In truth, Canada needs a thorough and honest inquiry into foreign political funding, online manipulation and influence. Unfortunately, the $2.5-million probe into “foreign funded defamation” of Alberta’s fossil-fuel industry announced by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s government yesterday at a news conference in Calgary isn’t it. How could it be? It’s been established to buttress a […]
Posted inGeopolitics
Parades! Bands! Singers! Tanks! Some thoughts on Independence Day, Donald Trump, and the state of the neighbourhood this July 4
Today is Independence Day, the 4th of July, best known in Canada as the setting for the country gothic hit of the same name but, of course, also our cacophonous cousins’ national holiday. The occasion nominally marks the 243rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by the citizens of the great constitutional Republic with which […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Corporate Mapping Project names top fossil-fuel emitters, enablers and legitimators, unlocks online database
“The fossil fuel industry … is the biggest obstacle to real action on climate change today,” says the co-director of the Corporate Mapping Project, which this morning published an eye-opening list of the 50 most influential players in the industry and a publicly accessible database with information on more than 200 extractive corporations with assets […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Happy Canada Day! In a troubled world, Canada stands out as a genuine triumph of bureaucracy
Happy Canada Day! One way or another, our Canada always seems to end up on every list of the world’s Top Ten economies. Granted, we are almost inevitably No. 10 of 10, which may leave the intensely competitive dissatisfied. But, realistically, this also means we’re No. 10 of 193, if you go by the membership […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Another week in the Annals of Diplomacy: in stormy times, half a loaf is better than none
From the sublime to the ridiculous, it would appear, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will do anything to keep Donald Trump sweet. Consider the dissimilar cases of Meng Wanzhou and Stephanie Clifford. The first we won’t allow to leave Canada, the second we won’t allow to visit. Both, obviously, because that’s what the giant boy-man […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
With Stephen Mandel’s resignation and zero Legislature seats, Alberta Party faces leadership vacuum and bleak future
So long, Stephen Mandel, at least we can’t say we hardly knew ye! Mr. Mandel announced in a news release yesterday he would step down on June 30 as leader of the Alberta Party – which he took over after an internal coup last year and turned from a vehicle for disaffected Alberta Liberals into […]
Posted inBestsellers
A Brightness Long Ago, by Guy Gavriel Kay, tops Audreys Books’ Edmonton Bestseller List for fiction this week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended June 23, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. A Brightness Long Ago – Guy Gavriel Kay 2. The White Hand – Konn Lavery * […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
The Alberta Senate Election Act explained – a farcical, faux exercise, for sure, but a clever one
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 […]