Alberta's Non-Campaign

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 35) June 25, 2014

The lazy days of summer are upon us and you know what that means:  at every fair, rodeo, picnic, golf tournament you can expect to see politicians smiling, shaking hands and posing for pictures – for them there is a very serious side to their presence, measuring the political mood of the electorate.

Alberta PC Leadership Contenders Seeking Attention

Jim Prentice, Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk are in a not-so-bitter, in-party race to lead Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party and de facto premier, Province of Alberta.  Brought about by the unfortunate resignation of Premier Allison Redford, the election of a new Progressive Conservative leader will take place in September and that means the three contenders will be attending a lot of fairs, rodeos and social gatherings at the constituency level.  For Alberta’s opposition parties, they continue to harp on the theme that Alberta Progressive Conservative Party has been in power far too long (43 years) resulting in the party becoming a party of “entitlement” – some in opposition have gone a step further and are painting Jim Prentice, the front runner in this current leadership campaign, as a man who embodies “entitlement” in a negative way and points out that while a minister in Ottawa spent exorbitant amounts of money on travel.  With something like 45 of the 58 PC MLAs supporting the Jim Prentice campaign the inner circle is suggesting that Mr. Prentice is a shoe-in for September’s election.  Unfortunately that is not the game being played and the three contenders are not being given the opportunity to explain their vision for the province and how they would guide the province’s government – and that’s what I’m waiting for.

Here’s An Idea ….

As I have already said; there is a lack of meaningful discussion of issues and policies facing Alberta by Alberta’s PC leadership candidates, they are busy defending themselves against accusations and unfounded innuendos posed by the media and the opposition parties, so here is an idea:  invite these three very capable contenders to come out to Smoky Lake and explain themselves to the grassroots.   As good hosts we would offer them some relaxation (a round of golf on one of Alberta’s most challenging golf courses) and some excellent Ukrainian food served by some of the town’s most loving, ethnic cooks.  After appropriate libation, the candidates will be given sufficient time to offer their policy views and visions for Alberta.  If not Smoky Lake, where else?

        

Nation Building - the Good, the Bad

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 34) June 18, 2014

Nation building has gone into reverse gear in a number of countries around the world – let’s make sure the discord and havoc associated with political separation and voiced by the misguided thoughts of extremist wing-dings doesn’t penetrate Canada’s “nation building” pursuits. 

The goings on in the Ukraine, Syria, Nigeria, Iraq, Kenya are extreme examples where political and social governance has all but collapsed, with bandit groups (militia) advocating separation and roaming about creating destruction and bloodshed, without showing any sense of morality, law or civil order.  In other countries where there is a greater sense of law and order, there is still “separation anxiety” where regions and specific cultural groups, within a nation-state, feel that political separation into city-state regions is the only solution for the plight of their region’s constituents.

Referendums in Venice, Scotland and Catalonia

 Last March about two million residents of the Veneto region of Italy voted in a “straw- vote” for separation – 89 percent voted in favor of separation.  Veneto’s president, Luca Zaia – who is in favor of separation from Italy – intends on holding an official referendum in the region.  Italy’s central government in Rome rejects the unofficial, on-line vote as madness and claims Italy as indivisible.   Scotland, as a part of the United Kingdom, will be settled in September, 2014 – a simple majority vote will determine whether Scotland becomes an independent state with the terms already negotiated.  In a previous referendum held in the 1970s the Scottish independence movement won by a very narrow margin but no further action was taken.  Catalonia, Spain will be holding its separation referendum in November, 2014.  The Spanish government is rejecting the Catalonia initiative saying that any separation referendum must be taken throughout the Spanish nation-state and not just in a specific region.

Referendums in Quebec, Canada

In the province of Quebec two referendums have been undertaken over the years related to sovereignty only to be rejected by the voting electorate in Quebec.  In 1980, the Quebec electorate rejected sovereignty association with 58.56 percent of the voting public voting no to sovereignty.  In the 1995 referendum, the Quebec electorate rejected independence on a sovereignty-partnership with a much narrower margin, 50.58 percent rejected a sovereignty partnership.  In the 2014 election the separatist PQ party lost the election in large part because they couldn’t detail how they would negotiate a separatist state with the Canadian government.  In the end the issue of referendums became moot as the PQ lost the election to the Liberals who are cautiously willing to work within the Canadian framework – does that mean Quebec, under Premier Couillard, is now willing to discuss true nationhood and sign onto Canada’s 1967 constitution?  One final thought about Quebec and the separation movement.  During the 2014 election there was a lot of discussion about the terms of separation and even some discussion about the unique status of the Montreal region of Quebec – should the Montreal region become an independent city state?   

Anybody Fit to Rule Canada?

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 33) June 11, 2014

Political decision making is almost always framed and judged within a specific time frame – in Canada, at the federal level, the time frame is between now and the next federal election.   Actually, the Harper, Mulcair, Trudeau campaign to win the hearts and minds of Canadians began some fourteen months ago when Justin Trudeau was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.  No doubt in my mind, in the early days of Mr. Trudeau’s leadership, Mr. Harper had only one objective in mind:  make the 2015 election campaign all about the economy and only about the economy.  Mr. Mulcair had two objectives in mind: consolidate his power base in Quebec and corner the prime minister in the Senate scandal.  Mr. Trudeau’s strategy in the first six months of his reign wasn’t to espouse any great policy initiative, it was to criss-cross the country, flex his muscles and look youthful.  All in all things went well for the prime minister in that the economy didn’t collapse.  For the leader of the official opposition he emerged as an outstanding parliamentarian and that was about it.  The leader of the third party, all he could muster, he became Canada rock star without showing any political stripes.  As an old family man I always looked forward to the month of June, it is the month for report cards: 

Report Card – Steven Harper

Prime Minister Harper has had a rough go of it in the last year or so with a good deal of his troubles resulting from his own secretive management style.  His refusal to be more forthcoming in the House of Commons regarding the Senate scandal has left many questioning his management style and speculating personal role in the matter.  In terms of economic leadership matters, one can’t ignore Mr. Harper’s (and Jim Flaherty) role in keeping the country out of a major recession, nevertheless things have run amok more recently, all related to the Harper government’s administration of the country’s Temporary Foreign Workers Program – the changes being considered, no matter what they are, will have very serious consequences on those businesses that have become dependent on the program as it was administered.  Adding to Mr. Harper’s economic pain are the precarious pipeline decisions in both Canada and the United States.  Mr. Harper’s approach to Aboriginal education was an excellent strategic move and could have gone a long way to improving aboriginal conditions and relations for generations to come – unfortunately Mr. Harper (and the former grand chief of the Assembly of First Nations) misjudged the political landscape within the Assembly of First Nations and the result; major, dangerous setback for aboriginal relations with the federal government.  Mr. Harper’s skirmishes with the Supreme Court of Canada (the nomination process, the reference case on Senate reform), demonstrates a lack of understanding of the country’s constitution and the limitations placed on a prime minister with a majority government – clearly Mr. Harper failed in his power play.

 

Report Card – Thomas Mulcair

In the past year Thomas Mulcair has been described as an exemplary parliamentarian.  Mr. Mulcair must consolidate his power base is in Quebec where Mr. Harper and the Conservatives are not a major political factor – his major challenge in Quebec will come from Justin Trudeau and the Pierre Elliot Trudeau legacy.  Mr. Mulcair is prime ministerial material but has two major flaws.  Mr. Mulcair is leader of a left wing party and there are no signs of him trying to move the New Democratic party toward the center of the political spectrum.  Second, Mr. Mulcair and the New Democrats have persistently called for the abolition of Canada’s Senate.  Mr. Mulcair has to eat his words and make some recommendations regarding the rejuvenation of the Senate – Mr. Mulcair has to face political reality.

Report Card – Justin Trudeau

In just one year Justin Trudeau has moved from being a gaffe prone rock star to being the serious contender for Canada’s top political job, prime minister of Canada.  Just a few months ago Mr. Trudeau undertook a bold move regarding the Liberal Senators and by edict declared the Senators independent – a move that gained him considerable respect in political circles and demonstrated guts and imagination.  More recently, Mr. Trudeau’s contradictory statements regarding the Liberal party’s so-called “open” and free nomination process, except that all potential candidates had to be pro-choice candidates, has shown a Trudeau that hasn’t thought things through and cannot think on his feet when facing a camera.  In my view Mr. Trudeau comes across as a man who is too loose in his demeanor and doesn’t take things too seriously – a position that might be attractive to the younger voter, but for guys like me, the approach is a sign of political immaturity.

A Final Thought 

If none of our political leaders pass the Shaske test, then who is going to lead this great country we call Canada?  Stay tuned!

Justin Trudeau is a Dummkopf!

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 32) June 4, 2014

In Edmonton many, many years ago my German speaking grandmother often referred to the young – myself included – as being “dummkopfs” for their mistakes and misdeeds.  To explain, a “dummkopf” is an affectionate German term that literally means “stupid head”, although I prefer the label, “dumb head”.  In today’s lexicon it sometimes refers to someone who is being an idiot.

Affectionately, Justin Trudeau is a Dummkopf!

Justin Trudeau assumed leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada on April 14, 2013 and almost immediately the Liberal party surged to be the most preferred party opposite Mr. Harper’s Conservatives and Mr. Mulcair’s New Democrats.  In many circles Justin Trudeau projected HOPE that things could be done differently.  The EKOS polling firm in December, 2013 ranked Trudeau’s Liberals at 32.1 percent, Harper’s Conservatives at 26.2 percent, Mulcair’s New Democrats at 22.9 percent.  In April, 2014 EKOS ranked the Liberals at 34.9 percent, the Conservatives at 27.6 percent and the New Democrats at 21.4 percent.  Some polls taken in the last month or so are suggesting that the Harper Conservatives have taken a small lead in voter preference opposite the Liberals and New Democrats.  If you ask the Conservative machine, they are suggesting that their advertising is working – Trudeau is “in over his head”.  What is surprising, Mr. Trudeau is offering some credibility to the Conservative slur ads with his past and recent political misstatements and gaffes.  The most recent miscalculation has been the confusing, contradictory kerfuffle over the Liberal leader’s edict on having an open, free nomination process at the constituency level and the pro-choice question.  In interviews in the last week or so Mr. Trudeau has tried to soften his stance on the issues which makes the matter even more confusing.  How he handles the matter will answer the question: is Justin Trudeau fit for the office of prime minister? 

Are There Any Other Dummkopfs?

Thomas Mulcair:  Thomas Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, has been correctly identified as an exceptional parliamentarian and he can add to his resume, he’s cornered the prime minister in the Senate expenses scandal, an event that is yet to be fully explained.  Mr. Mulcair is not a dummkopf but that does not mean he hasn’t done some really dumb things.  On top of the list of dumb things is Mulcair’s position on the Senate – he and his party want the Senate abolished.  Now that the Supreme Court has given its decision on the matter and the prime minister has opined that any change must come from the provinces, why shouldn’t the Leader of the Opposition voice a strategy or some recommendations?    Nation Building should not only be the prerogative of the prime minister. 

Steven Harper:  If there is one thing I’m sure of, Steven Harper is no dummkopf.  In my mind, Mr. Harper is a brilliant strategist and to his credit, he almost always has an exit strategy.  But things have gone amiss in the last year or so and the question on everybody’s mind is he able to manage the 2015 election campaign to his benefit.  To highlight a few of his glaring mistakes:  The Senate Scandal story is not complete, specifically Mr. Harper’s personal role in the unacceptable payment of $90,000 payment to Senator Duffy – in the absence of transparency one can only speculate.  The Supreme Court decision on the Senate reform did not go according to Mr. Harper’s wishes.  Criticizing the Chief Justice on the court’s rejection of Mr. Harper’s nomination to the high court demonstrates a lack of understanding of the Supreme Court’s role in Canada.  The Election Reform Act proved that the Harper government to be unreasonably arrogant over the reasoning of experts.  The rejection of the Aboriginal Education initiative by native leaders has destroyed aboriginal relations for years to come.  The Temporary Foreign Workers Program as implemented by the Harper government has proved to be a catastrophe with few options available for repair.

A Final Thought      

Mr. Harper’s political personality can be best described by the World War II slogan:  “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and might be his most enduring political asset but things have gone amok and could very well be the root of his demise.  And by the way, Justin Trudeau could take heed of the “Loose Lips Sink Ships” slogan when planning for the 2015 election.