartiality given the exceptional responsibilities entrusted to them. Yet if you look into a Judge's pre-judicial past, you'll likely find some kind of partisan activity. I think specifically of a good friend of my family, Mr. Justice Adam Germain.

Mr. Germain serves on the Court of Queen's Bench and has a plethora of important and impartial decisions to make every day. I know him to be an exceptional man who holds his responsibilities in the highest moral regard.

As fate would have it, he was also my Liberal MLA from 1993 to 1997. Given this, there is an entire 4 years of Hansard recording his interventions and opinions expressed on a variety of topics in the Alberta Legislature. He was also a candidate for the provincial Liberal leadership and, subsequently, a federal Liberal candidate in 1997. A partisan past indeed.

Surely Mr. Taft would hold Judges to the same standard as mere Returning Officers. Based on Kevin Taft's standards, Mr. Germain would not be fit to hold such a high position requiring impartiality (that is unless Liberals are exempt, but I doubt that).

And yet we see Mr. Justice Germain and countless other members of the bench with similar backgrounds serving our justice system every day. They're there because we recognize that, above their respective histories, they possess exceptional ability to make sound, rational, and impartial decisions in service to the people of Alberta.

It is this high standard upon which I believe our Returning Officers are chosen, rather than Kevin Taft's McCarthy-esque PC witchhunt.

The Premier is right to ignore the Liberal rambling and mud-slinging. It is beneath him and, moreover, a waste of Albertans' time.

If its Monday, i'm still stuck on the Island

2008-02-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

You'll have to forgive the title of this post. Some context for those new readers who may not know: i'm in the process of moving from Victoria back to Alberta. I'm packed up with all of my worldly possessions loaded onto the moving truck. I was supposed to leave on Wednesday of last week, but I remain on Vancouver Island because of the closure of the Coquihalla Highway. Its getting a little annoying to say the least.

Anyway, back to the issues at hand...

Many of us believe that, if they really wanted to be competitive in this election, the Liberals would totally ignore their fellow lefties in the NDP. And, while they claim to be doing so, it appears as though they're more worried about NDP competition than they let on. Kevin Taft is seen to be taking aim at Brian Mason in the media, and the Liberals #1 blogger dedicates an entire post to slamming their supposedly "irrelevant" opposition.

(As an aside while we're on the topic of irrelevant politicians, is anyone out there surprised by this?)

I can understand that the Liberals are worried about the effect the NDP may have on their voters, particularily in their red fortress of Edmonton. The way things are going, though, it may end up being a moot point given that there are serious cracks appearing in Liberal support in the Capital.

Meanwhile today, the Premier showed that he's not about to back down in the face of criticism as he was launching a common-sense green plan to help consumers reduce their energy consumption.

If the protester thought he was going to knock the Premier off message, he was sorely mistaken. Its a taste of Ed Stelmach's ability to stand up for what he believes in, and something I look forward to seeing showcased during the Leader's Debate in a few weeks time.

How much?

2008-02-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

If you paid attention to only the mainstream media, you might think that the PCs were the only campaign with a rough start this week. Thankfully, it seems that the newsroom sensationalists are beginning to realize that we're taking this campaign seriously and, thus, maybe they should be covering it as such.

Given this, I expect we'll be hearing a lot more about Kevin Taft's ongoing campaign of error.

The CBC's Scott Dippel has an excellent piece in Reporters Notebook (arguably my favourite MSM campaign feature) about the ongoing practice of recalling news releases by the Liberals. These recalls aren't just to deal with typos. In the latest one, they eliminated the immediacy of funding for a new hospital in Medicine Hat and completely removed mention of the police college in Fort McLeod.

My first thought was that maybe they're recalling these releases so that Taft can read them first. Apparently this isn't the case because, in Hinton today, he was completely blindsided at a news conference by a question about a policy on urban aboriginal health centres. This might not be so astounding if the blindside didn't come at a news conference DEDICATED TO ABORIGINAL ISSUES.

What's worse is that, when the Liberals do finally get their story straight, its pretty bad news for Albertans. Liberal Environment Critic and Kyoto champion David Swann has finally costed their proposal for a hard cap on emissions at 1 billion dollars a year. That's billion... with a "b". Naturally, some of us are wondering exactly what the Liberals propose to do for the hundreds of thousands of Albertans whose jobs are in jeopardy under the Liberal plan?

Its becoming painfully clear that, while the Premier and the PC Party are ready and able to campaign on the Stelmach government's record, the Liberals are running on nothing more than a campaign of "the big bad tories have been in power too long and you should all smarten up and vote for us". Even worse, they've clearly taken no consideration on the economic consequences of their shoddy platform.

It seems that, after a rough start by everybody, the media is now on notice that we're ready and willing to fight this election. I think that over the next few weeks this campaign will become a lot more focused on the policies of all the parties. If and when that happens, Kevin Taft and the Liberals should be mighty worried.

Next time, I'll use an asterisk

2008-02-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

It seems as though my declaration that "A Liberal is a Liberal" was a bit too broad a stroke for some.

It has been correctly pointed out that, in my previous blog life, I listed the BC Liberals under "Teams I like". The BC Liberals, as with the Parti Liberal du Quebec, are slightly different characters. I probably should have made this caveat, but will plead that the omission of clarity was the result of the late hour and my rather stranded nature as highways all over the BC Interior remain closed.

Going into the details about the BC and Quebec Liberal Parties would hardly be of interest to most of you who are here to read my perspective on the Alberta election. Suffice to say, they are both unique coalitions fused out of a common purpose (in BC, to stop the socialists... in Quebec, to stop the separatists). I will point out, though, that these coalitions are beginning to break apart and are again starting to separate Liberals from Conservatives.

Either way, its a moot point because the Liberals in Alberta are hardly a coalition to stop the socialists... some of us argue that they ARE the socialists (or at least pretty close, anyway). This brings me to something else I wanted to address.

I was completely bewildered when I read that a former aide to Preston Manning is supporting his local Liberal candidate in this election. Ron Wood's justification is that the Stelmach crew are spending too much money. While i'll agree that the latest round of funding announcements are not a way for the PCs to endear themselves to hard fiscal hawks, I will challenge anybody who argues against the necessity of these investments.

He goes further, though, and suggests that he believes the Liberals share his fiscally conservative views. Two words:

GET. REAL.

I could buy that argument if it was coming from him in 1993 and he was speaking of the Decore edition of the Alberta Liberal Party. This, however, is definetly not the same party and Kevin Taft damn sure isn't Laurence Decore.

Taft has been making even wilder promises than the PCs have. What's worse is that he's been making them without any price tags attached. Perhaps Mr. Wood wasn't aware of this since the MSM has essentially chosen to give Taft a free ride when it comes to explaining how he'll pay for his fairy tales (an interesting topic that i'll probably get into later in the campaign, but that is being discussed over at the Enlightened Savage).

At any rate, I think the debate over the fiscal promises of the PCs is fair game. But to suggest that the Liberals are better on this file is absurd.

IN OTHER NEWS

A few quick things I want to mention:

-Congratulations to Daveberta on his impressive trio from the 2007 Canadian Blog Awards. I voted for Dave, particularily in the Best Blogosphere Citizen because of his foresight in buying edstelmach.ca. While I think that the matter should now be put to rest, he certainly raised everyone's awareness about the importance of being on top of the web game politically.

-I was pleased to see that, at today's good news announcement, Premier Stelmach was given some specific program benefits and costs to mention along with the general details. This will be an important practice to continue, especially as the Liberals continue to avoid attaching a price tag to their promises.

-His chest-thumping rhetoric aside, I think Brian Mason has proposed an interesting idea. I'm not adverse to the argument that, since organizations (corporations, unions, whatever) can't vote, they shouldn't be able to influence through political donations. It seems to work reasonably well at the federal level. An important part of the debate, though, would be whether or not public funds would be directed on a per-vote basis to parties as they are federally. Still, kudos to Brian (or is it Bill?) for raising a relevant issue.

-Anyone else wonder how this has gone largely unreported?

The ghost of Liberals past

2008-02-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

It seems as though i'm being called out by a few of my more Liberal readers. Some may wonder if my silence thus far today meant I had nothing to say. To them I simply offer that they obviously don't know me that well ;)

This issue i'm being called out for comment on is the supposedly startling revelation that an order-in-council was passed before the election that would have the new lobbying rules come into effect on April 1st. The proposed changes would see the minimum cooling off period for potential lobbyists increase from 6 months to 1 year. The Liberals, naturally, have raised a holy stink about this.

You may all be surprised to think that this really isn't a big deal. Not because i'm a "tory insider" would stands to benefit, but because I really think that raising a battle cry over a 6 month difference is like splitting hairs.

I do find it interesting that some Liberals balk about former government folks lobbying for private auto insurance and the oil companies. We all know that the Liberals aren't too keen on either of these industries, but do they ever consider that other sectors lobby government? Education, the Arts, and a plethora of other causes find reason to lobby government... gonna go after them too? Of course not. Its more evidence of these Liberal double-standards that clearly identify the sectors that they're going after in this campaign.

Mind you, it may all have been an attempt at a clever diversion from Taft's latest campaign blunder. That's right folks... the Liberal redbook for Alberta is so bad that even the Leader didn't bother reading it.

Speaking of redbooks that aren't worth reading, Jean Chretien was in Edmonton today. He told a crowd at the U of A (including, i'm sure, quite a few friendly provincial Liberals) that Alberta should share more of its wealth with the rest of Canada.

Perhaps Chretien forgets that Alberta already sends more oil revenue to Ottawa than we keep in our own coffers. And perhaps Chretien also forgets that we might not need to be propping up so many other provinces if his government had actually done some proactive things to help supplement and eventually replace aging industries (Ontario, this means you).

When asked, Chretien also said he got along well with former Premier Ralph Klein until "we had a problem on Kyoto". I can only assume that the problem was that his government signed the treaty and then proceeded to do nothing on the file while simultaneously failing to address the ramifications that would have been thrust upon the nation's most successful economy.

Still, Chretien's visit serves as an important reminder for Albertans.

Liberals are Liberals.

They can dress themselves up differently, throw up prefixes on the party name, and ramble on about being separate from their federal counterparts, but they're the same. They share volunteers, donors, and ideas.

Liberals are Liberals, folks. And in recent history, that hasn't been very good for Alberta.

Half-measures and Double-standards

2008-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

While Premier Stelmach was busy proposing sensible policies that will help some of the most vulnerable people in our society, Kevin Taft and the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight were busy trying to play policy twister with two left feet.

This morning in Calgary, Taft and Dave Taylor found themselves once again harping on about rent controls. Comrades Taft and Taylor propose a two-year cap on rent hikes of 10% a year, then, as Taylor says, they'd get rid of the program.

So exactly what are they going to do when their program ends and landlords start raising rents again to make up for the 2-year cap?

My personal theory is that after 2 years of a Liberal government (shudder), the demand for housing in Alberta would be drastically lower than it is today. Perhaps the Liberals have started to realize this... but I doubt it.

Seriously though, there are plenty of tools to deal with skyrocketing rents without resorting to such drastic interventionism... particularily when, as the Liberals propose, the interventionist measures are repealed causing the market to undergo an adjustment even more drastic than the current increases.

Moving north, Taft rolled on up to Edmonton this afternoon to talk about items in his Capital City manifesto... er... agenda.

Among his proposals is an item that would bring 500 new faculty members and 2500 new Graduate students to the University of Alberta.

Not a bad idea, admittedly. But, given the Liberal harping about the Premier's proposals to graduate more students in the medical and health science fields, isn't it a bit hypocritical to then go and announce an even bigger boost?

Random thoughts from Day 1

2008-02-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

GETTING THINGS DONE

Shameless theft of federal campaign slogans aside, it was nice to see the Premier start the campaign off on the right track with a major announcement on Health Care.

This announcement builds on the recent announcement of major investments in health sciences research in Alberta. This is clearly a priority for the Premier and our party. Given that Albertans continue to rate health care as a top concern, I suspect they'll be pleased with the PC's committment and forward-thinking on this issue.

MEANWHILE IN "MAYBE WE SHOULD GET WORKING ON THAT" LAND

Liberal Leader Kevin Taft today announced that he would change the resource royalty formula to go easier on natural gas producers and harder on the oilsands. We all know that Kevin Taft and the Liberals want to re-increase royalties, but this new scheme seems confusing. So confusing, in fact, that even Kevin himself admits he doesn't really know how to tweak royalties to his satisfaction.

He also suggests that the lower rates for natural gas companies would only be "until the storm passes" and that "it means going a little harder on the oilsands". These would be the same oilsands that are already in the process of renegotiating their royalties.

And what of these temporary lower rates for gas producers? Who decides when the "storm" passes? What will their rates become when said storm passes? This seems to breed uncertainty and is particularily ironic given that he announced it as part of the Liberals' "Calgary Agenda"... a city that places some importance in stability and predictability in the oil and gas business.

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT HE HAD GONE AWAY...

... Graham Thomson comes storming back with his column for Team Red in the Edmonton Journal. In a column entitled "Tories stumble out of the starting gate", Graham starts off by remarking that the Tories inadvertently created controversy by calling the election on the 3rd anniversary of the tragedy at Mayerthorpe.

Controversy, that is, in the eyes of certain media types. Real people, including the Mayor of Mayerthorpe, don't think its an issue.

Conveniently, he forgets about the disastrous start that the Liberals had. Perhaps that wasn't in the memo from the Liberal war room/phone booth.

Either way, its awfully early to be grasping at straws.

AL GORE INVENTED IT... YOU'D THINK LIBERALS WOULD BE BETTER AT IT

Dan Arnold over at the Calgary Grit takes a shot at the PC's internet game because a spokesperson couldn't remember the term "social networking" off the top of her head.

If I were the Liberals, I would be less worried about a spokesperson's web-savvy and more concerned about their own lacklustre website.

The election has now been on for well over 24 hours and we've seen only a minor change in the layout of the Liberal's homepage.

They're still missing info on some of their candidates. Hard to make an informed choice with no information, don't ya think?

The pictures across the top change every time the page is refreshed and don't identify the caucus members' whose photos come up on the banner. Last time I checked, candidate photos aren't on the ballot.

They seem to rely heavily on youtube videos of Kevin Taft... as if hearing Kevin speak is going to inspire voters to mark a ballot for the Liberals.

And the scheme is generally uninspiring and particularily sad since Brian Mason and the NDP have managed to come up with something MUCH better.

I, of course, am very impressed with the PC Alberta campaign website. The clean, modern look, the plethora of easily-navigable information, and the connections to the aforementioned social networking are signs that this isn't your parents' PC campaign anymore.

Incidentally, i've also been impressed with a number of individual PC candidates' websites. Namely, the websites for Rob Anderson (Airdrie-Chestermere), Wendy Andrews (Edmonton Riverview), Kyle Fawcett (Calgary North Hill), Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley-Calmar), Raj Sherman (Edmonton Meadowlark), Greg Weadick (Lethbridge West) all caught my eye for one reason or another.

Late additions

2008-02-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

There was an attempt from the Liberals to make political hay yesterday with the fact that two ridings were still missing PC candidates.

Nobody noticed because they were wrong.

The Premier appointed candidates to fill gaps in Edmonton Strathcona and Calgary Montrose. I'm particularily pleased not only because he chose two people under 30 which highlights the diversity of the PC team, but also because I know both of these fine appointees.

T.J. Keil, who was unsuccessful in his bid for the nomination in Highlands-Norwood, gets to fly the party colours in Edmonton Strathcona. As I've said before, T.J. is an outstanding young conservative with limitless energy. As a recent U of A grad, he's sure to bring a different perspective on an important issue for the voters in his constituency. Edmonton Strathcona is traditionally a three-way race and home to a Conservative MP. That T.J. has the Premier's confidence is a testament to both his abilities and his future in our party.

Down in Calgary Montrose, I was thrilled to see my friend Manmeet Bhullar chosen to carry the torch. There's no question that there has been some upheaval in the Montrose organisation. To mount an effective campaign to elect a PC MLA requires someone with enthusiasm and the ability to unify. Manmeet is, without question, the man for the job. He is a top notch organizer, an outstanding member of his community, and undoubtedly ready for the job.

I look forward to watching these campaigns unfold and wish my friends the very best of luck!

Go!

2008-02-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

Well here we go, Alberta.

The plan is laid out. The signs are printed. The writ is dropped.

Over the next 28 days we'll be hearing a lot about competing visions of the province. We'll also be learning about the men and women who wish to represent us in the Alberta Legislature.

As one of the millions of citizen journalists in the blogosphere, I will do my best to keep on top of it all and offer comment from my admittedly partisan point of view. I suppose that makes me more of a citizen columnist, but I digress.

I am in a unique position during this campaign in that I'm in the process of moving back to Alberta. As such, the frequency of my postings may not be quite up to par for election junkies. I apologize in advance, but an apartment full of stuff doesn't move itself across the rockies.

Thankfully, there are many outlets of both the mainstream and non-mainstream variety. I think you would be remiss if you didn't make Daveberta, Ken Chapman, and the Enlightened Savage a part of your regular election reads. I suspect that even our old friend the Calgary Grit will have things to say from his new post in Toronto.

The mainstream media also have their election websites up and running. The Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal will likely be sharing much of the same coverage. Breaking political news, although not very indepth, will also be found coming from Alberta's two main news radio stations QR77 in Calgary and 630 CHED in Edmonton. Some of the best election coverage will likely be found on CBC's Alberta Votes page. Still, its important to take everything we read with a grain of salt. In addition to keeping our political opponents accountable, we bloggers should also keep an eye on the mainstream media.

And the CBC, bless them, have done an excellent job outlining the horrendous start of Kevin Taft's Liberal campaign... its already a two-part item in the Reporters' Notebook section (1 here, 2 here). In it, John Archer does a masterful job of describing the gaffes... I highly recommend reading it.

Fellow CBC reporter Kim Trynacity tries to do some dirty work for the Liberals with thinly veiled (and unverified) shots at two PC incumbents in Edmonton coming from their Liberal opponents.

She writes:

"Speaking of Edmonton's male Tory incumbents, two female candidates running against them have passed on some unsolicited stories to me. They told me how the men approached them and suggested: "This is not your time [in politics]." The men added that the women's time might be better spent at home with their school-aged children."

Now there are only 3 Tory incumbents in Edmonton. The two of them that have female opponents are Gene Zwozdesky and Dave Hancock. Kim suggests that they're both making these accusations against their Tory opponents.

Gene Zwozdesky is used to Liberal trickery in his Edmonton Mill Creek campaigns. Remember that during the 2001 election, his opponent Bharat Agnihotri (now running for reelection in Edmonton Ellerslie) had Global TV news crew follow him around to document a reported wave of change in the riding. After visiting several homes, Global found out that they weren't random houses at all but documented Liberal supporters and caught him in the act.

As for the other accusee, I'd like to see Nancy Cavanaugh come out in public and say that Dave Hancock made these sexist remarks. Its almost as ridiculous as when Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald accused then-MLA Drew Hutton, whose wife and children are Jewish, of spreading anti-Semitic hate literature in the Legislature.

Either way, the battle lines are already being clearly drawn.

On one hand we see a clear plan with a positive message being promoted by Premier Stelmach and the PC Party.

On the other we see disorganization, negative messaging (essentially calling the voters stupid), and gutter politics from the shadows coming from Kevin Taft and the Liberals.

Change is fine, but I'll be opting for change that works for Albertans.

Thank You

2008-02-03T23:32:00.000-08:00

I meant to do this much earlier in the day, but the Super Bowl got in the way (incidentally, i'm very happy that the Patriots lost).

On the eve of a likely writ drop in Alberta, I wanted to salute the members of the PC caucus who aren't running again in this coming election.

I had the rare priviledge of serving on the PC Association of Alberta's Executive Committee twice; once as youth wing President, the other as a Regional Director. Particularily during my time as youth President, I was able to travel the province and get to know most of these MLAs in a way that most Albertans do not. Watching them at a constituency function, an industry association event, or on the party's executive gave me a much greater appreciation for the breadth of knowledge and the dedication to public service that they brought to the table.

Although I could have easily been dismissed as some young party hack (and probably still am by some), I thought it important to express how influential these MLAs and the relationships I was able to cultivate with them were during the earliest formative years of my involvement in politics.

Some I have campaigned with, others have graciously hosted me in their constituencies in between elections. One of them let me launch my campaign for PCYA President at his AGM. One of them sent me the most sincere and uplifting expression of support when that Presidency came to an abrupt end. One of them represented a constituency in the Legislature that I represented on the executive. Heck, one of them was my MLA for almost two years!

They all have one thing in common, though. They have all earned my respect, admiration, and deepest thanks for all they have done for me, for their constituents, and for the great province we call home.

I wish them all the very best as they move on from the Legislature and sincerely hope that our paths cross again.

Thank You.

TONY ABBOTT

Drayton Valley-Calmar

Class of 2001

MIKE CARDINAL

Athabasca-Redwater

Class of 1989

HARVEY CENAIKO

Calgary Buffalo

Class of 2001

DAVID COUTTS

Livingstone-Macleod

Class of 1993

VICTOR DOERKSEN

Red Deer South

Class of 1993

DENIS DUCHARME

Bonnyville-Cold Lake

Class of 1997

CLINT DUNFORD

Lethbridge West

Class of 1993

GORDON GRAYDON

Grande Prairie-Wapiti

Class of 2001

CAROL HALEY

Airdrie-Chestermere

Class of 1993

DENIS HERARD

Calgary Egmont

Class of 1993

LEROY JOHNSON

Wetaskiwin-Camrose

Class of 1997

ROB LOUGHEED

Strathcona

Class of 1997

RICHARD MAGNUS

Calgary North Hill

Class of 1993

GARY MAR

Calgary MacKay

Class of 1993

GREG MELCHIN

Calgary North West

Class of 1997

DR. LYLE OBERG

Strathmore-Brooks

Class of 1993

IVAN STRANG

West Yellowhead

Class of 1997

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines

2008-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Well we're almost out of the gate, Alberta.

All signs are clearly pointing to an election call from Premier Stelmach next week. Conventional wisdom says that the Premier will visit the L.G. after the Speech from the Throne is delivered on February 4th. I've heard some rumblings that they may actually wait a day and allow the house to sit on the 5th in order to allow for a much-deserved tribute to former NDP Leader Pam Barrett. I really don't have a hunch one way or another as to how its going to unfold.

I do have a hunch, though, about how things are going to unfold for Kevin Taft.

Badly.

Kevin launched his campaign earlier this week in front of the friendliest audience he's likely to find... a bunch of Torontonians.

He droned on about making Alberta a "western tiger", no doubt leaving many in the room to wonder what he thinks our red-hot economy has been thus far. He also tried to strike an anti-American chord by suggesting that more of Alberta's resources should be upgraded in Canada. He, of course, conveniently forgets that the new royalty framework (which the Liberals oppose) has built-in incentives for this kind of upgrading. He also conveniently forgets that, in order to spread the "oil love", we need to knock down regressive interprovincial trade barriers. To address this, the Alberta Government negotiated a successful agreement with British Columbia (TILMA) and has been promoting the negotiation of similar agreements with other provinces. Kevin Taft and the Liberals also oppose this.

(Incidentally, some Liberals have gotten so paranoid that they actually thought that the Premier was going to call the election while Kevin was off preaching to the converted in order to catch them off guard)

Anyway, Kevin Taft came home and kicked off the Liberal campaign with a rally in Edmonton today. In the Edmonton Journal's coverage, both he and a party candidate express a desire to tap into the pool of undecided voters. They apparently plan to do this by rolling out the same pledges that they've been making since the 2004 election, plus a promise to increase your utility bill. These would be the same pledges that have yet to move ANY of those undecided voters into their camp. Perhaps that would explain why the Liberals got only half the turnout they were expecting at this rally.

The theme of the Liberal campaign this election is "It's time".

I suspect that, as the campaign unfolds, Liberal supporters will agree that it's time.

Time to get a new Leader, that is.

Changing MLAs, Changing Climates, Changing Debates

2008-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

News has broken that Calgary Montrose MLA Hung Pham has decided not to seek re-election based on the party's treatment of volunteers who disqualified a potential nomination competitor in 2004.

Now i've said before that I disagree with the notion of leaving volunteers hanging out to dry, particularily if their homes are on the line. That being said, I really don't know any of the intricacies of this dispute and can't really offer any comment as to why the party is proceeding the way they are.

The loss of Hung Pham, on the other hand, won't really cause me to lose sleep. Hung may be a bright guy, but his attendance record at the Legislature suggests that he may be better suited to a career that doesn't involve the responsibilities required of an MLA.

As for the Liberals who are trying to make hay with this story, I would hasten to remind them of an MLA they weren't terribly fond of that they "dealt with" last year.

----------------------------------

A little closer to my current locale (though not for long), Canada's Premiers have been meeting to discuss, among other issues, climate change.

The media was speculating that this meeting had the potential to turn into a beat-up-on-Alberta fest as the "green warrior" Premiers sought to further their agenda.

For the record, the Green Warriors are Gordon Campbell (BC), Gary Doer (Manitoba), Dalton McGuinty (Ontario), and Jean Charest (Quebec). All of these gentlemen have been critical of Alberta's green plan. For the most part, they're disingenuous sentiments that have little to do with a real committment to environmental action.

Gary Doer comes from a province with a lot of water and very little industry. It is in his best interests to promote a carbon-trading scheme that will increase wealth transfers to his have-not province.

Jean Charest is in the most precarious political situation of all the Premiers right now. He leads a shaky minority government with not one but two opposition parties hot on his tail. Quebecers are by far the most left-leaning citizens in the nation and still cling to the failed dogma of Kyoto. Any chest-thumping by Jean Charest is done purely to shore up support with his very fragile electorate.

Gordon Campbell, the unofficial leader of these green warriors, has a lot of political eggs in the enviro-basket. Some say he's genuinely concerned about the environment, others would suggest that he's just trying to pre-empt political damage from this brewing storm. To his credit, Premier Campbell is on record as saying "i'm not trying to convince anybody of anything."

As for Dalton McGuinty... my general rule is that if Dalton is pissed off, you're doing something right.

Thankfully, Atlantic Canada's Premiers decided that there were more important issues to discuss. In particular, New Brunswick's Shawn Graham and Nova Scotia's Rodney MacDonald were more concerned about the potential economic downturn in the U.S. and relaxing provincial trade barriers, both of which are very important issues that need to be tackled.

It appears that these two young men were successful in pushing the issue.

Rather than get bogged down in an issue that clearly creates partisan divisions, two young leaders from two of our oldest provinces managed to move an important, pan-Canadian issue forward.

Kudos to Premiers Graham and MacDonald. Some of their veteran counterparts could learn a thing or two from them.

"Maybe we should get working on that"

2008-01-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

I wrote earlier this week of David Swann and Kevin Taft's ideas of environmental grandeur and their potential for disastrous effects on Alberta's economy. I had a feeling that they didn't really take economic devastation into account. Dr. Swann has now confirmed this.

Kyoto David was at a news conference in Calgary where the Premier was announcing the government's new green plan. Eddie took the opportunity to point out that the Liberal plan would be a disaster. Since the Opposition Environment Critic was around, the press took the opportunity to get the Liberals' own projections as to the economic cost of their plan.

When asked about the costs of the Liberal proposal, Dr. Swann's response was nothing short of stunning:

"I'm not sure what they would be. Maybe we should get working on that."

MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET WORKING ON THAT???

Keep in mind, folks, that this guy is considered a Shadow Minister in a group of people who consider themselves to be a government-in-waiting.

David... Kevin... there are a lot of things you should get working on.

How about figuring out how much your environment fantasies will cost Albertans? Perhaps telling us where we're going to work when your royalty scheme drives all but the deepest pockets out of oil and gas exploration? Or, here's an idea, why not try and actually get people to run in every riding for this election that we've known was coming for over a year?

The role of opposition is an important one in any democracy. Unfortunately for Alberta, instead of a real official opposition we've been saddled with a modern day version of the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

And yet they think they're a credible alternative.

I can see the election billboards now:

The Red-Green Disaster

2008-01-24T19:46:00.001-08:00

A couple of news items worth comment caught my attention this morning:

First, the Premier announced the Government's new Green Plan yesterday. Naturally, the left-wing and the environmental lobby are unhappy. They're always unhappy. They'll be unhappy until we shut down industry and send ourselves into a massive economic tailspin.

Well at least they've got an elected advocate, now.

Liberal Environment Critic and Kyoto Crusader David Swann reacted angrily to yesterday's announcement. In interviews, Dr. Swann said that a Liberal government would "slow down the growth of oilsands activity."

Naturally oblivious to the realities of the Alberta economy, Dr. Swann suggests that "it might have some impact."

MIGHT have SOME impact?

And this guy wants to be an Alberta Cabinet Minister?

The Premier got it right when he shot back that the plan would "create enormous economic devastation, massive job losses, and so on."

To add insult to injury, the Liberals would also scrap the natural gas rebate program.

This is important for you to know, Alberta: A Liberal government will put you out of work, then they'll drive up your cost of living.

That's not a risk anyone in their right mind should be signing up for.

---------------------------------

The second thing I wanted to point out is how ridiculous Don Braid's column is getting lately.

He wrote a while back that the Wildrose Alliance is a serious threat to the PCs and that we obviously recognize that since we're thinking of changing the slogan on the Alberta license plate from "Wild Rose Country". That was an impressive feat of logical gymnastics, but I decided to leave it alone.

But today, Don and U of C windbag David Taras go on about how Premier Stelmach should call off the election because of a bad poll. Except, its not.

The poll isn't a ringing endorsement of the government, of course, but it isn't a ringing endorsement of any other political party in Alberta, either.

Don and David read a lot into these numbers without factoring in the undecideds. That's poor journalism and poor comment from a political scientist.

What I think some Albertans (more than in previous elections, anyway) are saying is that their votes are up for grabs. If this election is to be about a contrast of policies, visions, and abilities to lead Alberta, I think the best thing for Ed Stelmach to do is CALL the election.

And in the spirit of giving advice, Don... stick to City Hall from now on.

Fighting back

2008-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

A good friend from Edmonton phoned me this morning with news of an ad campaign being launched to fight back against the AFL and the ABTC's efforts to attack the Alberta Government without their members' approval.

I was sitting in line for the ferry so I couldn't post the info right away, but was pleased to find this in my inbox upon my return to a computer:

And, for the record, the full text of the accompanying news release:

January 24, 2008 - For Immediate Release-
Union Leaders are Putting YOUR Money where THEIR Mouths are

Edmonton — "Union Leaders are putting YOUR money where THEIR mouths are" This statement is the theme behind an ad campaign co-sponsored by the National Citizens Coalition and Merit Contractors Association of Alberta.

The campaign responds to the recent series of attack ads launched by the so-called "Albertans for Change" coalition of labour unions headed up by leaders of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the Alberta Building Trades Council (ABTC).

In Edmonton, Stephen Kushner, President of Merit Contractors Association stated, "The AFL and ABTC are umbrella groups for individual unions comprised of thousands of workers who are forced to contribute to political ad campaigns through union dues. It is illegitimate for these union leaders to say they speak for all workers when many of the workers they purport to represent are forced against their will to pay full union dues simply to keep their jobs."

For decades, the National Citizens Coalition (NCC) has fought forced unionization and the misuse of union dues for political purposes. According to NCC President, Peter Coleman, "Trade unions and affiliated groups spent the most money in third party advertising during the last federal election campaign. Under Canada’s outdated labour laws, union leaders are free to take forced dues and use them to finance "pet" political projects whether employees agree with them or not. This is in spite of the Leger Research in 2003 finding that 76% of unionized employees opposed to having their union dues used for non-workplace activities such as supporting political parties and other causes. Yet, that doesn’t stop union bosses from playing politics."

Coleman’s comments were echoed by Kushner, "The recent attack ads show how little accountability there is with the current laws. Every employee should have the right to know where his or her money is going and should be able to opt out of contributing to political campaigns such as this."

Kudos to the Merit Contractors Association and the National Citizens Coalition for bring attention to this abuse of members' hard earned money. These kinds of tactics may be commonplace in other provinces, but Alberta's tradespeople won't be swayed by fancy rhetoric paid for out of their own wages.

A sign of things to come?

2008-01-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

Well it was bound to happen.

For as much as I disagree with my buddy Dave, he's been enjoying a streak of relatively rational arguments for his cause. Sadly, it came to an end today with his rant about a massive funding announcement for the University of Alberta.

I suppose it should have been expected that his left-wing academic zeal would get the best of him.

His post today dismisses the major announcement by the Premier and refuses to highlight some of the expenditures at the U of A. Allow me:

-$33.8 million for the Faculty of Pharmacy.

-$55.4 million for other Health and Science research facilities.

-$16.4 million in upgrades to Hub Mall and the Tory Building.

Now the title and recurrent message in Dave's post is "they didn't have a plan". Close to $90 million for Pharmacy, Health and Science sounds to me like a pretty proactive investment in those who will be taking care of an aging population to me. But I digress...

One of the first questions that popped into my mind was whether or not this was a sign of things to come from the Liberals during the election. Are they planning to run on a theme of "they didn't have a plan"?

If so, it seems awfully foolish.

Kevin Taft and his crew maybe don't realize that they're not running against Ralph Klein this time. They had that shot and got their clocks thoroughly cleaned. Running against Ralph's record might be a winning strategy if he had left office as a spectacularily unpopular Premier, but that's not the case.

And the whole "they didn't have a plan" schtick won't be terribly effective, either, given some of the announcements we're seeing of late.

Even though the never-satisfied campus rebels rail against it, we're seeing action on post-secondary education.

Even though Taft prefers his collection of band-aid half measures to address the problem, we're seeing action on housing and homelessness.

Even though the left are ramping up their campaign of gross misinformation, we're seeing action on greenhouse gases and climate change.

Kevin Taft and the Liberals may choose to spend the campaign whining about how the previous government didn't have a plan or claiming that the current government doesn't. Go ahead, I say.

Because if we get to spend the campaign correcting empty rhetoric and pointing out we're doing on behalf of Albertans, I very much like our chances.

Godspeed Ms. Barrett

2008-01-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

In a blog about Alberta politics, it would inappropriate for me to post today on anything other than the sad news from Edmonton this morning that former Alberta NDP Leader Pam Barrett has died.

Pam Barrett was the leading opposition politician in Alberta when I first got involved with provincial politics. Even though I knew early on that there was little that this woman and I would agree on, I was thrilled at the opportunity to meet her when I spotted her in a downtown Edmonton shopping mall in the late 90s. I suppose it was her straight talk and passion for issues that I admired. The online photo galleries remembering her today in the Sun and the Journal brought these memories flooding back.

People on both sides of the political spectrum can agree that she was a strong leader who was steadfast in her principles. I think her most appealing quality, perhaps, was her ability to set partisanship aside and deal with other MLAs and activists as human beings. Her enduring friendship with former Premier Ralph Klein is a prime example of this.

For my part, I extend my condolences to Ms. Barrett's loved ones and to her compatriots and my friends in the New Democratic Party. As they mourn her loss, I know they will also reflect on the wonderful legacy that she has left her party and our province.

News from Egmont

2008-01-19T17:00:00.001-08:00

The Blackberry has just buzzed with excellent news from Calgary.

My good friend Jonathan Denis has been elected as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Calgary Egmont!

I don't have any numbers yet, but will be posting them once/if they are made public.

I have spoken at length about Jonathan's stellar qualifications for public office and the reasons we need more people like him in the Alberta Legislature. Still, I encourage you to visit his website and learn more about the best choice for Calgary Egmont.

Congrats Jono!

In other news...

2008-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

... the latest incarnation of Alberta's right fringe reared its head today at a downtown Calgary hotel.

I, along with most other tories, aren't going to lose much sleep over this. For my part, I think these people fail to understand the mechanics of political change as much as the Liberals do.

Interestingly, it appears as though a battle is already being waged over its direction.

Film at 11.

Disaster warning

2008-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Rarely, if ever, do I post about fallout from a previous posting on this blog. There were some interesting questions posed in the comments section of "Ad-busters", though, that I want to address.

A couple of comments ask me how I rationalize my belief that a Liberal government would be disastrous for the Alberta economy.

Its pretty simple, really. They're an extraordinarily weak team.

One of the comments talks about a lack of business sense from the like of Hugh MacDonald, Harry Chase, David Swann et al. Bang on correct.

As an aside, I find no logic from the person who comments that we don't get much business sense from Ray Danyluk, Luke Ouellette, or Lyle Oberg. Ray Danyluk runs a large family farm (Liberals wouldn't know anything about that anyway) and i've already posted on this blog about the skills required to do that. Luke Ouellette has been a successful small businessman for most of his adult life. And Dr. Oberg, although we may have our differences, is no fool.

Anyway, back to the Liberals. Remember that these people are getting out-oppositioned by the 4-member caucus down the aisle. Their arguments are often weak and their grasp of parliamentary procedure, even among veteran MLAs, is pretty shaky.

The Liberals haven't recruited any serious star candidates. Moreover, they're having trouble recruiting candidates period. We're a little more than 2 weeks away from an election and they've barely filled half their slate. What is particularily telling for me are their perennial troubles in my hometown. For as much as they've been pimping themselves as potential victors of the Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo constituency, the residents of the area know better. The local Liberal association is in shambles, they have yet to find even a warm body to run as a candidate (nevermind someone people might consider voting for), and Kevin Taft still goes undetected at local functions ("Who's the annoying bald guy?")

They're weak and they're disorganized. Two reasons why no one takes them seriously. The reason I think they would lead to economic disaster stems from the aforementioned.

Albertans are a pretty pragmatic lot. That, I think, is how you can explain such a broad swath of support for PC Alberta over the years. The reason PC Alberta was able to overtake the Social Credit party in 1971 wasn't because we outflanked them on the right, but rather because we covered most of their own base but with a younger team.

The last and, dare I say, ONLY provincial Liberal leader to understand this was Laurence Decore. Were it not for Ralph and his electioneers also understanding this strategy in 1993, Decore would likely have become Premier. Since that time, the Liberals have drifted further and further away from the your average Albertan. The pragmatists have largely defected or given up altogether and their donor base has dried up.

Because of this, the Liberals have become a collection of left-wing Trudeau apologists. This is evident in their policy documents that promote public everything (auto insurance, child care, and so on). The kinds of policies that the Liberals promote (and the kinds of candidates they are now scraping the bottom of the barrel for) are not all that different from the policies and people that ruined British Columbia in the 1990s.

I've now seen first hand the damage done by leftist politics here in BC. Its not a fate i'd wish on any province in this great land, especially not my beloved Alberta.

THAT'S why I think the Liberals would spell economic disaster for Alberta.

Thankfully, the coming election should make that pretty clear to the voters.

Ad-busters

2008-01-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last night on television and subsequently in this morning's major Alberta dailies Albertans came to learn of a new ad campaign launched by the Alberta Building Trades Council and the Alberta Federation of Labour.

The ads attack Premier Ed Stelmach and accuse him of not having a plan for a multitude of issues. Healthcare, Education, the Economy, and Housing are apparently all under threat with Stelmach in power. If you buy that, i've got some oceanfront property in Vulcan to sell you.

Albertans reaction has yet to be measured, but Graham Thomson has already chimed in with his thoughts. In a nutshell, Ole G.T. thinks these ads may backfire. For once he's right.

For my part, I don't think they MAY backfire. I think they WILL backfire... with the fury of a '78 Cadillac Eldorado.

There are three reasons why this poorly thought-out campaign will fail miserably:

1. Its too early for attack ads.

Attack ads are usually reserved for the tail end of a campaign, especially when they're used in Canada. Attack ads are designed to motivate people to vote against something. In order to cash in on maximum fury of the voters, they are released as close to the vote as possible so that voters stay angry/disgruntled as they go to the ballot box.

Whether this is just the opening salvo in a series of negative ads or its a one-shot deal to get people thinking, it won't work. If we're going to see 6 weeks of attacks on TV, Albertans will get tired of it and turn on those who are promoting them in the first place. If these are the only attacks we're going to see, the message will be long forgotten by the time the election rolls around.

2. They're wrong

These ads picked the WRONG attribute to attack. You may be able to get away with saying that the Premier isn't the most dynamic speaker. You may be able to get away with saying that the PC Party is a little slow in modernizing. But suggesting that the Premier doesn't have a plan is mighty easy to debunk. Shall we?

No plan for Healthcare?

We've seen swift action on reducing the barriers of labour mobility and improvements to recognition of foreign credentials, helping more qualified healthcare workers get their foot in the door in Alberta. We've seen a plethora of new health facilities either completed or under construction, not to mention increased promotion of clinical telehealth to cut down on the need for hospital visits that clog our emergency rooms. We've seen dramatic legislation on preventative measures, namely the province-wide smoking ban. And we're seeing ongoing work on a pharmaceutical program to address the needs of an aging population.

No plan for Education?

We've seen English as a Second Language programs offered to children as young as 3 1/2, increasing their chances of success later in their education. We've seen a number of new schools built to address growing communities and the baby boom that Alberta is currently experiencing. And, of course, we've seen a historic agreement to make sure that Alberta's teachers aren't living in fear of a pension plan that might not have been their for them when they retired.

No plan for the Economy?

Give me a break. We've seen action on the labour shortage through a new Alberta-Canada immigration agreement and increased duration of temporary foreign worker permits. We've seen the development and release of a comprehensive report dealing with rural development so that the Alberta Advantage exists for ALL Albertans. We've seen action on the issue of oil and gas royalties. And we've signed a historic agreement with British Columbia to remove a number of trade barriers so that we are better able to take advantage of the Pacific Gateway projects that are currently underway.

No plan for Housing?

We've seen $285 million to address immediate housing pressures. We've seen a long-term funding agreement to direct $11.3 billion to municipalities over the next 10 years. And we've seen a very capable MLA assigned the specific task of dealing with the affordable housing shortage.

3. They're misguided

These ads have been put together by the Alberta Building Trades Council and the Alberta Federation of Labour. These organizations claim to represent over 200,000 working Albertans.

Now, presumably, these ads are asking their members and other Albertans to vote against Ed Stelmach and the PC Party in the upcoming election. They don't come out and say it directly, but its clearly implied. Fostering a debate, as the group claims is their motivation, isn't well-served when the discussion is entirely one-sided.

So what if we were to do as these ads tell us and vote for AFL-friendly parties, presumably the NDP and, to a lesser extent, the Liberals?

There is very little difference between the Liberals and the NDP in Alberta anyway, so the outcome of electing either party is fairly uniform. What would undoubtedly occur is the most massive evacuation of economic prosperity this province has ever seen. Those who think that what THIS government did with respect to resource royalties should shudder to think what would happen if Kevin Taft or Brian Mason ever took hold of the economic reigns of Alberta.

The guarantee, though, is that we would see some pretty spectacular job losses. Ironically, many of those jobs would be those who are "represented" by the Building Trades Council and the Alberta Federation of Labour.

Ron Harry and Gil McGowan are essentially asking their members to vote themselves out of a job.

Thankfully, Alberta's skilled tradespeople are smarter than to listen to the words of their union bosses and their vested interests.

Oil or Tar?

2008-01-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

I have to give HUGE credit to the Edmonton Journal's Archie McLean for a great piece in today's edition on one of my biggest pet peeves.

As someone who was born and raised in Fort McMurray, I understand that what we mine up north are oilsands. It has been that way ever since the term was introduced by Karl Clark and Sidney Blair (two great pioneers, I might add) in the early 1950's.

The debate rages as to whether they are to be called "oilsands" or "tarsands". Interestingly enough, this is a non-issue in Fort McMurray.

We KNOW they're called oilsands.

Sadly, as our great resource has been rediscovered by foreign leaders and environmental activists alike, the use of the term "tarsands" has ramped up. Individuals ranging from Greenpeace spokesman Mike Hudema (one of Alberta's leading economic terrorists) right on up to U.S. President George W. Bush have been using "tarsands" as opposed to "oilsands". Their feelings on the subject are markedly different, i'm sure, but their use of the term "tarsands" stems from the fact that they are underinformed about the resource.

As an aside, an oilpatch historian does an excellent job of highlighting just how underinformed Mr. Hudema really is when he explains how "oilsands" came to be used, debunking the uber-left spin from Greenpeace.

Anyway, my point to all of you is this: This is a tremendous resource that is important to securing our long-term energy and economic future. Use the right term when you talk about it.

Unless you live under a rock...

2008-01-09T18:25:00.001-08:00

... you've probably heard about my buddy Dave making headlines all over the place.

To chronicle the debacle over edstelmach.ca would be pointless at this juncture because, among other reasons, there are more than enough people being paid for it for me to justify doing it for free.

I do, though, have some thoughts on the matter.

First, I really do have to congratulate Dave. He managed to catch the Premier's team off guard and exploited it masterfully. In politics, we occaisionally salute our opponents for a firing a salvo with such precision. This is one of those times.

Moving forward, though, I worry about the possibility of Dave fighting this for any great length of time.

I'm not worried because I think this will cause a major drop in support for the Premier or the Party. Nor am I worried that the Party can't afford a drawn out lawsuit... far from it.

I worry because, partisanship aside, I really like Dave.

Like I said, he has won the first round without question. He highlighted a glitch in PC organization and has done incredible things for his future readership.

But Round One is now over. And, looking to Round Two, all the chips are lining up in the Premier's favour.

In other jurisdictions, getting away with cybersquatting (the internet term for what Dave has done with Stelmach's domain name) can be pretty easy. In Canada, however, the laws governing the registration of domain names are considerably more strict. Dave got away with registering edstelmach.ca because no one else had it. Now that someone named Ed Stelmach DOES want it, it will be exceptionally difficult for Dave to argue his point.

Moreover, Dave describes himself as a debt-ridden university student. I would hate to see a friend suffer financial hardship because he dug his heels into a fight he is sure to lose.

Dave, you've accomplished your mission and everyone who reads a newspaper in this country now knows it. To continue fighting at this point will only waste time and money while distracting attention from the REAL issues facing the province.

I think we both agree that a debate on those issues is far more important than a battle over a $14 domain name.

The countdown is on

2008-01-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I referred to a campaign of ideas and visions for the province of Alberta (and how the whole edstelmach.ca debacle might get in the way of that for some people).

Well the signs are becoming increasingly clear that the aforementioned campaign will soon be upon us.

The Edmonton Journal has a good piece today about the preparations underway for the election. Its an election that I look forward to. As much as the left-wing opposition want to harp on about how Ed Stelmach has no personality or other nonsense, I look forward to a campaign with the Premier demonstrating how his grasp of the issues facing Alberta blows his competition right out of the water.

There will, of course, be outsiders trying to insert themselves into this campaign. One of the loudest is Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier. Don Braid outlines part of Bronconnier's plan to pressure the provincial government into funding a number of ventures for his city.

I'll admit that i'm not a big fan of Mayor Dave. As a former and future Calgarian, however, I like a lot of what I read in Braid's article. I think that the Mayor will find support for the plans outlined in the report drafted by an impressive array of Calgarians.

I also think that the kind of vision that the Mayor is promoting will be met with support from some of the great new candidates running under the PC banner in Calgary, particularily Alison Redford, Jennifer Diakiw, and Arthur Kent. These are all people who believe in a positive vision for Calgary's future as a leading urban centre in Canada. They are also running to replace ineffective Liberals who wouldn't understand a positive vision if it bit them in the rear.

In Calgary, just as in every other city, town and county in Alberta, people are readying for an important election that will chart the course for Alberta's future.

I know i'm ready for it.

Monday Monday

2008-01-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Monday can often be a real downer for a lot of people, so here's a couple of positive stories to try and counteract:

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My friend and former Library Board colleague Heather Kennedy is hard at work for the people of Wood Buffalo in her new role as Deputy Minister for the Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat.

An article in today's Journal does a good job outlining a few of the things that Heather will be tackling in her two-year term.

It should be noted that the article points out that the Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat was created by Premier Stelmach specifically to address growth pressures in the Fort McMurray area.

It should also be noted that John Vyboh, undoubtably Fort McMurray's best-known provincial Liberal, supports the Premier's decision to create the Secretariat and believes that she will do good work for the people of the region. This is in stark contrast to fellow Liberal Hugh MacDonald, who (like the NDP) was exceptionally critical of Heather's appointment.

The Liberals can't even get their story straight on something this important to Fort McMurray.

And people wonder why they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the seat...

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On the more human side of politics, someone passed this along to me this morning.

Dave Hancock is someone for whom I have the utmost respect. He is to be commended not only for his efforts to improve himself, but in setting a great example for all of us (yours truly included) by walking the walk as Health Minister.

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-31T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well here it is folks, my last post of 2007. I thought it was important to get to the computer and jot a few things down before our visitors (all 30 of them!) arrive for New Year's Eve celebrations.

As I sit here in my father's office at the family home in Kelowna, I can't help but think that i'm perfectly positioned for the transition to 2008.

Geographically speaking, I am almost smack in the between the world i've known for the past 18 months (Victoria) and the world i'm returning to soon (Calgary). During my time here I have often found myself torn between those two worlds, so its fitting that i've spent so much time here in the Okanagan this year.

The year has been a rather eventful one.

Trying to adjust to life in a place that's different from Alberta (and I mean REALLY different) has been a challenge. I use the word challenge because I think it denotes both the positive and negative aspects of the adjustment. Negative in that it became clear over time that, while I enjoy visiting, Vancouver Island isn't a place where I can settle down. But positive in the sense that it has crystallized a few things for me. I also leave the Island with a number of new friendships that I expect will carry on for some time to come. And, for as much as they can drive me nuts, living alongside your typical Vancouver Islander has certainly helped me better understand what drives the other side of the political spectrum.

In keeping with the theme of discovery, I was able to take my first overseas trip this year. Even though my destination, London, was less of a culture shock than other places would have been, it was still a moving experience. No matter the similarities, there was still the undeniable feeling that I was in a completely different part of the world. Those of who with experience travelling abroad know what I mean. To those of you that don't... DO. Whatever it costs you to get on that plane, its worth it to come back with a suitcase full of memories and a better perspective of the world we live in.

Politically speaking, its been quite a year. Ups and downs, left and right. You've heard it all from me through this blog so i'm not going to bother rehashing it. Why?

Because for as much as travel and politics and all that other jazz matters, sometimes it doesn't matter at all.

I say this because, for all the things that have happened this year, none were more important than events surrounding my family and friends. I watched one of the most intelligent people I know walk down the aisle with, truly, the woman he was born to be with. I have shared in the joyous news that a few more of those special people in my life will be walking down that same aisle next year. And, best of all, I found out that my little sister was going to give me a brother-in-law to terrorize AND a niece/nephew to spoil in 2008. This is what its really all about.

So what do I hope for in 2008?

Politically speaking, I obviously hope for election victories for both Premier Ed Stelmach and, should Canada go to the polls, for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. I have great respect for both of these men and their visions for the province and the nation. In the broader sense, I hope for a return to a more civil tone in the national discourse that goes on in Ottawa. I realize that no one party is guilty or innocent when it comes to the horrendous behaviour in the House of Commons, but I sure hope that the rabble rousers on all sides grow up and remember they are conducting the people's business.

In the blogosphere, I hope that more people with well-thought opinions choose to join this vast online community. I also look forward to continued interaction and the occaisional battle of wits with those who care so passionately about the future of Alberta, namely Dave, Will, Ken, Allie, Duncan, and the mysterious man from Calgary.

On the lighter side, I hope for a Royal Bank Cup for my hometown Fort McMurray Oil Barons, a Stanley Cup for the Calgary Flames, and a Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks. And, if the Seahawks can't have the Super Bowl... I hope that the Patriots are equally denied.

Most of all, though, I hope for good health and happiness for all my friends (that's you) for the coming year. Because, when the dust settles, that's really all that matters.

Company's here, I gotta run.

Happy New Year!

Something to think about

2007-12-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

An interesting thought crossed my mind after reading a post from Ken Chapman today.

Ken muses about the need for a federal election in the first half of 2008. Ken, as those of you who read him will know, is no fan of the Conservative Party of Canada or Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Fair enough... Ken is certainly entitled to his opinion. While it is rare that someone in Alberta supports the Liberal Party of Canada AND PC Alberta, it is not unheard of and its well-known in federal conservative circles.

You'll recall that, a while back, I noted that Kevin Taft's extraordinary attempts to distance the provincial Liberal party from their federal cousins had the potential to do more harm than good. Duplication of volunteers, after all, could only help the Liberal cause in Alberta.

Ken's post on the need for a federal election next year got me thinking, though, about potential implications for the PC Alberta campaign.

Should Stephane Dion choose to bring down the federal government around the same time as our expected February/March election in Alberta he likely won't be doing himself any favours. He may, however, be giving his buddy Kevin Taft a hand.

Having been quite active with both the provincial and federal conservative parties in Alberta, I can tell you first hand that there are far more people who put a greater priority on the federal party than they do on the provincial party. Moreover, those who work primarily with the feds have much more access to technology and the latest campaign strategy than has been available through PC Alberta in the past.

This hasn't been an issue in recent memory. Provincial and National campaigns have occured within 6 months of each other, but they haven't overlapped in quite some time. Moreover, the days when the federal and provincial parties shared a deep-seeded organizational and structural link are no more. The greatest collusion between provincial and federal conservatives these days is at the grassroots level, where volunteers are often doing double duty.

Although there is no clear way to measure how someone with a busy schedule will prioritize their campaign volunteering, there are a few litmus tests. Specifically how much popular support does each party have, and; how much money does each party raise?

The answer to the first question is easy to find. In the 2004 Provincial Election, 417902 Albertans cast a ballot for PC Alberta for a total of 46.8% of the popular vote. In the 2006 Federal Election, 931701 Albertans cast a ballot for the Conservative Party of Canada for a total of 65.03% of the popular vote.

The second question is difficult to answer, given that there is no simple way to track party contributions provincially in Alberta. Still, though, it is pretty well-accepted that the federal conservatives have a wider donor base.

Of course, these numbers are not static. Circumstances change from day to day, nevermind election to election. Still, though, they paint the picture as best they can.

There may be some in provincial circles who may want to ignore the possibility of overlapping campaigns either because its beyond our control or because they do not support the federal party altogether. That's the wrong attitude. We have a new leader and a new message, but we NEED people to help us get that message across.

The important thing will be for the powers that be in the PC Alberta campaign to recognize this potential risk and plan for it.

Complacency is no longer an option.

Post-Christmas Roundup

2007-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas surrounded by family and friends.

Its been a week since I last posted and, although the provincial news cycle is slow, there are still a few things to offer comment on.

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First of all, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is an absolute tragedy and will likely have serious implications not only for Pakistan, but for the rest of the world as well.

Ken Chapman has an excellent post on this today. He nails a point that I was pondering last night. Being of a younger generation, I can't help but think that historic events have a way of repeating themselves. 9/11 is our Pearl Harbor, the Challenger disaster is our Hindenberg tragedy, and, perhaps, Benazir Bhutto is our JFK.

If nothing else, she was Pakistan's JFK.

Godspeed Ms. Bhutto... and thank you for everything you did for your homeland. May your struggle never be in vain.

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This is old news, but I did want to offer my two cents on a bit of a controversy going on in Calgary Montrose.

Northeast Calgary politics are known for being divisive and controversial and Montrose is no exception. In 2004, Gus Barron was disqualified from running in Montrose's PC nomination. He subsequently sued the Montrose PC Association. Barron won the initial lawsuit before having it overturned by the Alberta Court of Appeal. The Montrose PC Association, however, was stuck paying its own legal bills. The constituency association, like every other one in the province, is made up of dedicated volunteers who selflessly offer their services to the party.

PC Alberta has refused to cover the legal bills for Calgary Montrose, totally some $180,000. Calgary Montrose is not, by any means, an affluent area. Were this to happen in another part of the city, it would just be a drop in the bucket. In Montrose, however, this is big bucks. It has gotten to the point where some people named in the original lawsuit may have to sell their homes to pay legal bills. Legal bills which stem from their work on behalf of and, some have suggested, at the direction of the party.

This is shameful and totally unacceptable.

Duplicitous double standards may have been the mark of some people who used to run PC Alberta, but we have all been led to believe that this has changed under the new regime. If the party can step in and do the right thing in Calgary Egmont, surely it can do the same in Calgary Montrose.

Anything less will be a slap in the face to each and every person who volunteers for PC Alberta.

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I have often said that when Keith Brownsey predicts something, expect the opposite.

Motor mouth Brownsey is at it again this week. While Premier Stelmach talks about the possibility of an Alberta Pension Plan to supplement the greatly-depleated CPP, Brownsey suggests the Premier is fear mongering and that its "absolute nonsense to say it won't be there when young people eventually retire."

Brownsey says people of my generation have nothing to fear surrounding the future of the CPP.

That's reason enough for me to up my RRSP contributions.

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Talking about the Premier and looking ahead, its nice to see that he's taking a thoughtful approach to the possibility of nuclear energy for Alberta.

The nuclear decision is a major one with myriad positive and negative aspects. Jumping into any stance would be foolhardy for the government.

People ask why i've come to like "the new guy". Clear and careful planning, as evidenced by how he's dealing with the nuclear question, is a big part of my answer.