Albertosaurus Talks

Cabinet Shuffle: The Real News

2010-01-15T10:33:00.006-07:00

The big news of the week in Alberta has been the cabinet shuffle. I haven't had too much to say about it because, well, really not too much has changed. Only 3 new faces in Cabinet (Jonathan Denis, Thomas Lukaszuk and Frank Oberle), and most of the moves seeemed to be the ripples caused by moving Liepert out of Health and Morton into Finance.

To my mind, the bigger news is that Morton has apparently been instructed to secure better terms for Alberta's participation in equalization:

"And, Ted has another mission. He is to show a little muscle around the Ottawa types and other provinces over how much coin Alberta gives up to the federal financial sinkhole.

“The premier has asked me to undertake negotiations and discussion with the federal government and the other provincial governments on this subject,” says Ted, who nine years ago, along with Stephen Harper and others, signed a letter calling on Alberta to take back power the province allows the feds to wield."

This is important because it signals that, for their political salvation, the Tories are looking to an old enemy: Ottawa. Today's editorial in the Edmonton Journal claims that this is foolish:

The best advice anyone could give Morton, however, could be: "Whatever you do, don't pick a fight over equalization with Ottawa."
Apart from the eye-rolling predictability of such a ploy, it would involve going head-to-head with fellow Conservative Stephen Harper, who is a) whole lot more secure in Albertans' affections than the provincial Tories, and b) not a man who responds well to being pushed around.

This is, simply put, wrong. I believe that it misunderstands something fundamental about Alberta's politics. The political culture of this province is strongly rooted in two things: a home-team mentality, and an alienation from the political centre of the country.

Perhaps the smartest thing Stelmach could do right now is to pick a fight with Ottawa. As long as he doesn't back down, it is an opportunity to establish himself as the defender of Alberta, fighting against the eastern creeps and bums who want our money. We can debate the merits of equalization until the proverbial cows come home, but this could be the beginning of a set piece of political theatre, and what better central figure is there than Ted Morton?

The Journal's editorialists aren't wrong: Stephen Harper almost certainly is more loved that Ed Stelmach throughout Alberta. But that's not the point. The enemy in this brewing fight isn't Stephen Harper, it is the Ottawa and Quebec that exists in the imagination of the Alberta electorate, sucking our money out of Alberta and spending it on gun registries and daycare.

Stelmach Delivers... uh... not much.

2009-10-14T23:30:00.003-06:00

Earlier tonight, Premier Stelmach presented his address to the province, entitled "The Way Forward." I am really not sure what to make of it.

Its no secret that the Tories are in a precarious position. Two polls out in the last two weeks have shown what most with a solid political instinct would have guessed: support for the PCs has plummeted, while the Wildrose Alliance appears to be enjoying a period of ascendancy. Alberta's Progressive "Conservative" government is the highest spending provincial government in the country, and has made a number of questionable decisions: from the Royalty Review, to the Health Region amalgamation to giving themselves a massive raise right after the last election.

So what is a struggling government in Alberta to do? Well, if Eddie's sermon from the mount is any indication - record a video, and nothing else. The only new policy the government announced was a freeze on public sector management salaries, and it was nothing more than a 30 second passage near the very top. The entire 20 minute video became nothing more than an infomercial for the government.

Stelmach needed a game changer tonight. Instead, he continued to execute the same game plan (as much as one could say this government has one) the PC's have been playing since they were re-elected in 2008. The problem is not that the government can't communicate its message, the problem is that people hear the message and don't like it.

Really Jack?

2009-09-18T20:35:00.005-06:00

All things considered... maybe this shouldn't be on your website anymore....

"The Conservative government survived a confidence test Friday morning – as expected – thanks to the support of MPs from the Bloc Québécois and NDP."

Glenmore: Changeout or Old Fashioned Switch

2009-09-16T21:17:00.005-06:00

In my last post, I shared a few preliminary thoughts about Monday's by election in Calgary-Glenmore.

On Monday, Paul Hinman won 37% of the vote, a staggering increase from the 8.1% won by the Wild Rose Alliance's candidate in 2008 (Ryan Sadler, for those who are keeping track). The obvious question is, where did these votes come from?

Today, I'd like to consider 3 hypothetical scenarios to answer this question.

The first, and I think least likely, is that the Wildrose votes came from voters who supported the Alberta Liberals in 2008. Given that the Wildrose Alliance is a right wing party, and the Alberta Liberals are a more centrist or left wing party, such a scenario would require the assumption that Liberal voters in 2008 were non-ideological, and their vote for the Wildrose Alliance on Monday was equally non-ideological. In essence, it assumes that those voting Alberta Liberal in 2008 were essentially casting a protest vote against the governing Progressive Conservatives, and then shifted their vote of protest to the Wildrose Alliance. Given the fact that the Alberta Liberal vote total did not change substantially (both in terms of absolute votes and percentage), this scenario seems unlikely.

The second scenario is that those who, in 2008, may have held their nose and voted PC - either because they liked Ron Stevens or because Ed Stelmach hadn't yet lost their support entirely - moved their support to the Wildrose Alliance. The sharp decline of the PC vote between March 2008 and Monday's by election lends this scenario some substantial support, but there is one final possibility.

It is also possible that a substantial group of 2008 PC voters simply chose not to vote, effectively choosing none of the above. In this scenario, Wildrose voters in the by election come from the ranks of the sixty odd percent who did not cast a ballot in 2008. In effect, PC voters may have disengaged from the process, while the Wildrose Alliance provided an outlet for voters who were previously disengaged from provincial politics.

So which scenario is correct? I would suspect that the simplest answer - that PC voters switched their vote to the Wildrose Alliance - is correct, however I am hoping to investigate this further in the coming days by looking at the poll by poll results, and plan a final post in the coming days.

The Return (Also: Glenmore and the Wildrose Alliance)

2009-09-15T18:24:00.002-06:00

No one has asked me to return to blogging, but after a summer long break, I'm back. But I am neither bigger, nor particularly better.

I thought that for my first post back, I'd provide some preliminary thoughts on the Calgary Glenmore byelection. I haven't had a chance to really sit down with the numbers and figure out what they mean, but some things stand out even with a cursory examination of the top level results.

First, some facts. In 2008, Avalon Roberts scored 4213 votes, or 33% for the Alberta Liberals. Ron Stevens won 6436 votes, or 51% for the Tories, while Ryan Sadler garnered 8% (1025 votes) for the Wild Rose Alliance. Turnout was 41.3%.

In yesterday's by election, turnout was approximately the same as in 2008, at 40.5%. This is nothing short of astonishing for a by election. Roberts won 34% with 3776 votes, Paul Hinman scored 4052 votes for 37% for the Wild Rose Alliance, and Colley-Urquhart rounded out the top 3 with 26% or 2863 votes.

In the coming days, I intend to do a closer, poll by poll analysis of the results, but in the meantime, I think it is possible to make a few observations. Although the ALP vote total dropped 437 votes, turnout also dropped and Roberts' proportion of the vote remained substantially the same. The Wildrose Alliance vote, which increased by 29% and 2751 votes, appears to have come mostly from former supporters of Ron Stevens and the Conservative Party.

Obviously, the devil is in the details, and it will take a closer analysis of the poll by poll results to tell what really happened (such an analysis should follow in the next week or so). In the meantime, we can construct two different, although substantially similar, versions of what happened yesterday in Glenmore. Over the next couple of days, I'll write on each of these scenarios.

Is it a real revolution?

2009-06-16T13:15:00.002-06:00

In no way do I mean to downplay the very, very large significance of what is happening in Iran, however, it almost certainly is not a revolution, at least as far as the word is construed in world of political theory.

Revolutions are, in the scheme of history, very very rare things, and incidents of revolution can be counted on one hand - French, Chinese, Russian, Iranian and - for some - American. There are a handful of others that might be considered revolutions, depending on who you talk to.

What distinguishes a "true" revolution from a popular uprising or widespread movement? A revolution is aimed at regime change. By regime, I am not speaking in the popular sense; that is, I am not referring to a government. In the west, the word regime is a loaded term, often used to refer to a government or a leader that the west feels lacks legitimacy (consider: the Iraqi "regime" led by Saddam Hussein). However, properly used, regime has a very specific meaning. It refers to the various modes, orders and institutions of that a state uses to govern itself.

I have been paying a great deal of attention to what's going on in Iran, and I do not see that what the Iranians want is regime change, in the narrow and proper sense defined above.

The righteous anger of Mousavi's supporters is directed at Ahmadinejad and Khameni not as representatives of the Iranian governing institutions, but for the crimes they have perpetrated as individuals. The leader of the protesters, Mousavi, is a reformer, but he is not a revolutionary leader. Mousavi does not have as his aim full scale regime change, and he is not aiming to deconstruct and then rebuild the Iranian state. Mousavi is a creature of the Iranian state with a long history of supporting the current regime.

Mousavi, then, is not a revolutionary leader in the strict and proper sense of the word. He is not aiming to remake the Iranian regime. He is aiming to control the Iranian regime.

What is happening in Iran is not a revolution in the proper sense of the word. It is best described as a popular uprising. If Mousavi and his supporters are successful - and I hope they are - I do not think that we are likely to see a full scale reconstruction of the Iranian state.

All of this being said, I do believe the potential exists for a truly revolutionary movement to arise. There is no question that Ahmadinejad and Khameni have precipitated a wider crisis of legitimacy in the Iranian state. If Mousavi were to become radicalized, he could become a revolutionary leader; or a leader who is a true revolutionary could arise. It remains to be seen, however, if such a leader would have a wide following in the Iranian population. It is certainly possible given the crisis the Iranian state finds itself facing.

From TehranBureau.com

2009-06-16T10:26:00.002-06:00

From the Tehran Bureau website:

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Article 27 [Freedom of Assembly] states that “Public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.

h/t Lede

Sidenote: As usual, CBC Newsworld the soundtrack to my day (ah the life of a student). I'd really like to thank them for the following insightful commentary: "Life in Tehran isn't what is used to be." That really put the whole situation in focus for me. I'd like to commend Newsworld for providing insight and context.

UPDATED:The Military Will Decide

2009-06-16T09:38:00.004-06:00

What will happen next? I would assume that much depends, as it did in China in 1989, on what the military is willing to do.

Noah Millman makes that comment above, in a post that is definitely worth reading in its entirety.

What ultimately happens in Iran will depend on what the various security forces - the police and military most crucially - decide to do. If the Iranian government loses the support of one but not the other, I would suggest that civil war is definitely possible (although not necessarily probable). If it loses the support of both, the Iranian regime will certainly fall.

There are a number of more probable scenarios that are short of regime change or civil war. If it becomes clear to the Iranian regime that the military or police are wavering there may be movement: throwing Ahmadinejad to the wolves or a simple rerun of the election. Either way, it will say something about the regime and its relation to Iranian society.

h/t Sullivan

UPDATE:

According to the Cyrus News Agency, Tuesday morning 16 senior members of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were arrested. "These commanders have been in contact with members of the Iranian army to join the people's movement," CNA reports. "Three of the commanders are veterans of Iran-Iraq war. They have been moved to an undisclosed location in East Tehran." - Robbins via Sullivan

On Twitter and Iran

2009-06-16T09:29:00.002-06:00

Kevin Drum has a well considered piece on the role of twitter and the MSM in the Iranian election here. I'd say the whole thing is worth a read, but here are the notable passages on twitter:

But protests have happened before without either Twitter or the internet. And if we westerners had to rely on only a single news source to tell us what what going on, I'd still choose the dwindling band of serious outlets that provide real reporting from dangerous (and expensive) places. Cable news may not have covered itself with glory this weekend, but there are still a few precincts of the MSM that did.

History

2009-06-15T09:26:00.002-06:00

Despite the fact that Ignatieff's much awaited press conference is current on TV, I'm having trouble paying attention.

In Iran

2009-06-13T23:27:00.000-06:00

h/t Sullivan

Airmiles

2009-06-12T10:44:00.001-06:00

Now all those jokes about only have enough airmiles to get to the airport might actually be true.

"EDMONTON — Edmonton Transit announced a plan Thursday at City Hall to allow transit users to buy monthly passes with Air Miles.

Under the one-year pilot program, transit users can redeem 650 Air Miles for a monthly adult pass." - Edmonton Journal

Lying or... just wrong.

2009-06-11T17:49:00.003-06:00

That old age question is back again. Harper either lied, or spoke without knowing the facts, which is a very, very dangerous thing for a man who holds his position (for now).

Stephen Harper last Wednesday:

"...after hundreds of millions of dollars and years and years of investment, not a single isotope had been created and the expert assessment we received was that there was no realistic reason to believe there would be any isotope production for years and years to come, if ever."

The Ottawa Citizen from today:

"[the MAPLE reactors] produced enough medical isotopes during some test runs to supply the needs of every Canadian hospital and clinic, a parliamentary committee was told Thursday."

Some (more) Thoughts on the Tape

2009-06-10T10:06:00.005-06:00

Okay so here's the thing. I think it's pretty clear that Raitt used the term "sexy" to denote the media appeal of the medical isotope issue. Its attractive to the media because it is a huge issue that has a direct effect on a many, many people's lives. Most rational people probably understand this.

But here's the thing that gets me. This whole tape fiasco could have been a total non-story. Imagine if, instead of there being a court case, Raitt controlled the story, and played ball with the Chronicle Herald reporter. What would have happened if, instead of seeking a court injunction, Raitt said to the reporter "listen, this was a private conversation, and I chose my words very poorly. Obviously, my staffer wasn't the sharpest, and that problem has now been resolved. In the meantime, I continue to work with all my colleagues in caucus to find a resolution to the medical isotope shortage." Bam. Done. One day story, if that.

Instead, Raitt's staffer went to court. Nothing gets people's attention like a court case, especially when its because the big scary untransparent government is trying to hide information. That move alone made this story so much bigger than it otherwise needed to be. It got everyone's hackles up: if the Conservatives are willing to go to court to protect this tape, there must be something really damning on it right?

Then, to make matters worse, Raitt has steadfastly refused to apologize. Now, the Liberals and the other opposition parties can continue to hammer away, and Raitt and Stephen Harper's government continue to look as callous and stubborn as they do.

This isn't a story because of what Raitt said. This is a story because of how the original story was handled. The real shame is that its distracting us all from real issues, like figuring out what we're going to do to a) get out of this medical isotope mess and b) make sure we never get into this situation again.

Raitt needs to apologize so that she can put this matter behind her, and return to the very real work demanded of her as a minister.

UPDATE: Lisa Raitt just read an apology for her remarks, which I saw on Newsworld. I have not yet found a link to the story.

UPDATE:Link

Things Seen on National Newswatch

2009-06-09T15:18:00.006-06:00

Just now, while not paying attention in my spring class, I noticed this ad on National Newswatch. Advertising of this sort makes a certain amount of sense to me, although I'd be very curious to see what kind of response it gets.

Questions and Answers

2009-06-09T13:39:00.003-06:00

This is music to my ears.

"Why is the federal Liberal leader giving more ringing endorsements about the importance of the Alberta oilsands than our prime minister from Calgary..." - Ed Stelmach

That said. I'll do my best to answer the question being asked by the Stelmach Conservatives.

Because the federal Conservatives don't actually care about Alberta. For years they've been able to count on 27/28 or 28/28 seats in Alberta. If I were Stephen Harper I wouldn't care either. If I were Stephen Harper I would take those 28 seats to the bank, and spend the rest of my days in Ontario and Quebec - where the voters actually change their minds - talking about those dirty oilsands and making sure those rich Albertans shared their wealth. The Conservatives don't care about Alberta because they don't need to.

The same could probably have been said of the Liberals. The Liberal Party didn't care about Alberta either, because Alberta's 28 seats were guaranteed to go Conservative (ok, with one or two exceptions). But the accepted wisdom in the party has changed, beginning with Gerrard Kennedy's 308 riding strategy and Dean's speech to the 06 convention, the party realizes it cannot be a truly national party without seats in Alberta.

The federal liberal leader gives more ringing endorsements of the Alberta Oilsands than the Prime Minister from Calgary (who, incidentally, claimed that the west was in) because the Prime Minister doesn't have to, and isn't concerned about creating a truly national party.

Headline

2009-06-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Headline: Recruitment woes plague Harper's government

My immediate reaction: Is it any wonder when at the first sign of trouble staff are thrown under a bus?

An Aside

2009-06-08T18:37:00.000-06:00

Just as an only-tangential-to-politics aside, the more time goes on, the more I like the new globeandmail.com design. I find it to be significantly easier to navigate, and the higher contrast colour scheme makes the site an over all much easier read. I'm still not too sure what to make of the option to give comments a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down," but then, I wasn't too sure what to make of Facebooks's ability to "like" things - and I'm now a prodigious user of the feature.

Next post will be back on politics, I promise.

Raitt-gate II

2009-06-08T17:57:00.000-06:00

Okay. So stop me if I've misunderstood something (and let me be clear: I hope I have). Today, a conservative staffer went to court to try and prevent reporters from doing their jobs.

And what's more, it wasn't just any story the Chronicle Herald wanted to publish. It was the potentially earth shattering, government destroying, national unity threatening, illegally obtained (i.e. eavesdropping on a confidential conference call) revelation that one minister doesn't like another.

Now I know what you're thinking: problems in cabinet can be serious. Serious enough that you have to get your recently fired, 26 year old staffer to spend what must have been a good portion of her severance on a court case that probably only served to make this a much, much bigger story than it otherwise would have been.

And the Plot Thickens

2009-06-05T19:18:00.000-06:00

After what looking as though it might be an acclamation, I have confirmed that Avalon Roberts will be running against Corey Hogan for the Alberta Liberal Nomination in Calgary-Glenmore. My very inside, super secret anonymous senior liberal sources (okay, Corey Hogan himself) tells me that Avalon spoke to Corey earlier this evening, confirming that she will challenge him for the nomination.

At least it Rhymes

2009-06-04T18:08:00.001-06:00

Raitt-gate is now officially, well, a gate.

Ignatieff Nails It

2009-06-02T15:26:00.001-06:00

Ignatieff really nailed it in his post-QP scrum, brought to you courtesy of Macleans:

Michael Ignatieff: I don’t want an election. Canadians don’t want an election. But here’s where I am. I’m trying to make Parliament work with a government that every day is displaying more flagrant examples of incompetence. We’ve got a major medical crisis with the isotopes. They’ve got no plan. We’ve got, Toronto Dominion Bank just announced that the deficit over five years will be, wait for this, $168 billion. That’s the biggest number anybody has ever heard of. The public finances of this country are not under control. Right? Third, we’ve got an unemployment crisis with unemployment surging across the country. We’ve got Premier Campbell, we’ve got Brad Wall, we’ve got Premier McGuinty saying let’s do something about a national standard for EI. I’m not fancy about how we do it, but let’s do it. Right? We’ve got stimulus that needs to get out the door and only 6% of the stimulus has actually reached the country in the middle of the construction season.

So look, I want to make Parliament work. Canadians don’t want an election. I don’t want an election, but we have a problem, a serious problem about this government’s confidence, and I’m getting to the answer, next week, next week they have their second report card. Right? And as I said at the beginning of this, we’re holding these guys on probation. We’ll look at the data when we get it and we will make a serene and clear decision probably in the middle of next week. Thank you.

Confirmation: Dadamo Out

2009-06-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

So this leaves just Corey Hogan in the race. The deadline to file papers with the party is June 8th, so we'll know for sure if Hogan will be acclaimed by Monday.

DADAMO WILL NOT SEEK LIBERAL NOMINATION. INSTEAD WILL FOCUS ON LOCAL PRIORITIES

Calgary, AB - Monday, local businessman George Dadamo informed Alberta Liberal Party President Tony Sonsotta, that he will not seek the Party's nomination in the Calgary Glenmore by election. Instead, Mr. Dadamo will focus his energy on a number of local priorities, including: job creation, growing our economy, making our streets safer and standing up for families and business.

"The message I am getting from our hundreds of supporters and contributors is that Calgarians are looking for someone to stand up and fight for them on local issues, and that is exactly what I intend to do," announced Mr. Dadamo.

In the coming months, George will hold a series of public policy discussions with business and community members - starting with a Job Creation Summit on June 16th, 2009.

"So in many ways this journey is just beginning and I am calling on all Calgarians to join the conversation and get involved in this movement for change, because together we can make a great city - greater," stated Dadamo.

-30-

For More Information:

Team Dadamo
403.660.9203

Acclaimation?

2009-06-01T14:40:00.000-06:00

With Corey Hogan in the running, and Avalon Roberts considering sitting out the Glenmore byelection the following tweet from last night by Paula Simons caught my eye:

I hear George Dadamo will announce Mon. that he won't run for Libs in Cal-Glenmore after all. So who's in the running now? #ABleg

Right on the mark

2009-06-01T10:18:00.000-06:00

A great editorial cartoon from the Chronicle Herald

And now its a race

2009-06-01T09:42:00.000-06:00

This morning, www.coreyhogan.ca launched (full disclosure: I am involved in this campaign).

Corey is the first to officially announce that they will seek the Alberta Liberal nomination in the upcoming Calgary-Glenmore by-election to replace Ron Stevens. Other rumoured candidates include George Dadamo, the former Ontario Cabinet Minister. It is my understanding that Avalon Roberts, the previous ALP candidate hasn't yet ruled out running again.

Here, for the record, is the press release from the Hogan Campaign:

[Calgary] Corey Hogan announced today that he is officially seeking the nomination to be the Alberta Liberal Candidate in Calgary Glenmore. The small business owner and long-time Liberal activist grew up in Oakridge, and has considerable ties in the constituency.

Explaining his entrance in the race, Hogan said, “Looking at the state of our health care and the mismanagement of our economy, I think many Albertans are unhappy with the direction Stelmach is taking the province. The constituents of Calgary Glenmore have a unique opportunity to send a message - we don't have this right. We need to fix this."

Hogan made the announcement as the Bill 44 debate resumes in the Provincial Legislature.

Remarked Hogan, “We have a government that’s grown stale over decades, and the need for fresh ideas and new thinking has never been more obvious.”

“David Swann has made it quite clear that his is a party that welcomes a new generation of Albertans into its fold,” said Hogan (age 27).

A long-time Liberal activist and organizer, Hogan is expected to enter the nomination contest with considerable support from card-carrying members in Calgary Glenmore.

-30-

For further information contact:
Corey Hogan, Candidate
Email: candidate@coreyhogan.ca
Mobile: 403-585-8760

Disconnect

2009-05-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

There's an interesting disconnect going on right now that I'd like to talk about. On the one hand, what's going on in Ottawa sure feels like the lead up an election. On the other hand, I get absolutely no feeling that any party - least of all the Liberals - are warming up their election machines.

Now, by no means am I a Liberal party insider, but I do think that I'm well enough connected into the party that if the big red machine was starting to spin up its gears, I'd get some sense of it. God knows, I was aware of every single one of the false starts during the Dion days (it seemed we were always "weeks away" from an election). I've heard it mentioned by a few CBC pundits that there has been none of the pre-writ bravado and chest thumping as the parties show off the planes they're leasing, the star candidates they're recruiting or their amazing, state of the art, bunker like, massive war rooms.

On the "ground," the story is much the same. As a VP of my Electoral District Association, I've heard no call to nominate candidates, start finding a HQ, brush off the signs, or complete any of the other myriad pre-writ tasks.

Perhaps, though, we in the grass roots simply didn't get the memo, because the climate in Ottawa certainly looks like the lead up to an election. The dramatic "theme" of the Liberal Question Period performance today was "confidence confidence confidence" (or lack thereof... in Jim Flaherty). By way of illustration, Ignatieff asked:

“how can the Prime Minister or any other Canadian still have confidence in the minister of finance?”

Following the Question Period, our fearless leader stood just beyond the green carpet and told the country that it was becoming harder and harder to support the government. And grit girl is back:

It sure feels like the parties, especially the Liberals are on the path to war.

But then we return to the grass roots, which stand calm and undisturbed by the storm in Ottawa. What are we to make of all this? Well Calgary Grit wonders if the Liberals aren't painting themselves into a corner where they will be forced to vote against the government. I wonder the same thing, but I also wonder if this might not be intentional. No one needs to be reminded of what Dion's constant peek-a-boo game with non-confidence did to the party's image, not to mention the membership's morale. There's no question that the party has been hurt by serving as the official opposition while simultaneously (tacitly) supporting the government. This has left the NDP and the BQ free to vote against the government, all while railing against those dirty scumbag liberals for supporting the likes of Harper.

Perhaps this is the end of the line for the BQ and the NDP. The Liberals have their brushes out and are busily painting themselves into a corner where they will be forced to vote against the government. If the NDP and the BQ don't want an election, one of them is going to have to blink. Perhaps the reason why the leadership of the Liberals hasn't felt the need to spin up the big red machine, despite the fiery rhetoric, is because they are counting on the third or fourth party to blink. Maybe the storm clouds and the thunder aren't indicating an election, but instead a re-alignment of the parliamentary dynamic.

Doesn't looks so bad now

2009-05-27T11:41:00.000-06:00

It seems appropriate that we would be reminded of some important words, spoken during a budget speech just over 11 years ago:

"What I am about to say is something no Canadian government has been able to say for almost 50 years," he said. "We will balance the budget next year. We will balance the budget the year after that. And, Mr. Speaker, we will balance the budget this year."

My how things change

2009-05-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

By now, this is old news. However some things stand out for me.

In 4 months, the projected deficit has grown by $16 billion. So over 120 days, the projected deficit has grown at a rate of $133 million a day. Lets also not forget that what Flaherty said was:

“We will run a substantial short-term deficit this year which I would estimate at more than $50-billion...”

That's right. More than.

Now lets take a brief trip down memory lane. A quick google search for "election campaign deficit 2008" brings us to this CBC article, which reminds us:

Through the opening two weeks of the federal election campaign, Harper has repeatedly warned that the Liberals would drive the country back into a deficit with billions in unaffordable, reckless spending promises... By contrast, Harper has painted himself and the Conservatives as models of fiscal rectitude.

Less than a year later: Harper's in power and we have Canada's largest deficit. Ever.

Ted Morton on Stuff

2009-05-26T17:15:00.000-06:00

From Paula Simons we see a speech delivered by Ted Morton which contained this little tidbit:

"According to the feminist-gay gospel, the great evils of this world are sexism and homophobia, and their breeding ground is the traditional family… Hence, the gay-feminist project has become a social engineering project -- to use the coercive power of the state to undermine the existing family and to reconstruct in its place their gender-equal utopias."

h/t FSW

Lindsay Blackett Presents a Sophisticated Argument

2009-05-26T14:04:00.000-06:00

"How can people say I'm anti-gay?" Blackett asks. "I can't deal with the arts community every day by being anti-gay. They'd pick that up in a minute."

Source

This just in

2009-05-26T13:55:00.001-06:00

I don't have the precise details, but following the #ABLeg hashtag on twitter tells me that Alberta will have a free vote on Bill 44. Things are going to get VERY interesting.

Sad

2009-05-26T10:48:00.000-06:00

The website linked to by NNW seems to be swamped right now... but the troubling teaser on NNW reads:

CBC’s Politics to be cancelled
The past week of rumors tumbling out of CBC headquarters in Toronto are correct: Don Newman’s chair will not be filled on the venerable show Politics. MORE...

Politics demystified

2009-05-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

Capital Notebook nails it.

Imagine if real life were like politics.

You might say to your husband, "Hun, can you take out the garbage tonight?"

And he would say, "The garbage can is located under the kitchen sink."

Or, your husband might watch you wipe down the kitchen counter, then say, "We can all agree the kitchen counter had to be wiped down tonight. But why use paper towel?"

Ugh. Not that journalism-as-life would be a laugh-riot either. "Hun, should I wear the red tie or the blue tonight?"

"What tie do you think you should wear? What do you think your red or blue tie say about you? Why do you feel a tie is necessary at all?"

Monday Profoundness

2009-05-25T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a rather profound piece on the value of silence.

Kudos

2009-05-23T14:33:00.001-06:00

If this report is right, then the Liberals are doing everything I think they should be doing to respond to the latest salvo of the much hyped attack ads; that is, they are using them as an opportunity.

Much was made out of the Conservatives strategy to reach out to new Canadians and try and break the traditionally strong support the Liberal Party enjoys among them. The video response seems to me to be targetted directly at new Canadians, quite rightly calling out the Conservatives for basically attacking the political qualifications of anyone who has spent time outside of Canada.

At the same time, the report by Paul Wells on the Liberal response plan details changes to the internal party of the structure which have been rushed to facilitate a more coordinated reply to the Conservative attack ads. Much has been written about whether the Conservative attack ads will backfire on the Conservatives amongst voters. But the real danger, I think, is that the ads will spur Liberals to open their pockets and give to the party. The party has already accelerated its renewal plans, and aims to raise $25 million this year alone.

The real danger these ads present to the Conservatives is not that they will trigger a backlash amongst voters. I think they're distasteful, but they're not bad enough that voters will reject the conservatives based on these 30 second spots. The real danger is that they will end up financing the Liberal Party for a strong pre-election push over the summer and into the fall.

How to make things worse

2009-05-22T12:35:00.000-06:00

British Conservative MP Sir Anthony Steen defends himself after being embroiled in the ongoing British expense claims scandal (which I note no one has yet called expense-gate)

After pondering the question of exactly why people were so angry over his claim for the treatment of 500 trees in the grounds of his house, he offered a succinct explanation today : "Jealousy".

Triumph?

2009-05-22T10:09:00.000-06:00

Paul Wells has a great column over on the Macleans website. It's a good read, and I'd recommend taking the time to give it a scan. His point is an important one, that everyone in the Liberal Party should be listening to: any sense that victory is a sure thing is premature and fooldhardy.

That said, I disagree with his characterization of the 2006 election as a "fit of revulsion" and the parallels he draws with the 1993 election. He writes:

But for more than 20 years now, Canadians voting in federal elections haven’t been in the habit of changing governments quietly, on balance, all things considered. No, it’s more brutal than that. We stick with incumbents—or we kick them out in a fit of revulsion.

Following the non-stop internecine warfare of the early 2000s and the revelations of the Gomery Inquiry, there is no question that Canadians felt a great deal of revulsion towards the Liberal Party in 2006. However, I am not sure that the progression from a majority to a minority to another minority (to another minority) that has characterized the 2004-present epoch supports Well's argument. He rests he premise on the belief that Canadians do not change their government's lightly, and when they do so it is with force and certitude. There is no question that 1993 supports this. I don't believe that moving from one minority to another minority displays the kind of force that Wells suggests it does.

Meanwhile, in New Brunswick

2009-05-21T17:04:00.000-06:00

Now here is a really interesting idea. CBC reports that the government has introduced legislation to create a seat on each of New Brunswick's 18 school boards, to be filled with a high school student. The seat would not be filled in a direction election, but rather chosen by the various high school student council presidents.

This idea makes a great deal of sense. While adding a single vote to a school board may not be enough to change the balance of school board decisions, I don't think it can hurt to ensure that there is a representative who speaks for students from the point of view of a student. It will be interesting to see what happens to this proposal.

The New globeandmail.com

2009-05-21T09:48:00.001-06:00

Although not strictly political news, the Globe and Mail has redesigned their website.

I'm still playing around with it, but in general I really like the changes. Their new navigation bar is substantially improved, making it much much easier to access the content (particularly their politics page) and the punchier colours make the site much more eye catching.

Elevating MPs to a New Level

2009-05-19T21:58:00.001-06:00

Philippe Gohler over at Macleans.ca provides a wonderfully visual description of our elected representatives:

...electing poo-tossing monkeys [who] do a circus routine every day...

Ron Stevens

2009-05-15T13:46:00.001-06:00

Ron Stevens, the PC MLA for Calgary-Glenmore has just resigned.

Obviously, I wish him all the best in his retirement. More to follow

Just Visiting

2009-05-14T09:55:00.000-06:00

I have it on good authority that Corey Hogan spent an entire afternoon on this.

Morton is the Man

2009-05-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

It's pretty obvious speculation, but if Morton were to jump to the Alberta Alliance it would certainly shake things up.

Every now and then

2009-05-07T10:23:00.001-06:00

I am reminded that Albertans are not as conservative or red-necked as our politicans - or our own self image - makes us out to be.

Donors fund sex operation

The Calgary Sun
Thu 07 May 2009
Page: 7
Section: News
Byline: BY BILL KAUFMANN, SUN MEDIA

The corporate community has stepped up to finance sex-change surgery for a small-town, transgendered southern Albertan denied provincial funding for the procedure.

Some of it has come from Heather Edwards' hometown of Nanton -- better known for its cowboys and arch-conservative views.

But Edwards, who was once known as Barry, said she feels far more comfortable in the town of 2,000 than she would have in the Alberta legislature, where she said "MLAs laughed at us when they cut the funding."

On Bill 44

2009-05-06T13:33:00.001-06:00

Bill 44 (come on... take the 5 minutes to actually read the bill) has been the talk of Alberta in the last week or so. A lot of ink (digital and otherwise) has been devoted to dissecting the bill and its effects, particular the so-called "evolution clause." It would, in brief, create, as a recognized right, the option for parents to have their children removed from a classroom when the

"subject matter... deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation."

The negative consequences of such a move have been widely described (Rick Bell actually wrote a good column on it, as did Paula Simons, and Ken Chapman's post is particularly good). Most of those who have written on Bill 44 ask one question: why? No one was publicly calling for this. There are no new court rulings to take into account. There was almost no public relations lead up to it.

As I see it, there are three possible ways to explain Bill 44.

The standard answer is that the so-called "evolution clause" is a bone to the socially conservative wing of the tory caucus and coalition of voters. Ockham's razor leads me to believe that there is probably some truth to this theory. But I believe there are other possibilties that must be considered and accounted for, as they have potentially important implications for how to oppose Bill 44.

Daveberta advances another theory, one that I've heard from a couple of other sources. The evolution clause could be a ruse, designed to create a huge uproar, allowing the tories to back down. In doing so, they would implement measures to enhance charter school legislation - essentially strengthening private schools in Alberta.

I would like to propse a third way to explain Bill 44. It is no secret that Blackett is no fan of human right's commissions, having likened them to "kangaroo courts." Blackett's legislation, however, is ostensibly about strengthening Human Right's commissions in Alberta. Yet it has suceeded in bringing a number of groups that would traditionally Human Right's Commissions into opposition to a bill that would, in fact, strengthen them. If I were a conservative Legislator who wanted to ultimately weaken Human Right's Commissions, I would look for a way to do just this. Bill 44 may be an opening shot in a bid to ulThe Alberta Liberals, NDP and various other groups who are generally supportive of Human Right's Commissions need to be very careful how they go about opposing this bill, and ensure that they do not paint themselves into a corner.

I love a witty headline

2009-04-03T10:30:00.001-06:00

And this is probably one of the best I've read in quite some time.

PIE-PO-PIG

2009-04-02T15:52:00.000-06:00

There is an interesting drama unfolding in the world of Alberta politics, and it is proving to be a perfect illustration of an important lesson in understanding political parties.

Academics have come up with something called the "PIE-PO-PIG" model to explain it. Basically, there are three inter-related but separate parts to a political party: the Party in the Electorate (PIE), the Party Organization (PO) and the Party in Government (PIG). Put another way, the party membership, party staff/official structure and caucus need to be thought of as separate but interrelated parts.

So out of my 6 readers (hi mom), 5 of you have now dropped off to sleep or given up. The last of you is wondering what that has to do with Alberta politics. Well, the Alberta Liberal Party, of which I am a loving member, is in some serious trouble. For those of you who don't know, Daveberta provides a solid summary of the ALP's troubles. And now this.

The layoff of ALP staff indicates that the party is in some serious trouble. Things continue to hum along in their caucus office (albeit at a reduced level since their reduction in funding following last march's election). The "PIG" arm of the ALP continues along as ever, and the opposition members will continue to have the support they need to perform in the Legislature. But the caucus office is severely limited in what it can do. Its funding comes from government, and as such, it is a theoretically non-partisan organization. Its staff cannot engage in electioneering, cannot maintain membership lists or fundraise, nor can they even use the term "Alberta Liberal Party."

So what of the "PO?" Already, the two office staff were almost entirely consumed with administrative duties. Now, there are not only no paid staff preparing for the next election, there are no paid staff to maintain the membership lists, pay the pills, fundraise, or recruit new members. These tasks will all fall to volunteers.

The caucus members of the ALP need to wake up to the serious danger that is being faced by the ALP. Although they may be somewhat insulated from the situation (I know for a fact that they interact FAR more with caucus staff than they did with party staff) the ALP's party organization going to atrophy even more rapidly. The organization exists to prepare for elections and maintain the party in the electorate. There is now no one to prepare (on a full time basis) for the next election, and I would be very surprised if even basic things like membership renewal notices continue to sent out.

The ALP needs to solve its fundraising problems - and fast - or the entire party is in serious trouble. It may not go bankrupt, but it will find itself incapable of mounting even a basic election campaign.

Allegorical Tardiness

2009-04-02T10:42:00.000-06:00

This wasn't the only thing Harper was late for.

Of Fractures and Fault Lines

2009-03-30T10:32:00.000-06:00

Okay, time to stop being lazy (its March in my final year of university, cut me some slack) and start posting again.

I've mentioned a few times now that I think the Conservatives are a deeply divided party, that Stephen Harper has only been able to hold together because he wins. Basically, people like being in power more than they like not being in power, and they'll put up with a lot as long as they remain in power (am I implying that the NDP are, in fact, not people? Post for another day).

The more I think about this, the more I think that Harper has been able to win not because is a particular political genius, but because, as we all know, 90% of politics is timing. It was time for a change, and Canadians went looking. Harper's genius/skill/achievement/whatever was providing Canadians with that choice by "uniting the right" and perhaps pushing them towards it. But since then, what has really accomplished? He assassinated the character of a fine Canadian, and then still couldn't beat the not-a-leader-tax-on-everything-do-you-think-its-easy-to-make-priorities Stephane Dion.

And now, against a renewed opposition (sure we've got our problems, and occasionally do stupid things, but on the whole, things are looking up) fault lines are going to start to show.

Now okay, there are 72 members at the time I write this. Hardly a groundswell worthy of notice by the might PMO and his minions. But if I were him, Iwould take notice. He's knit together two right wing factions. But I don't believe for a minute that they are really all that united. Lets not forget that these two groups split for a reason. It probably won't take much for them to spin apart again, and as the Harper machine stumbles, it will take less and less.

A Lesson in Bad Timing

2009-03-19T10:21:00.000-06:00

I think that the media, and we as the voting public, tend to be too harsh on politicians doing things that we, ourselves, wouldn't hesitate to do in our own lives. Making appropriate use of expense accounts, for example.

And really, I do believe that ministers work in a position where they are entitled to a well appointed office and that, in some ways, it may even be a requirement of their work.

But this? The work might need to be done but the timing is terrible.

"For the thousands of Canadians who are waiting for their employment insurance cheques, the first thing that pops into the finance minister's head is 'time to redecorate,' " said Liberal MP Scott Brison.

The Universe

2009-03-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

...is sometimes shocking in its methods.

The Three Languages of Canadian Politics

2009-03-10T09:52:00.001-06:00

There is an interesting article about a setback in the GOP's effort's to catch up the online machine that is Dean and Obama's Democratic party on Arst Technica today.

The most important passage is here:

Though he opens with a fierce blast at "the blog-flogging of political simpletons" who doubt the party's ability to recover the lead online, he also laments the paucity of serious coders—as opposed to blog pundits and Twitter activists—working to build tools and platforms for the GOP. "Maybe," he offers, "we should start providing computer science scholarships in exchange for a commitment to serve our party?"

Over the summer I had an interesting conversation with a friend from Ontario about the interplay between the internet, social media and politics. I left this conversation holding the viewpoint that there are now three languages in Canadian politics. While once English and French were the languages of the Canadian political class (and the country, for that matter), increasingly the various web-coding languages are being added to that mix. Politics needs people who know HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript and are just as comfortable sitting a in a pub cracking computer jokes as they are discussing constitutional nuances.

Its no longer enough for the Liberal Party to wait and hope that the grade 9 student who knows a little html will walk through the doors of their campaign HQs come election time and help put up their candidates website. The party needs to begin to actively court and develop politically interested an engaged citizens who have web design skills, or failing that, provide the opportunities and tools for its members to learn the new language of politics.

Tremors

2009-03-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

Regular readers (that's a shout-out to my imaginary friend John) will know that I think Stephen Harper's leadership is probably considerably more shaky than it outwardly appears.

Today, we see this:

I, and many other conservatives, didn't come to Ottawa to promote the twin causes of centrist government and tax-and-spend liberalism.

Changes afoot

2009-03-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Arriving in my inbox today.

Following close on the heels of Judy Wilson's departure from the Chief of Staff position (replaced by former Edmonton MLA Rick Miller, comes the news that Calgary politico Neil Mackie will take over as the Alberta Liberal Caucus Communications Director.

March 5, 2009

New Communications Director joins Alberta Liberal Caucus

Edmonton – Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann today announced the appointment of Neil Mackie as Director of Communications for the Alberta Liberal Caucus.

“I’m very pleased to announce this addition to our team,” says Swann. “With Neil’s background we gain a wealth of political and communications experience.”

“He will join our communications staff in Edmonton and will focus on strategy, media and preparing the Caucus for a busy summer reconnecting with our constituents, including my upcoming Leader’s Tour.”

Mackie is President of Calgary-based Vincero Public Affairs. Prior to that, he was the head of marketing for a publicly listed Calgary technology company.

“I look forward to working with the strong Caucus we have. After getting to know David Swann I am very excited to be taking on this new challenge. There is new energy and excitement in this organization, making this opportunity irresistible,” says Mackie.

“Working on caucus communications for Alberta’s Official Opposition when this government is floundering gives us a lot of opportunity to show Albertans what a competent government should look like.”

-30-

What's that Noise?

2009-03-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Is it hell freezing?

Stelmach lauds federal Liberals

But yesterday, Alberta's premier veered off a prepared speech at an industry conference in Calgary and applauded comments the federal Liberal leader made in Edmonton last week.

Waiiiitt a minute

2009-02-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Things start to make sense.

Further documents released through an access to information request show the government hired public-relations firm Hill and Knowlton last year to manage the bad press Indian Affairs was facing regarding the state of on-reserve schools in Northern Ontario. - Globe and Mail

Hill & Knowlton President and CEO Michael Coates today announced the appointment of Ian Brodie to the position of Senior Counsellor to Hill & Knowlton’s Public Affairs Group in Ottawa...Mr. Brodie, served as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2008."- Here

The Harper Conservatives now routinely delay requests for government documents – a right of Canadians under the law – well beyond the 30 days that the Access to Information Act requires.-Globe and Mail

With the Federal Accountability Act, we are creating a new culture of accountability that will change forever the way business is done in Ottawa-Stephen Harper, April 11, 2006

The Prudent Fiscal Management Continues

2009-02-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty acknowledged that Ottawa will foul up as it doles out $40-billion of stimulus spending, but said errors are acceptable because it's crucial to roll out cash quickly to counter the economic downturn.

First the deficit. Now this. Real fiscal conservatives must be looooving it.

They're African so who cares?

2009-02-21T12:08:00.001-07:00

Right?

Millions have been killed... the world, for the most part, has remained indifferent to their suffering.

This is well worth the read.

Awesome

2009-02-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

I support the idea behind these laws. I would imagine most people do. But sometimes, common sense is just unenforceable.

PORT HOPE–The latest case of an Ontario driver nabbed by police for smoking in a car carrying a minor is raising eyebrows about the new law.

A 20-year-old Port Hope, Ont., man has been ticketed for smoking in a car in which a 15-year-old girl was one of his passengers.

While Tory Ashton was waiting for his $155 ticket, the girl – a smoker herself – got out of the car and legally lit up a cigarette of her own.

The logical conclusion

2009-02-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

...to letting your caucus chief of stuff openly organize a new political party with no consequence is this:

Liberal MLA Bridget Pastoor is thinking about crossing the legislature floor to join the Conservatives.

The two-term MLA from Lethbridge confirmed this Wednesday while Liberal Leader David Swann was only a few paces away, telling reporters about his "strong support" from the caucus.

I bet there will be a few rueful smiles around the table at caucus.

I heard a member of Alberta's punderati (I don't recall who) on CBC the other night suggesting that Dave Taylor's loyalty to the party was beyond question, but that the party should be concerned about the leader's loyalty. I'm inclined to agree.

And so it begins...

2009-02-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Jack Layton suggests the predictable.

Layton said that there's a "golden opportunity" to boost slumping domestic sales with a "perfectly legal and appropriately designed 'Buy Canadian' strategy."

Clearly economics 101 went over someone's head.

Circus Part Two

2009-02-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

This morning Denise Brunsdon resigned from her post as Organizational Vice President of the Young Liberals of Canada. The extraordinary meeting of the YLC scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled.
This whole situation has been unsettling and a sad state of affairs. Hopefully everyone can learn from this and make the youth wing of the LPC a better organization.

On Our Watch

2009-02-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

In 2007, the last year for which figures are available, the First Nations child mortality rate in this province for children under 18 was 135 kids per 100,000. For non-First Nations children, the number is 48 per 100,000. That means First Nations children and youth in this province die at almost three times the rate of the non-native population.

The full article

Circus

2009-02-01T21:18:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was the OYL AGM. At first I was sad that I wasn't able to go but after hearing what drama happened, I'm incredibly glad I had no part in this - although it does mean my information is second-hand.

Rigging an election for a wing of a political party is absolutely abhorrent. That's what is being circulated across the country tonight as Liberals, young and not-so-young, gasp in horror at what a small group of people deemed acceptable in their bid for power.
By faking delegate voting badges, the OYL First campaign got innocent new members to commit voter fraud. All because they were worried about losing 2 out of 15 spots on the executive.
Nothing is worth compromising democracy. I would've hoped that members of what was once called the Natural Governing Party would not stoop so low.

Not only does Krista Balsom need to resign, the OYL and the YLC need to take action. And not just against those who perpetrated this. The whole new OYL executive is illegitimate - seeing as there should be no way to determine which votes were fraudulent and therefore all votes should be thrown out. I know it can be difficult to gather 400-odd YL votes, but there are other ways to vote besides in-person.

It's time the OYL become an example instead of an embarrassment and step up to the plate to right this wrong.

On pitbulls

2009-01-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

The problem with rabid pit bulls is that while they pack a mean punch, you never know when they're going to turn on you.

This, however, is why its the right choice.

What I'm Reading

2009-01-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

Speaking from experience, this is only a taste.

One of the true tragedies of the (very necessary) Martin and Chretien cuts of the 1990s was the devastating effect they had on government science in Canada. The bigger tragedy is that the Conservative budget not only does nothing for science and innovation in Canada, it could deal it a major, major blow.
...on Wednesday, Science, one of the world's most important scientific journals, published a short piece raising the spectre of a new brain drain from Canada to the United States.

Good. Very good. The Globe, however, is right. Moderation is key.

The only lesson we can take from stories like these is one of wonder at how amazingly complex our planet, and life on it is. We don't come close to understanding it.

He's in trouble. Nothing more to say.

“I think it's absolutely essential for the party to keep its core supporters onside, and there wasn't that much in this budget that really speaks to those core supporters,” he [Tom Flanagan] said.

When I read Ignatieff's statement about the budget, his quip that "But this is a government that is more inclined to make commitments than to keep them" stuck out as the most pithy and accurate assessment of Harper's performance.

If I Were A Boy

2009-01-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

With all of the focus on Obama south of the border and the need for Canada to find a politician of similar stature, there is yet another glaring difference between the American leader and ours:

While the Conservatives continue believing that women should not receive equal pay for equal work and even put it in their budget, Obama signed his first piece of legislation. What an excellent start to the new Administration in the States. Too bad our administration is stuck in the 1950s.

Headlines

2009-01-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

That sum up what we're allthinking.

Today's News Roundup

2009-01-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today I begin what I hope will become a daily feature. We'll see how I do.

Amusing Headline of the Day

The Niger delta is a basket case, and the world isn't generally paying attention. The opening to this article does a good job of capturing some of the horror of sectarian violence.

The LRA are kind of a bunch of bastards, and this is a big deal.

This is precisely the kind of visionary policy that is sorely lacking in our own government.

Here: "critics still demanded to know why the public was unaware of the incidents for nearly two months..." perhaps because the last time a government official told the truth about this facility, they were fired and called a partisan hack.

I honestly believe that Harper has messed up terribly, and because the ground he's standing on is already shaky its only a matter of time until he's done. For good.

UPDATE:Oh ya. This too.

What the Pundits Say...

2009-01-28T10:38:00.001-07:00

...about yesterday's budget:

"This is nothing less than a Liberal budget from a Conservative government."
Ian MacDonald, The Gazette

"in contrast with last fall's fiscal update, the Conservative economic blueprint is almost painfully spineless... If its authors are guilty of anything this time around, it is political plagiarism of the most craven kind."
Chantal Hebert, Toronto Star

"But this budget has gone far beyond the desire to emerge from recession leaner and meaner. The government has proven itself to be the original good time had by all. The Conservatives boasted they consulted with thousands of stakeholders in 84 communities during the budget process. Clearly, they didn't say "no" to any of them."
John Ivison, NP

And my personal favourite:

"The deficit numbers, dripping red, leap out from the budget documents like a terrible phantasm, unleashed to torment the thoughts of fiscal conservatives.... Sadly, very little of it will stimulate anything"
Monte Soleberg - Ottawa Sun

CTV's 2008 Headlines - Annotated

2008-12-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

CTV has compiled the traditional look back on the year that was.

Something struck me as I approached the article's end.

The Federal Government's Near Collapse - Precipitated by the Conservative's pitiful F.U.

The Federal Election - when the Conservatives broke their own law

Puffingate - the Conservative war room crossed the line.

Grieving father's remarks questioned - the Conservative war room crossed the line. Again.

Questionable Listeria Jokes - Conservative Minister's totally unacceptable jokes in the middle of a major national food-safety crisis

Maxime Bernier - Conservative Minister

Obama campaign's NAFTA musings - Conservative PMO leak interferes in a foreign election.

Cadman accusations Conservative PMO attempts to bribe a dying man

Interesting pattern, no?

Things that are unsurprising

2008-12-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

This follows this.

I guess things could be worse.

Refoooooorm???

2008-12-22T21:21:00.001-07:00

As my co-blogger has noted below, prime minister Harper has made 19 appointments today.

While I fully agree with appointing Thomas Cromwell as the new judge on the Supreme Court, I cannot believe Harper is shunning his own harped-on process.
It is the same with his senate appointments. After YEARS of advocating for a different system than the status quo, he turns around and makes the most senate appointments than any other prime minister in one day. While Harper tries to stay true to his long-held belief that the Upper Chamber should be elected, it is clear from the CBC article that not all of the newly-minted senators had been consulted on standing for elections. And, as every other person is noting, Harper appointed a separatist! After all his bluster over the Bloc's participation in the Coalition he has, once again, gone back on his rhetoric.

As my house is a CBC house I've only seen how CBC is reporting on this hypocrisy. I'm sure CTV is lauding the appointment of one of their own but I doubt that they are not at all mentioning Harper going back on his word. And I thought the media was supposed to be unbiased...

Will Harper be true to his name and only harp on things? Or will he actually, one day, do what he says he will do when it comes to accountability and legitimacy? One can only hope for the latter from the man leading our country.

Is it any surprise?

2008-12-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Huh.

Bell on Swann.

2008-12-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

I admire Rick Bell's rhetorical style, but I often find him to be petty and small minded, and usually wrong.

An exception occurred with his column today:

... Meanwhile, down at the Glenmore Inn, people sporting Obama buttons offer to inspire me and give directions to a fourth-dimension "high road" outside of space and time.

In fact, I arrive to catch the Alberta Liberals fall on their swords. I don't cover suicides but an exception is made.

A party beat up for decades goes the hara-kiri route and elects David Swann as leader, a fine man but not a big sell the further you get away from those imbibing the cool Kensington Kool-Aid and burning the heavy-duty incense.

These folks really do see Swann as Alberta's Obama. Swann gives it a shot.

"There's a change a-comin'. Can you feel it, brother? Can you feel it, sister?"

A Swann disciple explains: "It's like Obama." Huh?

Swann even tosses out an Obama quote ripped off from a book by Alice Walker.

"We are the ones we've been waiting for." Dig it?

Swann vows to remake the Liberals. The name may change.

"It's time to rise up," he says to the glassy-eyed zealots.

More than a few Liberals can't believe the latte-lifting lemmings have taken over. Some get drunk. Ed's Tories believe in Santa again. You know you might be in trouble if the guy the other party wants to win, does win. On a table is a lone pamphlet for Dave Taylor, the Liberal MLA supported for leader by everyone with the majority of their brain cells in this universe. It reads: "Business Friendly. Fiscally Responsible. Making a Stand for the Centre."

Dave loses. The vote isn't close. Guess he didn't sound enough like Obama.

Downfall

2008-12-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

He's spend the cupboard bare, and in the face of an economic tidal wave he asks for more time to come up with less. Oh, and tells us not to panic.

This government is a sinking ship.

Alberta Liberal Leadership - Its Time

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

Tomorrow, at 2:30 at the latest, the Alberta Liberal Party will have itself a new leader.

Dave Cournoyer has a good piece in this week's SEE magazine, giving a quick rundown of past Alberta Liberal Leadership contests. Most of it will be fairly familiar to people who are close to the party or have long memories, but for folks who spent most of the 1990s throwing snowballs during recess, it provides a good rundown.

The three candidates, Mo Elsalhy, David Swann and Dave Taylor haven't diverged widely from one another on the issues, and have each promised to bring similar philosophies of grass-roots inclusion, consultation and transparency to their leadership.

The major cleavage between the two front runners, Dave and David, was over what prominence the Liberal brand should have in the party. It is, perhaps, unsurprising that Dave Taylor would position himself as the "unapologetic liberal," given that the key organizers on his campaign are the very same promising young liberals behind the New Liberal initiative.

Swann, on the other hand, has immense personal credibility in Alberta's younger, 'progressive' crowd, and so, logically, his campaign has focused far more on David Swann as an individual, and his possession of the "courage to lead" and "the power to inspire." He has, annoyingly, spend a great deal of time comparing himself to another prominent politician. As such, he has been the candidate who is most ready to ditch the Liberal name in favour of... something else.

Mo's campaign has proven to be a bit of an enigma, at least in Calgary. He's focused on setting targets and attaining them. Which is good, but compared to the other candidates his campaign has been very short on the hows. Mo has, however, brought important ideas about how to target specific demographics to grow the party.

Tomorrow will be an important day in the history of Alberta's politics. Its easy to diminish the Alberta Liberal Party as insignificant. Its important to remember, though, that the ALP forms the official opposition in Alberta, and whoever takes over tomorrow will lead the opposition when the session resumes during the last election. They are the only party that has, to my knowledge, survived through Alberta's entire life as a province, and in the last election won 26% of the vote.

The real work of reforming the party will begin immediately after the new leader is announced, and that will be a very interested and exciting process to be involved it.

Oh.

2008-12-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. I don't even know what to think.

Its Official

2008-12-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you Mr Dion.

Another post to follow this evening.

***********
Media Releases
December 10, 2008
STATEMENT BY LIBERAL PARTY PRESIDENT DOUG FERGUSON ON THE SELECTION OF AN INTERIM LEADER

On December 8, 2008, the Hon. Stéphane Dion signaled his intention to resign from his position as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. On behalf of the entire Liberal family, I wish to thank Mr. Dion for his unwavering dedication and his unending passion both for his country and for the Liberal Party.

Pursuant to section 54-3(a) of the Liberal Party’s Constitution, following Mr. Dion’s resignation, the National Executive, in consultation with Caucus, was entrusted with the responsibility of appointing an interim Liberal Leader.

This decision comes at an historic time for Canada. Our Interim Leader will be called upon to lead our Caucus and our Party through a volatile Parliament, and a possible federal election in the midst of the worst economic crisis in memory. For this reason, the National Executive opted to take the unprecedented step of expanding the consultations to include members of the Liberal Party’s Council of Presidents, as well as past candidates and Commission club presidents.

These consultations revealed an overwhelming consensus in favour of one individual and the National Executive has now reflected on the consultations it has undertaken.

As such, I am pleased to announce that the National Executive has voted unanimously to appoint Michael Ignatieff as Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

While this is the case, it is important to remind Canadians and Liberal Party members that the Leadership Convention to be held in Vancouver from April 30 to May 3, 2009 will continue as planned.

Tous Ensemble

2008-12-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

What a truly extraordinary two weeks. Steve-o managed to turn an economic crisis into a political crisis, bringing us to the brink of a constitutional crisis and back (for now?). A coalition came together, rallies were held, and Canadians, perhaps fleetingly, engaged with their politics. And that is to say nothing of the developments within the Liberal Party.

Bob Rae today showed himself to be one of Canada's true statesmen. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to put aside his ambition - as he admits, for good - for the sake of his adopted party and his country. Mr. Rae has demonstrated a commitment to the greater good that has been sorely lacking in Canadian politics. I can only imagine that he still has a great deal to contribute to the Liberal Party and to our country.

I am, however, struggling somewhat with the manner in which the leadership process has unfolded. I am no fan of unrestrained populism, and I have my problems with a one member one vote system (although I find myself coming around to it in a big way), but I have an even larger problem with a leadership selection process as it has unfolded.

After the process that has unfolded, largely without the participation of the party grass roots, Michael Ignatieff must reach out the grassroots of the party as never before. Members from across the country must feel involved in the policy and decision making apparatus of the party, and Canadians must feel they have unrestricted access to Liberal MPs and party notables. Canadians must feel that the Liberal Party is moving forward tous ensemble.

The coming shake up?

2008-12-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Big things appear afoot.

Basic Camera Skills

2008-12-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Prime Minister and the Prime Minister hopeful both addressed the nation tonight.

Harper was very short and said nothing new.
Dion was longer and everyone is making fun of the inability of the LPC to get the tape to the networks on time.

Both had HORRIBLE focus! I can't fault the LPC - they SUCK at communications, it is what I have come to expect from them - shitty communications. But seriously, did someone use their blackberry to film that? The Conservatives though, they are usually all over making things look good and getting them out fast. Fast they did, looking good they did not.

Jack Layton should not be the one with the best background, best focus, best everything. Although he did have professional cameramen filming him, but still.

I ask that each party find someone with basic cinematography skills and use them. For everything.

Could Conservative Members Please Go Read How Canadian Parliament Works?

2008-12-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I have been inundated with Facebook invites to attend this rally, or join that group. All of it over the one thing that has made Canadian politics interesting.

While this situation is slightly unprecedented, there is some history that can be referred to and not just in Canada. What is unprecedented is the Governor General possibly refusing to prorogue Parliament. There has never been a Governor General that has refused the Prime Minister's request for prorogument. Michelle Jean is coming home early to perform her duties as Head of State. Hopefully she will have the balls to not let Harper subvert democracy in action.

Speaking of democracy, people need to read up on how our Parliament works. When it is figured out that the person who gets to be Prime Minister must have the confidence of the majority of members of the House and that that person is NOT Harper, the Conservative machine can shut up and shut down.

Please, stop lying to the Canadian public that this coalition is unconstitutional. It is constitutional, Harper and the Cons know it, and are purposely lying to Canadians. They should be ashamed of themselves (once, of course, Harper stops kicking himself for engineering his own demise).

Out of Control

2008-12-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Kady O'Malley nails the essential dynamic of what has happened:

[Stephen Harper]has been largely incidental to the day’s events. That must drive him absolutely bonkers.

The Real Danger

2008-11-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

I've long thought that Harper's leadership is much much more tenuous than it outwardly appears, and that it won't take a big mistake on his part before he comes tumbling down, and fast

Now I'm not saying that a putsch is eminent, or even that these websites are authentic (although, given my thoughts about Harper's leadership, I think there's a good chance they are), but I do think that Harper's leadership of the Conservative Party is in significant danger.

The political commentariat - professional and beer league - love to talk about Harper's almost freakish grip on his party. Outside of a few notables, like Baird, Pollievre and Flaherty, we don't hear from his ministers. People resent having their every word - when they're allowed to speak - scripted.

We know that the Conservative base is not just in Alberta, but is freakishly Conservative. Harper hasn't (generally) been so. If any further proof was needed, all one needs to do is look at what happened in the 'pegg.

Its my belief that there is a deep - but hidden - resentment of Harper in the grassroots of his party and in caucus. They put up with him because he won. Because he is a "tactical genius" (mostly). Because he built their party. Because he's holding their teddy bears hostage.

Harper has built a coalition through sheer force of will, aided by the desperation the Canadian conservatives felt under Chretien. They were willing to compromise their policy views for power. Now they've got it. Harper has had to browbeat his ministers into silence (aided by the fact that, for the most part, his cabinet ministers are far from stellar), and seems to just be hoping that being in government will be enough for them.

It has been, and it will be until Harper starts to slip. The instant he does, resent is going to start boiling up from all corners of his party, and Harper will be in trouble.

And I think he just slipped.

Messagesoftheday

2008-11-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

"During an economic crisis, (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper is more focused on putting the boots to his political adversaries than helping vulnerable Canadians protect their jobs and savings with a real economic plan," said Liberal MP Scott Brison.

"If Stephen Harper's idea of a stimulus package is to start mucking around with the rules of party financing, he's going to hit a brick wall... If he tries to play with this under the guise of doing something to reduce expenses, it's a transparent fraud." - Thomas Mulcair

"We expect this government to take responsibility for the fiscal weakness they have created for the country at a time of need. That's what it's really about today," - Gerard Kennedy

It takes a special kind of immaturity to look at an economic crisis - one that has people worried about their jobs and their homes and their life savings - and consider only how it might be turned to your advantage. But then, for all his ideological roots, Harper has demonsrated time and again that nothing interests him so much as cementing his hold on power. - Adam Radwanski

So glad...

2008-11-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

...that I am not the only one who is hopelessly addicted.

NGOs and Afghanistan

2008-11-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Michael Petrou, over on Macleans.ca, brings forward a number of very interesting points about Afghanistan and the Canadian presence there. The most interesting, to my mind, is this:

Afghan officials say their country will never have a strong and stable government unless it can deliver the services now typically provided by NGOs.

Important corruption arguments aside, this is an interesting way of thinking about the role of NGOs in development, and something that I think deserves further thought.

Towards a more grassroots party

2008-11-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

"They're just like any other consultation you would have with any stakeholder group," he said, confirming the government will not be bound by the Winnipeg decisions.

Sparrow weighs in again.

Now and Then

2008-10-24T11:11:00.000-06:00

Then

"The opposition tries to tell people that we're in deficit when we're in surplus. Tries to tell people we're in recession when our economy is still growing. Tries to tell people we are losing jobs when actually more people are working," said Harper.

Now

The federal government posted a $1.7-billion deficit in August, a signal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty may have problems balancing Ottawa's books this year.

Paper Planes

2008-08-25T20:38:00.001-06:00

There has been a lot of talk about the 10% flyers going out "Compliments" of Conservative MPs. My friend out in Halifax (held by NDP Alexis McDonough) returned to her apartment to find one of these flyers "Compliments of Helena Guergis, MP." It is focused on the Canadian military and when I get a picture of it from her I will post it.
"Who is on the right track on supporting our troops?" With three bullet points: "First-class training, Cutting edge equipment, and $45 billion in new funding" there is also an old planes vs new planes picture. Yep, supposedly the Harper government is supporting our troops.

Buuuuuuuuuut...
If the Harperites are supporting our troops, shouldn't they not do this?

वही एवें बोठेर विथ तित्लेस

2008-08-15T19:09:00.000-06:00

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Canada's medal count at the Olympics.

I spend my days at work with our local right-wing talk radio station on in the background, and listen to the CBC drive home show, and on both the question has been asked of the listener - "do you care about how 'badly' we're doing?"

My answer: Sort of.

Those who say that being at the Olympics is not about winning, but instead just about being at the Olympics, are right. I agree that coming fourth, or coming sixth, or whatever is a huge achievement. I'm sure as hell not 'sixth best' in the world at anything.

At the same time, I am no time for the neo con knuckle draggers of the world who argue we shouldn't spend a penny on anything that isn't an army or an Albertan. Government should be the place where we as a society come together and accomplish great things. Government money has discovered new continents, put a man on the moon, cured diseases, and created some of the world's greatest athletes. The list goes on and on.

As always, 100 points to anyone who can make my titles understandable.

Can't Believe It

2008-08-14T14:03:00.000-06:00

Bring it Harper!

After all that fuss over fixed election dates (hello US system) Harper may just back out, be the hypocrite his party is clearly proving to be (bye bye ethics and transparency as election planks), and ask the GG to dissolve Parliament.
As someone who has been waiting for a long time for the next election I would love it if this were the way a writ is dropped.

ऑफ़ वर एंड थे इन्टरनेट.

2008-08-13T22:02:00.000-06:00

Someone, somewhere, is going to write a big paper on this, and conclude that he completely changed the world. Even war.

h/t Wells

Also - if anyone can tell me why all the titles and labels are post magically become what they have... you'll get 100 points.

Realize

2008-08-11T14:41:00.000-06:00

Stephane Dion has a plan. A plan to help Canada save its environment. It shifts tax burden from good things like income and investments to bad things such as pollution.

In theory this is a great plan. It addresses some of the biggest concerns the globe is facing. But in practice will it affect certain parts of Canada more negatively than others?

Alberta homes are, by vast majority, heated via coal. Alberta does not have “clean” energy sources like nuclear. So if coal is going to be taxed more than nuclear, Alberta is going to be more negatively affected than those provinces with “cleaner” energy forms like Ontario. Maritime provinces like Nova Scotia that depend on coal and oil to heat their homes will also be hit in a similar fashion to Alberta.
This shift would be fine if all of the shifted money stayed in the place it was taxed. But as far as I can understand the good part of the shift may not match the bad part as the tax is concentrated in an area (Alberta) but the tax break is spread out all across Canada. I have no problem paying a tax like this so long as I get the exact return in benefits. So far Dion hasn’t promised this.
Besides that slight hiccough, how are Liberals in Alberta expected to sell this plan? The fear mongering by both our provincial and federal representatives dredges up NEP memories: something even my Liberal-supporting/NDP-voting parents still get riled up about. Albertans will guard their oil religiously. Who can blame them after being cheated out of it more than once by politicians in the east?*
Now this isn’t to say that the Conservatives have a better plan. It can’t be better if it doesn’t exist. At least Dion and the Liberals have something, anything. It may not be perfect It’s not perfect but it is a starting point from which to start talking about, and taking seriously, the issue of climate change. While the Conservatives start worrying about Arctic sovereignty the Liberals have begun worrying about how to keep the Arctic. That’s how Liberals in Alberta can sell the plan: by talking about it, getting feedback, passing it on to the party and actually showing that the Liberals are not scared to put forward a policy to address an issue bigger than Canada unlike their opponents.
It has been admitted that the Green Shift is not perfect, but at least one political party believes in climate change and that something must be done. Enough so that they have made a bold move by placing the party’s and its leader’s future on the strength of a gutsy start to addressing climate change.

*NEP and when Alberta joined Confederation it was denied the rights to its natural resources for the first quarter century.

We're All in This Together

2008-08-11T14:40:00.000-06:00

National politics is starting to annoy me. And this is just within the Young Liberals.

I understand there will always be groups fighting for positions and titles. But what do these titles actually mean in the long run? They go on resumes and allow an inflated ego to expand. If young liberals that claim a title across the country are looked at, what have they done? What has the new OYL executive done besides leave a gulf between those with “roots” and those who can’t move “beyond” a fractious election. In Alberta, could the AYL (a superbly small collection of people) be “friends” or at least band together to be a “team in red”? It’s not looking like it right now.
Those provinces with fewer power-hungry members can roll their eyes but what have they done to advance the Liberal cause?
With the YLC biennial approaching and the national executive up for election, battle lines have been drawn. It no longer (if it ever did) matters if someone is the best candidate for the job. If you are not on a team, good luck getting their support. The paranoia of politics means that fraternizing with your friends could lead other players to assume you’ve chosen a specific candidate over another without you actually making that decision. There is no trust, there is no “I’ll vote for them because they are the most qualified and will do the best job.” There is only “you’re the one on my team, I’ll vote for you regardless of ability.”
Imagine if all the energy the Young Liberals (and the bigger party as a whole) put into in-fighting was instead focused on winning government. Being a YL is something special. Our senior party listens to us; we are capable of advancing an agenda on a national stage. We get people elected.

We’re all in this together, aren’t we?

We're all about dinosaurs here:

2008-08-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

An interesting story about a living fossil. Damn, to be a 111 year old virgin...

Lollipop

2008-07-31T08:20:00.001-06:00

As was pointed out to me by Albertosaurus, Dave Taylor's website is WAY better! More content, better graphics, far more to look at. I especially like the header picture of Dave sitting in the Leg. Koodos for fixing that up right quick.
On the other hand, Mo Elsalhy still has his website which is now blown out of the water by Taylor's. Check out this critique.

2008-07-30T23:58:00.000-06:00

Following up on one of IJ's posts, here's a little something I noticed tonight.