Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 197 (November 16, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
Keystone Pipeline Project –
Last week I thought the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project was being put on hold for about a year or at least until after the US Presidential election set for November, 2012. It all seems quite logical, President Obama is seeking re-election for the presidency and he has been hassled by some major “celebrity” environmentalists and farmers who don’t want the pipeline crossing the important Ogallala aquifer in the Sandhills region of Nebraska. On Sunday, in Hawaii, Prime Minister Harper expressed his “disappointment” on the US’s decision to delay the pipeline project until 2013 – nevertheless, the Prime Minister was quick to add that he was not concerned about any fundamental shift Canada – US relations and the Keystone pipeline delay was only due to the “political season.” On Monday Premier Alison Redford was in Washington to promote the Keystone pipeline but had to change her emphasis slightly after the US State Department’s announcement – Premier Redford could only acknowledge that the United States’ regulatory process would have to take its course, but her modified message was clear, Alberta was eager and ready to supply bitumen to the Texas Gulf coast refineries. At the same time in Nebraska, Alex Pourbaix, president of TransCanada’s pipeline division announced that his company would re-route the proposed 1,700 mile pipeline to avoid the sensitive Ogallala aquifer and that would only mean another 30 or 40 miles of pipe and one additional piping station. I think Mr. Pourbaix’s announcement came as a surprise to many political types on both sides of the border – but as fluid as the situation is, I still think the final decision on the Keystone Pipeline Project will not be made until 2013.
Prime Minister Harper, Playing Hardball
Prime Minister Harper has to be congratulated on the way he handled the Asia Pacific summit conference in Hawaii and particularly the way the he addressed Canadian issues and concerns with the conference’s host, President Barack Obama of the United States. The PM was amiable and friendly but in my mind, his messages were clear – not only did the Prime Minister outline to President Obama Canada’s concerns and “disappointment” regarding the announced delay in the Keystone pipeline project, Mr. Harper also made clear that Canada should be exempted from any Buy American provisions that have appeared or might appear in the President Obama’s job creation initiatives. Further Mr. Harper expressed Canada’s objection to the political delays attached to the Canada – US security perimeter initiative and to the $5.50 inspection surtax being placed on Canadians traveling into the United States. To add force to the Prime Minister’s foreign policy sentiments, the PM made it clear that circumstances in the United States (particularly the delayed Keystone XL project) is pushing Canada toward the sale of bitumen into Asian markets – at the conference China’s President, Hu Jintao without hesitation extended an invitation to Prime Minister Harper to visit China in 2012. To add further force to what could be a major change in Canada’s “new” foreign policy thrust, Prime Minister Harper has expressed an interest to join the Trans Pacific Partnership group – something the PM did not consider relevant or warrented just a few months ago.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Europe Teetering
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 196 (November 9, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
Euro-Europe Teetering on a Cliff!
From my perspective, what’s going on in Europe is without question a disaster and to say that Europe is now in financial (political) turmoil is an understatement – for the moment, Greece has become the convenient whipping boy but the real question is: can and will the insolvency that is so obvious in Greece spill over to other parts of Europe and yes, spill over into other parts of the world?
A Good European Experiment Gone Sour!
In modern times the idea of having a single, mega European market was first envisioned and crystallized some 50 years ago when six nations (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands) agreed to a common market concept in 1958 and institutionalized what was then called the European Economic Community. From that year onward the common market concept grew and matured: membership in the European club grew to significant levels; a European parliament was established and disciplined economic cooperation flourished, all accomplished without any suggestion of political or cultural integration. About 12 years ago something quite dramatic happened and is now proving to be disastrous to the original concept of economic cooperation without political integration – in 1999, 17 member states agreed to a basic monetary policy including the use of a single “euro” currency – for me, 1999 was a clear deviation from the community of economic interest strategy and clearly pointed toward more and eventual political integration. Today the European Union is made up of 27 sovereign nations with 17 of those nations operating under what is now known as the euro zone – truly a fractured formulae and in my mind an indicator of financial confusion and political disaster.
Greece, Tip of the Iceberg!
From what I have read about Greece’s population and their political attitudes, it is no wonder that they are in such a financial state, as they are – my understanding is that in the past 10 years the Greek government racked up huge debts that aren’t being addressed through Greece’s taxation system. Added to the confusion is the apparent mindset of many Greeks who feel that taxes are an irritant and should be avoided, after all they are a part of the euro zone and therefore their spending habits, no matter how reckless, will be paid for by others in the euro zone (i.e. France or Germany). Actually Greece is not the “real” problem for the euro zone elite, the problem is that a bailout for Greece means likely bailouts for other euro zone members, most notably Italy (Europe’s third largest economy), Spain, Portugal and possibly others. So how is this Greek, no, European situation to be contained; can the mess be sorted out and can the European Union be saved??? A number of ideas have been put out by the media for discussion – about a month or so back it was suggested that the bonds supporting Greece’s debt be devalued by 50 percent (the banks and other bond holders say no to this, not so much as it relates to the Greek situation but what is likely to happen in other countries such as Italy); another suggestion was to have Greece leave the euro zone and return to their former currency, the Drachma (Greece says no, its their financial comfort zone); a third suggestion is to dissolve the euro zone itself and have each member country of the zone revert back to their past currencies – that is not a bad idea if Europeans want to save their European Union. No matter what strategy is undertaken a key component must include the reining in of their banks so that they truly become national banks that act in the best interest of their “home” authorities.
Any Parallels in Canada?
As Europe struggles with financial chaos and what appears to be an unmanageable debt; Canadian leaders are cautiously patting themselves on their backs and suggesting that Canada’s debt is miniscule when comparing Canada’s strong financial position to the financial weakness what is going on in Europe and the United States. I do agree that Canada’s national debt, as reported in the country’s national accounts, is small but that does not mean Canada is in good financial shape. For a good description of how precarious Canada’s financial situation is, I refer you to the October 24, 2011 issue of MACLEAN’S magazine and its editorial article entitled “Why Ontario is poised to become Canada’s Greece”. Following is the concluding paragraph:
“The sobering truth is that Canada’s largest province is now facing the country’s most troubling debt problem. And the effects of Ontario’s debt will soon be felt right across the country, regardless of how prudently other provinces have managed their finances. Fair or not, we’re all in this together.”
Whispering in the Wind
Euro-Europe Teetering on a Cliff!
From my perspective, what’s going on in Europe is without question a disaster and to say that Europe is now in financial (political) turmoil is an understatement – for the moment, Greece has become the convenient whipping boy but the real question is: can and will the insolvency that is so obvious in Greece spill over to other parts of Europe and yes, spill over into other parts of the world?
A Good European Experiment Gone Sour!
In modern times the idea of having a single, mega European market was first envisioned and crystallized some 50 years ago when six nations (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands) agreed to a common market concept in 1958 and institutionalized what was then called the European Economic Community. From that year onward the common market concept grew and matured: membership in the European club grew to significant levels; a European parliament was established and disciplined economic cooperation flourished, all accomplished without any suggestion of political or cultural integration. About 12 years ago something quite dramatic happened and is now proving to be disastrous to the original concept of economic cooperation without political integration – in 1999, 17 member states agreed to a basic monetary policy including the use of a single “euro” currency – for me, 1999 was a clear deviation from the community of economic interest strategy and clearly pointed toward more and eventual political integration. Today the European Union is made up of 27 sovereign nations with 17 of those nations operating under what is now known as the euro zone – truly a fractured formulae and in my mind an indicator of financial confusion and political disaster.
Greece, Tip of the Iceberg!
From what I have read about Greece’s population and their political attitudes, it is no wonder that they are in such a financial state, as they are – my understanding is that in the past 10 years the Greek government racked up huge debts that aren’t being addressed through Greece’s taxation system. Added to the confusion is the apparent mindset of many Greeks who feel that taxes are an irritant and should be avoided, after all they are a part of the euro zone and therefore their spending habits, no matter how reckless, will be paid for by others in the euro zone (i.e. France or Germany). Actually Greece is not the “real” problem for the euro zone elite, the problem is that a bailout for Greece means likely bailouts for other euro zone members, most notably Italy (Europe’s third largest economy), Spain, Portugal and possibly others. So how is this Greek, no, European situation to be contained; can the mess be sorted out and can the European Union be saved??? A number of ideas have been put out by the media for discussion – about a month or so back it was suggested that the bonds supporting Greece’s debt be devalued by 50 percent (the banks and other bond holders say no to this, not so much as it relates to the Greek situation but what is likely to happen in other countries such as Italy); another suggestion was to have Greece leave the euro zone and return to their former currency, the Drachma (Greece says no, its their financial comfort zone); a third suggestion is to dissolve the euro zone itself and have each member country of the zone revert back to their past currencies – that is not a bad idea if Europeans want to save their European Union. No matter what strategy is undertaken a key component must include the reining in of their banks so that they truly become national banks that act in the best interest of their “home” authorities.
Any Parallels in Canada?
As Europe struggles with financial chaos and what appears to be an unmanageable debt; Canadian leaders are cautiously patting themselves on their backs and suggesting that Canada’s debt is miniscule when comparing Canada’s strong financial position to the financial weakness what is going on in Europe and the United States. I do agree that Canada’s national debt, as reported in the country’s national accounts, is small but that does not mean Canada is in good financial shape. For a good description of how precarious Canada’s financial situation is, I refer you to the October 24, 2011 issue of MACLEAN’S magazine and its editorial article entitled “Why Ontario is poised to become Canada’s Greece”. Following is the concluding paragraph:
“The sobering truth is that Canada’s largest province is now facing the country’s most troubling debt problem. And the effects of Ontario’s debt will soon be felt right across the country, regardless of how prudently other provinces have managed their finances. Fair or not, we’re all in this together.”
Redford Stumbles, or was Tripped
Smoky Lake Signal Article 194 (October 26, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
Redford Stumbles, or Was Tripped?
Less than a month ago, when Alison Redford was first elected leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party many, if not most Albertans viewed her election as a refreshing change from the status quo – after all she did run her leadership campaign on a platform of “change” and transparency – in my view, she continues to opine a sincere desire to do things differently. Alison Redford was sworn in as Alberta’s 14th Premier on October 7 and a week later formed her first, smaller cabinet team – a cabinet that reflects; regional representation, youth, experience and both, right and left wing perspectives in Alberta’s “progressive conservative” movement – no question, a well balanced cabinet team. So you would think that Premier Redford would be given some sort of a honeymoon so she could get more comfortable with her cabinet appointments; allow some time for her to get into the swing of things; and a little time to test her skills in the art of governing, delegating and agenda setting – well she wasn’t given the luxury of a honeymoon period and in real time, things have blown up in her government’s face, blown up in spades! To recap the current situation; last Friday morning it was reported that former leadership contender Ted Morton, now Alberta’s Minister of Energy sent a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission indicating the government was reviewing three proposed electric transmission projects in the Edmonton area and that any decisions regarding these three projects would have to be delayed until further notice. Later that same Friday, Premier Redford said in Calgary that there was a “miscommunication” regarding one of the projects and the Alberta Utilities Commission could release its decision on the “Heartland” project based on their time schedule. Without going into the merits or non-merits of the electric power generation and transmission issue; and there is a lot to be said about how the former Stelmach government handled the electricity transmission question; what is seriously bothersome is how “miscommunication” could occur between possibly the two most senior cabinet people in the Alberta government – surely such a controversial question would involve cabinet discussion and at the very least, would have several senior civil servants around to advise on the specific wording of such an important directive. I’m sure Albertans haven’t heard the last of what happened last Friday and I do think Premier Redford deserves a better deal than what she is getting. For the moment I am reminded of a quote from one of William Shakespeare’s plays: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
United States Protectionism –
Protectionist sentiments have again arisen in the United States and I think the situation is more serious for Canada than it was a few years back. US President Barack Obama announced last month that he wants to implement a $447 billion job plan that includes “Buy American” provisions – the clause, as it presently stands, prohibits the use of foreign made iron, steel and other manufactured goods in all of the program’s public works projects. Almost immediately Prime Minister Harper’s office issued a statement saying that the government will “defend Canadian interests” and added that if the Buy American provisions are fully implemented and Canada is not excluded, the Canadian economy could be negatively affected and growth in Canada stalled. The Canadian government was successful in 2009 and obtained a wavier from similar Buy American provision in the United States, but things are quite different today – first the US economy is in much worse shape than it was in 2009; second Barack Obama is seeking re-election in November, 2012 and he doesn’t want to go against the protectionist mood in the US where over 90 percent of the electorate is supporting the Buy American provisions.
Whispering in the Wind
Redford Stumbles, or Was Tripped?
Less than a month ago, when Alison Redford was first elected leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party many, if not most Albertans viewed her election as a refreshing change from the status quo – after all she did run her leadership campaign on a platform of “change” and transparency – in my view, she continues to opine a sincere desire to do things differently. Alison Redford was sworn in as Alberta’s 14th Premier on October 7 and a week later formed her first, smaller cabinet team – a cabinet that reflects; regional representation, youth, experience and both, right and left wing perspectives in Alberta’s “progressive conservative” movement – no question, a well balanced cabinet team. So you would think that Premier Redford would be given some sort of a honeymoon so she could get more comfortable with her cabinet appointments; allow some time for her to get into the swing of things; and a little time to test her skills in the art of governing, delegating and agenda setting – well she wasn’t given the luxury of a honeymoon period and in real time, things have blown up in her government’s face, blown up in spades! To recap the current situation; last Friday morning it was reported that former leadership contender Ted Morton, now Alberta’s Minister of Energy sent a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission indicating the government was reviewing three proposed electric transmission projects in the Edmonton area and that any decisions regarding these three projects would have to be delayed until further notice. Later that same Friday, Premier Redford said in Calgary that there was a “miscommunication” regarding one of the projects and the Alberta Utilities Commission could release its decision on the “Heartland” project based on their time schedule. Without going into the merits or non-merits of the electric power generation and transmission issue; and there is a lot to be said about how the former Stelmach government handled the electricity transmission question; what is seriously bothersome is how “miscommunication” could occur between possibly the two most senior cabinet people in the Alberta government – surely such a controversial question would involve cabinet discussion and at the very least, would have several senior civil servants around to advise on the specific wording of such an important directive. I’m sure Albertans haven’t heard the last of what happened last Friday and I do think Premier Redford deserves a better deal than what she is getting. For the moment I am reminded of a quote from one of William Shakespeare’s plays: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
United States Protectionism –
Protectionist sentiments have again arisen in the United States and I think the situation is more serious for Canada than it was a few years back. US President Barack Obama announced last month that he wants to implement a $447 billion job plan that includes “Buy American” provisions – the clause, as it presently stands, prohibits the use of foreign made iron, steel and other manufactured goods in all of the program’s public works projects. Almost immediately Prime Minister Harper’s office issued a statement saying that the government will “defend Canadian interests” and added that if the Buy American provisions are fully implemented and Canada is not excluded, the Canadian economy could be negatively affected and growth in Canada stalled. The Canadian government was successful in 2009 and obtained a wavier from similar Buy American provision in the United States, but things are quite different today – first the US economy is in much worse shape than it was in 2009; second Barack Obama is seeking re-election in November, 2012 and he doesn’t want to go against the protectionist mood in the US where over 90 percent of the electorate is supporting the Buy American provisions.
The Redford Team
Smoky Signal Article No. 193 (October 19, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
The Redford Team –
Last week Premier Redford announced her cabinet team and an interesting team it is! The two people that I thought deserved seats at the cabinet table made the cut – Jeff Johnson is now Minister of Infrastructure and Doug Griffiths is the new Minister of Municipal Affairs; both are important, well deserved appointments. If there were any surprises in the cabinet appointments, I have got to mention Ted Morton (now the Minister of Energy) and Ron Liepert (now the Minister of Finance); both received very senior cabinet posts and for me, it demonstrates Premier Redford’s intention to see her cabinet become a “big tent” cabinet that reflects a full range of views in the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party movement – others have suggested it proves a Sun-tzu adage: “keep you friends close and your enemies closer.” A further point regarding the cabinet appointments; Premier Redford offered the names of her cabinet members in an “order of precedence” which is a ranking of the appointments, some call it a political pecking order – if you identify Premier Redford as number 1 in the 21 seat cabinet and Deputy Premier, Doug Horner number 2; Ted Morton is number 4; Ron Liepert (7); Ray Danyluk (15); Jeff Johnson (16); Doug Griffiths (17) – some say that the ranking is irrelevant and is nothing more than some sort of honor role – to me it means that people like Jeff Johnson and Doug Griffiths have to be a little bit more cautious when preparing and presenting ideas in the cabinet room – said another way, the rookies in cabinet (like Jeff Johnson and Doug Griffiths) will have to earn their stripes in what is possibly the most exclusive club in Alison Redford’s government.
Congratulations to Jeff Johnson –
I can’t let this week’s column go by without offering congratulations to Athabasca-Redwater MLA, Jeff Johnson and his appointment to Premier Redford’s cabinet as Minister of Infrastructure. So what does it mean being the Minister of Infrastructure? Simply put and taken from a government web-page: “Alberta Infrastructure is responsible for infrastructure planning, and building and managing government-owned infrastructure. [The] ministry works with other ministries to ensure Albertans have schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of a growing economy and population.” If that isn’t enough, Jeff Johnson has some added responsibilities: Jeff Johnson is now responsible for the Oil Sands Secretariat; Jeff Johnson is Vice-Chair of Treasury Board; Jeff Johnson is Political Minister for Northern Alberta on the government’s Operations Committee; and Jeff Johnson is a member of the government’s Finance Committee. As a rookie cabinet minister, Jeff Johnson has an awesome set of responsibilities and he will face many, many significant challenges – you know what, I think Jeff Johnson is up to it. Nevertheless, he is going to need the support and patience from all of us in the Athabasca-Redwater constituency and if we give him the support he needs, Smoky Lake, the Athabasca-Redwater constituency and Alberta will benefit from Jeff Johnson’s work, commitment and dedication – congratulations and good luck to you Jeff!
Alison Redford, You’ve Got Six Months –
Along with announcing a new set of cabinet responsibilities, Premier Redford also announced a new committee structure, a new way of doing the government’s business. Premier Redford said: “This cabinet reflects what change looks like. It’s a team that’s committed to listening to Albertans, and getting to work right away on bringing the change Albertans want and expect.” In my view it is all well and good to have change of faces in the cabinet room and a committee structure that is different from past administrations, but I think Albertans want to see action on at least four priority areas: a more affordable, caring public healthcare system; a more efficient public education system; a meaningful economic development and diversification strategy; and a government that protects its citizens from too much government. To address these monumental issues, it is going to take some time and a lot of patience, something not available to the new Redford government – my sense is that the PC Alberta government has got about a year before the next election and that means that Alison Redford and her new cabinet have about six to eight months to show what “change” is all about.
Whispering in the Wind
The Redford Team –
Last week Premier Redford announced her cabinet team and an interesting team it is! The two people that I thought deserved seats at the cabinet table made the cut – Jeff Johnson is now Minister of Infrastructure and Doug Griffiths is the new Minister of Municipal Affairs; both are important, well deserved appointments. If there were any surprises in the cabinet appointments, I have got to mention Ted Morton (now the Minister of Energy) and Ron Liepert (now the Minister of Finance); both received very senior cabinet posts and for me, it demonstrates Premier Redford’s intention to see her cabinet become a “big tent” cabinet that reflects a full range of views in the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party movement – others have suggested it proves a Sun-tzu adage: “keep you friends close and your enemies closer.” A further point regarding the cabinet appointments; Premier Redford offered the names of her cabinet members in an “order of precedence” which is a ranking of the appointments, some call it a political pecking order – if you identify Premier Redford as number 1 in the 21 seat cabinet and Deputy Premier, Doug Horner number 2; Ted Morton is number 4; Ron Liepert (7); Ray Danyluk (15); Jeff Johnson (16); Doug Griffiths (17) – some say that the ranking is irrelevant and is nothing more than some sort of honor role – to me it means that people like Jeff Johnson and Doug Griffiths have to be a little bit more cautious when preparing and presenting ideas in the cabinet room – said another way, the rookies in cabinet (like Jeff Johnson and Doug Griffiths) will have to earn their stripes in what is possibly the most exclusive club in Alison Redford’s government.
Congratulations to Jeff Johnson –
I can’t let this week’s column go by without offering congratulations to Athabasca-Redwater MLA, Jeff Johnson and his appointment to Premier Redford’s cabinet as Minister of Infrastructure. So what does it mean being the Minister of Infrastructure? Simply put and taken from a government web-page: “Alberta Infrastructure is responsible for infrastructure planning, and building and managing government-owned infrastructure. [The] ministry works with other ministries to ensure Albertans have schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of a growing economy and population.” If that isn’t enough, Jeff Johnson has some added responsibilities: Jeff Johnson is now responsible for the Oil Sands Secretariat; Jeff Johnson is Vice-Chair of Treasury Board; Jeff Johnson is Political Minister for Northern Alberta on the government’s Operations Committee; and Jeff Johnson is a member of the government’s Finance Committee. As a rookie cabinet minister, Jeff Johnson has an awesome set of responsibilities and he will face many, many significant challenges – you know what, I think Jeff Johnson is up to it. Nevertheless, he is going to need the support and patience from all of us in the Athabasca-Redwater constituency and if we give him the support he needs, Smoky Lake, the Athabasca-Redwater constituency and Alberta will benefit from Jeff Johnson’s work, commitment and dedication – congratulations and good luck to you Jeff!
Alison Redford, You’ve Got Six Months –
Along with announcing a new set of cabinet responsibilities, Premier Redford also announced a new committee structure, a new way of doing the government’s business. Premier Redford said: “This cabinet reflects what change looks like. It’s a team that’s committed to listening to Albertans, and getting to work right away on bringing the change Albertans want and expect.” In my view it is all well and good to have change of faces in the cabinet room and a committee structure that is different from past administrations, but I think Albertans want to see action on at least four priority areas: a more affordable, caring public healthcare system; a more efficient public education system; a meaningful economic development and diversification strategy; and a government that protects its citizens from too much government. To address these monumental issues, it is going to take some time and a lot of patience, something not available to the new Redford government – my sense is that the PC Alberta government has got about a year before the next election and that means that Alison Redford and her new cabinet have about six to eight months to show what “change” is all about.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Congratulations To Alison Redford - Alberta's "new" Premier
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 191
(October 5, 2011)
Congratulations To Alison Redford - Alberta's "new" Premier
The province's Progressive Conservative party's leadership race was settled in the wee hours of Sunday, October 2 ... and the winner, Alison Redford. Today, not only is Alison Redford the leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, she is also Premier-Designate and soon to be Premier Redford, Province of Alberta. Congratulations goes out to Alison Redford on her win and from my hopeful, humble perspective, there is a possibility that she might re-invigorate the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party! As Alison Redford ponders a new cabinet structure along with the concurrent disappointments, threats and challenges attached to a competitive race for leadership, let me offer some recommendations to the Premier-Designate, for what its worth: First, the importance of party unity has got to be paramount. Ms. Redford has been branded as being on the "progressive" side of the progressive conservative movement, so if the Progressive Conservative Party is to function as a "big tent" movement, then Premier-Designate Redford will have to garner support from the right and that means a senior cabinet position to someone sitting in the legislature that has a lot of respect and has views that are on the right side of the progressive conservative movement - there are a number of contenders.
Second, the rural voter is still a very important component of the progressive conservative movement in Alberta, in terms of seats as well as philosophy - that means a rural, small business development person who has the party leader's philosophy on "property rights" - one candidate comes to mind is Athabasca - Redwater MLA, Jeff Johnson who has already shown experience in his work on Treasury Board. Two other names come to mind that are worthy of consideration for cabinet responsibility - obviously Doug Horner needs top consideration for a senior cabinet posting and secondly Doug Griffiths who has youth, vigor and commitment that is second to none.
My last suggestion (at this point in time) is to recommend a brand that is different from the "change" theme - the "change" theme was the most appropriate label to win a leadership race, but Alberta now has an Alison Redford Administration and needs an appropriate action label - one thought is: Let's Build Alberta Together! or: Building Alberta Together!
A Final Assessment on the Candidates:
Everybody has an opinion on why Alison Redford won the leadership race; why Gary Mar wasn't able to turn an impressive lead toward victory on the first ballot, only to go down to defeat in the second ballot; and Doug Horner's inability to attract more than just rural voters in northern Alberta. My take on these three candidates and their campaigns:
Alison Redford:
Prior to the first ballot I wrote that Alison Redford was "clear, articulate and knows her stuff...has a chance if her campaign can show herself to be strong enough to fight the big boys in Calgary...." Nothing more needs to be said, she was able to show strength and fortitude and she will go down in history as becoming Alberta's first female premier.
Gary Mar:
Gary Mar made a couple of poor judgment calls while holding senior positions in the Alberta government and these screw-ups did have an impact on Mr. Mar's chances, but his biggest mistake in the campaign was when he suggested that more medical services could/should/might be considered for private sector delivery - the public interpreted his poor judgment mistakes and his musings on healthcare as; "Anybody but Mar" and Gary Mar is advocating "a two-tiered healthcare system" which to the general public is a no-no. Nevertheless Mr. Mar did maintain solid support in many constituencies, which should not be ignored by Premier Redford.
Doug Horner:
Doug Horner wasn't able to penetrate the cities and the rural constituencies in southern Alberta - in general Albertans didn't want to see another rural, Stelmach-type person in the Premier's chair. I think Premier Redford would be ill-advised to ignore Doug Horner's experience and capabilities in Alberta's rural constituencies.
A Final Assessment on the Leadership Race, the Numbers:
Now that all the ballots have been counted and a winner declared it is worth offering a "brief" final assessment of the election results. Gary Mar was the obvious front runner in the first ballot vote and received 41 percent of the votes cast - Alison Redford received 20 percent and Doug Horner got 15 percent. In the second ballot on October 1st Gary Mar got 43 percent of the votes; Alison Redford jumped up to 37 percent and Doug Horner moved up to 20 percent of the vote. Since none of the three candidates received a 50 percent plus 1 vote count; Doug Horner's second place votes kicked in and the final vote count for Gary Mar was 25,491 compared to Alison Redford's 37,104, making Alison Redford the victor with 51 percent of the vote.
The "Election" Process
For a number of Albertans, the "election" of Alberta's 14th Premier, Province of Alberta was a little confusing (particularly for some seniors) but when you think about it, the two stage "preferential ballot" process is more efficient and in some ways a timesaver - what bothered me was the length of the campaign itself, it was far too long - something like 8 months when you consider that Ed Stelmach announced in January his intention to resign as Premier, Province of Alberta - and that's why I labeled the whole "election" thing as too drawn out and a lot of Oh-hum - only in the last month or so did we hear and see a few sparks of interest. To me, some of the blame for low voter turnout rests with the major city newspapers and TV stations, they didn't give the coverage such an important event warranted - from my perspective, none of the leadership debates were covered properly by the media and the internet coverage was dismal, even on election night.
(October 5, 2011)
Congratulations To Alison Redford - Alberta's "new" Premier
The province's Progressive Conservative party's leadership race was settled in the wee hours of Sunday, October 2 ... and the winner, Alison Redford. Today, not only is Alison Redford the leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, she is also Premier-Designate and soon to be Premier Redford, Province of Alberta. Congratulations goes out to Alison Redford on her win and from my hopeful, humble perspective, there is a possibility that she might re-invigorate the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party! As Alison Redford ponders a new cabinet structure along with the concurrent disappointments, threats and challenges attached to a competitive race for leadership, let me offer some recommendations to the Premier-Designate, for what its worth: First, the importance of party unity has got to be paramount. Ms. Redford has been branded as being on the "progressive" side of the progressive conservative movement, so if the Progressive Conservative Party is to function as a "big tent" movement, then Premier-Designate Redford will have to garner support from the right and that means a senior cabinet position to someone sitting in the legislature that has a lot of respect and has views that are on the right side of the progressive conservative movement - there are a number of contenders.
Second, the rural voter is still a very important component of the progressive conservative movement in Alberta, in terms of seats as well as philosophy - that means a rural, small business development person who has the party leader's philosophy on "property rights" - one candidate comes to mind is Athabasca - Redwater MLA, Jeff Johnson who has already shown experience in his work on Treasury Board. Two other names come to mind that are worthy of consideration for cabinet responsibility - obviously Doug Horner needs top consideration for a senior cabinet posting and secondly Doug Griffiths who has youth, vigor and commitment that is second to none.
My last suggestion (at this point in time) is to recommend a brand that is different from the "change" theme - the "change" theme was the most appropriate label to win a leadership race, but Alberta now has an Alison Redford Administration and needs an appropriate action label - one thought is: Let's Build Alberta Together! or: Building Alberta Together!
A Final Assessment on the Candidates:
Everybody has an opinion on why Alison Redford won the leadership race; why Gary Mar wasn't able to turn an impressive lead toward victory on the first ballot, only to go down to defeat in the second ballot; and Doug Horner's inability to attract more than just rural voters in northern Alberta. My take on these three candidates and their campaigns:
Alison Redford:
Prior to the first ballot I wrote that Alison Redford was "clear, articulate and knows her stuff...has a chance if her campaign can show herself to be strong enough to fight the big boys in Calgary...." Nothing more needs to be said, she was able to show strength and fortitude and she will go down in history as becoming Alberta's first female premier.
Gary Mar:
Gary Mar made a couple of poor judgment calls while holding senior positions in the Alberta government and these screw-ups did have an impact on Mr. Mar's chances, but his biggest mistake in the campaign was when he suggested that more medical services could/should/might be considered for private sector delivery - the public interpreted his poor judgment mistakes and his musings on healthcare as; "Anybody but Mar" and Gary Mar is advocating "a two-tiered healthcare system" which to the general public is a no-no. Nevertheless Mr. Mar did maintain solid support in many constituencies, which should not be ignored by Premier Redford.
Doug Horner:
Doug Horner wasn't able to penetrate the cities and the rural constituencies in southern Alberta - in general Albertans didn't want to see another rural, Stelmach-type person in the Premier's chair. I think Premier Redford would be ill-advised to ignore Doug Horner's experience and capabilities in Alberta's rural constituencies.
A Final Assessment on the Leadership Race, the Numbers:
Now that all the ballots have been counted and a winner declared it is worth offering a "brief" final assessment of the election results. Gary Mar was the obvious front runner in the first ballot vote and received 41 percent of the votes cast - Alison Redford received 20 percent and Doug Horner got 15 percent. In the second ballot on October 1st Gary Mar got 43 percent of the votes; Alison Redford jumped up to 37 percent and Doug Horner moved up to 20 percent of the vote. Since none of the three candidates received a 50 percent plus 1 vote count; Doug Horner's second place votes kicked in and the final vote count for Gary Mar was 25,491 compared to Alison Redford's 37,104, making Alison Redford the victor with 51 percent of the vote.
The "Election" Process
For a number of Albertans, the "election" of Alberta's 14th Premier, Province of Alberta was a little confusing (particularly for some seniors) but when you think about it, the two stage "preferential ballot" process is more efficient and in some ways a timesaver - what bothered me was the length of the campaign itself, it was far too long - something like 8 months when you consider that Ed Stelmach announced in January his intention to resign as Premier, Province of Alberta - and that's why I labeled the whole "election" thing as too drawn out and a lot of Oh-hum - only in the last month or so did we hear and see a few sparks of interest. To me, some of the blame for low voter turnout rests with the major city newspapers and TV stations, they didn't give the coverage such an important event warranted - from my perspective, none of the leadership debates were covered properly by the media and the internet coverage was dismal, even on election night.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Alberta PC Election
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 189 (September 21, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
For me, political elections are a time of excitement and anticipation - I always enjoy discussing results and consequences of those results as they unfold, and of course, who or which party might come out on top. At times, I have been known to place a friendly wager on election results and of course it's always fodder for my column - let's hope I don't have to "eat" any of my words for this week's assessment as things are changing by the hour and my publication deadline is fast approaching. Last Saturday's PC leadership contest is no exception to my rule of expressing my personal views as clearly as possible, so here's my take on what happened in the last couple of days and what might unfold in the next week or two:
Of The Six, There Are Now Three -
Of the six original candidates for the Premier, Province of Alberta, three won entry into the second ballot vote set for October 1. Last Saturday, Gary Mar became the clear leader right from the start of the vote count with Doug Horner, Ted Morton and Alison Redford see-sawing throughout the night for the number two and three spots. In the end Gary Mar got 41 percent of the vote (24,195 votes); Alison Redford got close to 20 percent with 11,129 votes and Doug Horner got 15 per cent or 8,635 votes - the remaining 25 percent of the votes went to Doug Griffiths (3 percent), Ted Morton (12 percent) and Rick Orman (10 percent). In my view Gary Mar got respectable support from voters throughout the province, winning over his competitors in 52 of Alberta's 83 constituencies and showing exceptional strength in Edmonton's 18 constituencies - one close observer has estimated that Mar received close to 60 percent of the Edmonton area vote. Alison Redford received a smaller vote count but garnered respectable counts throughout many constituencies in the province with good support coming from southern constituencies. Doug Horner's strength was without question in the northern constituencies - in the Lac La Biche-St. Paul Constituency Mr. Horner got over 80 percent of the vote and in Athabasca-Redwater he got 56 percent - Mr. Horner had poor showings in a number of southern constituencies (particularly in the Calgary area where in some locations his vote count was in the single digits).
Successful Strategies, Unsuccessful Strategies -
In my view, Mr. Mar executed an impressive campaign strategy; a strategy that came close to a first ballot win - some have said that getting targeted groups out to vote for him was a particularly successful tactic in Mar's campaign and that made all the difference in the world for his provincial vote count. Doug Horner's strategic failure was that he wasn't able to energize rural voters in southern Alberta, an energy that he clearly had in the northern part of the province - also he couldn't get any meaningful support in either of the major cities - for me it means that Doug Horner was branded to be too rural - the same type of brand given to Ed Stelmach in his leadership campaign days. Alison Redford's campaign strategy was to get onto the second ballot - I can't figure out how she did it but she was successful and came out as a clear second place finisher, although a distant second place. Alison Redford is smart; clear in her policy stances and voiced a number of worthwhile ideas during the leadership debates - so what does Redford have to do over the next two weeks, if she wants to win Alberta's top political job? In my view, Alison Redford has to implement a strategy that excites a lot of "new" voters in the province and those "new" voters have to get out and vote for her on October 1 - but there is more, she needs to garner strong support from the candidates that lost in the first ballot and convince their voter base to get out a vote for her and she still needs to do more, she needs to somehow negotiate with Doug Horner supporters to put Alison Redford as their second choice preference on the October 1 ballot - not only is the process a little confusing it is a real long shot for Alison Redford. Also, Doug Horner, who placed third in the first ballot vote, will have to use an identical vote getting strategy as recommended for Redford, if he is to have a realistic chance to secure Alberta's top political job. Things have become more difficult for both Alison Redford and Doug Horner; Ted Morton, Rick Orman, and Doug Griffiths publicly endorsed Gary Mar and the Mar bid to become Alberta's next premier - this development has added to Gary Mar's momentum and has made the leadership aspirations of both Alison Redford or Doug Horner virtually impossible to grasp within a two week period. What does all this complexity and confusion mean??? - It means a lot political maneuvering by the leadership candidates and a lot of serious thinking by those who want to maintain party unity - and that means at all costs, avoid the appearance of party division and acrimony within the leadership candidate camps - most important it means; either a quick endorsement of Gary Mar by all the candidates or make the October 1 ballot a two person race - Gary Mar opposite either Alison Redford or Doug Horner, but not both - and it all has to happen soon, in the next few days and well before October 1 - my bet all the candidates (both winners and losers) are going to end up and endorsing Gary Mar as Alberta's Premier-elect.
A Footnote - The Real Threat to PC Alberta!
It is worth mentioning the failure strategy of candidate Ted Morton and his inability to secure a slot on the second ballot - a strategic failure that could very well have ominous implications on the whole PC Alberta Party and the future of the "progressive conservative" movement in Alberta. Mr. Morton was the candidate who clearly indicated that he was the only candidate able to fight off the threats posed by the Wildrose Party and bring wayward progressive conservatives back into PC Alberta's camp - he was quite successful in his advocacy and was branded as such, but ended up unsuccessful in getting those "wayward" right-wing-voters out to vote for him - in my view it meant that a good number of right-wing conservatives are now comfortable with Danielle Smith's Wildrose Party and they simply didn't get out and vote for Ted Morton - if my logic is correct it could explain why the overall turnout on Saturday was about half what it was in the last PC Alberta leadership race and that means serious problems for Alberta's new premier and PC Alberta.
Whispering in the Wind
For me, political elections are a time of excitement and anticipation - I always enjoy discussing results and consequences of those results as they unfold, and of course, who or which party might come out on top. At times, I have been known to place a friendly wager on election results and of course it's always fodder for my column - let's hope I don't have to "eat" any of my words for this week's assessment as things are changing by the hour and my publication deadline is fast approaching. Last Saturday's PC leadership contest is no exception to my rule of expressing my personal views as clearly as possible, so here's my take on what happened in the last couple of days and what might unfold in the next week or two:
Of The Six, There Are Now Three -
Of the six original candidates for the Premier, Province of Alberta, three won entry into the second ballot vote set for October 1. Last Saturday, Gary Mar became the clear leader right from the start of the vote count with Doug Horner, Ted Morton and Alison Redford see-sawing throughout the night for the number two and three spots. In the end Gary Mar got 41 percent of the vote (24,195 votes); Alison Redford got close to 20 percent with 11,129 votes and Doug Horner got 15 per cent or 8,635 votes - the remaining 25 percent of the votes went to Doug Griffiths (3 percent), Ted Morton (12 percent) and Rick Orman (10 percent). In my view Gary Mar got respectable support from voters throughout the province, winning over his competitors in 52 of Alberta's 83 constituencies and showing exceptional strength in Edmonton's 18 constituencies - one close observer has estimated that Mar received close to 60 percent of the Edmonton area vote. Alison Redford received a smaller vote count but garnered respectable counts throughout many constituencies in the province with good support coming from southern constituencies. Doug Horner's strength was without question in the northern constituencies - in the Lac La Biche-St. Paul Constituency Mr. Horner got over 80 percent of the vote and in Athabasca-Redwater he got 56 percent - Mr. Horner had poor showings in a number of southern constituencies (particularly in the Calgary area where in some locations his vote count was in the single digits).
Successful Strategies, Unsuccessful Strategies -
In my view, Mr. Mar executed an impressive campaign strategy; a strategy that came close to a first ballot win - some have said that getting targeted groups out to vote for him was a particularly successful tactic in Mar's campaign and that made all the difference in the world for his provincial vote count. Doug Horner's strategic failure was that he wasn't able to energize rural voters in southern Alberta, an energy that he clearly had in the northern part of the province - also he couldn't get any meaningful support in either of the major cities - for me it means that Doug Horner was branded to be too rural - the same type of brand given to Ed Stelmach in his leadership campaign days. Alison Redford's campaign strategy was to get onto the second ballot - I can't figure out how she did it but she was successful and came out as a clear second place finisher, although a distant second place. Alison Redford is smart; clear in her policy stances and voiced a number of worthwhile ideas during the leadership debates - so what does Redford have to do over the next two weeks, if she wants to win Alberta's top political job? In my view, Alison Redford has to implement a strategy that excites a lot of "new" voters in the province and those "new" voters have to get out and vote for her on October 1 - but there is more, she needs to garner strong support from the candidates that lost in the first ballot and convince their voter base to get out a vote for her and she still needs to do more, she needs to somehow negotiate with Doug Horner supporters to put Alison Redford as their second choice preference on the October 1 ballot - not only is the process a little confusing it is a real long shot for Alison Redford. Also, Doug Horner, who placed third in the first ballot vote, will have to use an identical vote getting strategy as recommended for Redford, if he is to have a realistic chance to secure Alberta's top political job. Things have become more difficult for both Alison Redford and Doug Horner; Ted Morton, Rick Orman, and Doug Griffiths publicly endorsed Gary Mar and the Mar bid to become Alberta's next premier - this development has added to Gary Mar's momentum and has made the leadership aspirations of both Alison Redford or Doug Horner virtually impossible to grasp within a two week period. What does all this complexity and confusion mean??? - It means a lot political maneuvering by the leadership candidates and a lot of serious thinking by those who want to maintain party unity - and that means at all costs, avoid the appearance of party division and acrimony within the leadership candidate camps - most important it means; either a quick endorsement of Gary Mar by all the candidates or make the October 1 ballot a two person race - Gary Mar opposite either Alison Redford or Doug Horner, but not both - and it all has to happen soon, in the next few days and well before October 1 - my bet all the candidates (both winners and losers) are going to end up and endorsing Gary Mar as Alberta's Premier-elect.
A Footnote - The Real Threat to PC Alberta!
It is worth mentioning the failure strategy of candidate Ted Morton and his inability to secure a slot on the second ballot - a strategic failure that could very well have ominous implications on the whole PC Alberta Party and the future of the "progressive conservative" movement in Alberta. Mr. Morton was the candidate who clearly indicated that he was the only candidate able to fight off the threats posed by the Wildrose Party and bring wayward progressive conservatives back into PC Alberta's camp - he was quite successful in his advocacy and was branded as such, but ended up unsuccessful in getting those "wayward" right-wing-voters out to vote for him - in my view it meant that a good number of right-wing conservatives are now comfortable with Danielle Smith's Wildrose Party and they simply didn't get out and vote for Ted Morton - if my logic is correct it could explain why the overall turnout on Saturday was about half what it was in the last PC Alberta leadership race and that means serious problems for Alberta's new premier and PC Alberta.
Alberta - Interesting Times
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 188 (September 14, 2011)
Whispering in the Wind
Politically speaking, Albertans are living in some interesting times:
PC Alberta First Ballot Vote - September 17
PC Alberta members do have an awesome responsibility on Saturday, September 17 - voting for one of six candidates seeking the Alberta PC leadership job (and Premier, Province of Alberta). And if none of the six candidates wins a clear 50 percent of the vote - the PC party members will make a preference choice (first and second choice of the top three candidates) on Saturday, October 1. For those wanting to vote at the Smoky Lake poll on Saturday September 17 (at the Ukrainian National Hall between 9:00am - 7:00pm) please take note of the following requirement: be a Canadian citizen; present a 2011 PC Alberta membership card; two pieces of identification that indicates residence in the Athabasca - Redwater constituency.
From Six to Three?
The election of Alberta's next premier has moved into the first phase of a two phase election process - most political observers have suggested that none of the six candidates will get 50 percent of the vote so a second ballot on October 1 is likely. In my view the Alberta PC leadership campaign has to a large extent been an Oh-Hum campaign with only one or two of the six showing the least amount of interest or passion to be leader - in some cases some of the candidates think it is their political birthright to be Premier - let's hope Albertans will see some sparks fly over the next couple of weeks. Below is a thumbnail sketch of the six candidates and how I think they've faired on the campaign trail:
Doug Griffiths: Too young and inexperienced; watch out, he'll be a force in ten years; interesting to see who he supports for the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Gary Mar: Was front runner; made a bad mistake on suggesting two-tier health care system (I think he was mis-understood); will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Doug Horner: Has a lot of support in rural Alberta, particularly in the north; needs to show himself as premier, with passion; will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Ted Morton: Very capable; looks like he could do the job; smeared by someone on the question of secret e-mail addresses; not known in the north; never visited Smoky Lake.
Rick Orman: Unknown in Alberta, old hat; nice guy but out of the question; won't make it to the second ballot: never visited Smoky Lake.
Alison Redford: Clear, articulate and knows her stuff; will make it to the second ballot; has a chance if her campaign can show herself to be strong enough to fight the big boys in Calgary; will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Alberta Liberal Leader, Raj Sherman -
Former Tory MLA Raj Sherman is now leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. Mr. Sherman garnered something like 54 percent support in a week long electoral process that ended last Saturday - a voting system that some have said was confusing, it included Alberta Liberal Party members as well as non-party member Albertans who simply registered to vote in the leadership race. It is worthy to note that Mr. Sherman, an emergency room doctor and a former Progressive Conservative MLA, was ousted from the PC caucus last November over healthcare disagreements with Premier Ed Stelmach. As expressed in the leadership campaign, Mr. Sherman outlined his political priorities to be: responsible government; stable economy; healthcare; education and support for seniors. A specific priority Mr. Sherman has mentioned - the need for Albertan's to further up-grade Alberta's oil sands products. On Monday the eight Liberal caucus members in the Alberta Legislature welcomed Raj Sherman as their new leader, which suggests to me that Mr. Sherman will be moving the Liberal Party of Alberta to the right of what it was.
Whispering in the Wind
Politically speaking, Albertans are living in some interesting times:
PC Alberta First Ballot Vote - September 17
PC Alberta members do have an awesome responsibility on Saturday, September 17 - voting for one of six candidates seeking the Alberta PC leadership job (and Premier, Province of Alberta). And if none of the six candidates wins a clear 50 percent of the vote - the PC party members will make a preference choice (first and second choice of the top three candidates) on Saturday, October 1. For those wanting to vote at the Smoky Lake poll on Saturday September 17 (at the Ukrainian National Hall between 9:00am - 7:00pm) please take note of the following requirement: be a Canadian citizen; present a 2011 PC Alberta membership card; two pieces of identification that indicates residence in the Athabasca - Redwater constituency.
From Six to Three?
The election of Alberta's next premier has moved into the first phase of a two phase election process - most political observers have suggested that none of the six candidates will get 50 percent of the vote so a second ballot on October 1 is likely. In my view the Alberta PC leadership campaign has to a large extent been an Oh-Hum campaign with only one or two of the six showing the least amount of interest or passion to be leader - in some cases some of the candidates think it is their political birthright to be Premier - let's hope Albertans will see some sparks fly over the next couple of weeks. Below is a thumbnail sketch of the six candidates and how I think they've faired on the campaign trail:
Doug Griffiths: Too young and inexperienced; watch out, he'll be a force in ten years; interesting to see who he supports for the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Gary Mar: Was front runner; made a bad mistake on suggesting two-tier health care system (I think he was mis-understood); will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Doug Horner: Has a lot of support in rural Alberta, particularly in the north; needs to show himself as premier, with passion; will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Ted Morton: Very capable; looks like he could do the job; smeared by someone on the question of secret e-mail addresses; not known in the north; never visited Smoky Lake.
Rick Orman: Unknown in Alberta, old hat; nice guy but out of the question; won't make it to the second ballot: never visited Smoky Lake.
Alison Redford: Clear, articulate and knows her stuff; will make it to the second ballot; has a chance if her campaign can show herself to be strong enough to fight the big boys in Calgary; will be on the second ballot; visited Smoky Lake.
Alberta Liberal Leader, Raj Sherman -
Former Tory MLA Raj Sherman is now leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. Mr. Sherman garnered something like 54 percent support in a week long electoral process that ended last Saturday - a voting system that some have said was confusing, it included Alberta Liberal Party members as well as non-party member Albertans who simply registered to vote in the leadership race. It is worthy to note that Mr. Sherman, an emergency room doctor and a former Progressive Conservative MLA, was ousted from the PC caucus last November over healthcare disagreements with Premier Ed Stelmach. As expressed in the leadership campaign, Mr. Sherman outlined his political priorities to be: responsible government; stable economy; healthcare; education and support for seniors. A specific priority Mr. Sherman has mentioned - the need for Albertan's to further up-grade Alberta's oil sands products. On Monday the eight Liberal caucus members in the Alberta Legislature welcomed Raj Sherman as their new leader, which suggests to me that Mr. Sherman will be moving the Liberal Party of Alberta to the right of what it was.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Alberta Elections
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 187
(September 7, 2011)
Alberta Elections -
In the last few weeks Alberta politics has become more interesting for political commentators and the media where there seems to be more reporting and assessment. For the general public, things seem to have become more confusing; and for me, I have become quite irritated by all the political survey calls coming through on my telephone. A little re-cap: Albertans have just experienced an Alberta Liberal Party leadership contest (voting was on September 3) where you could vote for one of five Liberal leadership candidates, without being an Alberta Liberal Party member. Albertans have also been informed and are now being enumerated for the next federal election which is still years away. At the same time and over the next few weeks, two possible election ballots will be held to elect a new leader of PC Alberta Party and therefore the new Premier, Province of Alberta. For the PC Alberta election contest, it is a two stage ballot process and you will have to be a card carrying member of the PC Alberta Party. The key dates for the PC leadership campaign are: Saturday, September, 17 in which PC Alberta card carrying members can select only one of the six candidates running to be PC Alberta Party leader. If none of the six candidates receives a clear majority of the votes (over 50 percent), a second ballot will be held on Saturday, October 1 when PC Alberta members can vote for their first and second preference, of three remaining candidates - the three candidates that will appear on the second ballot are the three candidates who received the most votes in the September 17 ballot. It is important to remember that to vote at the Smoky Lake Poll station you must be in possession of a 2011 PC Alberta membership card; reside within the Athabasca - Redwater Constituency; and produce two pieces of valid identification. For those that cannot vote on Saturday, September 17 and (if necessary) on October 1, Advance Polls will be open on September 13 (first ballot) and September 27 (second ballot, if necessary). Watch the newspapers for the specific polling station times and locations. Location of the Smoky Lake Poll station for the first ballot has been identified:
First Ballot, Advance Poll - Tuesday, September 13 - Ukrainian National Hall - #107 Willow Creek Street, Smoky Lake (9:00am to 7:00pm);
First Ballot - Saturday, September 17 - Ukrainian National Hall - #107 Willow Creek Street, Smoky Lake (9:00am to 7:00pm);
A Small Irritation:
What has become quite irritating is the number of telephone survey calls that I and my household received in the last month or so - well over a dozen calls from various political groups in Alberta - its gotten to the point that I hang up on the caller (the computer), much like the calls I don't listen to from Florida or Virginia asking me about my credit card rating or how I can receive 100,000 free air miles if I just press 1.
(September 7, 2011)
Alberta Elections -
In the last few weeks Alberta politics has become more interesting for political commentators and the media where there seems to be more reporting and assessment. For the general public, things seem to have become more confusing; and for me, I have become quite irritated by all the political survey calls coming through on my telephone. A little re-cap: Albertans have just experienced an Alberta Liberal Party leadership contest (voting was on September 3) where you could vote for one of five Liberal leadership candidates, without being an Alberta Liberal Party member. Albertans have also been informed and are now being enumerated for the next federal election which is still years away. At the same time and over the next few weeks, two possible election ballots will be held to elect a new leader of PC Alberta Party and therefore the new Premier, Province of Alberta. For the PC Alberta election contest, it is a two stage ballot process and you will have to be a card carrying member of the PC Alberta Party. The key dates for the PC leadership campaign are: Saturday, September, 17 in which PC Alberta card carrying members can select only one of the six candidates running to be PC Alberta Party leader. If none of the six candidates receives a clear majority of the votes (over 50 percent), a second ballot will be held on Saturday, October 1 when PC Alberta members can vote for their first and second preference, of three remaining candidates - the three candidates that will appear on the second ballot are the three candidates who received the most votes in the September 17 ballot. It is important to remember that to vote at the Smoky Lake Poll station you must be in possession of a 2011 PC Alberta membership card; reside within the Athabasca - Redwater Constituency; and produce two pieces of valid identification. For those that cannot vote on Saturday, September 17 and (if necessary) on October 1, Advance Polls will be open on September 13 (first ballot) and September 27 (second ballot, if necessary). Watch the newspapers for the specific polling station times and locations. Location of the Smoky Lake Poll station for the first ballot has been identified:
First Ballot, Advance Poll - Tuesday, September 13 - Ukrainian National Hall - #107 Willow Creek Street, Smoky Lake (9:00am to 7:00pm);
First Ballot - Saturday, September 17 - Ukrainian National Hall - #107 Willow Creek Street, Smoky Lake (9:00am to 7:00pm);
A Small Irritation:
What has become quite irritating is the number of telephone survey calls that I and my household received in the last month or so - well over a dozen calls from various political groups in Alberta - its gotten to the point that I hang up on the caller (the computer), much like the calls I don't listen to from Florida or Virginia asking me about my credit card rating or how I can receive 100,000 free air miles if I just press 1.
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
US and Others Facing Armageddon?
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 186
August 31, 2011
Item: Good News and Patriotic -
Congratulations to the Harper Government - adding the prefix "Royal" to the Canadian armed force's insignia is good news for the country and is a long time in returning. For those who find such a bold action offensive - Stick it in your ear!
Item: US and Others Facing Armageddon?
The August 22nd issue of MACLEAN'S Magazine splashed a headline across its front cover page: THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISES - THIS COULD GET REALLY UGLY. Another sub-headline on the cover page reads: AMERICA IS DOOMED. Within the pages of what is rightly called Canada's "national" magazine are two articles that are worth study and both relate to the world's current economic crisis. The first article by Jason Kirby is entitled "This May Get Ugly" and describes Canada's economic state; how it survived the 2008 global recession unscathed (relative to others) and how Canada was able to come through it all without adding huge amounts to the country's national debt. Canada was able to skirt the 2008 recession largely because of a more regulated mortgage market opposite the unregulated "sub-prime" mortgage market fiasco in the US that has largely collapsed. Mr. Kirby goes on to say that Canada's close trade ties to the United States (worth noting, 75 percent of Canada's export trade is with the US) has made a difference in 2011 - now that the US is being forced into massive spending cuts. Mr. Kirby says: "The US path to austerity now bears a resemblance to the two-stage downturn of the Great Depression" and that means Canada will be drawn into massive change, whether it likes it or not. MACLEANS' second article by Mark Steyn is entitled "Get ready for Armageddon" (sub-titled: "The world's last superpower is on a joyride to oblivion") focuses on the astronomical debt issue in the United States and the unmanageable money problems in Europe. Mr. Steyn observes that President Obama inherited a horrible economic situation and now that he is facing another election, has added horribly to the situation, making things much worse: "Obama's response to his wastrel of a predecessor was to grab the throttle and crank it up." In my view both Mr. Kirby and Mr. Steyn gave more than adequate DESCRIPTIONS of the global precipice that has emerged - the question is can a catastrophe be avoided? What is needed are some ideas on how to avoid Armageddon - we need PERSCRIPTIONS! As I have mentioned on a number of occasions in Whispering in the Wind; Canada's economic / social problems can be addressed through a strategy of NATION BUILDING - rather than letting the mega-globalized corporations operate in a laissez-faire environment, dictating the operations and workings of government. And it is worth remembering a little bit of history - the last outbreak of laissez-fair-ism occurred in the Roaring 1920s and everybody knows what followed, the Great Depression of the 1930s.
August 31, 2011
Item: Good News and Patriotic -
Congratulations to the Harper Government - adding the prefix "Royal" to the Canadian armed force's insignia is good news for the country and is a long time in returning. For those who find such a bold action offensive - Stick it in your ear!
Item: US and Others Facing Armageddon?
The August 22nd issue of MACLEAN'S Magazine splashed a headline across its front cover page: THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISES - THIS COULD GET REALLY UGLY. Another sub-headline on the cover page reads: AMERICA IS DOOMED. Within the pages of what is rightly called Canada's "national" magazine are two articles that are worth study and both relate to the world's current economic crisis. The first article by Jason Kirby is entitled "This May Get Ugly" and describes Canada's economic state; how it survived the 2008 global recession unscathed (relative to others) and how Canada was able to come through it all without adding huge amounts to the country's national debt. Canada was able to skirt the 2008 recession largely because of a more regulated mortgage market opposite the unregulated "sub-prime" mortgage market fiasco in the US that has largely collapsed. Mr. Kirby goes on to say that Canada's close trade ties to the United States (worth noting, 75 percent of Canada's export trade is with the US) has made a difference in 2011 - now that the US is being forced into massive spending cuts. Mr. Kirby says: "The US path to austerity now bears a resemblance to the two-stage downturn of the Great Depression" and that means Canada will be drawn into massive change, whether it likes it or not. MACLEANS' second article by Mark Steyn is entitled "Get ready for Armageddon" (sub-titled: "The world's last superpower is on a joyride to oblivion") focuses on the astronomical debt issue in the United States and the unmanageable money problems in Europe. Mr. Steyn observes that President Obama inherited a horrible economic situation and now that he is facing another election, has added horribly to the situation, making things much worse: "Obama's response to his wastrel of a predecessor was to grab the throttle and crank it up." In my view both Mr. Kirby and Mr. Steyn gave more than adequate DESCRIPTIONS of the global precipice that has emerged - the question is can a catastrophe be avoided? What is needed are some ideas on how to avoid Armageddon - we need PERSCRIPTIONS! As I have mentioned on a number of occasions in Whispering in the Wind; Canada's economic / social problems can be addressed through a strategy of NATION BUILDING - rather than letting the mega-globalized corporations operate in a laissez-faire environment, dictating the operations and workings of government. And it is worth remembering a little bit of history - the last outbreak of laissez-fair-ism occurred in the Roaring 1920s and everybody knows what followed, the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Alberta's PC Leadership Campaign - Getting Interesting
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 185
August 24, 2011
Finally some of Alberta's PC leadership candidates are coming out with some specific ideas that are worth consideration and debate - in my view some of the ideas put forth are good and some are questionable, and not so good. On the plus side: Alison Redford has come out with some good ideas that need to be flushed out: she supports the development of more community healthcare centres; stable, predictable educational funding; and "externship" programs for exporting energy technology. Rick Orman has announced a prison reform initiative that separates prisoner classes without adding more prisons to the system; sounds quite interesting but does need more detail before it can be endorsed. On the questionable side is the big news coming from candidate Gary Mar who last week announced that (if elected Premier) he would allow "private" healthcare clinics in Alberta. These "private" centers would accept patients that have the required cash, to receive treatment in Alberta rather than having to travel to other provinces or into the States. Mr. Mar does qualify his healthcare thoughts by saying that any "private" clinic system would have to operate within the Canada Health Act. For Mr. Mar, having a "private" healthcare system in Alberta is an economic opportunity that should not be lost - for me, what Mr. Mar is suggesting does have some short term benefits, but in the longer term, what Mr. Mar is suggesting will definitely and eventually lead to a very dangerous, two tiered, American-styled healthcare system. A number of other leadership candidates have responded to Mr. Mar's proposal - candidate Alison Redford was "surprised" by what Mr. Mar suggested and feels that Mr. Mar is providing preferential treatment to the wealthy: "Albertans want a public healthcare system. Albertans want everyone to be treated equally.....It's a core value. It's a core belief for me." Doug Horner's response was less emphatic but he still feels the current system has to be fixed: "At this point in time, I am against it because I think we've got lots to do in our publicly funded system." Rick Orman hedged his views and said he wants to make the public system more efficient, but is not ruling out "privatization" if costs spiral out of control. Mr. Orman said: "I do not believe that today we need to expand to private healthcare." I'm not aware of any comments coming from candidates Doug Griffiths, Ted Morton regarding Mr. Mar's "private" healthcare suggestions.
Trying to Keep a "Stiff Upper Lip" in Ottawa
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is optimistic that the federal government's economic / financial strategy will insulate Canada (to the extent possible) from the growing financial chaos being felt in Europe and the United States. Both Mr. Flaherty and Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney are predicting modest, if not flat growth in the United States and Europe so there is no reason to offer further stimulus to the Canadian economy and the deficit reduction plan remains in place. Mr. Flaherty said last week: "We will stay the course. We will balance the budget by 2014-15 .... That's the plan and we intend to stick to the plan." Should things worsen, Mr. Flaherty said: "If we were to see the situation globally deteriorate in a dramatic way, we would obviously do what is needed to protect our jobs and economy and families in Canada. We would act in a pragmatic way, as we have done successfully, previously and recently." In my view, things are going to get a lot, lot worse so everything that Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Carney said is nothing more than "political speak," so be prepared for much more chaos and a lot of deficit spending in Canada (and elsewhere) in the months / years to come. What I hope results from all this chaos is a strategy of NATION BUILDING where, amongst a number of other measures, Canada's basic tax structure be drastically re-vamped to support small Canadian businesses and small business development in Canada - and yes, eliminate unjustified, unwarranted tax breaks to mega-globalized corporations.
Jack Layton Does Have a Legacy!
Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Monday at the age of 61 years. A month or so back I labeled Jack Layton as being a political leader who expressed his party's positions and views with: clarity, commitment and passion. I sincerely hope that these tenets - clarity, commitment, and passion - remain a part of the new NDP political leadership and yes, a part of all political leadership in Ottawa - Canadians want it and Canadians need it.
August 24, 2011
Finally some of Alberta's PC leadership candidates are coming out with some specific ideas that are worth consideration and debate - in my view some of the ideas put forth are good and some are questionable, and not so good. On the plus side: Alison Redford has come out with some good ideas that need to be flushed out: she supports the development of more community healthcare centres; stable, predictable educational funding; and "externship" programs for exporting energy technology. Rick Orman has announced a prison reform initiative that separates prisoner classes without adding more prisons to the system; sounds quite interesting but does need more detail before it can be endorsed. On the questionable side is the big news coming from candidate Gary Mar who last week announced that (if elected Premier) he would allow "private" healthcare clinics in Alberta. These "private" centers would accept patients that have the required cash, to receive treatment in Alberta rather than having to travel to other provinces or into the States. Mr. Mar does qualify his healthcare thoughts by saying that any "private" clinic system would have to operate within the Canada Health Act. For Mr. Mar, having a "private" healthcare system in Alberta is an economic opportunity that should not be lost - for me, what Mr. Mar is suggesting does have some short term benefits, but in the longer term, what Mr. Mar is suggesting will definitely and eventually lead to a very dangerous, two tiered, American-styled healthcare system. A number of other leadership candidates have responded to Mr. Mar's proposal - candidate Alison Redford was "surprised" by what Mr. Mar suggested and feels that Mr. Mar is providing preferential treatment to the wealthy: "Albertans want a public healthcare system. Albertans want everyone to be treated equally.....It's a core value. It's a core belief for me." Doug Horner's response was less emphatic but he still feels the current system has to be fixed: "At this point in time, I am against it because I think we've got lots to do in our publicly funded system." Rick Orman hedged his views and said he wants to make the public system more efficient, but is not ruling out "privatization" if costs spiral out of control. Mr. Orman said: "I do not believe that today we need to expand to private healthcare." I'm not aware of any comments coming from candidates Doug Griffiths, Ted Morton regarding Mr. Mar's "private" healthcare suggestions.
Trying to Keep a "Stiff Upper Lip" in Ottawa
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is optimistic that the federal government's economic / financial strategy will insulate Canada (to the extent possible) from the growing financial chaos being felt in Europe and the United States. Both Mr. Flaherty and Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney are predicting modest, if not flat growth in the United States and Europe so there is no reason to offer further stimulus to the Canadian economy and the deficit reduction plan remains in place. Mr. Flaherty said last week: "We will stay the course. We will balance the budget by 2014-15 .... That's the plan and we intend to stick to the plan." Should things worsen, Mr. Flaherty said: "If we were to see the situation globally deteriorate in a dramatic way, we would obviously do what is needed to protect our jobs and economy and families in Canada. We would act in a pragmatic way, as we have done successfully, previously and recently." In my view, things are going to get a lot, lot worse so everything that Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Carney said is nothing more than "political speak," so be prepared for much more chaos and a lot of deficit spending in Canada (and elsewhere) in the months / years to come. What I hope results from all this chaos is a strategy of NATION BUILDING where, amongst a number of other measures, Canada's basic tax structure be drastically re-vamped to support small Canadian businesses and small business development in Canada - and yes, eliminate unjustified, unwarranted tax breaks to mega-globalized corporations.
Jack Layton Does Have a Legacy!
Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Monday at the age of 61 years. A month or so back I labeled Jack Layton as being a political leader who expressed his party's positions and views with: clarity, commitment and passion. I sincerely hope that these tenets - clarity, commitment, and passion - remain a part of the new NDP political leadership and yes, a part of all political leadership in Ottawa - Canadians want it and Canadians need it.
Monday, 15 August 2011
PC Alberta Leadership Race
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 184
(August 17, 2011)
PC Alberta has to be congratulated on their publication of statements from the six PC leadership hopefuls - Gary Mar, Doug Griffiths, Rick Orman, Alison Redford, Doug Horner and Ted Morton. The first part of each candidate's statement offers what appears to be an independent view on each candidate's experience and qualifications for the job of leader of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party and Premier of the Province of Alberta. In the second section of the statement, each candidate offers a personal perspective on why he/she is best qualified and why they should be Premier. The third section of the statement offers the candidate's policies and priorities in the form of a Policy Statement. Following are my assessments of the six candidate statements:
GARY MAR - Gary Mar has well over 15 years government experience, including a number of important cabinet positions and a number of years as Alberta's representative in Washington. Mr. Mar indicates that parental roots have a lot to do with his values and his approach to government should he be elected to the PC leadership post. Mr. Mar's Policy Statement (offers 9 pronouncements) which is all well and good but what I want from Mr. Mar are clear ideas on what his legislative priorities are going to be and what he wants to achieve prior to the next provincial election. According to some polls, Mr. Mar is among the most popular of the six candidates, so if elected he will be running the show from the sidelines for a number of months and there is a by-election. My prediction is that Mr. Mar will be one of three in the run-off election on October 1st.
DOUG GRIFFITHS - Doug Griffiths is a young, ambitious candidate with limited experience in any executive position in government or elsewhere. In my view Mr. Griffiths' Policy Statement lacks clear, specific ideas on how to deal with Alberta's economic and social challenges. I feel Mr. Griffiths will be dropped from the final ballot election on October 1st - but wait, in 10 years Mr. Griffiths will be a formidable political voice in Alberta.
RICK ORMAN - Rick Orman is another candidate who is not a sitting member of the Alberta Legislature, so if elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, Mr. Orman will be pulling the strings from the sidelines, at least for the first while. When Mr. Orman was in government he held a number of cabinet posts including the powerful Minister of Energy position. Mr. Orman lost his bid to be Premier in 1992 and currently maintains strong, influential ties in the energy sector, particularly in southern Alberta. Mr. Orman's Policy Statement is generally, very general but he does cover all the bases. If there is one short-coming for Mr. Orman he is not exposing himself to rural Alberta, particularly northern Alberta - he has not visited Smoky Lake!
ALISON REDFORD - Alison Redford entered Alberta politics in 2008 and was named Justice Minister and Attorney General - in 2010 Alison Redford was appointed Political Minister for Calgary - Alison Redford's experience also includes important national and international assignments including, policy advisor to the Mulroney government. Alison Redford's Policy Statement focuses on three areas: Health Care where she wants to establish community health care clinics; Education where stable funding will be offered to avoid local school disruptions; and Energy where innovative "externships" will be offered to export and develop energy technology internationally. In my view, Alison Redford will be one of the three final candidates on October 1st, for leader of the PC party - and yes, she has visited Smoky Lake!
DOUG HORNER - Doug Horner is another candidate that has visited Smoky Lake and has garnered a lot of support in rural Alberta. Mr. Horner was first elected 10 years ago and has held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Horner's Policy Statement offers 5 themes; specific policy statements are forthcoming. Mr. Horner's themes are quite interesting but I want to see concrete ideas that Mr. Horner will implement if he is chosen as leader. Mr. Horner's chances are good to be on the final ballot but most of his support will come from northern Alberta - so who knows if he will get support in the urban centers?
TED MORTON - Ted Morton has a particularly interesting background in politics - first elected 2004, Mr. Morton held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Sustainable Resource Development and Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Mr. Morton also was closely associated with the former Alliance Party and appears to be a stanch right-wing fiscal conservative. In my view Mr. Morton's Platform Statement is based on two themes - fiscal conservatism and bringing together of the two conservative parties (the PCs and the right-wing Wildrose Party) into one cohesive group. I don't think I'm exaggerating Mr. Morton's philosophical perspectives so only time will tell if two very distinct right of center philosophies can be merged - remember what happened in Canada's political movements; the Reform, the Alliance and now the Conservative Party of Canada which wiped out much of the "progressive conservative" movement. Mr. Morton has not visited Smoky Lake.
(August 17, 2011)
PC Alberta has to be congratulated on their publication of statements from the six PC leadership hopefuls - Gary Mar, Doug Griffiths, Rick Orman, Alison Redford, Doug Horner and Ted Morton. The first part of each candidate's statement offers what appears to be an independent view on each candidate's experience and qualifications for the job of leader of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party and Premier of the Province of Alberta. In the second section of the statement, each candidate offers a personal perspective on why he/she is best qualified and why they should be Premier. The third section of the statement offers the candidate's policies and priorities in the form of a Policy Statement. Following are my assessments of the six candidate statements:
GARY MAR - Gary Mar has well over 15 years government experience, including a number of important cabinet positions and a number of years as Alberta's representative in Washington. Mr. Mar indicates that parental roots have a lot to do with his values and his approach to government should he be elected to the PC leadership post. Mr. Mar's Policy Statement (offers 9 pronouncements) which is all well and good but what I want from Mr. Mar are clear ideas on what his legislative priorities are going to be and what he wants to achieve prior to the next provincial election. According to some polls, Mr. Mar is among the most popular of the six candidates, so if elected he will be running the show from the sidelines for a number of months and there is a by-election. My prediction is that Mr. Mar will be one of three in the run-off election on October 1st.
DOUG GRIFFITHS - Doug Griffiths is a young, ambitious candidate with limited experience in any executive position in government or elsewhere. In my view Mr. Griffiths' Policy Statement lacks clear, specific ideas on how to deal with Alberta's economic and social challenges. I feel Mr. Griffiths will be dropped from the final ballot election on October 1st - but wait, in 10 years Mr. Griffiths will be a formidable political voice in Alberta.
RICK ORMAN - Rick Orman is another candidate who is not a sitting member of the Alberta Legislature, so if elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, Mr. Orman will be pulling the strings from the sidelines, at least for the first while. When Mr. Orman was in government he held a number of cabinet posts including the powerful Minister of Energy position. Mr. Orman lost his bid to be Premier in 1992 and currently maintains strong, influential ties in the energy sector, particularly in southern Alberta. Mr. Orman's Policy Statement is generally, very general but he does cover all the bases. If there is one short-coming for Mr. Orman he is not exposing himself to rural Alberta, particularly northern Alberta - he has not visited Smoky Lake!
ALISON REDFORD - Alison Redford entered Alberta politics in 2008 and was named Justice Minister and Attorney General - in 2010 Alison Redford was appointed Political Minister for Calgary - Alison Redford's experience also includes important national and international assignments including, policy advisor to the Mulroney government. Alison Redford's Policy Statement focuses on three areas: Health Care where she wants to establish community health care clinics; Education where stable funding will be offered to avoid local school disruptions; and Energy where innovative "externships" will be offered to export and develop energy technology internationally. In my view, Alison Redford will be one of the three final candidates on October 1st, for leader of the PC party - and yes, she has visited Smoky Lake!
DOUG HORNER - Doug Horner is another candidate that has visited Smoky Lake and has garnered a lot of support in rural Alberta. Mr. Horner was first elected 10 years ago and has held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Horner's Policy Statement offers 5 themes; specific policy statements are forthcoming. Mr. Horner's themes are quite interesting but I want to see concrete ideas that Mr. Horner will implement if he is chosen as leader. Mr. Horner's chances are good to be on the final ballot but most of his support will come from northern Alberta - so who knows if he will get support in the urban centers?
TED MORTON - Ted Morton has a particularly interesting background in politics - first elected 2004, Mr. Morton held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Sustainable Resource Development and Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Mr. Morton also was closely associated with the former Alliance Party and appears to be a stanch right-wing fiscal conservative. In my view Mr. Morton's Platform Statement is based on two themes - fiscal conservatism and bringing together of the two conservative parties (the PCs and the right-wing Wildrose Party) into one cohesive group. I don't think I'm exaggerating Mr. Morton's philosophical perspectives so only time will tell if two very distinct right of center philosophies can be merged - remember what happened in Canada's political movements; the Reform, the Alliance and now the Conservative Party of Canada which wiped out much of the "progressive conservative" movement. Mr. Morton has not visited Smoky Lake.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
The United States, The World - In Deep Trouble, Things are Getting Worse -
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 183
(August 10, 2011)
The European / United States debt / financial crisis is mounting world wide with the resulting negative impacts yet to be felt - in my view; the financial crisis will not soon pass, so get prepared. What is particularly depressing is the financial crisis cannot / will not be resolved with a simple market correction in the stock market - remember, what has evolved: the world is now a laissez faire, globalized system of economic management with most national government leaders unwilling or unable to influence an out of control speculative system. In the meantime, national leaders are trying to contain panic selling in the stock market with positive political speak and hoping that the sell-off is only a market correction. For Canada, Prime Minister Harper is in Brazil trying to diversify our trade relations with countries not plagued by international debt and diversify Canada's interests - I have read that he views the United States' debt problem is quite different from Canada's and Canada's debt is manageable and is being appropriately managed. In the US, President Barack Obama addressed Americans and the world on Monday last and quite rightly took a major swipe at his political adversaries - the Republican Party - indicating that Republicans and their Tea Party supporters were not willing to realistically address the nation's debt crisis and this unwillingness to compromise for the betterment of the nation, caused the downgrade of the Standard & Poor's credit rating from AAA to AA+. The debt situation in the Euro-zone is equally dramatic, troubling and intense as that being experienced in the United States - so the question becomes: what must be done to create confidence and consumer demand in Europe and North America? In my view, globalization has failed the nation state and that means - jobs, another stimulus program for small businesses and a rethinking of globalization - and that means NATION BUILDING and the harnessing of dominant, multi-national corporations (including national banks) through appropriate regulation and taxation. As a footnote: a number of "experts" have commented on TV and elsewhere that the financial crisis in the world is a result of political incompetence rather than any fundamental economic issues or problems - I agree that we do have some incompetent political leaders but let's help them build a better community, a better nation and look at where the real problem is; the corporate dominance of political policy making.
Happy 4th Birthday, To Me?
I have been writing "Whispering in the Wind" for four years now and quite frankly, I've enjoyed every minute of the exercise. As to feedback, I wish there was more reaction to my views, particularly when I'm wrong in my point of view. Over the past four years I've received both accolades and criticisms over what I've written - sometimes relating to the same article. Seldom does a week goes by when I am not given a dig about something that I've written - and for those that e-mail me with articles or a comment, put magazines under the windshield wipers of my truck, thank-you and keep your comments coming.
(August 10, 2011)
The European / United States debt / financial crisis is mounting world wide with the resulting negative impacts yet to be felt - in my view; the financial crisis will not soon pass, so get prepared. What is particularly depressing is the financial crisis cannot / will not be resolved with a simple market correction in the stock market - remember, what has evolved: the world is now a laissez faire, globalized system of economic management with most national government leaders unwilling or unable to influence an out of control speculative system. In the meantime, national leaders are trying to contain panic selling in the stock market with positive political speak and hoping that the sell-off is only a market correction. For Canada, Prime Minister Harper is in Brazil trying to diversify our trade relations with countries not plagued by international debt and diversify Canada's interests - I have read that he views the United States' debt problem is quite different from Canada's and Canada's debt is manageable and is being appropriately managed. In the US, President Barack Obama addressed Americans and the world on Monday last and quite rightly took a major swipe at his political adversaries - the Republican Party - indicating that Republicans and their Tea Party supporters were not willing to realistically address the nation's debt crisis and this unwillingness to compromise for the betterment of the nation, caused the downgrade of the Standard & Poor's credit rating from AAA to AA+. The debt situation in the Euro-zone is equally dramatic, troubling and intense as that being experienced in the United States - so the question becomes: what must be done to create confidence and consumer demand in Europe and North America? In my view, globalization has failed the nation state and that means - jobs, another stimulus program for small businesses and a rethinking of globalization - and that means NATION BUILDING and the harnessing of dominant, multi-national corporations (including national banks) through appropriate regulation and taxation. As a footnote: a number of "experts" have commented on TV and elsewhere that the financial crisis in the world is a result of political incompetence rather than any fundamental economic issues or problems - I agree that we do have some incompetent political leaders but let's help them build a better community, a better nation and look at where the real problem is; the corporate dominance of political policy making.
Happy 4th Birthday, To Me?
I have been writing "Whispering in the Wind" for four years now and quite frankly, I've enjoyed every minute of the exercise. As to feedback, I wish there was more reaction to my views, particularly when I'm wrong in my point of view. Over the past four years I've received both accolades and criticisms over what I've written - sometimes relating to the same article. Seldom does a week goes by when I am not given a dig about something that I've written - and for those that e-mail me with articles or a comment, put magazines under the windshield wipers of my truck, thank-you and keep your comments coming.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Back to the Fundamentals
Smoky Lake Signal Article 182
(August 3, 2011)
In my view, the debt crises in the United States has in political terms, been manufactured and could have been avoided - President Obama could have exercised his presidential powers and skirted what has now become both a political and economic crisis - the debt issue is much like a balloon that is dangerously expanding in size and nobody wants to or knows how to release the pressure - what is particularly disturbing, the bill that has gone through Congress will not see any increases in government revenues through taxation and will see dramatic reductions in government expenditures, both drastically negative policies when it comes to avoiding or fighting a 9.2 percent unemployment rate or any major recession that is likely to come. The bill is even more disturbing in that it will not increase the number of jobs, an extremely important indicator to generate national confidence. What the US political system has to do is start thinking in the NATIONAL interest rather than the CORPORATE interest. Remember the United States is (at present) one of the largest markets in the world and when you add Europe and Canada to the mix, the collection of nations is a formidable market and a formidable political force that must be respected as nation-states rather than just regional markets by countries like China and India.
(August 3, 2011)
In my view, the debt crises in the United States has in political terms, been manufactured and could have been avoided - President Obama could have exercised his presidential powers and skirted what has now become both a political and economic crisis - the debt issue is much like a balloon that is dangerously expanding in size and nobody wants to or knows how to release the pressure - what is particularly disturbing, the bill that has gone through Congress will not see any increases in government revenues through taxation and will see dramatic reductions in government expenditures, both drastically negative policies when it comes to avoiding or fighting a 9.2 percent unemployment rate or any major recession that is likely to come. The bill is even more disturbing in that it will not increase the number of jobs, an extremely important indicator to generate national confidence. What the US political system has to do is start thinking in the NATIONAL interest rather than the CORPORATE interest. Remember the United States is (at present) one of the largest markets in the world and when you add Europe and Canada to the mix, the collection of nations is a formidable market and a formidable political force that must be respected as nation-states rather than just regional markets by countries like China and India.
Politics vs. Sanity
Smoky Lake Signal Article 182
(August 3, 2011)
On Monday the United States House of Representatives voted 269 to 161 in favor of a bill that would avoid a US debt default and thereby, allow the US Treasury to borrow money beyond the federally set ceiling. The bill is conditional; no federal tax increases to counter the growing debt problem and the slashing of 2.5 trillion dollars in federal spending over ten years - I expect the United States Senate will vote in favor of this measure with a lot of bravado (please note, my copy deadline is prior to the actual vote). So who won this exercise of political brinkmanship? I don't think there is any doubt as to who undertook the winning strategy; the Republican Party is the clear winner (and that includes the influential, inflexible and dangerous Tea Party group of thinkers). As a result, the weakened Democratic President and the rest of the Democratic Party rank and file are wondering about their future role in a right leaning political mindset and trying to determine what measures they can offer to the American people to counter the growing demise of the United States as the world's most influential economic power. For Mr. Obama, he and his Democratic Party are going to have to do some amazing things prior to the 2012 congressional / presidential elections.
(August 3, 2011)
On Monday the United States House of Representatives voted 269 to 161 in favor of a bill that would avoid a US debt default and thereby, allow the US Treasury to borrow money beyond the federally set ceiling. The bill is conditional; no federal tax increases to counter the growing debt problem and the slashing of 2.5 trillion dollars in federal spending over ten years - I expect the United States Senate will vote in favor of this measure with a lot of bravado (please note, my copy deadline is prior to the actual vote). So who won this exercise of political brinkmanship? I don't think there is any doubt as to who undertook the winning strategy; the Republican Party is the clear winner (and that includes the influential, inflexible and dangerous Tea Party group of thinkers). As a result, the weakened Democratic President and the rest of the Democratic Party rank and file are wondering about their future role in a right leaning political mindset and trying to determine what measures they can offer to the American people to counter the growing demise of the United States as the world's most influential economic power. For Mr. Obama, he and his Democratic Party are going to have to do some amazing things prior to the 2012 congressional / presidential elections.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Jack Layton Steps Aside
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 181
(July 27, 2011)
On Monday Canadians were shocked by Jack Layton's announcement that he was "temporarily" stepping aside as leader of the New Democratic Party, now that he is "fighting" a second cancer in his system. I watched his press conference comments and it did strike me that he was gaunt and a little unsteady. Nevertheless, I did closely watch Mr. Layton, during the last federal election campaign and found him a dominant, vigorous figure and he well deserved his new status, Leader of the Official Opposition. Although I disagree with many of his political positions I feel that Mr. Layton represents his party with clarity, commitment and passion - something other party leaders (and other politicians) should consider. Let's all hope and pray that Mr. Layton comes back in September with another victory.
(July 27, 2011)
On Monday Canadians were shocked by Jack Layton's announcement that he was "temporarily" stepping aside as leader of the New Democratic Party, now that he is "fighting" a second cancer in his system. I watched his press conference comments and it did strike me that he was gaunt and a little unsteady. Nevertheless, I did closely watch Mr. Layton, during the last federal election campaign and found him a dominant, vigorous figure and he well deserved his new status, Leader of the Official Opposition. Although I disagree with many of his political positions I feel that Mr. Layton represents his party with clarity, commitment and passion - something other party leaders (and other politicians) should consider. Let's all hope and pray that Mr. Layton comes back in September with another victory.
Alberta's PC Leadership
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 181
(July 27, 2011)
The PC leadership race in Alberta is now a couple of weeks old and many would say that not one of the six candidates is clearly a front runner. At the Vermilion forum last week a few jabs were thrown but none of the candidates came out with what I feel is leadership charisma. To me the issues are clear: leadership; healthcare; economic development; property rights; unification of the progressive right; and fiscal responsibility. For this article I want to pick up on one of the issues that will influence my vote, and that is leadership. I've already said what I want to see in a Progressive Conservative leader is leadership charisma; a presence that clearly establishes who is in control, who is the leader. Second perspective about leadership and I've already mentioned it (see Jack Layton comment) I want to see CLARITY in a position; COMMITMENT to a purpose and communicated with PASSION and interest.
The World - Gone to Hell in a Hand Basket -
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 181
(July 27, 2011)
I've come to a very uncomfortable, disturbing conclusion: the world has settled into a globalized, laissez-faire system of economic control and management with "national" political systems unable to counter what are likely to be devastating social/economic consequences - yes, the world has gone to hell in a hand basket. In Europe, the debt crisis in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy is being addressed with little chance of success - social unrest is already evident in places like Greece. In the United States the debt crisis has also reached crisis proportions (on August 2 the US government will apparently run out of money and therefore could default on its obligations) with the Democrats and Republicans polarized on how to deal with the situation - what is so shocking is that a United States Congress compromise is possible, would benefit the nation and maintain its AAA credit standing in the world's financial system , but what has happened is that the whole debate has become irrelevant and partisan politics and winning next year's congressional elections is all that matters - so the game of "chicken" continues as August 2 nears and by the way, the damage has already been done. In Canada, the country is being told that the fiscal situation is strong and the Canadian financial sector is appropriately regulated and stable - that's all well and good but I'm suspicious of that observation, and that somehow Canadians will be isolated from all the serious problems plaguing the United States and Europe.
(July 27, 2011)
I've come to a very uncomfortable, disturbing conclusion: the world has settled into a globalized, laissez-faire system of economic control and management with "national" political systems unable to counter what are likely to be devastating social/economic consequences - yes, the world has gone to hell in a hand basket. In Europe, the debt crisis in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy is being addressed with little chance of success - social unrest is already evident in places like Greece. In the United States the debt crisis has also reached crisis proportions (on August 2 the US government will apparently run out of money and therefore could default on its obligations) with the Democrats and Republicans polarized on how to deal with the situation - what is so shocking is that a United States Congress compromise is possible, would benefit the nation and maintain its AAA credit standing in the world's financial system , but what has happened is that the whole debate has become irrelevant and partisan politics and winning next year's congressional elections is all that matters - so the game of "chicken" continues as August 2 nears and by the way, the damage has already been done. In Canada, the country is being told that the fiscal situation is strong and the Canadian financial sector is appropriately regulated and stable - that's all well and good but I'm suspicious of that observation, and that somehow Canadians will be isolated from all the serious problems plaguing the United States and Europe.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Which Candidate Has What It Takes?
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 180
(July 20, 2011)
Things have become really vague when it comes down to distinguishing the six candidates; nobody is emerging with a premier-like personality and nobody is showing any passion to lead the province - I've read that the candidates are like a "six pack." For me the six of them are currently like a six pack of beer and only sincere passion will be the factor that can garner support, credibility and success. Of the locals that I have talked with, they're all over the map when it comes to who they are supporting - one is favoring Alison Redford; another more passive conservative favors Doug Griffiths; a more seasoned political type is supporting Rick Orman; and a couple very active PCers are supporting Doug Horner - Jeff Johnson, our local MLA, is supporting Doug Horner. To date four of the six candidates have visited the Smoky Lake area (Griffiths, Horner, Mar and Redford) and I was a little disappointed in their visit, their stay in Smoky Lake was short and their responses to clear, direct questions were general and vague - nevertheless they did come to Smoky Lake and it is still early in the campaign, we might see them again to shore up local support. What is particularly disappointing is the non-appearance of either Rick Orman or Ted Morton in the Smoky Lake area - again it might be too early in the campaign to draw strong, negative conclusions regarding their visions for Alberta. In the past I have written that both Ted Morton and Rick Orman are the front runners in this leadership campaign and I still believe that to be the case - the question for me and other locals regarding the two front runners; are they at all interested in gaining support from small town, rural Alberta?
(July 20, 2011)
Things have become really vague when it comes down to distinguishing the six candidates; nobody is emerging with a premier-like personality and nobody is showing any passion to lead the province - I've read that the candidates are like a "six pack." For me the six of them are currently like a six pack of beer and only sincere passion will be the factor that can garner support, credibility and success. Of the locals that I have talked with, they're all over the map when it comes to who they are supporting - one is favoring Alison Redford; another more passive conservative favors Doug Griffiths; a more seasoned political type is supporting Rick Orman; and a couple very active PCers are supporting Doug Horner - Jeff Johnson, our local MLA, is supporting Doug Horner. To date four of the six candidates have visited the Smoky Lake area (Griffiths, Horner, Mar and Redford) and I was a little disappointed in their visit, their stay in Smoky Lake was short and their responses to clear, direct questions were general and vague - nevertheless they did come to Smoky Lake and it is still early in the campaign, we might see them again to shore up local support. What is particularly disappointing is the non-appearance of either Rick Orman or Ted Morton in the Smoky Lake area - again it might be too early in the campaign to draw strong, negative conclusions regarding their visions for Alberta. In the past I have written that both Ted Morton and Rick Orman are the front runners in this leadership campaign and I still believe that to be the case - the question for me and other locals regarding the two front runners; are they at all interested in gaining support from small town, rural Alberta?
The Candidates -
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 180
(July 20, 2011)
As of last Friday the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party has become a little clearer - or has it? What is clear - the cutoff for nominating candidates has passed and any speculation as to who might run as a candidate has vanished. So it is crystal clear, there will be six candidates on the September 17, 2011 ballot (and if none of the six candidates gets a clear majority vote on the first ballot a second ballot will be held on October 1st ). In alphabetical order, the six candidates are: Doug Griffiths, Doug Horner, Gary Mar, Ted Morton, Rick Orman and Alison Redford. Another important date to keep in mind, the first all candidates forum will be on Thursday, September 21 in Vermilion - no word on how to plug into the forum and haven't found out if it will be on TV - probably have to wait for the big city newspapers to find out who did what to whom.
(July 20, 2011)
As of last Friday the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party has become a little clearer - or has it? What is clear - the cutoff for nominating candidates has passed and any speculation as to who might run as a candidate has vanished. So it is crystal clear, there will be six candidates on the September 17, 2011 ballot (and if none of the six candidates gets a clear majority vote on the first ballot a second ballot will be held on October 1st ). In alphabetical order, the six candidates are: Doug Griffiths, Doug Horner, Gary Mar, Ted Morton, Rick Orman and Alison Redford. Another important date to keep in mind, the first all candidates forum will be on Thursday, September 21 in Vermilion - no word on how to plug into the forum and haven't found out if it will be on TV - probably have to wait for the big city newspapers to find out who did what to whom.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Wildrose Alliance "gaining" on Progressive Conservatives?
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 179
(June 29, 2011)
Alberta politics is starting to get interesting: the Wildrose Alliance Party held their convention last weekend with leader Danielle Smith getting strong support from the Wildrose faithful; the PC party released more information on where and when the leadership forums will be held; there is more speculation on who might enter the PC leadership race; and of course, the leadership candidates are traveling around Alberta in an effort to distinguish themselves from the others.
The Wildrose Alliance Party assembled about 500 party faithful last weekend and among the first order of business, a name change to simply the Wildrose Party. Other issues that passed the assembly included: the Wildrose Party would establish not for profit healthcare facilities; scrap the Alberta Human Rights Commission (keep the legislation and let the courts deal with complaints); address the contentious "property rights" issue by repealing current legislation; and establish a firearms authority. In my view, one of the more interesting political announcements made was a recent poll undertaken on behalf of the Party. The poll suggested that the Wildrose Party was, in their words, "gaining" on the PC party standings and that Wildrose Party leader, Danielle Smith has a much higher "net approval" rating compared to the six PC party leadership candidates. According to the poll undertaken in late May by Abingdon Research the Wildrose Party has about 26 percent support from those surveyed; the Progressive Conservatives have 30 percent support; the Liberals and NDP each have 13 percent support; the new Alberta Party has about 5 percent with about 10 percent undecided. The poll goes further and indicates that Danielle Smith has a "net approval" rating of + 14; Mar's rating, +8; Redford, +4; Horner, 0; Griffiths, -3; Orman, -3; Morton, -18. There is some question as to the veracity of this "on-line" poll and the strong connection Abingdon Research has with the Wildrose Party - after all, which polling group doesn't maintain political connections? In my view, if the Abingdon Research poll has got any amount of substance then the PC Party and its leadership have got some major problems that will have to be addressed prior to the next provincial election.
PC Leadership Forums, Dates to Remember -
Key dates and locations for the Eight Leadership Forums have been announced:
Thursday July 21, 2011 Vermilion
Thursday July 28, 2011 Grande Prairie
Thursday August 11, 2011 Fort McMurray
Thursday August 18, 2011 Medicine Hat
Thursday August 25, 2011 Lethbridge
Thursday September 1, 2011 Red Deer
Wednesday September 7, 2011 Calgary
Thursday September 15, 2011 Edmonton
(June 29, 2011)
Alberta politics is starting to get interesting: the Wildrose Alliance Party held their convention last weekend with leader Danielle Smith getting strong support from the Wildrose faithful; the PC party released more information on where and when the leadership forums will be held; there is more speculation on who might enter the PC leadership race; and of course, the leadership candidates are traveling around Alberta in an effort to distinguish themselves from the others.
The Wildrose Alliance Party assembled about 500 party faithful last weekend and among the first order of business, a name change to simply the Wildrose Party. Other issues that passed the assembly included: the Wildrose Party would establish not for profit healthcare facilities; scrap the Alberta Human Rights Commission (keep the legislation and let the courts deal with complaints); address the contentious "property rights" issue by repealing current legislation; and establish a firearms authority. In my view, one of the more interesting political announcements made was a recent poll undertaken on behalf of the Party. The poll suggested that the Wildrose Party was, in their words, "gaining" on the PC party standings and that Wildrose Party leader, Danielle Smith has a much higher "net approval" rating compared to the six PC party leadership candidates. According to the poll undertaken in late May by Abingdon Research the Wildrose Party has about 26 percent support from those surveyed; the Progressive Conservatives have 30 percent support; the Liberals and NDP each have 13 percent support; the new Alberta Party has about 5 percent with about 10 percent undecided. The poll goes further and indicates that Danielle Smith has a "net approval" rating of + 14; Mar's rating, +8; Redford, +4; Horner, 0; Griffiths, -3; Orman, -3; Morton, -18. There is some question as to the veracity of this "on-line" poll and the strong connection Abingdon Research has with the Wildrose Party - after all, which polling group doesn't maintain political connections? In my view, if the Abingdon Research poll has got any amount of substance then the PC Party and its leadership have got some major problems that will have to be addressed prior to the next provincial election.
PC Leadership Forums, Dates to Remember -
Key dates and locations for the Eight Leadership Forums have been announced:
Thursday July 21, 2011 Vermilion
Thursday July 28, 2011 Grande Prairie
Thursday August 11, 2011 Fort McMurray
Thursday August 18, 2011 Medicine Hat
Thursday August 25, 2011 Lethbridge
Thursday September 1, 2011 Red Deer
Wednesday September 7, 2011 Calgary
Thursday September 15, 2011 Edmonton
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Alberta Leadership Up-date
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 178
(June 22, 2011)
Leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party appears to be moving at a snail's pace, or is it just starting to heat up? There are still only six declared candidates with two others still considering their entry into the race. The two front runners from southern Alberta (Ted Morton and Rick Orman) consider themselves Blue Tories and each feels that their leadership is the only leadership that can defeat the onslaught of the threatening Wildrose Alliance Party. To garner support from the federal Conservative Party both Ted Morton and Rick Orman flew to the Conservative convention in Ottawa for some sort of political support and to some observers a questionable trip? The more "progressive" group of candidates (Gary Mar, Doug Horner, Doug Griffiths and Alison Redford), sometimes referred to as the Red Tory candidates, they're moving throughout the province, attending coffee / donut parties and selling memberships - Gary Mar and Doug Griffiths have already visited the Smoky Lake area with Doug Horner and Alison Redford expected to be in Smoky Lake in early July. Haven't heard about the so-called front runners and when they might come to our communities. According to PC authorities candidates will have to declare their candidacy by July 15th, the first formal debates will begin on July 28th and actual voting will begin on September 17th. Should a candidate not receive a clear majority vote, a run off vote will occur on October 1st, the date Mr. Stelmach's resignation takes effect.
(June 22, 2011)
Leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party appears to be moving at a snail's pace, or is it just starting to heat up? There are still only six declared candidates with two others still considering their entry into the race. The two front runners from southern Alberta (Ted Morton and Rick Orman) consider themselves Blue Tories and each feels that their leadership is the only leadership that can defeat the onslaught of the threatening Wildrose Alliance Party. To garner support from the federal Conservative Party both Ted Morton and Rick Orman flew to the Conservative convention in Ottawa for some sort of political support and to some observers a questionable trip? The more "progressive" group of candidates (Gary Mar, Doug Horner, Doug Griffiths and Alison Redford), sometimes referred to as the Red Tory candidates, they're moving throughout the province, attending coffee / donut parties and selling memberships - Gary Mar and Doug Griffiths have already visited the Smoky Lake area with Doug Horner and Alison Redford expected to be in Smoky Lake in early July. Haven't heard about the so-called front runners and when they might come to our communities. According to PC authorities candidates will have to declare their candidacy by July 15th, the first formal debates will begin on July 28th and actual voting will begin on September 17th. Should a candidate not receive a clear majority vote, a run off vote will occur on October 1st, the date Mr. Stelmach's resignation takes effect.
Vancouver NDP Convention -
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 178
(June 22, 2011)
Last weekend's New Democratic Party convention in Vancouver proved to be a telling assembly of a still shaken, if not "shocked" group of NDP supporters - the new political reality for the NDP has become so obvious, all a result of the May 2 election - the NDP moved from Canada's third or fourth ranked political party with 36 seats in the 308 seat House of Commons, to become the Official Opposition with 103 seats and that alone has to be the monumental shock to anybody that is the least bit interested in Canadian politics, including NDP leader Jack Layton. From my perspective, the new status afforded the NDP by the Canadian electorate has set a stage for possible dramatic changes in the country's political landscape - to me the questions have become clear: Can Jack Layton and the "new" New Democrat Members of Parliament stand up to Prime Minister Harper's well oiled Conservative machine and can the New Democratic Party organize itself within the next year or two to become a true, viable alternative? The NDP's Vancouver convention was the first real opportunity to see Jack Layton and the "new" New Democratic Party perform and for me the results were somewhat disappointing - the convention delegates couldn't even decide on how to deal with the word "socialist" in the preamble to the party's constitution and that means the NDP principles (all that they stand for) will be vigorously debated within the party organization for years to come. There is also an undefined strategy to draw in disappointed Liberals to the "big orange tent" - in my view this vague, absorption strategy will not result in any merger of the two left leaning parties and actually could be destructive to both - to deal with any thoughts about such thoughts the Liberals sent former Prime Minister Dion to quash any such thoughts, at least that's my thought. All in all, if I were to summarize the party's performance in Vancouver on the weekend, the convention fell flat but Jack Layton does has four years to get his party moving and develop a brand that is truly attractive to Canadians - so we will just have to wait and see and yes, it gives Mr. Layton some time, he's earned it.
(June 22, 2011)
Last weekend's New Democratic Party convention in Vancouver proved to be a telling assembly of a still shaken, if not "shocked" group of NDP supporters - the new political reality for the NDP has become so obvious, all a result of the May 2 election - the NDP moved from Canada's third or fourth ranked political party with 36 seats in the 308 seat House of Commons, to become the Official Opposition with 103 seats and that alone has to be the monumental shock to anybody that is the least bit interested in Canadian politics, including NDP leader Jack Layton. From my perspective, the new status afforded the NDP by the Canadian electorate has set a stage for possible dramatic changes in the country's political landscape - to me the questions have become clear: Can Jack Layton and the "new" New Democrat Members of Parliament stand up to Prime Minister Harper's well oiled Conservative machine and can the New Democratic Party organize itself within the next year or two to become a true, viable alternative? The NDP's Vancouver convention was the first real opportunity to see Jack Layton and the "new" New Democratic Party perform and for me the results were somewhat disappointing - the convention delegates couldn't even decide on how to deal with the word "socialist" in the preamble to the party's constitution and that means the NDP principles (all that they stand for) will be vigorously debated within the party organization for years to come. There is also an undefined strategy to draw in disappointed Liberals to the "big orange tent" - in my view this vague, absorption strategy will not result in any merger of the two left leaning parties and actually could be destructive to both - to deal with any thoughts about such thoughts the Liberals sent former Prime Minister Dion to quash any such thoughts, at least that's my thought. All in all, if I were to summarize the party's performance in Vancouver on the weekend, the convention fell flat but Jack Layton does has four years to get his party moving and develop a brand that is truly attractive to Canadians - so we will just have to wait and see and yes, it gives Mr. Layton some time, he's earned it.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 177
(June 15, 2011)
The process of picking Alberta's next premier was triggered by Premier Stelmach with his formal letter of resignation - the letter, dated May 27th, indicated that Mr. Stelmach's resignation will become effective on October 1, 2011.
The Candidates -
While there are six declared candidates for Premier Stelmach's job - Ted Morton, Rick Orman, Doug Horner, Doug Griffiths, Gary Mar and Alison Redford - rumor has it that there are at least two others who are seriously considering their entry into the race. Dave Hancock (currently Minister of Education and Government House leader) and Gene Zwozdesky (currently Minister of Health and Wellness) are being touted as possible campaigners - both are very capable chaps. Officially, candidate nomination papers (along with a $40,000 deposit) will be accepted at Progressive Conservative headquarters between June 17 and July 15. Balloting for leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta (and therefore, Premier) will begin on September 17th but the newly elected PC leader will not take office until the swearing in ceremony scheduled for October 1, 2011 - there could be a run off ballot prior to October deadline. Of the eight possibilities, six are sitting members of the Alberta Legislature and for them the transition from campaigner to Premier would be, in at least one respect, a straightforward, relatively uneventful journey. For two candidates, Rick Orman and Gary Mar the situation is quite different - both have extensive experience in past Progressive Conservative governments but neither is a sitting member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly and that means: should either Rick Orman or Gary Mar win the leadership race, the winner would be running government from the visitor's gallery (until he wins a seat in the Legislative Assembly through a by-election or a general election). Further information on the campaign time lines is starting to come out from PC Party headquarters. Eight PC Party Leadership Forums have been scheduled for July 21, 28; August 11, 18, 25; September 1, 8 and 15 - seven locations have been identified: Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Edmonton. Adding an eighth location and matching dates to locations has not been released.
The Issues -
After Premier Stelmach's letter of May 27th, 2011 the declared candidates have started to come forth with some generalized statements on how they would deal with a number of important issues facing Albertans - so it's a little early in the campaign to judge individuals, their respective leadership qualities and how each would stack up to the threats and challenges of being Premier, Province of Alberta. For me I'm looking for each of the candidates to issue clear, understandable platform statements (along with their proposed implementation strategies) on 4 major areas of concern to many Albertans. First there is the concern over how Alberta government programs are being delivered, specifically Alberta's HEALTHCARE and EDUCATION programs. Second there is the concern over PROPERTY RIGHTS, particularly in rural Alberta. Third is the question of whether Alberta's ROYALTY regime is functioning properly and whether it works toward Alberta's ECONOMIC GROWTH and DIVERSIFICATION OBJECTIVES. And lastly on my list of priority questions for Alberta's next Premier; how will the Progressive Conservative Party leadership maintain its grassroots support and distinguish itself opposite the popular WILDROSE ALLIANCE PARTY?
(June 15, 2011)
The process of picking Alberta's next premier was triggered by Premier Stelmach with his formal letter of resignation - the letter, dated May 27th, indicated that Mr. Stelmach's resignation will become effective on October 1, 2011.
The Candidates -
While there are six declared candidates for Premier Stelmach's job - Ted Morton, Rick Orman, Doug Horner, Doug Griffiths, Gary Mar and Alison Redford - rumor has it that there are at least two others who are seriously considering their entry into the race. Dave Hancock (currently Minister of Education and Government House leader) and Gene Zwozdesky (currently Minister of Health and Wellness) are being touted as possible campaigners - both are very capable chaps. Officially, candidate nomination papers (along with a $40,000 deposit) will be accepted at Progressive Conservative headquarters between June 17 and July 15. Balloting for leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta (and therefore, Premier) will begin on September 17th but the newly elected PC leader will not take office until the swearing in ceremony scheduled for October 1, 2011 - there could be a run off ballot prior to October deadline. Of the eight possibilities, six are sitting members of the Alberta Legislature and for them the transition from campaigner to Premier would be, in at least one respect, a straightforward, relatively uneventful journey. For two candidates, Rick Orman and Gary Mar the situation is quite different - both have extensive experience in past Progressive Conservative governments but neither is a sitting member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly and that means: should either Rick Orman or Gary Mar win the leadership race, the winner would be running government from the visitor's gallery (until he wins a seat in the Legislative Assembly through a by-election or a general election). Further information on the campaign time lines is starting to come out from PC Party headquarters. Eight PC Party Leadership Forums have been scheduled for July 21, 28; August 11, 18, 25; September 1, 8 and 15 - seven locations have been identified: Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Edmonton. Adding an eighth location and matching dates to locations has not been released.
The Issues -
After Premier Stelmach's letter of May 27th, 2011 the declared candidates have started to come forth with some generalized statements on how they would deal with a number of important issues facing Albertans - so it's a little early in the campaign to judge individuals, their respective leadership qualities and how each would stack up to the threats and challenges of being Premier, Province of Alberta. For me I'm looking for each of the candidates to issue clear, understandable platform statements (along with their proposed implementation strategies) on 4 major areas of concern to many Albertans. First there is the concern over how Alberta government programs are being delivered, specifically Alberta's HEALTHCARE and EDUCATION programs. Second there is the concern over PROPERTY RIGHTS, particularly in rural Alberta. Third is the question of whether Alberta's ROYALTY regime is functioning properly and whether it works toward Alberta's ECONOMIC GROWTH and DIVERSIFICATION OBJECTIVES. And lastly on my list of priority questions for Alberta's next Premier; how will the Progressive Conservative Party leadership maintain its grassroots support and distinguish itself opposite the popular WILDROSE ALLIANCE PARTY?
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Alberta Politics - The Progressive Conservatives
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 176
(June 8, 2011)
The race to fill Premier Ed Stelmach's shoes in Alberta's Legislature appears to be in low gear - after all, farmers are more worried about their crops, gardens and uncertain weather patterns - for city folk, their main concern appears to be what they're going to do for a summer holiday, if they can afford one. I suspect things will start heating up when Mr. Stelmach announces the date of the PC convention. At present there are six declared candidates for Premier Stelmach's job:
Ted Morton - a former finance minister and the likely front runner when comparing the group of six candidates. Mr. Morton has suggested that he is by far the most capable candidate to deal with the threats of the growing Wildrose Alliance Party.
Rick Orman - a former energy minister and a stalwart defender of the free market system. Mr. Orman comes from southern Alberta, which is an important factor when it comes to dealing with the Wildrose Alliance. Nevertheless, Rick Orman needs a lot more exposure in the north - Rick Orman could be the "sleeper" in the leadership campaign.
Doug Horner - as a former education minister Mr. Horner brings a lot of understanding of rural Alberta. If you ask me Mr. Horner is the "sweetheart" candidate for rural Alberta - the question that must be bugging him, can he garner the political support in the cities?
Gary Mar - has held a number of cabinet jobs when he was in government, most notable, Minister of Health. Mr. Mar will likely garner support in Edmonton but will have to contend with some negative baggage and that baggage is his responsibility for Alberta's current healthcare system.
Alison Redford - as former justice minister Alison is not as well known as the front runners but she has made some statements that have gained attention. Most notably Alison Redford suggested last month that the PC's "property rights" legislation be suspended and the issue be reviewed with more consultation.
Doug Griffiths - hasn't held any cabinet posts but has served three terms in the Alberta Legislature. At 38, Doug Griffiths is the youngster of the group, and from what I can grasp Mr. Griffiths is appealing to the youth vote - a real long shot, but who knows and stranger things have happened.
Political Update:
It is a little early in the leadership campaign to pass any firm judgment on who might be the best candidate to lead the Progressive Conservative Party and be Premier of Alberta. Nevertheless, we all want to hear and see the candidates showing interest in the Smoky Lake area and available to answer questions regarding the future of our area and our province. We were fortunate last week to have two candidates visit our area with other candidates expected in the weeks to come. Last week Gary Mar and Doug Griffiths visited with a dozen or so Smoky Lakers at the Senior Citizens Drop-In Center and answered questions, drank coffee and ate donuts. Doug Horner and Alison Redford are scheduled to come to Smoky Lake sometime in early July - haven't heard from the front runners, Ted Morton and Rick Orman.
(June 8, 2011)
The race to fill Premier Ed Stelmach's shoes in Alberta's Legislature appears to be in low gear - after all, farmers are more worried about their crops, gardens and uncertain weather patterns - for city folk, their main concern appears to be what they're going to do for a summer holiday, if they can afford one. I suspect things will start heating up when Mr. Stelmach announces the date of the PC convention. At present there are six declared candidates for Premier Stelmach's job:
Ted Morton - a former finance minister and the likely front runner when comparing the group of six candidates. Mr. Morton has suggested that he is by far the most capable candidate to deal with the threats of the growing Wildrose Alliance Party.
Rick Orman - a former energy minister and a stalwart defender of the free market system. Mr. Orman comes from southern Alberta, which is an important factor when it comes to dealing with the Wildrose Alliance. Nevertheless, Rick Orman needs a lot more exposure in the north - Rick Orman could be the "sleeper" in the leadership campaign.
Doug Horner - as a former education minister Mr. Horner brings a lot of understanding of rural Alberta. If you ask me Mr. Horner is the "sweetheart" candidate for rural Alberta - the question that must be bugging him, can he garner the political support in the cities?
Gary Mar - has held a number of cabinet jobs when he was in government, most notable, Minister of Health. Mr. Mar will likely garner support in Edmonton but will have to contend with some negative baggage and that baggage is his responsibility for Alberta's current healthcare system.
Alison Redford - as former justice minister Alison is not as well known as the front runners but she has made some statements that have gained attention. Most notably Alison Redford suggested last month that the PC's "property rights" legislation be suspended and the issue be reviewed with more consultation.
Doug Griffiths - hasn't held any cabinet posts but has served three terms in the Alberta Legislature. At 38, Doug Griffiths is the youngster of the group, and from what I can grasp Mr. Griffiths is appealing to the youth vote - a real long shot, but who knows and stranger things have happened.
Political Update:
It is a little early in the leadership campaign to pass any firm judgment on who might be the best candidate to lead the Progressive Conservative Party and be Premier of Alberta. Nevertheless, we all want to hear and see the candidates showing interest in the Smoky Lake area and available to answer questions regarding the future of our area and our province. We were fortunate last week to have two candidates visit our area with other candidates expected in the weeks to come. Last week Gary Mar and Doug Griffiths visited with a dozen or so Smoky Lakers at the Senior Citizens Drop-In Center and answered questions, drank coffee and ate donuts. Doug Horner and Alison Redford are scheduled to come to Smoky Lake sometime in early July - haven't heard from the front runners, Ted Morton and Rick Orman.
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