In a secret pep talk to his troops Tuesday, revealed yesterday by the CBC, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he’s only sticking around as leader of the United Conservative Party to keep the “lunatics” from “trying to take over the asylum.” In May 2020, Mr. Kenney’s social media flying monkeys excoriated Alberta Federation of Labour […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Calling UCP leadership review rule change illegal, unethical, and ‘a travesty,’ Jason Kenney’s rival Brian Jean vows legal response
Alberta’s United Conservative Party hasn’t even held the vote yet in its review of Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership and his chief rival is threatening legal action. Yesterday the party board, dominated by Mr. Kenney’s supporters, changed the rules for the April 9 leadership review vote to make it easier for the premier to win. Soon […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Hysterical Conservatives outdo themselves with ‘coalition’ histrionics, but Parliament is operating exactly as it should
Let it be conceded that the Conservative histrionics over yesterday’s confidence and supply agreement between the Liberals and the New Democrats in Parliament has far outdone the “spectacular national Conservative tantrum” predicted in this space. Naturally one would have expected a right-wing Opposition party to argue that any deal between a slightly more progressive governing […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
A Liberal-NDP confidence and supply deal takes shape? If so, brace yourself for a spectacular national Conservative tantrum!
If the deal the federal Liberals and New Democrats seem to have cooked up to keep the Trudeau Government in power until 2025 in return for national pharmacare and dental care programs turns out to be for real, brace yourselves for a spectacular national tantrum by the Conservatives led by, well, whoever. The new leader […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
United Conservative Party factions – Jason Kenney’s Mods and Brian Jean’s Rockers – square off over premier’s future
Are rival gangs of UCP Mods and Rockers* heading for Red Deer spoiling for a fight? If you thought the recent opposing demonstrations by outlaw truckers, most of whom don’t seem to own trucks, and local residents in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood were rough, imagine how ugly it could get if Mr. Kenney’s Mods and Mr. […]
Posted inBestsellers
A Burning by Megha Majumdar tops Alberta independent bookshops’ fiction bestseller list for week ended March 13
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, March 13, 2022. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. ALBERTA FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. A Burning – Megha Majumdar (Vintage) […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Stolen data: Respected pollster refuses to publish private poll to suit Kenney Government; UCP leaks it anyway
Janet Brown is an independent Alberta pollster with a solid track record for accurate polling, so when a couple of media reports appeared this week saying one of her recent polls showed the United Conservative Party leading the New Democratic Party, political observers paid attention. For one thing, other recent polls have put the Alberta […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Praise the lord and pass the ammolite! Gemstone, soon to be another official Alberta emblem, comes with a cryptocurrency angle!
“Ammolite is an important part of our heritage and economy,” Ron Orr said yesterday in the Kenney Government’s news release announcing that the little-known gemstone would soon become one of Alberta’s official emblems. Mr. Orr is Alberta’s minister of Culture, Multiculturalism, and Status of Women. It’s the latter portfolio on that list that usually gets […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Guest post by Bradley Lafortune: It really is time for Alberta to end the fiscal insanity and get off the revenue rollercoaster
By Bradley Lafortune In quiet Zoom meetings of economists and energy analysts around the province you can almost hear the murmurs: “Fiscal insanity … again!” But there is hope, however faint, because the imperative could not be more clear that Alberta must plan for a long-term recovery through savings, reinvesting in basic public services, and […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Brian Jean, Jason Kenney’s rival, wins Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election in a walk for UCP; turnout was disgracefully low
No surprise, it was Brian Jean in a walk. The well-heeled local lad, former Conservative Member of Parliament and former leader of the Wildrose Party of Alberta didn’t even have to break into a sweat to capture an overwhelming majority of the votes for the United Conservative Party in yesterday’s Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election. […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
At a fraught moment for Jason Kenney, just before a crucial by-election, new poll shows NDP with solid provincial lead
On the eve of today’s Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election and less than a month before the review of Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership by United Conservative Party members, a new poll shows the NDP Opposition strongly leading the UCP in decided-voter support. If the findings of the online survey of 600 adults made between March […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Capable former cabinet minister Danielle Larivee will again be NDP candidate in Lesser Slave Lake
The Alberta NDP made it official yesterday, announcing that Danielle Larivee will once again be the party’s candidate in the Lesser Slave Lake riding. As I said when I reported last month that Ms. Larivee planned to seek the NDP nomination in the riding she represented between 2015 and 2019, this is a positive development […]