Bill 45

Wildrose reaction to proposed raise for front-line health workers illustrates the party's rightward shift

| February 5, 2017

Unhappy Progressive Conservative traditionalists have termed the still theoretical united-right party PC leadership Jason Kenney hopes to create after he wins the party leadership in March, "Wildrose 2.0."

But surely this is incorrect. If the Danielle Smith led Opposition party ginned up by oilpatch operators unhappy with former PC premier Ed Stelmach's plan to get Albertans a slightly better return on the resources they own was Wildrose 1.0, surely the B-Team now headed by Brian Jean is already Wildrose 2.0!

That means that in the likely event Kenney succeeds in uniting the right on his radical social conservative terms, the new entity should be called Wildrose 3.0.

With Lieutenant-Governor Donald Ethell, in frail health, set to retire, PM must choose replacement with care

David J. Climenhaga

| May 12, 2015

More significant change is coming to Alberta's government in the wake of last week's election of Premier Designate Rachel Notley's New Democratic Party government -- and I'm not speaking of the interim appointment yesterday of former infrastructure minister Ric McIver as leader of the much diminished Progressive Conservative caucus in the Legislature.

Alison Redford returns, tells us to look in the mirror for her problems

David J. Climenhaga

| March 21, 2015

Just to start, I have to admit I have a hard time imagining Alison Redford in the kitchen, flour on her hands, baking. Apple pies, presumably.

But that’s how the former Alberta premier portrays herself in Globe and Mail Western Canada columnist Gary Mason's lengthy account yesterday of how she now sees her fall from grace after a year of "self-analysis."

Mason's story -- which sets out Alison Redford's record as seen by Alison Redford -- created a major buzz yesterday among Alberta's chattering classes. Alas, for all that, it was not terribly illuminating.

Return of the Bitumen Bubble, sort of, rains on otherwise cheerful Prentice parade

David J. Climenhaga

| October 16, 2014

Just when you think you're finding your way out of the woods, there's that damned Bitumen Bubble again.

This time, it's crude oil prices that are declining -- or, as they say in journalese, the official language of the Internet, "plummeting."

This is handy for conservatives once they're elected and want to cut the crap out of public services they promised to protect, but not so good in the lead-up to an election during the phase when conservative governments of all stripes go into a tax-and-spend-liberal-spree mode and shower dollars on electors.

Be careful what you ask for! Jim Prentice walks away with the Wildrose political playbook

David J. Climenhaga

| September 22, 2014

As the expression goes: be careful what you ask for! You might just get it.

There is irony -- perhaps even bitter irony -- in what newly minted Alberta Premier Jim Prentice managed to do to the Wildrose Opposition last week and will likely continue to do to them this week as well.

As he attempts to right the leaky Progressive Conservative ship of state, which nearly sank during the inept captaincy of fired premier Alison Redford, he has not only emphatically abandoned a whole gamut of policies once implemented by the Redford Government, he has done what the federal Liberals have done repeatedly to the New Democratic Party.

Alberta Premier Jim Prentice plucks the low-hanging fruit -- now for the hard stuff…

David J. Climenhaga

| September 19, 2014

It's one thing to let a couple of pieces of ill-considered and unpopular legislation die on the order paper.

Alberta Premier Jim Prentice did that yesterday with Bills 9 and 10, two bad ideas cooked up by the brainiacs in Alison Redford's inner circle to make the anti-public-service and financial services lobbies happy by attacking the retirement security of modestly paid working people in the name of sustainability.

Likewise, it's one thing to toss a bit of mindless but expensive symbolism over the side, which Prentice also did later yesterday when he mercifully pulled the plug on the Dave Hancock Government's brain-dead $15-million-plus notion of eliminating the "Wild Rose Country" slogan on Alberta automotive licence plates because of, well… you know who.

Alberta pension 'reform' effort likely dead as PCs and opposition parties refer Bills 9 and 10 to committee

David J. Climenhaga

| May 6, 2014

Former Alberta premier Alison Redford's ill-conceived anti-union project was in shambles last night, with an agreement to send two bills attacking public sector pensions to a legislative committee where they can die with dignity.

With the car in the ditch, wheels spinning and headlights pointed skyward, the Progressive Conservative government of Premier pro tempore Dave Hancock agreed yesterday afternoon to send the two controversial pension bills to the committee, which is supposed to report back in the fall.

In one day, the ground shifts in Alberta politics in ways unexpected, sometimes uplifting, sometimes troubling

David J. Climenhaga

| April 18, 2014

What a strange day it was yesterday, at times uplifting, at times profoundly depressing, and at times just disorienting.

In the morning, Alberta suddenly dropped most aspects of its official homophobia. This less formal kind will continue to longer for a spell, of course, but as an issue for most Albertans it's done like the family's dinner.

Advice to new Alberta premier: Sweet words won't be enough for unhappy civil servants

David J. Climenhaga

| March 26, 2014

What a difference a few days can make! One leaves the province with one premier in power, figuratively bellowing threats at the civil service, and returns less than a week later to find another one, whispering sweet nothings in the same public employees' ears!

Well, that's not quite fair. Whomever Alison Redford was bellowing threats at last week, it wasn't likely the Alberta civil service any more. In her mind, I suspect, she reckoned she'd already sorted them out. By the end of last week, the former premier had bigger fish to fry.

Alison Redford should have paid attention to civil service vehicle use policy

David J. Climenhaga

| March 5, 2014

"Good afternoon," began a recent email from an assistant deputy minister to government employees of the humbler sort who don't get to travel first class to faraway places but who may need to use a Government of Alberta vehicle now and again in the course of their duties.

You know, the type of employees who have been rewarded for the loyalty and hard work by being made subject to the unconstitutional vagaries of Bills 45 and 46 and having their pensions undermined by the Government of Premier Alison Redford.

Bill 45

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