Just a reminder, folks: You can’t cut Alberta Health Services management without cutting front-line health care. One of Opposition Leader Jason Kenney’s standard talking points is that he’ll never cut front-line health care, only needless, redundant, expensive managers cluttering up the system. And since I’m a good union guy, some readers probably figure I should […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Jason Kenney’s ‘Public Health Guarantee’ isn’t worth much, but that may be good enough for many voters
No one ever said Jason Kenney isn’t a shrewd politician who knows how to run a campaign, so give the man some credit for his clever effort yesterday to look strong on a weak file for his party and make the NDP look a little weaker on its strongest. The United Conservative Party leader looked […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Hey, Andrew Scheer! Do you know whose truck that is you’re riding in?
What are we to make, fellow Canadians, of federal Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer’s now justly famous Louis Riel Day Tweet? Bear with me while we ponder this. There is a troubling point. It will take us only a moment to get there. Mr. Scheer, who leads the Canadian political party most directly descended from the […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Sounds as if the Trudeau Liberals are listening to their Natural Governing Party lizard brain, finally
Amid all the hoo-ha emanating from the nation’s capital over the partial holiday weekend, the bit that didn’t seem to fit was the dispiriting news – for many Albertans, anyway – that the federal cabinet won’t make a decision until summer at least on whether the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project will proceed. Local news […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
‘Free votes’ on ‘matters of conscience’ could be just the ticket for Jason Kenney to throttle reproductive rights
Last Thursday, presumably hoping to distract from the NDP’s launch of an advertising campaign illuminating the dark side of Jason Kenney, the United Conservative Party leader announced a passel of policy ideas that would include significant changes to how the Legislature operates. Among Mr. Kenney’s ideas were a ban on floor crossing by MLAs, statutory […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
A holiday toast to Don Getty, the father of Family Day, even if it was pretty much the only thing he achieved in office
Lord knows, Canadians need a February holiday! So thank God for small favours and, come to that, for Don Getty! As favours go, Mr. Getty, 11th premier of Alberta, was a pretty small one. Just the same, this was one for the ages! So, 30 years ago today, with an election looming, Mr. Getty’s Progressive […]
Posted inBestsellers
Janice MacDonald’s Eye of the Beholder spends another week atop Audreys Books’ Edmonton Bestseller List
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton for the week ended Feb. 10, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. The Eye of the Beholder – Janice MacDonald * 2. A Grain of […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
The realpolitik of real politics: attack ads work, and sometimes they’re necessary
One of the enduring myths of our era is that Albertans (or Canadians, or whomever) don’t like negative political advertising, and therefore that political attack ads won’t work here. Now that Alberta’s New Democratic Party has published a website attacking Opposition Leader Jason Kenney’s record as a federal Conservative MP, cabinet minster and lifelong social […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Happy Valentine’s Day! Don’t worry, even with a fair minimum wage, you can take your sweetie to a restaurant tonight!
Readers whose hearts are breaking at Restaurants Canada’s tale of woe supposedly caused by increases in the minimum wage and other calamities can take some Valentine’s Day comfort from the fact that despite all the tears Albertans have been dining out in record numbers. Last fall’s annual report on the restaurant business in Alberta by […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Restaurant lobby launches campaign to elect UCP, roll back $15-per-hour minimum wage
Alberta’s perpetually dissatisfied restaurant owners find themselves in such difficult straits they’re investing their hard-earned dollars in a high-profile PR campaign to make sure we all understand just how tough they have it – and while they’re at it, maybe they can get us to elect a right-wing government that will roll back that $15 […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Now, about that unconstitutional dog that ate Stephen Mandel’s homework …
It’s time for something completely different: a podcast! Don’t worry, it’s not mine. We’re not about to start podcasting here at AlbertaPolitics.ca, where old-timey newspaper columns that have a beginning, a middle, an end, and usually make a fairly strong point are our thing. Normally at this blog we strive only to give you the […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
What was John Carpay’s goal when he in effect withdrew his apology for comparing Pride flags to swastikas?
John Carpay is a clever man. The high-profile Alberta social conservative leader puts careful thought into what he says and how he says it. A lawyer by profession, he constructs his sentences precisely and deliberately. He knows exactly what he is saying when he says something. So one has to wonder what the founder and […]