Never mind the details for a moment, this is all you really need to know about Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s constitutionally meaningless Senate elections law, introduced as Bill 13 in the provincial Legislature yesterday. Mr. Kenney has presented Alberta’s progressives, of whom there are many, and the politicians they support with a wonderful opportunity to […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
My eyes are dim, I cannot see; so AlbertaPolitics.ca must take a short break from publication
As the venerable camp song goes, “My eyes are dim, I cannot see…” Indeed, my eyes are dim enough nowadays it doesn’t really make much difference whether or not I have my specs with me. Something must be done, therefore, and it will be done. Starting today. As a result, AlbertaPolitics.ca will suspend publication for […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
TMX gets the nod from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet – masterstroke or master blunder?
With his cabinet’s second approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has either proved the Liberal Party of Canada’s old mojo is still intact or blown it all to smithereens. It’s too soon to tell. Alberta Conservatives and their legion of media cheerleaders obviously feared the first explanation […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
It’s time for a frank talk about the T-word: Just who’s advocating treason here anyway?
It’s time, my fellow Canadians, for us to have a frank talk about the T-word. Albertans who have been paying attention to politics for the past few years cannot have missed the fact certain elements of the right-wing ideological ecosystem have been sloppy and irresponsible in their use of terms like “treason” and “traitor” to […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Left by the pope with a choice between glory to God and death to the carbon tax, what will Jason do?
Turns out you really can’t serve God and Mammon! Who knew? Tout le monde Conservative Alberta was reeling over the weekend at Friday’s news from Rome that Pope Francis, leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, has declared global warming to be a real thing and putting a price on carbon to be “essential” to saving the […]
Posted inGeopolitics
U.S. brags about targeting Russian power plants with cyber-attacks – have they lost their minds?
Back in 2011, not long after Barack Obama had been sworn in as president of the United States, a Pentagon spokesperson warned that henceforth and forevermore, the United States intended to treat cyber-attacks by other nations as acts of war. “A response to a cyber-incident or attack on the U.S. would not necessarily be a […]
Posted inBestsellers
‘This Place, 150 Years Retold,’ a collection of graphic fiction by Indigenous authors, tops Audreys Books’ Edmonton bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended June 9, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. This Place: 150 Years Retold – Various Contributors, Foreword by Alicia Elliott 2. Moccasin Square Gardens […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
The strategy behind the UCP’s Public Sector Arbitration Deferral Act explained
Albertans who don’t pay much attention to labour relations may be forgiven for wondering about the harsh reaction yesterday to the Alberta Government’s introduction of legislation to delay arbitration for thousands of public employees. Many readers not directly hostile to unions nevertheless may have wondered, “What’s the big deal? The government’s just asking for a […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Acknowledging public reaction, Edmonton Public Library drops plan to cut pages’ wages, strikes deal with union
Acknowledging negative feedback received by Edmonton Public Library about its plan to reduce pay rates for youth pages in line with the United Conservative Party Government’s cuts to the minimum wage, EPL Chief Executive Officer Pilar Martinez said today the Library would maintain current student pay rates. In an official statement published on the library […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Hiding behind UCP youth minimum wage cut, Edmonton Public Library slashes library pages’ pay
Using the wording of its collective agreement with Civic Service Union 52 as an excuse, and the United Conservative Government’s minimum wage reduction for students under 18 as the trigger, Edmonton Public Library is handing its youth pages pay cuts of $2.30 to $2.50 per hour. This is pretty shameful for an institution whose mission […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
UCP bulls ahead with plan to ignore public employees’ collective agreements
One thing you can say for Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party Government: they don’t even pretend to act in good faith! Early this month they mailed public sector unions a letter asking them to take part in “a consultation session” about the government’s wish to delay contractually stipulated wage arbitration included in a number of […]
Posted inGeopolitics
Guest Post by Olav Rokne: Since all political careers end in trivia, here’s the scoop on America’s would-be presidential candidates
Guest Post by Olav Rokne British statesman (and repugnant racist) Enoch Powell once famously remarked that all political careers end in failure. While there may be some truth to his observation, I would suggest that it might be even more accurate to say that all political careers eventually become trivia. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination […]