So, about that early election all of political Alberta has been certain for weeks will be called this spring – forget about it, it’s not going to happen, Premier Danielle Smith insisted yesterday.
“We’ve got a mandate that we want to execute over the next two years, and we intend to continue doing so,” Ms. Smith told reporters at a news conference after Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter was sworn in as environment minister to replace Rebecca Schulz, who publicly announced on New Year’s Eve she was quitting cabinet immediately but would hang around as MLA for Calgary-Shaw until May.
Ms. Schulz’s bombshell announcement set off a frenzy of speculation that the timing of her final departure meant May was when the much anticipated spring election would be called.
Not so, the premier said, reciting the same talking points in response to the same question from several reporters.
“We have fixed election dates in this province for a reason, and our fixed election date is set for Oct. 18 of 2027, and the whole reason we have fixed election dates is so people have certainty and can do their planning,” she averred in self-righteous tones.
“That would be one thing. The second thing is, we have had hundreds of thousands of newcomers come into the province in the last number of years, and so we’re in the middle of an Electoral Boundary Commission that is adding two seats. We want to make sure people have proper representation.”
“I’m not quite sure why everyone is so anxious to rush to an election,” she added with a snicker. “The credible polling I’ve seen suggests we do very, very well in an early election.”
That credible polling, of course, is only available to paying customers, so those of us in the hoi-polloi just have the usual rumours to go on. But a credible poll that we’re allowed to see is sure to be along eventually.
Still, Ms. Smith’s responses to the questions reporters were asking made clear that while the formal election campaign may not start any time soon, the War on Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi beings immediately, thanks to the eruption of another leaky city water pipe in Calgary and a boil-water advisory for thousands of citizens in the province’s most-populous city.
“You know, Calgary had years where they were having a much higher level of water leakage than any other municipality,” the premier barked indignantly. “They were having 20-per-cent leakages out of their water system, and yet, after the floods for 10 years, they didn’t bother to do any investigation on the water main?
“You have to ask the question, well – huh? – who was the mayor after the floods of 2013 until he has decided to retire? And that was Naheed Nenshi!
“So when you look back on who is ultimately politically responsible for making sure that taxpayers of Calgary are having this critical infrastructure invested in, they have a water utility run by the City of Calgary, and all of this should have been identified early, so that now subsequent mayors are not having to deal with it.”
This line doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. UCP online bots and members of the party’s right-wing-media support network have been making the same argument since the water started flowing – a bit of a stretch, maybe, but quite possibly an effective one with Calgary voters if they’re not too worried about the chaotic state of health care or misuse of the Canadian Constitution’s Notwithstanding Clause.
This presumably means either the UCP is really worried about Mr. Nenshi, or they’re not worried about him at all.
The appointment of Mr. Hunter as minister of environment and protected areas certainly doesn’t suggest that the environment or protected areas are high priorities for the UCP.
Indeed, in response to another reporter’s question, Ms. Smith made it clear her government will be pressing ahead with the Grassy Mountain open-pit coal mine she so badly wants, notwithstanding fierce opposition from Southern Alberta farmers and ranchers, normally part of the province’s rural conservative base.
“There were four mining projects, as you recall, that were considered advanced mining projects that were allowed to continue on through the process,” she told the reporter. “And Grassy Mountain was one of them.”
She went on: “We heard loud and clear that, beyond these four advanced projects, Albertans just simply do not want mining development …” That, of course, is not what the UCP has been hearing. What Albertans seem to have been saying, loudly and clearly, is that they don’t want any coal mines in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. But the UCP is doggedly determined to see the Grassy Mountain mine developed, and they have plenty of explanations, few of which make much sense.
As for Mr. Hunter, the premier said, he’ll be focusing on unwanted immigrants (in this case, zebra mussels), water issues (not involving wine, as befits his riding deep in Alberta’s Book of Mormon Belt), and new water transfer and tailings pond policies (uh-oh!).
If you happened to tune on the government’s website in at 11 a.m. yesterday expecting the news conference, you instead would have seen an amateurish home video of the ceremony during which Mr. Hunter and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright often seemed unsure of where to stand.
Mr. Hunter, as a member of cabinet, was sworn in by the lieutenant governor; Mr. Wright, who replaced Mr. Hunter as chief government whip, came up short and got the justice minister.
That was all very amusing, but ultimately not as informative as the recording of the newser that soon replaced it on the government’s web site.
I’m not sure anyone really wants an election now in Alberta, despite all the current political bravado talk.
Smith’s popularity is declining, headed towards Poilievre levels and she continues to do more things to annoy and irritate most Albertans, including moderate conservatives. So enough of them could either stay home or vote for the new more centrist Tory party.
On the other hand, the NDP has not yet fully benefitted from Smith’s growing unpopularity. However, given another year or so along with continuing low oil prices it may be in a better position then.
So perhaps the best strategy now for Smith was to try close the door on all the election speculation. After all, who wants there to be continued talk about an election they are not really that confident of winning?
Maybe the last best hope for the UCP is to again try attack Nenshi, who at times in the past has also been a polarizing figure, but is now trying to appear more moderate. I do feel this is a bit of a desperate strategy. After all, there have been a number of mayors of Calgary since those faulty water pipes were put in, so it is really not clear who if any of them are to blame for the current situation.
I suppose something unexpected could happen, such as enough recall votes being successful to force an early election, but I feel Smith is actually quite happy to have fixed election dates to cling to now as a reason not to have an early election.
If the United Crappers Party were not terribly worried by Mr. Nenshi he would be ignored and remain unmentioned. The fact that he is mentioned means he is gaining traction as a recent poll did indicate he is preferable to Premier Ditzy. No spring election? Don’t be so sure.
We should believe Danielle Smith because….?
Given that the USA has gone completely rogue colonizer, we no longer have time for Smith’s separatist bullsh*t. Or her slinging mud at Nenshi.
I can only hope that CSIS is putting together a full dossier on this separatist movement and all their financial dealings–including Smith & Co. They’d also better crawl all over PP’s ties, as well.
I know you only cover Alberta’s news but right now–this is about the problem of Trump using Alberta as a fifth column as Venezuela fights for its life against the boot of American Imperialism on their necks. I want to know how much money is flowing into the coffers to undermine our sovereignty, here.
Greenland with zero defenses is next. Then us.
We can’t have this separatist nonsense smack in the middle of that.
True Greenland doesn’t have much in the way of defenses but they are part of Denmark which is part of NATO, so it might be time for Canada to order a few dozen of those Swedish jets. Buying F whatevers from the U.S.A. isn’t good business right now. They might take the down payment on them and never deliver. Europe is ramping up in case Russia decides to make further inroads in Europe. Germany is bringing the auto baun back to Cold War standards, it was built so they could land jets on it and there are fuel storage tanks under neath. Bridges are also being rebuilt so large war ships can sail up some of their rivers. Germany wants to be prepared to move 80o,000 to the ‘front” in case Russia rolls further into europe Latvia is also working on border defenses.
One has to ask, so what was the Premier doing (constructively) to address healthcare? People w/o a family doctor? Selenium, contaminating our water sources & ugly scars on the eastern slopes? Mental health, addictions & homelessness? The procurement scandals? The building of new hospitals & more schools (even if it was an NDP idea)? Insurance rates? Making people on disabilities even more destitute? Actual proactive measures addressing climate change & rampant wildfires? Protecting landowners & municipalities from delinquent O&G operators?
That’s right… nothing.
Because her only focus is to try and steal our CPP & take us out of Confederation. Punt the lying conniving UCP.
Control of rights…something the neighbours to the south really want.
The southern Alberta ranchers and farmers may be in high dudgeon presently but come election time they will submissively line up and vote for the UCP en masse, because freedom. It puts this lie of rugged individualism of to bed. It’s kind of funny if you think about it.
Oopsie-doopsie. While Danielle Smith is busy scheming to seize control of Calgary’s water by way of coercive control (not sure if blackmail is the correct term), and put it in separatist pipelines to the US, her mentor Donald Trump has invaded Venezuela and kidnapped President Maduro. There won’t be much need for (cheap and cheaper) diluted bitumen from Alberta now, but you know those separatists clucks never wanted pipelines for oil anyways. The US is coming after our water. Thanks, Richard Rohmer, for warning us about the US threat to our sovereignty in 1973 with your novel Ultimatum.
Think I’m joking? Smith dropped the little tidbit yesterday that if Calgarians want any of our own provincial money to fix the current water problems, she wants control of our water. Special envoy Danielle Smith will deliver it to her American overlords without the need for a messy Venezuelan-style invasion. l suppose she wouldn’t end up captured and sent the alligators by Donald Trump because she is entirely simpatico and would bend the knee. ¡Holà, el presidenté! ¿Qué pasa? Do you know Mark Carney?
Smith did indeed blame Nenshi for the long-term consequences of the 2013 flood and came close to blaming him for making the flood happen. Yes, she fears his magical god-like ability to rain water down from the heavens. Her cheap shot fire him up. Feisty Nenshi is back and I’m here for it. He knows her. He knows her weak points. It’s high noon and time for a showdown. We don’t need Smith interfering in our water like she did with our LRT. We don’t need her selling us out for pesos to the US. We don’t need her at all. Nenshi, you’re up. Stop her before she calls Señor Donaldo and asks for an invasion.
@Abs. Right on the money. Venezuela’s crude is exactly the same as Alberta’s crude and it’s going to be stuffing the USA’s refineries to the brim. FOR FREE or pretty close.
Smith overplayed her hand on this one. Her MOU won’t be worth the paper it’s written on. Let’s see how long she and her oiligarch buddies last after that. Trump sold her down the river and she’s such a dimwit she didn’t see it coming, even though Trump has been threatening to invade Venezuela since his last term. Even PP sold her out with his congratulatory tweet to Trump for annexing Venezuela so efficiently (until they start to fight back, that is)
If the Venezuelans hoofed out the Spanish Empire I don’t think they’ll be any happier to see the USA invaders, again. Wonder what kind of mad dictator they’ll install on top of those poor citizens, this time.
2026 should be an interesting year for Grant Hunter as Taber-Warner’s favourite son is Corb Lund.
Media seems incapable of properly critiquing Abpremier’s extremist, destructive, tyrannical actions as she attacks everyone else. Example: Lost Goverment revenue from low oil price is $18.75 BILLION. No critiques?
Smith is a consummate liar, so what she said could be true, but it’s highly unlikely.
Time will tell if the exodus from their plush gigs will cause UCP MLAs to fly the coup.
Obviously, they need good news, and watching the endless fawning of Trump’s stunning victory over Maduro tells me they will take anything at this point. Of course, the on coming civil war in Venezuela, as power vacuums tend to cause them, will be one of the those I-Had-No-Idea-This-Would-Happen moments for everyone on Trump’s side. Wait until María Machado’s triumphant return is met with her assasination — or continous US armed protection and an occupation that no American voted for, proves that the American Empire is in a steep and unending decline. Not that I mind the US getting suckered into another war — they really deserve all the hardship that coming to them.
Ah yes, fixed election dates, like the fixed election date of the last Monday in May 2027, that was moved to the third Monday in October 2027 by Bill 21 in 2024, you mean that fixed election date? As the justification was to decrease the likelihood of a provincial election coinciding with a natural disaster, I leave it to the educated readers of this blog to fill in the ‘natural disaster’ of their choice that will be used as justification when the election is called in March 2026.
Ms. Smith’s shamelessness knows no bounds.
CBC news had a second hand report from Graham Thomson asking Smith at her AGM if she was contemplating an early election; Thomson says she said no. His take was an election on separation was a recipe for her to lose, which I agree with.
Then we have the long shot recall petitions. My opinion, wait until the end of January when signature collections start ending. Four, or more, successful petitions will trigger a panic reaction.
Smith is getting squeezed. Separatist base, recall petitions, right wing competition, general populace vehemently against CPP withdrawal, separation … she is bound to make poor decisions as the pressure increases. Given her history bad decisions, I can see her thinking an early election is her Hail Mary option.
“We’ve got a mandate that we want to execute over the next two years, and we intend to continue doing so,” Ms. Smith told reporters…..
Danielle Smith does not have any mandate on the things she want to execute, like APP, provincial police force and separation. She explicitly said she will not campaign on those issues in 2023 election.
But she did “execute” on all of those issues that most Albertans do not want since elected.
She lies so easily, it’s breathtaking!!
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
Have to agree with Abs.
“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”, or “A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.”.
In the the wonderful world of UCP/talk show host political story telling and attempts at narrative control psychological projection and deception continue to remain the dominant themes.
That is, the facts that remain conveniently unspoken are the following:
“Alberta cities are facing a significant infrastructure deficit, with estimates indicating that rural municipalities alone have a shortfall of $17.25 billion, projected to grow to over $40 billion by 2028 due to inadequate provincial funding. This long-standing issue has resulted from decades of underinvestment, impacting essential services and development in these areas.”
Further, “Provincial Finance Minister Nate Horner warned a hall full of Alberta mayors and councillors that the province’s persistent deficit woes will mean municipalities shouldn’t expect extra support in the 2026 budget.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-deficit-infrastructure-budget-nate-horner-municipalities-warning-9.6979856
Finally, it is surprising that a UCP public inquiry has not been announced to determine if ‘radical leftist extremists’ are responsible for the “pipeline explosion”.
Perhaps whether an early Alberta election occurs will become a dead issue if sometime this year, Trump decides to “liberate” Alberta and its oil reserves just as he has done for Venezuela last night.
I’ve wondered about the role of Alberta Quislings in encouraging Trump to take Alberta. Now with the Donroe doctrine of invasions in the western hemisphere the chanced of invasion have increased significantly.
@Lynda
Trump won’t liberate Oilberta–he’ll “liberate Canada”.
That mission was planned for *months* so all that “negotiation” with Maduro was a smokescreen. Just like negotiating with Iran was a smokescreen. I’d wager their special ops team has a plan for Canada whether or not they carry it through.
The sooner we all truly understand the magnitude of these events, the better prepared we will be.
The second that the USA media starts claiming that the election was stolen away from PP and he’s the rightful leader–we all know what comes next.
Any world leader that meets with Trump or his cronies anywhere in the world had best arm themselves with a hidden explosive device, first. Better yet, they need to all hang together and refuse to meet with USA envoys of any kind, anywhere at all.
But they won’t. France has the only leader in the western world with the guts to be screaming about how this is contrary to International Law and against the sovereignty of other nations.
They’ve been right about the untrustworthiness of the USA since WWII and it’s time everyone else, listened. De Gaulle was absolutely correct about them.
B: France has The Bomb, thanks to Gen. de Gaulle. DJC
DJC:
Exactly. Also De Gaulle almost bankrupted them by forcing them to give back France’s gold in their vaults. When the inevitable bank run started, they closed the banks. Then they begged the Saudis to back them with petrodollars. De Gaulle knew they were treacherous and exigent and if we’d listened to him instead of politicians who kissed their butts for the last 50 years we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Smith and PP want us to be the next “protectorate” with no rights, no socialized medicine, just here for their oligarchs to extract, from.
The oil in Alberta is always used as the Americans see fit. They already have a degenerate like the Carny maintaining the “pragmatic centre” of US imperialism at the federal level, and can count on total compliance when a fake alternative like the Alberta Provincial Neoliberal Deception Program ends up holding the places in Edmonton. The Carny has praised the violent seizure of the head of the Venezuelan government as an opportunity for the Venezuelan people. This is essentially the operation conducted by the Soviets in 1979. Will the Americans be banned from the Olympics and next year’s World Junior hockey tournament? Not in a million years. Elbows up as you shove your way to your seat at Klown Kollege.
@Murphy
I agree. All they have to do is blockade our harbours and WHOOSH! Carney’s plan to sell internationally goes up in flames. How he cannot see the game plan that USA publicly laid out is that THEY will be the only trading partner for *anybody* in the hemisphere unless we have their express approval–staggers me.
I feel like fudgin Cassandra for reading the USA’s own planning documents.
Exactly Hana!
1) Danielle Smith lies.
2) Danielle Smith is very confident.
3) Danielle Smith is a confident liar.
‘This presumably means either the UCP is really worried about Mr. Nenshi, or they’re not worried about him at all. ‘
I doubt that they are worried about him at all. What is there to worry about?
It seems Calgary’s new mayor and city councillors are ready to hand control of our water over to Danielle Smith in exchange for a promise of a few pesos that are rightfully ours anyways. Good luck getting that money from an entity that doesn’t pay its municipal property taxes!
https://www.canadian-accountant.com/content/municipal/alberta-residents-pick-up-property-tax
Some of our water will find its way to foreign-owned data centres in Alberta. That trip to make deals in the Middle East made this outcome obvious. But wait! Data centres in the US have an insatiable appetite for water. Get used to three-minute showers permanently and flushing toilets with collected rain water during the summer months. Pray that the taps won’t run dry. Utility bills will soar when Smith sells our utility provider, likely to a corporation based in a hostile enemy nation.
Do you like your new city council now? Be sure to thank them for their commitment to the Dune novel and movies.”Cahoots” is an interesting word.
The UCP bench is pretty short, but Smith appointing Grant Hunter to the Environment Portfolio? THAT Grant Hunter who proudly took his grandchildren to the Coutts blockade to show them who their role models should be? Does he take them to jail, too, for visits with cookies and cute little “Get Out of Jail Soon” cards? If I was their Grandma I’d be giving that old wanker what-for, I mean seriously? Those goons had an arsenal of weapons, pipe bombs, body armour, and were primed and ready for a shoot-out with the Mounties. What if those kiddies were caught in the middle of all that? With that kind of judgement he is now a Cabinet Minister? I’m trying to think what would have happened if Smith’s Personal Police force had responded to that Blockade- would they have joined hands with the truckers and sung “Kumbaya?” Would the border still be closed? Would those thugs even remember what they were protesting? It was a little needle, right? During a worldwide pandemic. Good grief.
Smith, also not known for her wisdom and good judgement, picked Hunter no doubt because he’ll be a useful sock-puppet for foreign coal companies and the oil and gas industry. Mowed down mountain tops? Contaminated streams and rivers? Abandoned wells? Extirpated endangered caribou herds? Whatever! They’ve got “mandates”, you know.
Grant Hunter like Poilievre praised the criminal convoy truckers and even brought his grandchildren to get their pictures taken with them that’s how stupid he is. Proving once again these Reformers show absolutely no concern for the massive debt they are creating for our children and grandchildren to deal with that’s how stupid they are.
Police officers have indicated that we are damn lucky the assault rifles being stockpiled didn’t end up in Ottawa with some lunatic deciding to open fire on the crowds like we have seen elsewhere, aren’t we? I doubt Hunter cares, do you?
Alan K. Spiller: I heard about that. Grant Hunter doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong.
I have heard Danielle Smith refer often lately to “the mandate that was given her by Alberta voters”. She seems to suggest that abusing power, giving money from single source contracts to her friends and donors, Blaming 48 years of Alberta Conservative mismanagement on ten years of Trudeau, keep Alberta in a single source (petroleum) economy, conscripting any post of pension money for use by AIMCO, and disregarding affordability issues was the mandate she was given. The many voters I have talked to suggest that grocery prices, insurance and utility costs, strengthening the public health and education sectors, protecting our water supply, and correcting the urban and rural infrastructure deficits was the mandate the UCP was given.The UCP needs to understand that their job is to provide essential services to the public, not sell off our assets to their friends and donors.
Re: Nenshi,
My favourite game conservatives play in this province is to find a “progressive” administration (for alberta) that was in power for a short amount of time and then hang every single problem alberta has ever had in its entire history at their feet.
They do this with the NDP a lot as well, especially with regards to health care.
The nonsense of the whole thing of course, Danielle, is that far right conservative governments have been in power in this province for all but FOUR YEARS. Correct me if I’m wrong but, I do believe the province ponies up a big chunk for infrastructure projects, correct me if I’m wrong again, but Calgary itself is one of the most conservative cities in the entire country ?
How is it all Nenshis fault? Decades of mismanagement lies at the feet of a single mayor ? Sure it does…. And I have chunks of the bearspaw water main for sale….
I have a very strong gut feeling that Danielle Smith is acting out of desperation and is panicking. She and the UCP have been involved with corruption on a massive scale, and she has to keep on coming up with weak attacks on her political rivals, such as Naheed Nenshi, who will definitely defeat her and the UCP, if an election were coming. The MH (Corrupt Care) scandal has a lot more to it. That is going to torpedo the UCP.
Danielle smith is by far the best premiere we’ve had since Klein. You guys are all a joke. Alberta will be conservative. Nenshi is a communist nut case.