Breaking news..
Regions:
Stelmach quits
Tue, 2011-01-25 13:57
#1
Lou Arab
Stelmach quits
Tue, 2011-01-25 13:58
#2
Tue, 2011-01-25 13:59
#3
Lou Arab
Tue, 2011-01-25 14:41
#4
bagkitty
I am going to have to run out and get more popcorn, don't want to run short when the Morton/Dinning death match starts.
Tue, 2011-01-25 15:06
#5
Lou Arab
I think Dinning is done with politics.
Morton however, is just getting started.
Tue, 2011-01-25 15:23
#6
bagkitty
I am going to stick with my plan to stock up on popcorn anyway, even if the bout I really wanted to see is isn't going to be on the program. I imagine there will be plenty to watch as three and a half conservative parties gouge and kick at each other trying to get the attention of the same core constituencies. [...] and what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall of the next Calgary Herald editorial board meeting.
*and bagkitty shall be seen to dance a happy dance of schadenfreude*
Tue, 2011-01-25 15:46
#7
Who would the "anyone but Morton" candidate for the leadership?
Tue, 2011-01-25 15:52
#8
Lou Arab
Who would the "anyone but Morton" candidate for the leadership?
There are rumours about Attorney General Alison Redford, as well as Deputy Premier Doug Horner. But I don't think there is clear consensus on that yet.
With the advancement of the Alberta Party splitting the Liberal vote, it becomes even less important for the Conservatives to elect a moderate. I suspect they will be motivated to cut the Wild Rose Alliance off at the knees - and that means electing Ted Morton.
Tue, 2011-01-25 16:01
#9
If they pick Morton - suddenly Danielle Smith and Wildrose would be the left of the PCs!!
Tue, 2011-01-25 18:24
#10
Boom Boom
The Wild Rose leader was on P&P - and mentioned that Stelmach violated 'property rights' as an administration - so she's in sync with Stephen Harper.
Tue, 2011-01-25 18:36
#11
I think the main difference between Danielle Smith and Morton is that Smith is a libertarian who is not religious and has avoided any social issues like abortion of gay rights - while Morton is a fundamentalist Christian social conservative. i think if i lived in Calgary, I'd be tempted to vote strategically for the Wildrose Alliance to prevent Morton from being Premier.
Tue, 2011-01-25 19:13
#12
Lou Arab
I don't think there is much difference between Morton and Smith. Smith hasn't avoided abortion - her 'moderate' position is that anyone who wants an abortion should be able to get it - if they pay for it.
Figuring out which one to strategically support would be like deciding between George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.
Tue, 2011-01-25 19:57
#13
Who would the "anyone but Morton" candidate for the leadership?
There are rumours about Attorney General Alison Redford, as well as Deputy Premier Doug Horner. But I don't think there is clear consensus on that yet.
With the advancement of the Alberta Party splitting the Liberal vote, it becomes even less important for the Conservatives to elect a moderate. I suspect they will be motivated to cut the Wild Rose Alliance off at the knees - and that means electing Ted Morton.
True the Alberta Liberals are less viable than ever, but the thing is, you don't exactly have to be a PC to vote for the leader of the PCs. Last time around us Albertans could take out a membership right at the polling station (oh right, we had polling stations). Who the "membership" votes for might not be entirely in the best interest of the party.
Tue, 2011-01-25 20:08
#14
Ted Morton....cripes. I gotta get out of this province.
Any jobs in Montreal?
Tue, 2011-01-25 20:54
#15
Ted Morton is a maniac. Hold on to your hats Alberta 
Tue, 2011-01-25 20:54
#16
Stelmach quits.
US energy companies prefer a stable stoogeaucracy in Oilberta. Plenty more where he came from.
Tue, 2011-01-25 22:42
#17
Boom Boom
I decided, for fun, to see what Wiki has on him.
Personal:
- Frederick Lee (Ted) Morton (born March 28, 1949 in Los Angeles, California)
- During his time in college, Morton was involved in protests against the Vietnam War.
- In 1981, Morton joined the faculty of the University of Calgary as a political science professor.
- Morton moved to Canada in 1981. In 1991, Morton and his wife, Patricia, became Canadian citizens.
I then cherry-picked some of his politics on the same link:
- Morton was an early supporter of the Triple-E Senate Committee and a public critic of the Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown (1992) Accords.
- He was elected as a Reform Party Senator-in-Waiting in the 1998 Alberta Senate nominee election.
- In 2001, Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day appointed him Parliamentary Director of Policy and Research for the party. That same year, he was one of a group of six Albertans (including Stephen Harper - later to become Prime Minister in 2006) who authored the "Alberta Agenda," also known as the "firewall letter," a manifesto that calls on the government of Alberta to use all of its constitutional powers to reduce the influence of the Federal government on the lives and personal finances of Albertans.
- In the 2004 Alberta general election, Morton won the newly created seat of Foothills-Rocky View and now sits as an MLA for the Progressive Conservatives. In that role, he has advocated for tax cuts, against same-sex marriage, for increased saving of energy revenues, for a lobbyist registry, and for fixed election dates.
- Promoting a bill that would ensure no Alberta laws penalized someone expressing disagreement with same-sex marriage, allow provincially appointed marriage commissioners to refuse to marry same-sex couples, and place restrictions on the teaching of marriage as including same-sex couples.
- Several figures have publicly expressed worry that Morton's private member Bill 208 (2006) would have the effect of protecting, in statute, public discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Tue, 2011-01-25 23:51
#18
Morton was briefly the minister in charge of my department. The truly surprising thing was, we didn't go through yet another re-organization.
Well, so long Ed. I did kind of like that he was a farmer and not a lawyer. But WOW what a terrible premier. I think the only people who are going to miss him will be the WRA.
Oh well, 4 more years of PC rule I guess. Although maybe it will be better this way if it keeps the WRA out of power, I'm still suspicious of them.
Wed, 2011-01-26 00:28
#19
With the possibility of 5 parties splitting up the vote, is there any talk of electoral reform?
With 5 strong parties someone could win a riding with less then 25% of the vote.
Wed, 2011-01-26 08:51
#20
Oh well, 4 more years of PC rule I guess. Although maybe it will be better this way if it keeps the WRA out of power, I'm still suspicious of them.
Can you explain why electing the PCs under the leadership of an extreme social conservative like Morton is any way "better" than electing the Wildrose Alliance? If Morton is leader, the Wildrose becomes the (comparatively) leftwing alternative to the PCs -
Wed, 2011-01-26 10:35
#21
Boom Boom
Yes, I agree Morton is a very scary dude, but Smith is scary to me for her very hardcore devotion to getting 'property rights' enshrined in the Charter. Either one of these characters as Premier is a terrifying thought.
Wed, 2011-01-26 13:46
#22
I would be very surprised if Morton wasn't just as much in favour of enshrining property rights - but ultimately that issue is a bit of a red herring since amending the charter would require unanimous consent of all provinces etc... so it will never happen in a million years!
Wed, 2011-01-26 14:26
#23
Boom Boom
I would be very surprised if Morton wasn't just as much in favour of enshrining property rights - but ultimately that issue is a bit of a red herring since amending the charter would require unanimous consent of all provinces etc... so it will never happen in a million years!
Smith's proposal is to get property rights into Alberta law, then the Charter. (probably relying on the 'Domino Effect' - one province leads, the others follow)
As for getting property rights in the Charter, here is the relevant passage from the government website:
PROCEDURE FOR ENTRENCHMENT OF PROPERTY RIGHTS
Amending the Charter to include a reference to property rights in s. 7 would have to be authorized in accordance with the general amending procedure established by s. 38(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982. This requires authorization by (a) resolutions of the Senate and House of Commons, and (b) resolutions of legislative assemblies of at least two-thirds of the provinces having in aggregate at least 50% of the population of all the provinces. The 50% population requirement means that the agreeing provinces must include Ontario or Quebec, since the combined population of those two provinces is more than 50% of the population of Canada. Section 38(2) requires a resolution supported by a majority of the members of the legislature, rather than a majority of those present and voting, if the proposed amendment "derogates from the legislative powers, the proprietary rights or any other rights or privileges of the legislature or government of a province." A property rights amendment to the Charter would be such an amendment. Section 38(3) permits the legislative assembly of a province to "opt out" by passing a resolution of dissent to an amendment of the kind described as s. 38(2) "prior to the issue of the proclamation to which the amendment relates." A maximum of three provinces could opt out of such an amendment by passing resolutions of dissent. If there were more than three dissenting provinces, the amendment would not have the required support of two-thirds of the provinces and would therefore be defeated.
(bolding emphasis mine)
Maybe I need new reading glasses, because I don't see anything about unanimous consent of all provinces. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Wed, 2011-01-26 14:53
#24
Its still a very steep hill to climb to amend the constitution and of coruse any amendment would also have to pass the federal parliament.
Wed, 2011-01-26 15:34
#25
Boom Boom
Its still a very steep hill to climb to amend the constitution and of coruse any amendment would also have to pass the federal parliament.
Harper has already said he is working for a majority, and he believes property rights should be in the Constitution, and he is stacking the Senate. I don't know what more warning signs I can give.
Wed, 2011-01-26 16:05
#26
In other words the constitution could be amended IF the Tories win a majority and IF seven provinces including Quebec agree to it (which they won't). There is a reason why this has never gone anywhere. If property rights actually were in the charter it could potentially shoot down so many huge swaths of provincial legislation including zoning bylaws etc...that it would create total chaos. Getting back to Alberta - I would be surprised if Morton was any less in favour of enshrining property rights than Smith.
Wed, 2011-01-26 16:10
#27
Boom Boom
In other words the constitution could be amended IF the Tories win a majority and IF seven provinces including Quebec agree to it (which they won't). There is a reason why this has never gone anywhere. If property rights actually were in the charter it could potentially shoot down so many huge swaths of provincial legislation including zoning bylaws etc...that it would create total chaos. Getting back to Alberta - I would be surprised if Morton was any less in favour of enshrining property rights than Smith.
The link I posted says Quebec OR Ontario are needed onside - not both.
Harper wants property rights enshrined in the Charter.
Right wing think tanks - here and around the world - want property rights enshrined in the Charter.
The leader of the WRA in Alberta has been running a Property Rights lobby group since 1998. She's taking pot shots at Stelmach for imposing on property rights in the province. She's making property rights a main platform of her campaign.
Wed, 2011-01-26 16:25
#28
YOu need seven provinces to go along with something like that. Right now there are ZERO provincial governments supporting the enshrinement of property rights. If Danielle Smith or Ted Morton becomes premier - you will have one out of ten - maybe. I'm not losing any sleep over it.
Wed, 2011-01-26 16:36
#29
Boom Boom
Although I have not heard anything from Harper on this issue recently, he did say on multiple occasions he wants to get property rights into the Charter. You're absolutely right not to lose any sleep over this, but it's coming, one way or the other. If property rights get enshrined into Alberta law, then there's got to be pressure building for the other provinces to do likewise, and it's just a matter of time before they say if we can do this provincially, then we can do it federally as well. Enjoy your sleep.
ETA: Yes, it may be a while before the battle over property rights heats up in earnest, but best to be prepared, I say.
Wed, 2011-01-26 16:43
#30
Any province can pass any law it wants - it doesn't suddenly cause the charter of rights and freedoms to be repealed. I think the only people in Ontario who want this are some of those fanatical rural landowners groups who want to get rid of all zoning and all environmental regulations - this will never see the light of day.
Meanwhile I stand by my view that if Morton becomes leader of the Alberta PCs, the WRA overnight becomes the leftwing alternative to the Tories.
Wed, 2011-01-26 18:43
#31
That's ridiculous hyperbole. There are leftwingers in Alberta and none of them would vote for the WRA. I'm not that surprised that they fit your defnition of leftwing though.
Wed, 2011-01-26 19:40
#32
I was being sarcastic (but obviously some people have no sense of humour or irony). I wouldn't even call the Alberta Liberals "leftwing". But my point was that Ted Morton is such a rightwing extremist that with him at the helm, the WRA would actually end up being slightly to the left of the PCs (though still very rightwing over all)
Wed, 2011-01-26 20:39
#33
Boom Boom
Her short bio on Wiki says she is pro-choice, by the way. But her fierce support of property rights is bad enough for me, because she has pledged to spearhead a national initiative to get property rights in the Charter.
Wed, 2011-01-26 21:14
#34
Hey Stockholm, Morton winning the PC leadership isn't a foregone conclusion just yet I hope, neither would be a Morton-led PC party winning the next election.
I would be willing to bet that the PC's, regardless of who becomes the next leader, will continue with their stellar lack of long term planning and vision of any sort and continue along with their tried and true "status quo at all costs" way of running the gov't.
The WRA, if they win an election, might actually change things, and change them rather drastically I fear, in a way that will not be good for Alberta.
Better the devil you know, etc etc etc.
Hope that made some sense.
Wed, 2011-01-26 21:17
#35
Boom Boom
Good to see you back, HA!
Thu, 2011-01-27 02:08
#36
I would be willing to bet that the PC's, regardless of who becomes the next leader, will continue with their stellar lack of long term planning and vision of any sort and continue along with their tried and true "status quo at all costs" way of running the gov't.The WRA, if they win an election, might actually change things, and change them rather drastically I fear, in a way that will not be good for Alberta.
Better the devil you know, etc etc etc.
I don't see how this thinking is productive. Is there any actual evidence that the Wildrose Alliance could win enough support at this point to win an outright majority? It's quite clear that the PCs are increasingly on the outs with the Alberta public. Why rush onto a sinking ship? I actually see a huge opportunity, as this is the first time within my lifetime that there is a realistic chance of the governing party in Alberta changing hands. The grip that the PCs have on the province is so strong, that for the sake of shaking things up, any seat that falls to the Opposition is a good thing regardless of which opposition party takes that seat. Don't forget that things can also change very quickly in an election campaign, and there are specific regional breakdowns. For example, what if the NDP were to poll first place among Edmonton voters, while the Wildrose Alliance makes gains in Calgary peeling off enough PC votes to hand that city over to the Liberals, and then the Alliance takes some seats in the rural south?
I'm quite surprised to hear you thinking like this. Calgary didn't stampede over to Barb Higgins because she was the lesser of 2 evils, they voted for Naheed Nenshi because they were won over with the vision he sold and they voted bravely. And I am so sick and tired of "lesser evil" politics, that "we have to vote for Candidate A because if Candidate B gets in, the sun will turn black, the moon will turn red to blood, the stars will fall to the earth scorching everything upon impact, and earthquakes and volcanoes will devaour all our major cities thus bringing on the end of the world." Please, and you wonder why people are turned off with politics and why there's so little visionary thinking?
Thu, 2011-01-27 19:55
#37
Well there is this website I found from a quick google search (first result for "political ridings in Alberta provincial politics" or some such search term):
http://www.electionalmanac.com/canada/alberta/index.php
No idea about who is behind this website or any history on it. So I am making no claims as to it's accuracy or any information provided. Like I said it was the first hit on my search term. It doesn't seem to be particularily up to date either. The last public opinion poll was Feb '10 and I'm sure a lot has changed in the Alberta political landscape since then.
If you go there and look at the seat projections based on that Feb '10 public opinion poll, it has the WRA forming a majority gov't with 49 seats, the PC's forming the opposition with 20 seats, the Liberals with 9 seats and the NDP with 5 seats. Helpfully, the site does point out some of the methodology they used to calculate these seat projections (needless to say there are probably a lot of suspicious aspects to their methodology, assumptions etc etc), also adding that "the projections below are for entertainment purposes only". :)
Again, I don't know whose website this is or how accurate (if at all) any of this stuff is. But there would seem to be some indication that as long as the WRA can keep their poll #'s up they just may have a chance at forming the next gov't. I certainly am not going to completely discount that possibility at this point in time.
I personally think the WRA is polling higher than they should be as a result of a lot of disgruntled PC voting types who are dissatisfied with the current PC administration. I think a lot of their dissatisfaction with the PC'\s has been focussed on Ed Stelmach. I also think that whoever the PC's put in as the next leader a lot of these disgruntled former PC's will give them another chance and vote for them again in the next election, ensuring 4 more years of insipid governing by the PC's and another election win they did nothing to deserve, just like the last one in '08.
It's all a little academic for me anyways. The last election in my riding the PC's got over 6000 votes, the WRA over 2000, and the Liberals and NDP well behind the WRA. That's life in rural Alberta for you. It's not until you look at the urban ridings in Edmonton and Calgary that the Liberals and NDP are even in close competition with the PC's.
Maybe I am a little cynical about the Alberta political landscape but I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that if the PC's elect an empty corn flakes box to be their next leader it will go on to form a majority government with not much of a difference in seats than the PC's under Stelmach.
Thu, 2011-01-27 19:56
#38
I also make no claims to be any sort of political visionary or master tactician or any such thing. Just sayin'.
Fri, 2011-01-28 00:18
#39
If you go there and look at the seat projections based on that Feb '10 public opinion poll, it has the WRA forming a majority gov't with 49 seats, the PC's forming the opposition with 20 seats, the Liberals with 9 seats and the NDP with 5 seats. Helpfully, the site does point out some of the methodology they used to calculate these seat projections (needless to say there are probably a lot of suspicious aspects to their methodology, assumptions etc etc), also adding that "the projections below are for entertainment purposes only". :)
Again, I don't know whose website this is or how accurate (if at all) any of this stuff is. But there would seem to be some indication that as long as the WRA can keep their poll #'s up they just may have a chance at forming the next gov't. I certainly am not going to completely discount that possibility at this point in time.
Still, even with 49 seats, there is still a stronger Opposition presence in Alberta than there is normally.
I personally think the WRA is polling higher than they should be as a result of a lot of disgruntled PC voting types who are dissatisfied with the current PC administration. I think a lot of their dissatisfaction with the PC'\s has been focussed on Ed Stelmach. I also think that whoever the PC's put in as the next leader a lot of these disgruntled former PC's will give them another chance and vote for them again in the next election, ensuring 4 more years of insipid governing by the PC's and another election win they did nothing to deserve, just like the last one in '08.
I think a big thing is that the Wildrose has become the sort of "anybody-but-PC" vote. Certainly some of those votes may be up for grabs by the other parties. The other thing is that as the Wildrose Alliance rises in the polls, they will come under greater scrutiny and have to defend themselves, and some people may have second thoughts about them.
If I may, it also appears that the Wildrose Alliance has learned some lessons from Nenshi's victory in Calgary. If you go to their website, they have simple, 2-3 minute videos outlining basic ideas on certain issues. I don't see the NDP doing that, and they are not that good with updating their website. In all fairness, I don't live in Alberta so there could be things happening on the ground that I don't see, they do need to improve their cyberspace presence.
Fri, 2011-01-28 00:38
#40
I really don't know much if anything about the WRA. I plan on rectifying that soon. Not that I am planning on getting a membership or anything, but I think they are going to be a significant development in Alberta politics so I really should learn more about who is who in the zoo.
I suspect a lot of their votes in the last election were disgruntled PC's trying to send a message. If you were a pissed off PC voter I think it would be easier to vote for the WRA in a protest vote against the PC's than to vote for the Liberals or NDP. The Liberals and NDP just don't seem to be able to get significant votes outside of Edmonton and Calgary.
There is also the Alberta Party but I also don't know anything at all about them.
Not sure what it is with the Alberta electorate. At times I almost think the PC's must be putting some sort of mind controlling drugs into the water supply, the only people who seem unaffected are urban voters who must have Brita water filters or who drink bottled water (I joke, I joke).
Sadly though I think it will be a repeat of the 2008 election. People were starting to mutter unkind things about ther PC's and the way they were running things under King Ralph, the PC's forced him into early retirement and then Stelmach got in. All the talking heads were going on and on about how all the different opposition parties were going to kick ass in the election, and then Stelmach won even MORE seats than he held going into the election!
Another classic "WTF?" moment in Alberta politics.
Fri, 2011-01-28 00:59
#41
There is also the Alberta Party but I also don't know anything at all about them.
Sounds to me like a re-branding of the Alberta Liberals.
Sun, 2011-01-30 21:49
#42
I got to thinking, that having both the Liberal Party and the Alberta Party might not be such a bad thing. It might split the liberal vote and mean a few seats for the NDP in some urban ridings.
In Edmonton Center in 2008, the Liberals won the riding with 5000 votes, ther NDP almost 2200. Split that Liberal vote and pick up a few more NDP votes and that seat could go NDP.
Morton has resigned as Finance Minister to run for the leadership of the PC's. Pretty sure I saw Dinning on the news awhile back saying he wasn't interested in running for the leadership. I think the PC's will come up with a few no names to run against Morton so Morton can out-Morton them all at being Morton.
Sun, 2011-01-30 21:56
#43
Boom Boom
...so Morton can out-Morton them all at being Morton.
Scary and funny at the same time! 
/ 
Sun, 2011-01-30 22:04
#44
Morton's a fiscal conservative. They'll run some other candidates for the appearance of fair and open leadership selection processes, they'll all talk of fiscal conservatism and cutbacks and the importance of balancing the budgets and getting back into the black, Morton will look like an inspired visionary who will return the PC's to their conservative roots in an attempt to woo back all the disgruntled PC's who are swelling the ranks of the WRA.
Sadly I think it will work. I'm calling for yet another PC majority gov't under Morton, a WRA opposition, the NDP making significant gains (hey any more than 2 is a significant gain) with both the Liberals and Alberta Party doing poorly as a result of vote splitting or defections to the NDP or plagues of locusts or some such.
Sun, 2011-01-30 22:06
#45
It'll also mean more cutbacks and spending freezes and overall gov't fiscal restraint like under Klein.
Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
Tue, 2011-02-01 21:05
#46
And now Swann is out!
Who will the next warriors be in that age old struggle of right versus left, conservative vs liberal?
Stay tuned to find out!
I hadn't accounted for this possibility in my previous prediction. Yet I stand by my forecast of a vote splitting between the Alberta Party and the Alberta Liberals. The name calling has already begun but I don't remember the exact quote, something along the lines of "They have only one member and he's a leftover Liberal" - from some Alberta Liberal Party random talking head whose name escapes me.
Tue, 2011-02-01 22:35
#47
Boom Boom
Keep us posted, please.
Tue, 2011-02-01 22:42
#48
Oh I'll be keeping an eye on this! Exciting days again in Alberta!
Thu, 2011-02-03 22:06
#49
Stelmach will stay on as Premier until September
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Stelmach+staying+until+September/4214450/story.html
So if they don't push him out the door sooner it means a leadership race in the fall sometime. Article names a few more possible leadership candidates for the PC's: Morton obviously, then also:
Deputy premier Doug Horner is expected to resign from cabinet soon to join the race as well. The latest name to toss into the mix is Ken Hughes, a former rural MP and current chairman of the Alberta Health Services board.
Other names raised so far include Justice Minister Alison Redford, junior finance minister Doug Griffiths, Housing Minister Jonathan Denis and Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett.
Thu, 2011-02-03 22:13
#50
From the Alberta Liberals - no big name in the headline yet:
Like I said, no big names in the headline but the article goes on to list some potential candidates, none of which have officially said they are running for the leadership. Article is from yesterday.
Pretty sure this makes the NDP's Brian Mason the longest serving party leader at the provincial level.
Tue, 2011-03-15 20:27
#51
So far it's Morton, Doug Horner, Alison Redford, Doug Griffiths and now maybe Gary Mar. Tomorrow Mar is doing some sort of radio interview and media glad handing and a big speech at noon. Wonder what he will say?
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/expected+toss+Tory+leadership+race+rin...