41 Comments
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Kathleen's avatar

Show up for the NDP, door knock, telephone citizens, listen to what they have to say; publish the real story, the facts. Point out the UCP/Smith promises and what they have actually done.

Then invite them to hear the Healthcare shit-show, one experience after another. Remind them that they don’t want to get sick in AB …

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

It’s the first option for sure— do it for a party you like and hope it works out.

Mark L's avatar

Happy Easter Deirdre.

Legault is packing it in.

We have an election no later than Oct 5th. Should Alberta hold an Election what would the Alberta election and Quebec election have in common? Every single issue that Albertans are worried, upset, pissed about, holds true in Quebec. I will go out on a limb here and state unequivocally this is the common thread right across the country.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

And to you Mark!

It would be really interesting to see what the mindset actually is in Alberta. I think an election would be enlightening. But awful. Probably.

Mark L's avatar

What is to be achieved. October of 2027 is the date that Albertans will head to the polls. Eighteen months? Unless Danielle Smith feels the need to call an election, personally i would give Albertans a break.

Anne ODriscoll's avatar

I agree , the only to get rid of her is vote her out.

Anonymous's avatar

Anne ODriscoll: I have an intense feeling that Danielle Smith is done for. So are the UCP, because there is a lot of immense corruption happening. But we still have to be prepared to take them down.

Anne ODriscoll's avatar

Unfortunately according to the latest polls none of the horrific things she is doing have dampened Albertan’s appetite for her government. I keep hoping for a miracle though.

Bill Fowler's avatar

Now I’m uncomfortable.

I once joined the PC’s here when the Highwood riding was realigned and Danielle had to run against other, shall we say true blue conservatives, after crossing the floor.

I bought my membership, caste my vote against her, went back to the membership desk and told them to cancel my membership as I couldn’t support a party that would even contemplate having her as a member.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

All fair. Someone might have to do a year or so of the Kenney-esque tour to drum up support for something better. But the UCP staying the same as they are right now isn’t going to be it.

Bill Fowler's avatar

I feel like there’s a pincer movement around Moretta. All on the right mind but Boss Hogg Rath on one side and Handmaids Tale Parker on the other.

Separatists and Old Testament misogynists don’t feel like a cooperative mix.

Then toss in old PC’s watching the investment community second guessing this administration.

There may be a place for a coalition government between the new Tories and the NDP. I think they are more closely aligned than ever.

Deidre don’t make me join the upc……….

Brenda 🇨🇦's avatar

Now I'm thoroughly depressed, but I still refuse to believe that there are that many people in this province who agree with everything the UCP have done. Say it isn't so!

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

I wish I could. That latest polling number is from early March. I worry about the orange aversion. And the fact that people don’t pay attention to politics— which I totally get because it’s been overwhelming me too lately. Mostly because I forgot that we aren’t actually powerless here.

Brenda 🇨🇦's avatar

I'm paying way too much attention, and it's not good for the mental health. You're right that we need to get off our butts and do something to help overcome that orange aversion

Jamie Hjalte's avatar

It will have to be people that weren’t involved with NDP. They have a list of something maybe it’s donation records or something. I tried to join to vote in their last leadership race and was rejected.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

My recommendation to anyone who wanted to join for the purpose of making the party better would be to do so without fanfare. I’ve been a member without issue, but I also don’t tend to publicly support their rivals.

Jamie Hjalte's avatar

lol Ive been a member of almost every political party in western Canada anyway. Ed Stalmach and Notley are the only leadership candidates Ive backed to actually win tho…. UCP is only one to block my membership. Hell I was even able to try and vote for Patrick brown in CPC last leadership contest.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

They’ll block your membership but not the separatists even though their founding documents state members support a united Canada 🙄

Karen Vande's avatar

Yes. They blocked my membership as well. So frankly I don’t see how this method will work. At least for anyone who has been writing them letters, calling etc to express disappointment with their various measures.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

Sure, anyone whose name is out there as an NDP supporter is easy to find. I expect it to be more PC-driven, personally.

Marion's avatar

I too joined the party so I could vote for the leadership. What’s going on with the “Tory” guys that had left the UPC and were working with the Alberta party? I was hoping they would generate enough interest to split the conservative vote but I have not seen any sign of them lately. Did I miss something?

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

Pete is working on it but we are in a media bubble; he won’t get much attention from the UCP super fans at Postmedia, and he’s just one guy, so he manages to get less attention than the official opposition (and they don’t get as much attention as the UCP either).

Marion's avatar

But they are out there? Good to know. I saw the Alberta flags out yesterday along the highway for the separation petition and it pissed me off cos now I can’t fly an Alberta flag. Every time I see one now I think of the morons trying to tear this province apart.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

They are. I think an early election might be very problematic for them, but they are.

Geri's avatar

Just fly it right by your Canada flag. We can take back this flag also, just like we got the maple leaf back from the convoy complainers.

Marion's avatar

Good point. After the convoy debacle every time I saw someone (particularly in a big ole pickup truck) flying the maple leaf I presumed them to be a convoy moron and it pissed me off. Then Carney came along & brought the pride back, brought fight out of us to buy Canadian, be proudly Canadian, and take our flag back.

Kenny F Willis's avatar

I think that 48% says everything you need to know about this province

John's avatar

Sadly I think people will start leaving. Investment will slow and the place I love will become a toxic backwater with oil money. Sometimes you just can't fight stupid.

Maceyovski Dennis's avatar

Probably still paying IDU Harper $3 million a year conciliation fee?

Ben Atkinson, PhD's avatar

I actually did join the UCP just to vote in the leadership race, and I ranked Smith last. It was disappointing to watch the results being announced, because my personal ranking of the candidates ended up being almost perfectly correlated with the order in which candidates were *eliminated* in the race.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

Haha mine was sort of similar except I didn’t vote for Loewen or Smith. Jean is a weird duck. Whichever way the wind blows kind of guy, but he put out an op-ed when he entered the first UCP leadership and it was good— he turned from it as soon as he discovered that Schweitzer was going to be the moderate.

Chris Sturwold's avatar

Good piece. One factual refinement makes it even sharper: the UCP absolutely did promise fixed election dates, then legislated them, then changed the date in 2024.

The real issue is that Alberta’s Election Act still keeps the early-dissolution escape hatch, and Bill 23 would let an off-date election kill initiative petitions already in progress.

So yes, they promised fixed dates. They just made sure the trap door stayed in the floor.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean's avatar

They’re really showing us that laws are just whatever you feel at the moment.

Chris Sturwold's avatar

Bad governments love two things: winning, and pretending the rules are neutral while they tinker with them.

Howard Gibb's avatar

Smith sure would want to call an early election before a referendum happens or MCHCare explodes like a bloated whale carcass on a beach.

Another Anon's avatar

the other party, the Tories or whatever they have branded themselves, are well placed to draw other candidates and to split the conservative vote, maybe not enough to lose their mandate but enough to rattle them and put them in minority government territory. I don't see the NDP doing well with Nenshi at the helm, or any independents making a significant dent.

Catherine kedziora's avatar

I will never believe that true, loyal Alberta Canadians will allow the pedophile loving Epstein class to take over their lives. Maga Americans might be proud of themselves for serving up children to the predator in the White House and his billionaire pedo buddies I just cannot believe that Albertans will embrace and sanction this…my Canada includes Alberta and Quebec it always has and I pray it always will. We may have our differences but we are always stronger together…working, unified, against the Epstein class.

Ann Frances's avatar

The conduct of Smith and the UCP is so sickening it's difficult to read the reporting about it - even the excellent reporting here! (And kudos to all who face the nausea, do the reporting, and give us a fighting chance of understanding how Smith is installing authoritarian gov't and damaging Canada.)

We need our own Peter Magyar, it seems; someone willing to go into the rural areas to illustrate how the authoritarian agenda does them harm personally, and does their province and country incalculable damage as well. Nenshi doesn't seem to know how to lead such an effort. How about the ‘Tory’ party? Can a movement form around that?

We in ON have similar issues. I hope we'll start working on them more concertedly here, as well.

Anonymous's avatar

I totally agree that the UCP and Danielle Smith have to be out of power, but there are flaws with this idea. You see, the UCP has a very heavily screened membership system. Try and become a member to attend their AGM, and if they see you are a dissident in their eyes, you won't get a membership.

There are other ways to deal with things, if the UCP's severe levels of corruption don't get them first (actually, that's a strong likelihood). If there are election forums, prior to the next provincial election, gang up on the UCP candidates. Have friends join in, and have preselected questions, and hit the UCP candidates hard.