As everybody in Canada surely knows by now, Alberta Member of Parliament Matt Jeneroux has crossed the floor of the House of Commons to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals, who whether you like it or not appear still to be the Natural Governing Party of Canada.
Mr. Jeneroux made the announcement in a letter published on social media in which he said after listening to Mr. Carney’s world-famous Rupture Address in Davos last month he had concluded we are living through a moment “that demands steady leadership, constructive collaboration between all Parliamentarians, and a willingness to stand up and serve even when the path is not easy.”
Accordingly, he continued, dropping his metaphorical bombshell: “After further reflection with my family, and conversations with colleagues and constituents, I will be continuing to serve in Parliament – and I will be working with Prime Minister Mark Carney as part of his new government …” Boom!
In a social media statement, Prime Minister Carney added that he was “honoured to welcome Matt Jeneroux to our caucus as the newest member of Canada’s new government. Building a stronger, more resilient, and more independent country will require ambition, collaboration, and occasionally, sacrifice.”
Naturally, the Opposition Conservatives are apoplectic. They must have thought last fall when there were rumours Mr. Jeneroux might be pondering executing a floor crossing that they had successfully bullied the former “progressive conservative” Edmonton MP into shutting up for the time being and then quitting quietly this summer.
Apparently things were bad enough at that time that Mr. Jeneroux felt compelled to issue a social media statement saying, no, no one had threatened him. He announced his plans to remain in Parliament for a spell, then quit, in the same fashion.
Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada who blew a 27-point lead in the polls to lose last April’s federal election and his own Ontario seat, immediately said Mr. Jeneroux had “betrayed the people of Edmonton Riverbend who voted for affordable food and homes, safe streets, and a strong resource sector.”
Well, one can feel a certain sympathy with that point of view and still not feel very sympathetic with Mr. Poilievre, who has too much of a whiff of the MAGA about him for a lot of Canadian voters.
There’s no question Mr. Poilievre has been wounded again by Mr. Carney’s strategy. With Mr. Poilievre now back in the saddle as the just-re-ratified Conservative leader and back in his native Alberta as short-term MP for Battle River-Crowfoot, he appears to be a liability both for the Conservatives and the folks in his riding who are stuck with him for the indeterminate future.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Carney has found an unconventional route to building the majority he couldn’t quite win last April 28. Every time Mr. Poilievre scrambles back to his feet he gets knocked down again, just as he was in November when Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed to the Libs and in December when Ontario MP Michael Ma did the same thing. There are probably more Conservative MPs waiting in the wings, and maybe some New Democrats too if the party chooses the wrong leader next month.
We haven’t seen anything quite like this out here in Tory Blue Alberta since April 20, 1977, when Cactus Jack Horner of the Conservative Horner political clan made the same trip from the Opposition benches to Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government’s side of the House. That made 4/20 a day that lived in infamy in Alberta until PM Justin Trudeau’s government legalized cannabis in in 2018, which may account for a certain amount of forgetfulness among much of the Conservative base.
Mr. Horner went straight into the Liberal cabinet, where he remained until 1979, when he was defeated along with the elder Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal government. By 1980, the Liberals were back, but without Mr. Horner, who was punished by the voters of his Crowfoot riding – perhaps ironically essentially the same territory as that now represented by Mr. Poilievre.
So those things may or may not be a harbinger of what will happen to Mr. Jeneroux, who may or may not have plans to remain in politics after the next federal election. In the meantime, he is said to abide in Vancouver when he’s not in Ottawa.
For the time being, Mr. Carney said in his statement: “As a new special advisor on economic and security partnerships, Matt’s leadership will contribute to strengthening Canada’s alliances and trade partnerships, advancing Canada’s leadership in global security cooperation, and building our strength at home.”
It’s a pity that the late Alberta Premier Jim Prentice isn’t still around to observe this demonstration of the right way to organize a mass floor crossing.
Mr. Prentice briefly appeared to be some kind of political genius on Dec. 17, 2014, when it was revealed he had persuaded Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith and eight of her MLAs to cross the floor of the provincial Legislature en masse to join his Progressive Conservative government.
Alas for all concerned, astonishment soon turned to outrage, Ms. Smith’s political career quickly soured for a long spell, and the ensuing brouhaha played a significant role in the election of Rachel Notley’s NDP in May 2015.
Probably the first political casualty of the mass floor crossings of 2014 was Rob Anderson, MLA for Airdrie at the time, who in 2010 had quit the PCs and crossed the floor to join the Wildrose Party and then crossed back with Ms. Smith, making him a double floor crosser. In January 2015, presumably reading the handwriting on the wall, he announced he was leaving politics.
Unfortunately for Alberta, it could be argued, like Ms. Smith, Mr. Anderson found a second life in politics with the United Conservative Party. She’s the premier and he’s her chief of staff, an intemperate social media commentator, and a co-author of the separatist Free Alberta Strategy that appears to have been fully adopted by the party.
Mr. Carney, meanwhile, is demonstrating a more effective way to use floor-crossings to keep his political opponents off balance is to make one bombshell announcement at a time.
Well, they call ’em the L-shaped party for a reason, and they sure can execute a smuggler’s turn on policy when necessary, faster than their Conservative rivals seem to be able to manage.
Brace yourselves, Albertans!
premier to bloviate on immigration
Speaking of Mr. Anderson, he was tweeting busily yesterday in preparation for Premier Smith’s address to the Peoples of the New West later today, calling the high immigration rates that just months ago the UCP was demanding “absolute insanity.” Another trooper in Ms. Smith’s effort to Trumpify Alberta, her Calgary office manager Bruce McAllister, screeched online that “the people orchestrating this reckless, unsustainable mass immigration into Canada fill me with profound disgust.” In case you doubted where he was coming from, he continued: “Why import from nations with failed systems when our Judeo-Christian heritage and principles have worked so well here?” You can’t make this stuff up. Presumably Ms. Smith will outline her plans for ICE Alberta in her little fireside chat tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. on CTV, Global, Rogers and the usual social media hellholes.
It is interesting to compare the recent Federal floor crossings with Prentice’s one off shock and awe floor crossing, which wounded the Wildrose Party, but did not kill it. There were no more defections later and those left were committed to rebuilding their party. They did manage to have a decent result in the election after. So the shock and awe of the number of floor crossers, while initially very impressive and damaging, did not work as well as planned.
Carney seems to be following a different approach, instead this time there has been a steady drip, drip of defections over several months. This is probably enough to make even those in the CPC not inclined to paranoia start to wonder who will be the next to stick the knife in and go.
While the CPC somehow managed to keep this MP from defecting before, their first clue to the extent of his unhappiness should have been when he still announced his inrended resignation. Interestingly this resignation has now been taken back, as he is now in an apparently happier place.
I’m not sure what our MAGA want to be Premier will have to say about immigration, but it will probably continue to be divisive and play to the base like so many other things she has said. She is like a bargain basement version of Poilievre for who things are not going for so well now. Athough one thing Smith should be thankful for is there is no strong centrist party provincially to lure more of her MLAs away. If there was, she would be in deeper trouble now too.
‘Ensuring’ or ‘ensuing brouhaha?
It looks like flip flop season is well underway even though it’s cold enough to freeze your polar bear. Dingy is at it again complaining about immigrants. Wasn’t it not that long ago that she spent millions of Albertans tax dollars on a campaign to attract immigration, something like “Alberta is Calling”?
She has spent all her time trying to get a new pipeline to the west coast, all the while totally ignoring the signals from Ottawa about immigration, whereby schools and hospitals needed to be built to handle the population increase.
Looks like Smith is having difficulty doing that walking and chewing gum thing.
I do wonder if Mr. Jeneroux would have crossed the floor if the CPC had voted for a leadership review at their AGM.
These floor crossings are a result of Pierre Poilievre’s lack of both leadership and vision. I watch the man and I find him annoying and yappy. I would have thought that his inner circle would’ve told him by now, that criticism of everything is not leadership. And the Albertans, that are up in arms about Jeneroux crossing the floor, should be reminded, as you mentioned in your article, that Smith, the Queen of the Silver Dollar (Dr. Hook) did the same.
So is this Bruce McAllister’s subtle way of telling us that he berated Evan Li because of the colour of Evan Li’s skin? Obviously he couldn’t have known the high school student’s religious beliefs. Gotcha, Brice. I mean Bruce. Ad hominem and all that.
As a resident in his riding and not a supporter of PP, I believe he has done the right thing for the people of this riding and Canada. …” “betrayed the people of Edmonton Riverbend who voted for affordable food and homes, safe streets, and a strong resource sector.”” Yes, the “people” of Riverbend voted for the things mentioned, but we got PP. What more can one say?
Are pro-Canada rallies still scheduled for Saturday a.m. in front of the Calgary and Edmonton city halls? Haven’t heard a peep since last weekend.
Yes. 10 am at the Legislature in Edmonton. City Hall Plaza in Calgary.
“Mass Immigration”? Does anybody know what the actual fudge these people are talking about?
Ask new immigrants how hard it is to get in here…and how penalised many of them are when they’re forced to go to Canadian universities because their degrees don’t matter here. I’ve known PHD’s in social work from other countries that wind up as front liners in social services (only takes 2 years for a certificate for citizens and some don’t even have that, just a security check depending on the agency / job) and an experienced practical nurse forced to work as a medical receptionist. Doctors are driving taxis because instead of just testing them for their knowledge, they come here broke but are expected to pay for a complete university education to learn things some of them know better than workers who graduated from here.
You know what most immigrants are guilty of? Fleeing wars that the USA and Europe, started.
(Meanwhile, work visas are given to exotic dancers/masseurs from developing nations forced to work in prostitution as the business owners take their visas and passports away effectively making the Ontario premier a pimp yet note, the Conservatives never complain about that)
Yes siree those Judaeo (huh whut? when did that get added in?) Christian values are fabulous. Just ask the St. John’s Boy’s school graduates, or the boys from Mount Cashel or any of the residential school victims from the Anglican and Catholic school systems. I don’t know what’s they find so great about the Christian past in Canada but it sure wasn’t great for most of the people I know. The Muslims didn’t do this. The Buddhists didn’t do this. Why do these people have such a problem with multi-culturalism when the entire country was build on the three pillars of Aboriginal thought, French thought and English thought?
Nostalgia is not something to build policy, on. It’s a reactionary tactic to lure in low-information voters.
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The Trumpers and their Canadian ilk are in for a rude awakening and soon. Their “Christian” idol is about to unleash WWIII Armageddon because he thinks he can act like a mafia boss with the Persians who were a civilized nation before the idea of sailing to North America was even hatched in the fevered brains of the Europeans.
Immigration and whinging about separatism may soon be the least of their problems.
Mu current job is as a Clinic Nursing Educator in a large regional hospital in northwestern Alberta, and just the other day while making my rounds of the inpatient units, I encountered a woman working as a Health Care Aide who had been a Physician’s Assistant in India. Wasted talent, even if — as is likely — she would need to do some upgrading and skills assessment before being licensed to practice in Alberta.
There has to be a middle ground between automatic recognition of foreign credentials, which is risky from a public protection standpoint, and forcing people such as this woman to work far below their qualifications.
Oh dear … there’s many a slip betwixt the tongue and the lip … or between the thought and the virtual keyboard on a tablet. My first sentence was meant to begin, “My current job is as a Clinical Nurse Educator…”
Hopefully my point was still evident.
I can see three possible scenarios that might play out tonight. I’m sure there are more. One, as you mentioned, Smith might announce that the Sheriffs will become Ice Alberta and waste time and money rooting out ‘illegals.’ Two, Smith could decide to hold a referendum on immigration as recommended by the pre-determined findings of the Alberta Next panel. It will be another useless and money wasting venture, but keep the base happy. And it might soften the blow if they don’t collect enough signatures for an independence referendum. Three, Smith could bring back health care premiums, but only for new arrivals in Alberta. Say for a period of five or ten years? Again, that would please the UCP base who see themselves as ‘old stock’ Albertans and therefore inherently superior. They just love to punish anyone who’s different – colour, religion, sexuality, etc. Making newcomers pay while they get health care ‘for free’ – that would prove who’s important and who isn’t.
Even by Danielle Smith standards, the about face on immigration is mind boggling.
Less than two years, Smith said Alberta needed more provincial control of immigration because federal immigration levels were too low. Apparently today they are too high despite the steep decline in the actual numbers entering Canada in the past 18 months.
Danielle Smith is an utterly unscrupulous politician that needs to be shown the door.
Not exactly the same thing, but when you are defeated in your own riding, then force a dutifully elected MP to step down to run in his (in this instance it is a he) riding, are you not betraying the wishes of both your former constituents who made the decision they did not want you as an elected member of parliament, and the new constituents who lose their freshly elected representative?
Also, not that I expect much, but the majority of the media is giving the UCP a free pass on their “Alberta is calling……..” campaign. When it is not your preferred audience that shows up, whose fault is that?
Judeo-Xian is not a phrase that has been historically used in North America, but it’s in vogue with the maga types because of the value in its signalling to the Zionists. Hope that makes it crystal clear for y’all.
As far as Jeneroux do you think it reads more as spite, or career extension ? Certainly any political operative can see there’s not much of a future with the maga lite CPC, what nine leaders since Harper and not a chance of forming government ? I’d jump ship too.
Bird: In response to your question, I’m really not sure. I suspect either explanation, or both, could be in play. Despite his suggestion to the contrary, I also think he may have had some legitimate concerns about the safety of his family given some of the things said on social media when the possibility first arose. DJC
As a Jewish person, I take strong exception to your racist comment about signalling to the Zionists. Your contempt for Jews comes through clearly. Actually, to be more precise, Little Bird, go fuck yourself.
Michele: I’m going to allow this comment given the passion surrounding this issue. But let’s try to keep responses to Michele and any back-and-forth that follows focused on issues and civil. I am prepared to employ the delete key if things get out of hand. DJC
I can take the heat. I do not have any problems with people of the Jewish faith, or non believers who are ethnically Jewish. However I do have an issue with Zionists. Because they’re doing a genocide in Palestine.
North American Christians and the WASPS that founded these two colonial outposts however, DO have a long history of anti semitism, which is precisely why Christians (evangelicals mostly and Zionists all) have started using the phrase judeo Christian.
Maybe instead of knee jerk calling everyone who disagrees with the genocidal project of Zionist a racist you could read some history.
And I didn’t even have to use the F WORD either.
OK, I haven’t done what I promised to do, but let’s stop this here. DJC
Judeo-Christian is the exalted former MLA’s way of saying only white gawd-fearin’ types need apply. He’s probably the type that had no problem when Ukrainian refugees flooded into Canada but has a stroke when brown, black or Asian people arrive at our borders.
“Alberta is calling”, but only the right kind — or colour — of people need answer.
So Bruce McAllister is curious on the first day of Ramadan? “Why import from nations with failed systems when our Judeo-Christian heritage and principles have worked so well here?” Really?
TENET: I frankly think Mr. McAllister is to dumb to know it was the first day of Ramadan. That is an opinion based on months of observation of his behaviour, including on social media, including in connection with this tweet. It is a fair comment based on reported fact. DJC
McAllister, Andersen and Smith et al are idiots. Judeo-Christian? Give me a break. Grrrrr.
Idiots is being very nice. These are not just idiots these are incompetent lunatics.
They got Trumpian school and the blame game.
More than 40 years of garbage is bad enough but lunacy on top will destroy us
https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/alberta-to-hold-referendum-on-out-of-control-immigration-amid-strain-on-social-services-budget-smith/
Carlos: This is the same disgusting behavior that Donald Trump is doing. Danielle Smith blames immigrants for her incompetence with the UCP, and the longstanding incompetence of previous Conservative governments in Alberta who sucked Peter Lougheed’s savings into a black hole.
Absolutely Anonymous. This is all the same playbook. The people that complained about the cancel culture are now on schedule to cancel democracy period.
Kons are constantly trying to manage the internal struggle between their compulsion to mendacity and their instinctive embrace of superstitious ignorance. It was our good ol’ fashioned Judeo-Christian colonialist and capitalist system that blew up or otherwise exploited all the heathen nations, so the least that can be done in Canada is to welcome the survivors into our low-wage real estate economy.
CONs can cry all they want about their MPs crossing the floor. Though they never ask why it’s happening, they claim they are the victims of a concerted effort to pillage their caucus of weak-minded CINOs, lured by offers of money and position. Yet, not for one moment have they looked inward and asked that maybe all these problems are the Skippy’s doing? Pollivere pretty much rigged his own leadership review — $1,000 per delegate? He called it fundraising, but everyone else called it gatekeeping. So, while Skippy goes on his merry way, producing web videos showing off his kettlebell throws and deep squats, his complete self unawareness shows his efforts to look like RFK Jr. are not working out very well.
Maybe he should try driving around with a bear’s carcass on the roof of his chauffeured limo? But what will the residents of Rockcliffe think?
I take some hope in the fact even with a hand-picked group, in a convention timed to disrupt members from Ontario, held in true Blue Calgary, with only one name on the ballot, 1 out of 8 still wanted someone else, anyone else, to lead the party.
The CPC are cracking and fracturing. We have a Donald Trump clone running (ruining) Alberta, so we don’t need one at the federal level.
Conservatives’ favourite political Brit, Winston Churchill, is famously — although perhaps apocryphally — said to have stated, after he crossed the floor in the British House of Commons for the second time, “Anyone can rat, but it takes a certain amount of ingenuity to re-rat.”
https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/quotes/re-rat/
Does that make Rob Anderson a political genius? Not a sobriquet I would have applied to him, but who knows …
Jerry: I was thinking about that myself just the other day. It occurs to me that the difference is the relative sophistication of the British electorate then compared to that of the Alberta electorate now. Anyone can rat, re-rat, and re-re-rat hereabouts because This Is Alberta (TIA). DJC
Also say what you will about me, I don’t care. Anders has been a noted Zionist since his time in parliament when he also *checks notes* designated Nelson Mandela as a terrorist, and was a vocal critic of the Palestinian resistance, which I’ll remind all readers of this blog is legal and justified under international law because they are facing not only occupation, but displacement and mass murder of civilians, which is genocide, and has been called such by MANY international organizations. Which is to say it is not only NOT RACIST, but RELEVANT to not only his past but his current thinking as maybe the second most powerful person in alberta politics RIGHT NOW.
I really hope folks consider before trying to paint me with such a lazy brush in the future.