Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz celebrated their return from the COP28 United Nations climate change conference in Dubai by accusing federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault of “treachery against our province” in an unhinged rant published yesterday on the government’s official website.
The bizarre and childish statement, which began with Ms. Smith lauding the success of the efforts by Alberta, Saskatchewan and other national and sub-national governments dominated by the fossil fuel industry “in pushing back against the voices of those obsessed with accelerating the phaseout of sustainable and affordable energy derived from abated oil and natural gas,” is a classic example of Trump henchman Steve Bannon’s doctrine of flooding the zone.
Mr. Bannon, the far-right provocateur who served as chief White House strategist in the first seven months of Donald Trump’s term as U.S. president, famously observed that “the real opposition is the media, and the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.”
Ms. Smith’s tweeted complaint Tuesday about a federal program to reduce cattle emissions arguably set the stage for yesterday’s huge rhetorical cow flop.
She expressed grave disappointment at Mr. Guilbeault “and other radical activists” for advocating a climate-change strategy she claimed “would consign the world to energy poverty and economic stagnation by focusing only on ending all fossil fuel use.”
Unsurprisingly, she and Ms. Schulz – who these days plays Mini-Me to Ms. Smith’s parody of a Bond villain – cheered the watered down UAE Consensus adopted at the final session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, the official title of the conference.
The final text of the UAE Consensus called on the nations of the world to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade.”
Alberta’s statement said: “It was a national embarrassment to witness Minister Guilbeault at an international conference actively sabotaging the interests of Albertans and other Canadians by releasing a series of incoherent and illegal policy pronouncements that he and his government have absolutely no legal authority to impose upon the provinces of Canada.” (Emphasis, as ever, added.)
“Albertans will not forget his continued treachery against our province and millions of other Canadians,” Ms. Smith’s rant continued, accusing the federal minister of damaging Canada’s reputation “with his misguided personal obsessions.”
Abated oil and gas, by the way, is an ill-defined term often heard at COP28 suggesting that burning coal, oil and gas is OK as long as it’s “abated” with carbon-capture of greenhouse gases, an unproven and likely ineffective technology that amounts to a huge subsidy to the fossil fuel industry.
This is the Alberta way? According to the gruesome twosome, indeed it is! Readers with stern constitutions are invited to read the entire statement for themselves.
By comparison, statements by Canadian environmental organizations sounded as if they had been composed by adults.
For example, Julia Levin, associate director of Environmental Defence, the Canadian environmental advocacy organization, said: “For the first time ever, countries around the world have collectively agreed on the need to leave oil, gas and coal in the ground and massively accelerate the build out of renewable energy and energy savings – this decade. There can be no mistake: the era of fossil fuels is quickly coming to an end.”
“We applaud the leadership shown by the Government of Canada at COP28, including the announcement of regulations to reduce methane as well as an achievable cap on emissions from oil and gas by 2030,” said Chris Severson-Baker, executive director of the Calgary-based Pembina Institute. “These are responsible responses to international trends.”
“As an oil and gas producing country, all levels of government in Canada need to prepare our economy and workforce for a global decline in demand for oil and gas,” he added.
Once again Smith embarrasses Albertans with her looney raving and Schulz lacks the brains and the spine to restrain her. Maybe they were both drunk in their expensive hotel room. Maybe Smith didn’t get as many “gifts” as she expected. Maybe it’s time to kick Smith out.
Duane Bratt made an interesting observation, that Smith’s most insulting lnguage seems to be aimed at Minister Guilbeault more than PM Trudeau, as if it’s personal.
There is a bit going on here, but I feel the unhinged reaction of Smith is typical when someone who is trying to avoid or deny reality is struck with it. They also tend to lash out, as she did here, and of course blaming the Feds is already one of her go to political strategies.
This over the top reaction is not good for Smith, who can seem convincing when composed. It makes her look like the kook even many sympathetic conservatives suspect she is. It is also not constructive to viciously attack a member of the Federal government she will have to continue deal with, but they have probably already also come to some not so flattering conclusions about her. So their reaction is probably something like oh there she goes again.
Speaking of sympathetic conservatives, Schultz has no choice but to back up her boss so probably will continue to do so. At least until she can no longer do it and either runs screaming from the place or more likely quietly and abruptly quits, like some other moderate conservatives have in the past.
Smith is a more convincing populist than her predecessor, but they all seem to be a pale imitation of the US one, whose antics seem to have inspired most of them. The copies generally seem to be less successful and convincing than the original. So Smith may be well on the way to be the Canadian version of DeSantis who started off with some flash, but seems to be fizzling out now. While Smith may be a better politician than him, it is the similar quality of the ideas and approach that I believe will also drag her down. Until then, expect some more bizarre moments like this.
Hi Dave. Your point about Danielle Smith’s political blather being somewhat like Ron DeSantis is correct. Actually, I vaguely recall Smith making admiring noises about DeSantis’ Trump-Republican platform. That was some time ago, so I can’t cite a reference.
We can hope Smith will fizzle out like a wet firecracker, but I’m not counting on it. She’s being very careful to keep her caucus happy.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-danielle-smith-putting-in-the-hours-1.7058358
Her fanboys and backers, notably David Parker, will stay loyal until she refuses to do something they want. But, as noted in the article, Smith seems to be suppressing her personal beliefs for now, to keep the UCP/ TBA mob from trampling her—as they did Jason Kenney.
Your other point, that Smith reacts like she’s denying reality, is well taken. I think that is exactly what she’s doing. She’s fighting a desperate retreat against net-zero and the coming end of the Oil Era. It must have hurt her to be struck with reality—presumably, between the eyes….
Well, let’s see what the hoi-polloi say about dense dummy Danni as the COP28 output percolates through. Very little doubt that she is evil but that human characteristic is rampant across the world these days.
If the broad body politic in Alberta is as thoughtful, kind and charitable as so many say (and I don’t believe for a second), just basic down-to-earth good folks, they will turn away from the screeching unhinged evil queen of the west. And she will self-immolate from anger and frustration.
Or so goes the old fables.
We can only hope there was some truth in them.
An antidote for me, a palate cleanser if you will to the tripe is a re-read of the public submissions to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in 2021: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/80101/contributions#1693717192. While the IAA may be in limbo, I’d be willing to bet the Albertans who took the time to contribute are still passionate about our air and land and water and are right now filling Smith’s and Schultz’s inboxes. Be curious to see.
Hi Emily. I hope you’re right that concerned Albertans are protesting this, and other idiotic moves by the Smith/ Cooper/ Parker excuse for a government. But we have to keep at them all the time.
The Alberta Pension Scam is on hold—for the moment. Nathan Neudorf (I think) just said the renewables moratorium will end in February 2024, really and truly. So far, they haven’t trotted out the plan for Alberta cops or an Alberta bank or an Alberta tax office (taking over from the Feds, that is).
But they HAVE done something just as stupid, and possibly illegal. The Grassy Mountain coal mine proposal was raised from the dead last fall.
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/10/10/Killed-Alberta-Coal-Mine/
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/09/20/Australia-Coal-Miners-Gina-Rinehart-Target-Alberta-Rockies-Again/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/head-of-alta-commission-on-rocky-mountain-coal-mining-concerned-over-new-applications-1.6978010
It’s classic Republican tactics again. Make the opposition keep fighting till they give up from sheer exhaustion. Not only do we have to defeat these idiots in 2027; we have to keep pushing back as hard as we can, every damn day.
David Parker had another temper tantrum.
Gee, with friends like the Dani Schultz borg, farmers and ranchers don’t really need any enemies. I can hardly wait for the UCP’s rural slogan: “ask not what your province can do for your cows, ask what your cows can do for their province.” Perhaps she could add, “your poor constipated cows.” Come on cowboys! Cutting back cattle numbers by a third is not enough! Make the sacrifice so 40,000 cars a day on the Whitemud Freeway can live.
Now we hear that the coal company is suing Albertans for $10 billion because of how they were treated by these morons. I think we should make certain that we pass it off to these Reformers for creating it in the first place. Destroying everything the Conservatives created for the good of the people is what they constantly do . Sonya Savage had no business destroying what Lougheed had created.
Danielle Smith and her sidekick lil Becky have indeed flooded the zone with bovine excrement. I don’t know if COP has awards for those who show up uninvited and make fools of themselves, but the COP28 Mean Girls award might be in order for this duo. What do they think the world stage is, a drilling rig? Respect has to be earned. This kind of deportment on the world stage is bush league, rude and just plain trashy. Bumpkins of Alberta, this is your leader. Bumpkin leader, be careful how you use the word treachery. Any skeletons in your closet?
Abs: The Fossil of the Day. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bakx-cop28-fossil-of-the-day-alberta-1.7050478 DJC
Lil Becky also likes to dress in the same “style” as Big ol’ Dani. Ugh!!!
I think it’s time to revisit Schulz’s husband, Cole, who was lobbying her! With the ethics commissioner essentially neutered we won’t be able to have it reviewed further.
https://chatnewstoday.ca/2023/09/27/alberta-premier-defends-minister-over-possible-conflict-of-interest-concerns/
What a short memory Danielle Smith has, about Stephen Harper. In addition, we have a gargantuan cost of $260 billion, or even more, all because Ralph Klein never ensured that oil companies in Alberta cleanup their abandoned wells, as Peter Lougheed ensured they do. We also must realize that money cannot be eaten.
https://thenarwhal.ca/stephen-harper-forgets-stephen-harper-s-pledge-end-fossil-fuels/
D. Smith is unfit for office. What a national embarassment.
“Abated oil and gas, by the way, is an ill-defined term often heard at COP28 suggesting that burning coal, oil and gas is OK as long as it’s ‘abated’ with carbon-capture of greenhouse gases, an unproven and likely ineffective technology that amounts to a huge subsidy to the fossil fuel industry.”
“Abated oil and gas” applies only to that often small fraction of upstream emissions in concentrated waste streams subject to carbon capture (CCS) technology. CCS does not capture so much as a single molecule of the 80-90% of emissions from a barrel of oil generated downstream by consumers at the point of combustion.
I.e., even if upstream CCS were effective — as in the oilsands it definitely is not — it would not begin to solve our emissions problem.
Smoke and mirrors.
“There can be no mistake: the era of fossil fuels is quickly coming to an end.”
Not quickly enough, unfortunately.
In 2025, our next Prime Minister, he who shall not be named, will bring Canada’s inadequate and incoherent climate policies to a screeching halt. Instead of three steps forward and two steps back, it will be just three steps back.
‘all levels of government in Canada need to prepare our economy and workforce for a global decline in demand for oil and gas,”’
Right there, we know Danielle Smith is not up to the job. She is not working for our future or our children’s and grandchildren’s, but for the oil companies. It is therefore critical that we let the UCP know that we don’t want her and her minions anywhere near our CPP because we know exactly what she will do with it and we’ll be the losers in retirement.
“Danielle Smith celebrates her return from COP28 with unhinged attack on federal environment minister”
Well, that’s a headline that could have been predicted.
“. . . damaging Canada’s reputation “with his misguided personal obsessions.”
The predictability of the redundant one act unimaginative lobbyist stage show is somewhat tedious, with the intended audience of fanboys/girls, true believers, cheerleaders, and the background sponsors notwithstanding. Noting carefully that, “A shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization. A shill may also act to discredit opponents or critics of the person or organization in which they have a vested interest.”
One supposes that the clear ethical and moral dishonesty that accompanies the regular splenetic rants are somehow necessary attributes for the O&G lobbyist “hard sell”, i.e., “An aggressive, high-pressure method of method of selling or promotion.” That is, inconvenient truths are either carefully omitted or heavily sanitized/redacted by the lobbyist and the PR firm advisory counsel.
For example,
[[[[With so much academic research funded by fossil fuel companies focused on capturing carbon, how promising is the technology? Last November, Tufts University professor Neva Goodwin co-published an essay arguing that carbon capture is the latest ploy by the fossil fuel industry to delay action on climate change. “We have watched mechanical carbon capture methods struggle to demonstrate success, despite US government investments of over $7bn in direct spending and at least a billion more in tax credits,” Goodwin wrote.
Academics argue that carbon capture is scientifically feasible but does not make economic sense. As evidence, they cite research that has found removing 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide every year—about 3% of global carbon emitted by human activity annually—requires about the same amount of electricity as the US generated in 2020.
Ironically, more than 40 years ago Exxon scientists found that while carbon capture may work technically, it fails economically as the energy required to capture and transport the carbon to underground storage is too expensive.
In a 1989 internal report that also became public in 2015, a senior Exxon executive explained to the company’s board a strategy to counteract awareness of the climate crisis and delay government regulation of greenhouse gases. This strategy called for highlighting scientific uncertainty, emphasising economic costs and efforts to “extend the science” or continue research.]]]]
“Stealing from the tobacco playbook, fossil fuel companies pour money into elite American universities”
https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2095
See also,
“Prosper Free Enterprise! More handouts to multinationals”
https://abpolecon.ca/2023/12/05/prosper-free-enterprise-more-handouts-to-multinationals/
[[[[According to the CCUS news release up to 21,000 jobs and up to $35-billion in investment will be created. On a per job basis, with a maximum of $5.8-billion in grants, taxpayers are paying $276,000 per job to attract profitable multinational corporations to Alberta.
For the Dow Chemicals project, as noted above Alberta and Canadian taxpayers will be giving institutional investors- mainly American- a return on equity of about 20 per cent for up to 50 years. There will be 400 to 500 permanent jobs in the Fort Saskatchewan area with 5,000 to 8,000 non-permanent construction workers at peak construction.
A quick, ‘back of the envelope’ analysis of tax dollars per person-years worked, .assuming 15,000 person years of permanent employment and 19,000 person-years for construction workers means 34,000 person years of employment. This equates to a person-year cost of nearly $53,000. Assuming the average salary of $125,000 per year, this deal will generate about $4.25-billion in wages, mainly for the Fort Saskatchewan area. Over 30 years the government would get back about $400 million in income tax payments.]]]]
Dissonance looms large, assuming that the average citizen has even a remote clue, or basic understanding of the subject matter.
The 1999 film, ‘The Inside Man’, starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, told the story of a tobacco company insider — a research chemist — who went on ‘60 Minutes’ to blow open the whole tobacco death industry. (Sadly, I’ve never seen it, but it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, so perhaps I should lol).
So, how long will it be before there’s an ‘Inside Man’ (or woman) about the oil and gas industry and global warming? The parallels are striking. By the way, there’s a great deep dive into this issue in this year’s John Vaillant book about the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, ‘Fire Weather’.
Not too many “inside people” from the fossil fuel industry come to mind. But there have been successful court cases where the inside documents from the fossil fuel companies have been put on the public record. The journalist Geoff Dembicki has put that information together in his book “The Petroleum Papers,” Greystone Books, 2022.
Gustave Le Bon: The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
Tim Watkins: a “brown new deal” by which we use the remaining fossil fuels. For most of us we need to use them to scale back our economic activity along with our impact on the planet, while maintaining as much as we can of our local life-support systems – food, clean water, sewage recycling, essential manufacturing, basic healthcare and education – accepting that barring an energy miracle, these will likely have to revert to levels seen in the less energetic economies of the past – ideally the 1950s or perhaps the 1930s.
We will certainly be using oil and natural gas for quite some time yet. It is not possible to do the mining of metals, be they ubiquitous like iron ore and aluminum, or rare like those that are needed for geothermal, solar, and wind systems of energy harvesting [except in Alberta of course!]. And further, the latter two of those energy harvesting systems will need to be replaced [and hopefully somewhat recycled] every generation or so – there is not enough energy in those systems to provide the energy needed to do such mining. The necessary transition to building those systems needs to happen much more quickly [except in Alberta of course], and news of job transition from the much despised Feds is actually coming. Oil patch workers have known and been asking for this for years now! Except in Alberta of course where “the illusions” are still too much to the fore with the “destroyer of those illusions”, like Steven Guilbeault, to be taken out behind the woodshed!!!
Why would the federal government support the Fossil Fuel scam and offer massive tax breaks and material support to a Alberta Carbon Capture pipeline?
Saskatchewan and Alberta have spent Billions and have not produced any viable CO2 capture processes. Worldwide many Billions have been spent with the same result. The fact that they are using CO2 to enhance existing fossil fuel recovery is a Fools Errand. Fossil Gas producers are not interested in measuring, let alone abating methane leaks. What are the chances of CO2 leaking from these injection sites?
So I read it. Hooo-boy! It’s like unpacking a septic tank to see what’s down there. Or, less poetically, a pagefull of vitriol, hypocrisy, ad hominem, perversity, hollow threats and, finally, preposterous demands. But, unlike Crackerjacks, there’s no prize at the bottom. Yet, constitutionally, I can take it.
Big Oil would be flattered to be called “thoughtful world leaders,” but coming from Danielle Smith, maybe not so much. The rapidly aging behemoth knows all about getting rich so it must also know that most of Smith’s assertions are certainly a bit of that. Indeed, the conceptual “abated oil” and “new technologies” might have had a better chance at flight—but then Danielle had to go and spoil it all and say, “I love you.”
Almost all of her announcement is accusatory, obsessively embarrassing herself by calling the federal minister obsessive and embarrassing—which is also more than a bit rich, his concerns being widely held around the world. In fact Danielle has an embarrassment of riches of this dubious sort. She goes on to call him “extreme” for proposing a gradual transition away from fossil fuels while demanding he be “immediately” dismissed. And, from the very one who cocks a snook at SCoC-confirmed federal law, she accuses him of “sabotaging” Alberta’s interests “in violation of the Constitution.”
This kind of petro-petulance and bitumo-bravado is suspect, of course. Albertans need to be wary of who’s gonna pay for “abated oil” and “new technologies.” Like, where’s the money gonna come from? Watch yer pensions, people!
Given the behaviour of various CONs to flood the social media channels with extraordinary amounts of shite, meant to confuse and distract, it looks like we are about to see a master class in gaslighting and stupidity.
I have been watching, with keen interest, some of the antics of recent weeks, and it’s beginning to look a lot like the Dystopian world of my wildest dreams is unfolding. Some of the more recent effluent I’ve seen is a meme that certain parties are trying to push, showing the unengaged Chrystia Freeland in the H of C performing some at of personal hygiene and grooming. Freeland has long been a target of CON trolls (AKA. Issues Managers) yet she has managed to stay about the fray. However, since her ill-timed and ill-considered comment about people cancelling their Disney + subscriptions, if they are having trouble getting by financially, Freeland has become a juicy target.
Now, Freeland, though first striking me as something of a lightweight in the political sphere, has evolved into a person of considerable grit and talent. (No doubt living up to her KGB codename: FRIDA) But the Disney comment was made because Freeland didn’t pause and ask herself two very pertinent questions …
1. How much does she make in one year?
2. Where does she live?
If she would have caught herself and thought $250,000 and Rosedale, T.O. there would have been fewer problems for her. But Freeland never sought out my advice and here we are. Self-inflicted wounds maybe the most damning of all.
Apparently, the upcoming Fete de Tucker Carlson is drawing considerable attention. Danielle Smith will be present to fawn over her fantasy-boyfriend, no doubt gushing on and on about how Tucker is the New Jesus. (Next to Trump?) And it’s also believed that other CON wingnuts will be present, among them Brett Wilson and … wait for it … Skippy Pollivere. Yes, he may decide that he’s so far ahead in the polls, he can do all kinds of his usual special brand of stupid shite and no one will notice. (What did the Greeks say about hubris, again?) If they let TBA’s David Parker in the room, they may as well call the whole thing Waco North.
Let me tell a wee tale about what life under despicable Danni and pp Pierre would be like:
I live most of the time in Mexico. In a town that is 30-40% expats, mostly US and Canadian retirees, mostly very wealthy. Small town with well over 20,000 expats.
The economy is primarily servicing us, probably around 70-80% of the economy is this way. We have public services and amenities that you wouldn’t see anywhere in Mexico except in the most exclusive enclaves.
So, mostly no crime.
But bumper-to-bumper traffic on our one thoroughfare. All day long. I ride a bike; it’s much faster. So a ton of traffic accidents. And of course the ‘spoiled’ gringos whine and complain – all day long.
The local gov’t has been installing these huge towers alongside our main road. For security, for cell coverage and for police, fire and ambulance. They will be able to see everywhere on the road and record whatever is going on. It’s taken them a few months but last week they started to turn some on and this week the last tower was completed.
Last nite, every one of those towers was pushed over onto the ground. No one knows whodunnit! No one saw anything!
Here in Mexico, you can say things are ‘law-optional’ and ‘regulation lite’. That’s about right. You see nothing and say nothing and you are likely to live another day. Mostly around here it works pretty good. Because we have a lot of old people and locals servicing old people. Not a lot of opportunity for big crime. And if the Mexican workforce wants to get paid they had best perform services and conduct themselves as is done North of the Border.
But.
Make no mistake. When the Authorities step over the line into the National (let’s say) underground sphere of operations there is immediate and massive pushback.
There is no ultimate government here. There is no final authority.
There are only competing forces.
Ms Smith and Mr Poilievre will give you this kind of government. They want to be the ‘sole authority’ and ‘in charge’. They know they can only have this power if they disassemble democratic processes. They think their way, their abilities, their vision and their control can replace democratic process.
They are wrong!
“other radical activists”. The people who attended the conference were anything but radical and that includes Cabinet Minister Guilbeault. When you have consensus you rarely have a radical position.
Smith’s other lovely line accusing, “treachery against our province”. Premier Smith needs to understand just because you are of the opinion your province isn’t favoured in a decision, doesn”t mean there is treachery against something. It just usually means there are other considerations, i.e. the rest of the country–9 provinces and 3 territories, and the rest of the world.
Over here in B.C. we’ve had more than a few forest fires and high temperatures. Result, towns burnt, people died, and smoke from the Interior of B.C. in lovely Richmond, B.C. Our temperatures have been the highest in recorded history. There is a consensus, this may well be caused by climate change and climate change is most likely driven by the use of oil, gas, coal, concrete, chemicals of all sorts, etc. When I was young the air was much cleaner and easier to breath. My concern is not Alberta’s industry or balance sheet. Its the young children to day being able to breath clean air now and into the future. We don’t need more children who need breathing assistance, air purifiers, asthma meds., etc. So if its a toss up between your “feelings” and bank balance and children’s health, I’m with ensuring children’s health–clean air, water, food, earth, etc.
As to the reference to ” energy poverty” News flash, we have poverty on a world wide basis and much of it is caused by enviornmental impacts. Its not like you have shown any real concern regarding child poverty, seniors poverty, the unhoused, etc. Can you even define “energy poverty”? Please give it a rest with your “speechs”. They simply make you look dumb.
Cabinet Minister Guilbeault, has been an enviornmental activist since his younger years. i.e. he’d like to ensure all of us get to continue breaathing.
When temperatures start hitting 50c regularly, especially for all crop land, I wonder what the graduating class that year will make of the word treachery and who it pertains to?
DJC and all the gang….
So give me a home, where the buffalo roam….funny how the millions of them didn’t seem to have methane “fart” problem. I don’t suppose that regular grazing on grass had anything to do with that, right?
Christina is right about the corn problem. The ‘best’ Alberta beef is grass fed ones.
I grew up on a farm, cattle were NOT fed corn. They were out in the pastures, which were split up and grazing rotated . Farmers looked after their herds, because it was their livelihood, and the local auctions attested to that. Industrial Agriculturalists are NOT farmers, they are a business corporation with $$$$ in their sights and as long as the profit over loss margin is paying off, they SAH don’t care about the animals. That’s my 2cents worth on a short leash.
Kang— Parker is making threats about 2024 ,and what has Scotiabank done to him, that he is making threats against them. If I had time, I might just go searching…..
But I’ve had 5 great days of 10 minutes of news, same old, same old— after 8yrs yada yada,**and Scheer must have the home ‘ASSignment’ and seems to be making the most of it .
** Skippy went to Montreal for a photo-op and got a hero’s welcome for bringing bags of the golden Mac, ( seen this take down south) LMAO…
Danielle is doing her best Cruella impersonations just before Christmas vacation, just out of curiosity, did anyone notice if Mr Smith came back as well??
And speaking of Christians vacations—- I am going back into my happy place, yes in the kitchen (lol) have been baking up a storm, with a bunch left to do …..having 2 Christmases is fun at our family gatherings.
So, on behalf of myself & my family to all of you and yours, I wish you all, good food, good friends , good times (fingers crossed) and safe passage into the New Year!!!
Merrily Xmas Everyone!!
and here’s hoping for a better New Year.
Take Care !!
Special thanks DJC, for getting us through what has been a “interesting year”.
PS –billion dollar lumps of coal…??? WTF
Just so you know, Randi-lee, everyone here in St. Albert, progressive and unprogressive alike, wants Mr. Parker to be right about our city council. I don’t think he can deliver, though. DJC
Wow….. No wonder I hate politics….. This is all you do is fear farm and hate on each other when you damn well know nobody can make people happy. If it’s not oil and gas it’s something else. Here’s a thought for you all. If you hate oil and gas then nuclear is the only way. Getting solar to work in Canada is a not going to work. Heck if your all so amazing with the environment then all of you and I mean all should switch to heat pumps. Like the government they claim there great during the winter…… But are they? I’m don’t worrying about what my government does because my life is in the hands of other peoples voting power.
Keith, oil & gas would be (somewhat) less despicable if it weren’t for the fact that our provincial government is completely captured and owned by them. So captured that we can’t even begin to have the conversation about energy transition because the O&G bodyguards (the UCP) won’t allow it, Think about that, a government completely beholden to business and not the people they supposedly serve. Or, in other words, the rich get richer and the rest of us peasants get nothing. But for some unknown reason Albertans continue to be stupid and vote against their own interests.
That is because the majority on Albertans know getting off Oil and Gas, only means switching to Nuclear. There is no magical power ferry.
The rest like you and others on here, don’t seem to do research or understand common sense. Solar, wind and a battery powered system will not work. When everyone got home from work, plugged in their cars and turned on their oven….boom brown outs. We should just go back and live in caves.
The resistance is called survival instincts, some of us are smart enough to realize these policies will kill people.
Also, go look at how much Canada adds to the carbon imprint. It is 1.5%, why bother doing anything. It is making our lives worse, costing us more money and creating drastic lines in people who reside her. I would prefer to seperate from Canada before following the current idiots to their end.
We would be better off doing hybrid cars and just recyling more. Some of us don’t need the government to tell us how to function every step of our lives.
Keith, if you think we’re bad, try reading the comments section of any CBC article about Danielle Smith. You’ll see real rage farming there. It’s all directed at anyone who’s remotely critical of Smith or of Alberta. Or listen to David Parker’s You-Tube videos.
This is completely off topic but Smith will be reinstating the tax on gasoline. If it was the NDP that raised the tax, every UCP MLA would be shouting from the rooftops and posting those 15 second sound bites on U-Tube that the public treats as if they were Papal Bulls. In response and true to form, the NDP brain trust permitted Kathleen Ganley to give a dissertation on the fuel tax hike that quite easily could cure insomnia. Is there anyone out there that can explain to me why the NDP are so enamored with being the Junior Varsity?
If one more commentator on other MSM websites sings the praises of “clean” natural gas I may blow the proverbial gasket, thereby leaking human gases into the atmosphere. Do they think it just comes out of the ground, ready to use like some filling station?
No, they think that non-fossil methane will give them a free pass to keep polluting with the fossil-sourced stuff. That’s what FortisBC has been up to—and the Tyee called them on it.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/10/21/FortisBC-Claims-Greenwashing-Bunk/
The term “natural gas” is artificial. One story (I can’t find the source, sorry) said it was invented in the 19th century to distinguish from “town gas”—a flammable gas mixture created in a municipal coal gasification plant to provide fuel for street lights (before electricity was widespread, of course).
Now the idea of “natural” gas has gone a step further. Bio-source methane is extracted from garbage heaps or by composting food waste, cow manure or whatever. It’s the big saviour of the fossil-gas drilling industry—or so they hope. Of course, there’ll never be enough of it to make more than a small dent (more like a rock chip in the paint) of the drilling industry.
But hey, if governments buy the pitch that 5% bio-gas in 95% fossil gas is “clean,” the gas company wins!
Premiere Smith is the best thing to happen to Alberta in a long time. The only unhinged behavior is coming from mophead Guilbeault.
Let’s see: typos, unwavering support to Dear Leader, finished with a personal attack/insult towards a political opponent. Looks like we snagged us a troll bot here, friends.
And American spelling of “behaviour”.
Hmm…. “Rob.” Would that be Rob Anderson?
Two days ago, when Danielle Smith was howling at Steven Guilbeault for daring to say cows could be made less flatulent, I wrote “ I wonder if Smith’s yammering is Pavlovian conditioning—or maybe a brain lesion.”
There may be another factor at work: desperation.
The COP28 draft statement was boycotted by nations led by the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom (despite its incompetent Conservative government). Why? The draft statement didn’t say the world needs to burn less fossil fuels.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/12/cop-28-australia-us-and-uk-say-they-wont-sign-agreement-that-would-be-death-certificate-for-small-islands
The revised text included mild and vague—but historical—statements that say we must “transition from” fossil fuels to renewables. (There’s no mention of timelines or methods, but it’s the first time the Arab oil states have EVER admitted we all need to burn less stuff.)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/13/cop28-second-draft-text-of-climate-deal-calls-for-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels
Why is this relevant to Danielle Smith and her hysterics? Well, despite her having found a soul mate in Sultan Al Jaber, the world still stubbornly insists the climate crisis is real, and we have to stop making it worse. Smith must realize this will affect her pals, enablers and backers in the oilpatch.
People being shoved toward a precipice will claw more and more frantically to drag themselves away from the cliff edge. Likewise, people who see their job being threatened by obsolescence will cling desperately to the only trade they know. Smith acts like one who’s fighting harder and harder to cling to “the way it used to be”…you know, when Oil was King, Alberta was Rich, and Tories ruled the World.
Or maybe Danielle Smith is bats–t crazy. I dunno.
I think the Dani Party just left 165,000,000 dollars on the table from a 2020 largesse from the evil libs, destined for dead well clean up that these useless fools couldn’t deploy for the greater good. Now the UCP wants to keep the money, with no plan, as usual, and pin it on? Indigenous people! Great! I am as usual, not surprised by the slap dicks elected to office in a beautiful land of what seem to be poisonous losers! https://youtu.be/wC8-hnAxK3o?t=3
Regarding Bannon’s “flood the zone with shit”,
beat poet Alan Ginsberg once stated “the world is a mountain of shit and you have to remove it by the handfuls”. This is what it has come to.
As I mentioned recently, water will become THE factor limiting Alberta’s growth and future viability. See recent UCP blurb. Forget coal, oil and gas. Go water!
This is nothing but a play to keep the hillbilly vote and the Take Back Alberta folks on side.
I have to wonder why the money folks behind Smith don’t start reeling her in or pushing her out. I would support the latter of the two.
Smith insults all Albertans by peddling information that is clearly incorrect. This has been her history.
To be fait, the UN World Food Programme estimates that eliminating fossil fuels would cause a billion people to starve to death, mainly in the third world.
I’m all for cleaning up the amount of shit we spew into the atmosphere, but it can’t come at that human cost.
And cheap energy = prosperity, expensive energy = poverty. I haven’t seen any exceptions to that yet. Our standard of living is attributable to fossil fuels. And Teslas and the like run off natural gas power plants for now.
Theres a massive market, now more than ever with ESGs, for clean power. As soon as someone innovates a good enough, cost effective source that replaces fossil fuels, their use for producing power will vanish without power tripping nanny state creeps like Guilbeault doing a thing. Same for replacing their use in manufacturing. Not everything requires a government solution!
Can you imagine what it would be like in Western Canada if Mrs Smith was a political leader at the turn of the 18th century. ?
CHANGE would have been very important word back then. There have been many changes in the ensuing 125 years. 2023 is asking the whole world to look ahead to the future and what has to be done to phase in new products and ideas. Yes, this includes Alberta, with or without Mrs Smith. The sooner our Premier gets on board knowing full well that there will, for many more years, a need for Alberta Energy in many forms.
Because we have a 2 party system like the USA, we are stuck until the right group of people can form a good Middle Of The Road alternative