The students are revolting – and as far as Alberta’s education minister is concerned, at least one of the school trustees is too. This Friday, students from all over the Edmonton area will abandon their classes to participate in the global strike for climate action. Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government, which grudgingly admits the climate […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Winding up the gun nuts: Liberals respond to Trudeau’s self-inflicted brownface crisis with a classic counterattack
Years ago, I worked with a union organizer who deployed an effective tactic when one of his unionization drives met resistance from an employer: Launch a diversionary attack from an unexpected quarter. This was the poor-man’s version of the doctrine of both the Prussian officer corps and the United States Marines: turn toward flanking fire […]
Posted inBestsellers
Us, by Edmonton’s Satya Brata Das, leads Audreys Books’ Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestseller List this week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended Sept. 15, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. The Testaments – Margaret Atwood 2. Taking the Lead – Karen Spafford-Fitz * 3. Just Three […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Which is more distressing, the idiocy of our PM or the hypocrisy of our Opposition leader?
Which is more distressing, the immaturity and sheer idiocy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or the nauseating hypocrisy of Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer? One of them, sad to say, is still the most likely person to emerge as prime minister of Canada after Oct. 21. The former dressed up in blackface at an age and […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Ecojustice throws down the gauntlet; Kenney, in New York, responds with bravado; stand by for legal action in 30 days
The Ecojustice Canada Society threw down the gauntlet yesterday and the sound of it landing may well reverberate around the country. It was certainly heard here in Alberta. The respected Vancouver-based environmental litigation charity handed an ultimatum to Premier Jason Kenney’s “public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns” on Tuesday. Its message in a nutshell: Stop […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Where’s the crisis austerity is supposed to fix? Not necessarily in the numbers the government’s consultant crunched
In the decade between 2008 and last year, the number of civil servants in Alberta on a per capita basis fell by 5 per cent. In the same period, Alberta’s population grew by almost 20 per cent. I know, I know, that isn’t what your heard. You certainly didn’t read it in a government press […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Jason Kenney’s fuming response to Amnesty International was not the adversaries’ first go-round
Returned to power after four years, Alberta’s Conservative party is governing pretty much as you’d expect from a government that, as Talleyrand supposedly said of the restored House of Bourbon, has learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Consider the matter of the controversial letter from the head of Amnesty International Canada to Jason Kenney. No, not […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Guest Post by John Ashton: New approaches essential to counter Jason Kenney’s planned war on labour
John Ashton has served as a staff member on 26 NDP campaigns. He is co-author with former Alberta NDP leader Ray Martin of “Made in Alberta: The Ray Martin Story.” In this guest post published while your blogger is at a conference, Mr. Ashton argues the report on Alberta’s fiscal situation by Janice MacKinnon and […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Sarcasm does not become a premier — especially as our placid boreal Dominion grows less gelid by the day
Methinks the premier doth protest too much! What else can we say about Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s bizarre 2,330-word public letter yesterday to Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada, attacking Mr. Neve, the organization he leads, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, the Soviet Union, the Saudi royal family, the Qatari royal family, the Kremlin, Russian […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
It’s tough to be a federal Liberal or a New Democrat in Alberta … especially during elections
It’s always hard to be a federal Liberal in Alberta … especially during elections! (Ba-boom!) In the federal election Prime Minister Trudeau called yesterday, it’ll probably be just a little harder than usual. Here in Wild Rose Country, it’s usually pretty difficult to be a New Democrat too, subject to many of the same conditions. […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
It’s Jason Kenney, not Amnesty International, who’s poking holes in Alberta’s claim we produce the most ‘ethical oil’
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s petulant response yesterday to Amnesty International’s scorching letter about the dangers represented by his United Conservative Party Government’s approach to defending the fossil fuel industry exposes a surprising lack of judgment for a former senior federal cabinet minister. Rather than reassuring people elsewhere in Canada and potential investors around the world […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Eyes to the keyhole, ears to the wall! Alberta’s enviro-snitch line is now accepting emails
There’s no longer any need to feel helpless if your kids think Greta Thunberg is cool, your neighbour tells you she’s not going to use Roundup on her dandelions anymore, or you think you’ve spotted a foreign-funded environmentalist cruising around your neighbourhood in a green Tesla. The House Un-Albertan Activities Committee is on the job […]