I seem to remember a caution against trying to save a person who is drowning if you’re not trained to do so because they will more than likely end up taking you down with them.
In Alberta, it’s not even enough to be nowhere near the water — they’ll pluck you up from whatever you were doing and shove you into the water to try and save themselves.
Danielle Smith claimed she “told administration officials… ‘let’s just put things on pause so we can get through an election’,” during a Breitbart interview that sullied the Canadian consciousness with its ignorance of our political system, current affairs, and creepy-caller heavy breathing.
The piece de resistance, however, was when she added that “the perspective that Pierre (Poilievre) would bring would be very much in sync with, I think, the new direction in America.”
Canadians didn’t like it.
Albertans didn’t like it either.
And when I say “Albertans”, I don’t mean just half the province who has an ideological difference of opinion that causes Danielle Smith and the UCP constantly attack, disparage, and dismiss them as un-Albertan — I mean “Albertans”, period.
Liberals, NDP, non-affiliated, libertarians, conservatives, and Conservatives.
While some of those conservative voices would like her to stuff a sock in it because they see her self-congratulatory chumminess with both a hostile foreign government and the leader of the CPC as detrimental to, if not an outright indictment of Pierre Poilievre — during an election — more than a few are just plain disgusted with her determination to play tiddlywinks during high stakes geopolitical tensions between a country we love, and a country she loves.
True to form, though, Danielle Smith isn’t willing to take responsibility for her actions.
We’re all going down
During Question Period on Wednesday, Ms. Smith attempted to throw a blanket of blame on all of us.
I could be charitable and say she was only including herself and the old dudes who have been “chosen” by a bunch of equally mis and uninformed Albertans to go to Washington and try and make a deal for Alberta sovereignty, but it felt more personal.
She seemed really clear about the intention that if she was going to be labeled a traitor, she was taking everyone else in the province down with her.
"I will not be silent. Alberta will not be silent. We will not be pushed around and called traitors for merely having the courage to actually do something about our nation's and province's predicament, other than merely indulging in self-righteous tantrums," Smith said.
The ease with which she rolls along from “I” to “we” is standard conservative fare in this province.
“If you’re upset with what I’m doing, and I speak for everyone, then any attack on me is an attack on them.”
Postmedia’s Rick Bell did the same when he found himself in the hot seat after fawning over the Premier’s attempts to reach the President-elect directly. For two weeks, he and Don Braid embarrassed themselves immensely as they lavished praise on the little Premier who could weasel her way into the dark corners no one else would want to be.
Almost as if neither of them remembered the little Wildrose leader who abandoned everything she claimed to stand for with a smile when it looked like her party couldn’t win.
In a fabulous interview with Evan Solomon after she crossed the floor, Danielle Smith tried to justify her decision to betray Albertans. She said it had a lot to do with losing four by-elections, but also because she could no longer oppose then-Progressive Conservative leader, Jim Prentice. She wanted him to succeed, she said.
I’m not sure about anyone else, but considering she’s been such a big fan of Donald Trump, it doesn’t give me much confidence that she’s really down there advocating for Canada — the only government of which she’s managed to stand up to since she was elected.
How long until they convince her she would have better luck on their side?
The little province that could
On the whole, we have an impressive amount of undeserved confidence for a little province in Canada.
At least one of them was actually elected to speak for the province. Those other guys? They’ve just pulled up their bootstraps so hard that they’re now talking out of their asses.
We have people here who think they can speak “for” Canada, despite their atrocious inability to even pretend to be a willing partner.
I’ve said it before, you can’t be both standing up and bending over backwards.
While a majority of Albertans are seeking to link arms with their family, their friends, and their fellow Canadians — who are all having their livelihoods and citizenship threatened by this no-longer-friendly foreign administration — the Premier of Alberta is off to another meet and greet with foreign actors at a fundraiser for an institution committed to promoting America first.
Tonight, she will take the stage for a conversation with a person who not only thinks Canada should be annexed by the U.S., but that we should remain a conquered territory they can pillage for resources without the privilege of voting.
She’s doing this, she says, “for Alberta” — though maybe that’s a legal definition if you expect taxpayers to pay your way.
As Donald Trump announced more tariffs on Canadian exports yesterday, and more are expected next week on April 2, it can’t be just me who sees the only person benefitting from any of this is Danielle Smith.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is struggling to regain even the notion that he could win this election, Canada is still under threat, and Danielle Smith’s biggest concern is whether she packed her dance shoes for the after party with MAGA influencers.
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Shapiro is one of the earliest awful blogosphere Trumpy choads to bloviate on Canadas illegitimacy as a country and why it should be annexed!
How hard do you have to be slapped across the face to get it through your thick skull you are being played?
Smith is such a damned fool! Is she stupid? Incompetent? Corrupt? She’s quickly striking the likelihood of the first two characterizations!
Her after the fact wrapping herself in an Alberta flag to explain away her earnest quisling is tragically pathetic.
She has no loyalty, to party or country, and her "mandate" came from the sixth ballot for the UCP leadership.
Well-written and persuasive, Deirdre.