According to some wag on the Internet, Blaine Higgs has changed his pronouns. They’re now Has/Been. 

New Brunswick Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs, sent packing by voters in last Monday’s general election in that province (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).

I don’t know enough about New Brunswick politics to be certain if the cruel and needless anti-trans policies Mr. Higgs imported from the Benighted States of America are the reason he’s finished as premier of that beautiful Maritime province and even as MLA for the riding of Quispamsis.

I’m sure New Brunswickers had a multitude of excellent reasons want to be rid of the man and his Conservatives in the province’s general election, but it seems likely his focus on the pronouns children choose to use was at least part of what brought him crashing down a week ago. 

No matter, here in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith is doubling down on the same kind of cruel nonsense, packing the Legislature sitting that begins today with bills attacking trans kids, political interference in medical treatments, and performative invention of distinctly un-fundamental rights designed to appeal to her party’s MAGAfied base. 

Of course, Ms. Smith isn’t preparing for a general election and may well try to gaslight away the significance of the fall 2024 sitting’s agenda when the time comes to pivot to the wants of a larger sample of voters.

Right now, though, she’s anxious to appeal to her United Conservative Party’s social conservative and hydrophobic MAGA factions with promises they can buy assault rifles and hysteria about the gender of kids who just want to play soccer. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr).

So the 13 bills her government plans to introduce as quickly as possible – presumably getting all of the worst ones on the order paper before the end of the week so her angry and oppositional base will be sufficiently placated not to use her leadership review at the party’s Nov. 1-2 AGM to run her out of Red Deer on a rail as they did to her predecessor, Jason Kenney. 

Accordingly, UCP House Leader Joseph Schow spent a lot of his time at a news conference Friday trying to give the impression the upcoming bills have nothing to do with Ms. Smith’s immediate political needs and everything to do with her consultations with “grassroots Albertans” about what really matters to them – you know, gun ownership and the danger children changing their pronouns might end civilization as we know it.

This is of course pish-posh, as the reporters present kept pointing out, citing surveys suggesting what’s really on most Albertans’ minds is stuff like affordability, health care, and housing. 

Moreover, most of the consultation the premier has been doing lately seems to have been at members-only UCP town halls, and readers will have a pretty good idea of what segment of the electorate has been showing up for those based on the unauthorized recordings that have leaked out of the sessions. Chemtrails anyone? 

Mr. Schow, MLA for the Cardston-Siksika Riding deep in southern Alberta’s Book-of-Mormon Belt, clumsily tried to dodge most of those questions by insisting reporters should really talk to the responsible cabinet ministers – who, naturally, were not at the newser. 

New Brunswick Liberal leader Susan Holt will be sworn in as premier on Nov. 2 (Photo: Facebook/Susan Holt).

As for questions about whether or not the government would use the Notwithstanding Clause of the Canadian Constitution to ram through clearly unconstitutional aspects of its War on Trans Kids legislation, he dodged those with a similar lack of finesse. 

“You know I think I’ve already answered to the most part … answered as much as I, I really can about the Notwithstanding Clause and, and using it. You know, again, it’s something that’s at the disposal if necessary, but what I actually go back to is how important this legislation is. We’re talking about the health and safety of youth in Alberta, we’re talking about parents being involved in their kids’ education, and we’re talking about safety in sport.”

One hates to ponder how the UCP might decide to go about what its news release called “protecting fairness and safety in sport by ensuring biologically born women and girls have the opportunity to compete in biological female-only categories.” 

There will also be legislation continuing the UCP’s program of dismantling Alberta Health Services and fiddling with workplace safety legislation. Nothing good can be expected to come from those things either. 

Despite his uncertain performance, Mr. Schow did respond confidently to one journalist’s question about how Ms. Smith would do in her November leadership review. “I think she’s gonna rock it,” he asserted. “She’s gonna crush it.” Well, perhaps there are reasons for his confidence. 

Coincidentally, on Nov. 2, New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt will be sworn in as New Brunswick’s 35th premier. 

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27 Comments

  1. The New Brunswick election should serve as a cautionary message to conservatives elsewhere in Canada who believe doubling down on the culture wars are a sure fire strategy for continuing political success.

    Of course some of Alberta’s conservatives are more extreme than the more moderate ones in the east, so perhaps Smith fits in better with them. But lest we forget, Alberta was actually governed by a party called Social Credit who liked to be the morality police too much and the voters here tired of them too. And at times the UCP does seem to be a reincarnation of their grandfathers conservatives.

    Of course there were other problems with the former New Brunswick Premier. He seemed to be a bit of a bully and did not listen to the more moderate side of his party. Come to think of it, that sounds familiar too.

    It is possible Smith will win a resounding result in her leadership review, but I feel even the extremists are skeptical about what our former supposed libertarian Premier really believes. Her message seems to vary a lot over the years and depending on who the audience is. So I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets decent support, but with just enough reservation to continue to keep her on a short leash to the extreme side of her party.

  2. It is really cute to see Mr. Schow talk about plans to introduce the 13 bills as quickly as possible. This no doubt follows the usual UCP plan of ramming garbage legislation through before anyone notices.

    1. Sad, isn’t it?
      I cannot speak for other immigrants, but when I moved to Canada–Edmonton, AB, in 1972, at the age of seven– I was very aware that “Albertans” didn’t like out-siders, even though I was white kid. Back then, I knew that Irish Catholics weren’t welcomed. Fast forward to the early ’80s (and my university days) the expression I heard as young adult as oilfield sector boomed was: keep Alberta free, white and English. Albertans didn’t like foreigners, especially Newfoundlanders, coming here for work, seasonal or otherwise.
      And the CPC wonder–while out campaigning– why I am not, and never will be, their target audience. They repeat the same message, over and over and over again, just using different slogans to go with the times.
      It is low voter IQ, and low voter turn out, however, that elects these whack-a-doodle racist, misogynistic, transphobic politicians to public office. 57.4% voter turn out in British Columbia, according to my Goggle searches. How pathetic is that? Yet it will be the people who didn’t vote who will shout the loudest “I didn’t vote for that!” then won’t bother to educate themselves come next election–
      On an high note… good riddance to Blaine Higgs and HELLO Susan Holt!
      Fingers crossed that Moe is the next to fall. Not counting on it, but hoping.

  3. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
    Allah will say: Did you not know that such-and-such servant of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him, and had you fed him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for drink but you did not provide for Me. He will say: My Lord, how can I give You when You are the Lord of the worlds?
    Allah will say: Such-and-such servant of Mine asked you for a drink but you did not provide for him, and had you given it to him you would have found Me with him.
    Shame. Shame on all of them.

    1. They don’t care. Theocracy is a just a punching bag for these ghouls, a cloak of respectability they feel hides their craven, hateful opportunism.

      Hey at least Christ won’t spit them from his mouth for being lukewarm? They don’t believe at all. I guarantee you I have forgotten more of the bible than Danielle Smith has ever read.

  4. Outgoing NB Premier Higgs’ resounding defeat at the hands of the voters probably cannot be fully explained by his so-con anti-trans stance — but, IMHO, it surely contributed. When he first introduced these ideas into the New Brunswick political arena, he was roundly criticized even by members of his own PC caucus, and a number of his Ministers and backbench MLAs either quit outright or announced they wouldn’t run again. So, one can only conclude that the good people of Irving-land aren’t quite ready for this kind of hateful politics.

    Meanwhile, next door in Nova Scotia, in a dazzling display of hypocrisy, Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston has called an early election, in defiance of the “fixed election date” legislation that he himself introduced as one of the first orders of business after his government was elected in 2021.

  5. The cowardly UCP caucus should be ashamed of themselves, but they have shown Albertans that they have no shame. Punching down on kids while ignoring the real problems in this province is sickening. I just can’t understand the perverse pleasure these quislings take in tormenting people and conversely the immense joy they derive from showering billionaires with tax dollars.

  6. The UCP and other conservative parties’ preoccupation with gay and trans kids, and what their rights are, seem right out of whack. With Jason Kenney espousing an excuse of “family values” and “parental rights” in rolling back protections for gay kids it was ironic … downright hypocritical, even.

    With these other conservative premiers it seems to be a formula for scratching a MAGA itch that exists in a certain segment of the Canadian population. In Higgs’ case he used legislation to not only remove protections for these kids, but the intention appeared to be to persecute them. The silent majority obviously said, “Enough.”

    For sure Danielle Smith is strategizing as carefully as she can with her far-right conservative faction but knows this issue has blown up on her before. Remember the “Lake of Fire” fiasco involving her Reverend Hunsberger? Smith handled the subsequent, inevitable, and probably anticipated “bozo eruption” with the Poop-cookie lady from Ponoka with a little more finesse- distancing her for a while, then when the heat simmered down, bringing the hardly-penitent MLA back into the caucus’ loving arms.

    The other thing about all this hoofarrah, is they can be convenient dumpster fires to distract people when, as you mention, other bigger arsons are occurring.

  7. I will note Smith has not faced the same headwinds Kenney did.

    Whether that means TBA & 1905 Committee are just keeping their powder dry, or she really has succeeded in placating her “deplorables”, we will see come Saturday.

    Anecdotally, I remember the general contempt for Kenney prior to his railroading, and Smith is arguably exceeding him, at least in Edmonton. Personally, I want to see her hoist on Kenney’s petard, but doubt it shall occur.

  8. Betts– JK’s “family values….B Higgs parental rights, and Scott Moe** using 10 yr olds as political bait.
    The irony & total hypocrisy is that it isn’t parental rights for you, if your child is part of the LGBTQ. No! We are mandating who gets protection for “our shared values “.
    Que the music…..

    **Steve Boots on X—Scott Moe reaches a new low.

  9. “Protecting fairness and safety in sport by ensuring biologically born women and girls have the opportunity to compete in biological female-only categories…”

    What will this legislation say in reality? Earlier comments from the UCP indicated an outright ban on those designated female at birth competing in sports with boys and men at the competitive level. How would Olympic pairs skating work, then? Does the wording allow men and women to play in mixed curling leagues at the community level, but not at the competitive level? Or has the UCP tempered its level of control-freakery from extreme to high?

    Including minor children with adult women seems to make this another one of those “foot-in-the-door” policies the UCP and right-wing parties in general seem to love. Under the patriarchal guise of “protecting” adult women, they aim to control adult women. If they can control the options for adult women, they can control the choices adult women make about their bodies. Controlling trans kids and their bodies is the first step. Neither children nor grown adult women know what’s in their precious little heads. Men should make all the decisions — any man, well, any man assigned male at birth, that is. Let the fairer sex loose and they might want a bank account of their own or maybe even the right to vote. Make women chattel again!

    Speaking of Joseph Schow (or should I call him “Mr. Foot-in-the-Door”):

    https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/reproductive-rights-wither-united-states-ucp-candidates/

  10. To all who want to see Smith get her comeuppance at the party convention, how would you like David Parker as Premier? As we saw with Kenney, in the UCP there is always a more monstrous human simulacrum waiting in line. Me? I am hoping Smith survives with strong party support until the next election to avoid the horrors that would face Albertans if she fails to get party support. Better the devil you know when it comes to the UCP! I save my ire for the yellow-bellied conservatives who have let the quasi- humans take over their party. They saw the future start in Kenney’s first leadership campaign, when female candidates were bullied and threatened out of the race. And did nothing to stop the rise of the UCP reign of terror.

  11. Say what you will about Jason Kenney, but you have to acknowledge that he does hold the record for owning the title ‘Worst Premier in Alberta’s History’ for the shortest period of time.

  12. I sincerely hope that no one out there is labouring under the delusion that Smith will begin to moderate her idiotic views and ensuing legislation after her leadership review. Mind you, just before the next provincial election, she will be throwing around cash like a sailor on shore leave. As for the Alberta voters supporting the UCP, a cynic would say if they weren’t meant to be shorn, they would not have been born sheep.

  13. Now that David Parker and TBA are convinced that B.C.’s election was stolen, it looks like Queen Danielle is going to have to really, really, seriously this time, double-down on everything that will make TBA happy.

    I’m going to make a very bold and extraordinary prediction that will come to pass.
    I predict that legislation will be passed that will declare Alberta to be officially Christian (but others are ALLOWED to live here)
    Further, there will be legislation passed that will establish Men’s Right in the Alberta Human Rights Code.
    and I predict that gun ownership will be universal and inalienable right, and any effort to infringe upon it will be considered an act of war.

    1. Just Me— ” I predict…..”

      — from The Breakdown on X,
      Monday’s legislative session starts with “a prayer ” for righteousness….etc Amen!

      Your forecast happened!

  14. Ok guys let us look at this. Back in Jan DJC wrote a blog post about this (https://albertapolitics.ca/2024/01/danielle-smith-says-she-cares-deeply-about-transgender-albertans-then-unveils-grotesquely-harsh-othering-policy/) and a CBC article at that time explained Ms Smith’s pronouncement as;

    “Alberta will prohibit hormonal treatment, puberty blockers and gender affirming surgery for children 15 years and younger, Premier Danielle Smith announced Wednesday in a video posted to social media.
    Top and bottom gender reassignment surgeries will be banned for minors aged 17, though bottom surgery is already limited to adults.
    Teens aged 16 and 17 can start hormone therapy as long as they have permission from their parents, a physician and a psychologist”

    Come on DJC, where do you get “attacking trans kids” from that? I am sure the NB voters had good reason to throw out Mr. Higgs and his Conservatives but it is not “likely” that pronouns had anything to do with it. No that had nothing to do with it, because like it or not the opposition to permanent gender-changing interventions on minors is absolutely the majority point of view. You imply Ms. Smith’s position will change “when the time comes to pivot to the wants of a larger sample of voters” – well that’s when you’ll see more of this because that is the feeling of the majority of ordinary citizens and significantly it is the consensus – yes consensus – of the legitimate medical community. You are gaslighting us Mr. Climenhaga.

    You say “hysteria about the gender of kids who just want to play soccer.” You think concern about biological men bullying their way into dominating women’s and girl’s sports is hysteria? Opposition to men beating the crap out of women in contact sports is hysteria? “Oh we need fairness for these men” – give me a break, how about some fairness for women & girls? Men have stomped on women for generations and now some progress has been made but people are cheering for men entering and dominating women’s and girl’s sports? I’ve got some info for you – young women & girls are not going to enter sports where men are taking everything away from them.

    Of course Ms. Smith is pandering ahead of her leadership review but I’m sure you’re correct that “what’s really on most Albertans’ minds is stuff like affordability, health care, and housing.” So why aren’t you guys hammering away at her on those issues important to Albertans instead of helping her advertise her “pish-posh” yet popular policies? Speaking of which where is Mr. Nenshi? I’m going to bet he won’t come out ranting about the transgender thing but if he does he’s a fool.

    Like it or not, Ms. Smith’s position on gender-affirming medical intervention of minors is a winner with the electorate and as DJC pointed out just a couple of blog posts ago when you run away from the voters you’re setting yourself up for defeat. Wait for some 125 kg roid-monster to break some girl’s neck and then tell me about taking the the high ground…

    1. Oh hey I guess I was talking to you? Yah see my post below, the idea that male body people are naturally more gifted in athletics is sexist and hopelessly ignorant. The idea that male body people are “sneaking in” to female body contact sports is a ridiculous conspiracy theory, for one, drugs you transition on negatively impact your athletic performance?

      Could your political opinions be related to your own prejudices and are you trying to shoehorn an argument that sounds good until you think about it for two seconds ? Maybe.

      Are nearly 100% of the people making these claims couch potato “experts” who are decades removed from their time in sport, if they competed at any COMPETITIVE level whatsoever? I would bet the farm on it.

      Quit picking on teenagers and fix the economy JFC.

      1. I didn’t say male body people were sneaking in to female contact sports and they’re not – they’re kicking the door down and barging in like males have been doing for centuries.

        Males are not more “gifted in athletics” they just are physically stronger, that’s an indisputable fact. If I understand you correctly you’re saying that “drugs you transition on negatively impact your athletic performance” which seems to me to contradict your theory that there is no difference between the sexes. “Could your political opinions be related to your own prejudices” I suggest you think about that for two seconds.

        A question I’ve pondered is if girls and women are bothered by males competing in their sport (they absolutely are) why do males feel so strongly that they need to compete there? Why can they not accept competing in the male category?

        Whether I am a couch potato or not doesn’t enter into it, ad hominem alert.

        Fix the economy? What I said is – “So why aren’t you guys hammering away at her on those issues important to Albertans…” DJC said it in his post and I said it. No one seems to have picked up on my main point which was – like it or not Ms. Smith’s stated position on permanent gender-changing interventions on minors is absolutely the majority point of view. Call it populism if you wish but it’s reality.

        Accusing me of picking on teenagers and being a pathetic loser is not a fair contention it’s bullshit- I’m tempted to throw something back but I know nothing about you so how could I?

    2. Ok, I was wrong. I’ve just read some quotes from Mr. Nenshi regarding Ms. Smith’s just-introduced bills on transgenders. I’m not in Alberta so maybe he has been providing some serious criticism of the UCP agenda, but ISTM we’ve heard nothing from the NDP for months yet he now comes out on this losing issue. Is everything so good in Alberta that this is all there is to worry about? I think not but the bait was just too tempting for the fish not to strike.

      Ms. Smith is pandering to her wacko base, just say that and leave it there.

  15. Once again we see fellow seniors believing every lie these Reformers feed them. You can bet the 6,000 registered for the leadership revenue are mostly seniors and the big question is are they smart enough to kick her out or do they enjoy being treated like morons, like she is doing?

  16. Ok first thing – hydrophobic- because of late stage rabies, because vaccine “hesitancy” is one of the greatest digs ever published on this blog.

    Secondly, and I’ve said this a number of times before for a party that claims that it’s all about the “the children” they sure don’t give a flying f word about the epidemic of children going hungry every damn day in alberta.

    As I’ve also said many times before the idea that male born people are better at sport than female born people is a) inaccurate, sexist, and hopelessly stupid. Attention maga dudes ; I know a lot of women that could beat your pathetic truck gut ass down, what biological sex you were born as has no influence on how successful you will be as an athlete, it comes down to genetic lottery, opportunity, and training. Grow up losers. Stop picking on teenagers, it’s pathetic.

  17. Yes, we here in B.C. have read about Smith’s “plans”. I remember when we used to refer to Alberta as “Texas North”. Now might be a good time to add, Florida crazy. The proposed changes in law are going to create more than a few problems for the humans the laws will impact. Regulating what a child wants to call themselves, really Smith needs to find a job to keep her occupied. When I was much younger and friends were having children, they created all sorts of images of themselves. One referred to themselves as world greatest tap dancer. Now would Smith want to rat out that child? Knew more than one child who deciding they didn’t like their name, decided to use another. Is that going to be against the law or will it only impact names which may remind others of the other sex. This could be a problem. There are names which are used for males and females, what about those. It just blows my mind that Smith is going to create a lot more work for people and a lot of misery for others. There are other things which should take priority, ie. affordable day care for little kids and affordable housing for their families. The damage of not having those will create a great more problems for people than using a name Smith doesn’t approve of. Just boggles the mind.
    Its interesting here in B.C. an article pointed out PP has acknowledged the Alberta Conservatives but not the B.C. Conservatives. Might be interesting to look at that with a bit more depth. Could be PP is just fine with Smith’s regressive laws and attitudes. People ought to know before the next federal election. PP keeps taking about change, but we’d like to know if that includes passing Legislation similar to what Smith is doing.
    We live in Canada and have a nice thing call the Constitution and the Human Rights Act. They were created to ensure one politician’s craziness wasn’t imposed on the country or province. Guess we will have to wait and see if Smith uses the not withstanding clause to force her views on Albertans. Given PP looks upon Smith and her Conservatives as something positive, we need to know if he will follow Smith’s lead and use the not withstanding clause should he ever, become P.M.

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