This week in AB: August 17, 2025

Back in the saddle, again.

Alberta

UCP MLA calls bilingualism requirement (outside of Quebec) “dumb”

Red Deer North MLA Jason Stephan vomited some word salad for the Western Standard last week arguing that bilingualism should be a requirement for Quebec, but no one else, so long as they speak English. Near as I can tell, his ire stemmed from the requirement applying to judicial appointments, and the audacity of Pierre Elliott Trudeau to include bilingualism in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

With tones of separatist sentiment, and a complete ignorance of Alberta history, Mr. Stephan argued that such a requirement is “divorced from reality” in a province where French language education is not just a right guaranteed by the Charter, and the Education Act, but is growing through demand for access to French immersion programs in public schools, and already well-developed already in the separate, Catholic school system.

Many of the first settlers to Alberta were French-Canadian. Brought by fur traders, French was in fact the first European language spoken in Alberta. These French origins are still evident today and, according to the 2021 Census data, more than 383,000 (or 9%) of Albertans are of French or French-Canadian heritage.

Francophone Heritage in Alberta, Alberta.ca, accessed 08-17-2025

Mr. Stephan has never struck me as a particularly swift individual, and I’ve yet to decide if he’s going rogue because there’s an opportunity for him to really let his incompetence shine as the first floor crosser to the Republican Party of Alberta, or if the Premier is still deluding herself that she can “disagree with” the ignorant things her caucus says and retain a majority of the popular vote.

The UCP can attack many people in Alberta with partisan impunity, but these are not groups that will sit back and “respect his right to say it” even if the Premier “doesn’t personally support it”.

Words carry weight. When an elected official publicly states that "Alberta does not need French," he or she is not only delivering a personal opinion: he or she is sending a message to tens of thousands of Albertans who live, work and contribute every day to the prosperity of our province in French, including in your own riding.

Natalie Lachance, ACFA president, Open Letter to Jason Stephan, August 13, 2025

Taking aim at French language seems like a ridiculously stupid thing to do and because it is such an ignorant position to take, it’s giving me “rogue MLA” vibes. While it’s possible he thought he was taking a good separatist position for the party, one does not attack groups with political might in Alberta; and both the French language association and the Catholic school system are mighty political forces.

As an opening act for the fall season, it’s making me think popcorn futures remain optimistic in Alberta politics.

Alberta Next Panel gets an earful in Edmonton

Tyler Dawson on the former bird site

Finally.

The earful, not the potential riot.

Amazingly, the reaction from some in the crowd even reached those with heavy convoy sympathies — at least briefly.

I am at the Alberta Next panel discussion, and it’s disheartening to see how emotionally charged things have become, and how difficult it is for people to have a mature and respectful conversation.

Public trust is clearly broken, and I don’t think this is the right forum for people to express their concerns and frustrations. In fact, it seems to be further dividing people. Many of the speakers are visibly shaking, and it seems people think that the loudest applause is the measure of winning.

We need a forum where people can genuinely learn and engage respectfully—and, more importantly, we need elected officials to understand their role: actively engaging with the public, rather than relying on a random panel of voices. There is an underlying problem and broken trust that must be addressed, because this approach doesn’t seem to be fixing anything, and maybe, making things worse…

Eva Chipiuk, lawyer, former bird site August 14, 2025

Yes, people are upset that the Premier has assembled a panel to discuss appeasing separatists and those who have a debilitatingly large chip on their shoulder they are determined to hold onto because it has become their entire identity.

Why can we not have a “mature” conversation about blaming Ottawa for being one of the wealthiest provinces in confederation? Why can we not just sit and listen to those who want to separate from Canada and try to see their side? Why can we not have a “respectful” conversation about withholding healthcare and other provincial benefits from immigrants who are not gifted with the UCP’s explicit approval?

The answer is embarrassingly simple: because most of us are proud Canadians and we don’t appreciate being told that we might be forced out of our home, and our province, to remain so.

Albertans can, and have, engaged in respectful conversations about items on the separatist agenda. We’ve been polled, and attended engagement sessions, and filled out surveys for more than 30 years.

We’ve been “mature” and we’ve been “respectful”.

The difference this time is that we are being threatened. Our homes, indeed the lives we’ve built in this province, is being credibly threatened.

Never have we had a Premier who amended legislation to help the separatists get a referendum on leaving Canada. Never have we had a Premier who took the side of a hostile foreign power threatening our country’s economic security and sovereignty. And yes, we’re taking it very personally.

As I said in the above article, debating people’s rights is easy for those who have nothing to lose. If the separatists win a referendum, they get what they want. If they lose, nothing materially changes for them. They are still free to stay or free to go which is not the case for Canadians living in Alberta who want to remain part of Canada.

Would the separatists and their sympathizers pursue this referenda if a “yes” vote forced them to sell their homes and land and leave? Would it be acceptable for the rest of us to demand they do? If you’ve answered “no”, then you understand why those of us who are facing that potential future are “emotional” about it.

Obvious segue: Forever Canadian petitions are out and about

Have you signed up to get signatures, donate, or volunteer with Forever Canadian yet? Their volunteers are hosting sign ups around the province.

I see the notifications on the former bird site, but you can see if they’re in your area here, or pledge to sign here. I am optimistic that if you give them your contact info, they’ll let you know when they’re in your area because you can only sign this petition in-person; there is no online petition.

Lineups in Nose Hill Park, Calgary, over the weekend; proud to be Canadian in Alberta!!

By-election boogaloo

My logic brain tells me that Pierre Poilievre isn’t really “fighting” for a seat in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. In a recent episode of The Numbers with Eric Grenier and Philippe J. Fournier, they couldn’t even toy with us a little that there might be an upset. Bless Eric for trying to set up the thought experiment anyway because despite it all, I have found yet another reason to think that Mr. Poilievre will not run away with this by-election.

Bruce Anderson’s substack; I love that photo because it looks like Poilievre is about to get yanked off the stage with a Vaudeville hook.

If the Mark Carney government has 59 per cent support in Alberta, and if Pierre Poilievre is still sitting at a dismal 35 per cent, and if Canadians really do have less patience with performative political games… there’s at least a chance that the constituents of BRC might be the ones to deliver that message to the CPC leader.

BRC may be “the safest conservative seat in the country” but that almost makes the decision to run there even more obvious for taking those votes for granted. We know that rural Alberta is conservative, and rural Alberta knows it’s conservative, but it’s only a badge of honour if they do it willingly — and being forced into a by-election because the leader lost their seat can easily be seen as someone trying to take advantage of their predilection instead of respecting it.

That’s not to say I think it’s probable that BRC will turn to another candidate en masse but, today, it’s Schrodinger’s by-election and anyone can win. 24 per cent of eligible voters have already cast their ballots in advance polls and election day is tomorrow, August 18.

Voters could be motivated to secure their title as “the safest conservative riding in Canada” or not. They could be looking at Mr. Poilievre’s interest in their riding as purely self-serving, or adorably reliant — if one can really think that about a career politician who obtained gold-plated pension status at the tender age of 31… 15 years ago.

If Mr. Poilievre fails to meet or exceed his predecessor’s margin of 82 per cent, the focus will be on the deficit. A small one, of 10-12 points, will still be seen as an acceptable success. Anything less than 65 per cent, I should think, assures he will not see another general election as leader.

Would Mr. Poilievre continue to represent BRC without the fully-staffed, tax-free benefit of an Ottawa mansion for the leader of the opposition? Or even as a former leader of the opposition? Of that, I have serious doubts and it’s not inconceivable that residents of BRC do as well.

UCP turns public health into private luxuries

We’ve always had to pay for some vaccinations in Alberta. If you’re in need of a vaccine for travel, say, to a country where malaria is a health threat, it isn’t covered by Alberta Health. The simplest reasoning is that traveling to a place where malaria is a health threat — Africa — is a choice. It’s also not an inexpensive choice. If you can afford the trip, you can probably afford the vaccine, too.

It’s probably why you don’t see people complaining about the cost. Though when I looked it up to see what the cost was exactly, I discovered that there’s “travel clinics” charging for consultations (family doctors still aren’t available for everyone), and vaccines that are covered by Alberta Health but not if you go there? Anyhoo.

Albertans are being asked to register for their flu and Covid vaccine and I’m hoping I don’t have to register my mom, who’s in long-term care, but there’s no information about that because why would there be?

Premier Smith claimed that since the federal government is no longer paying for Covid vaccines, she decided the province shouldn’t either. Basically. What I didn’t realize is that we also have to pre-order a flu vaccine, which is usually available, and well-advertized, in the fall. I suppose the UCP decided that since they now have to pay for an awareness campaign about speeding, it’s another great excuse not to spend public dollars on health.

Health experts agree that forcing people to pay more for healthcare is a deterrent to accessing healthcare. Almost like how when the government says it’ll cost more to pollute, it is meant to be a deterrent to pollution — unless you really, really, really like polluting and then you can complain, convoy, and camp at rest stops for free to get that deterrent cancelled.

Weird segue but…

China decided to tariff Canadian canola by 87 per cent. As with U.S. tariffs, that means that if a company or individual in China wants to import Canadian canola seed — of which they generally buy 2/3 of the canola seed Canadian farmers grow — the company or individual in China will pay an 87 per cent tariff on that canola seed.

The Chinese government put this tariff on their companies and individuals in retaliation for Canada’s 106 per cent tariff on their electric vehicles, which we implemented in tandem with the U.S. tariffs of and on the same because we used to have some misguided sense of partnership with said country.

I mistakenly thought the Premier of Alberta would sit back and watch Prime Minister Mark Carney squirm but I forgot how much she wants to screw Canada over.

Instead of sitting this one out, Premier Danielle Smith demanded that the Prime Minister fix this mess immediately — which would mean removing the tariff on electric vehicles and absolutely sidelining Ontario auto manufacturing — because of course she wouldn’t think twice about doing that. There may not be an ”I” in “team Canada” but there’s a double dose in “Danielle Smith”.

It was still a little jarring to see the Premier take the side of electric vehicle imports being that she is first and foremost an oil and gas booster. I will concede that in the law of averages, as in, the likelihood that the Prime Minister would screw over Ontario, Ms. Smith gets to look like she’s tough on Liberals while not having to actually worry that internal combustion engine vehicles will be replaced with inexpensive Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles anytime soon.

Political games and all.

One step closer to a PC renewal

Membership sales officially close today and a special general meeting will be called to vote on a name change for the Alberta Party.

This is full circle for me. The first membership I ever purchased was with the Alberta Party in 2015; it was my first political donation, and my first offer to volunteer, too. The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta hosted the first leadership convention (and the last PC event) I’d ever been to. It was the ascension of my obsession with politics.

I’ve often participated in leadership races, though, no matter what party it is, because I care about who leads my province, or country, and if I can have a say for $10, I will absolutely do that.

So, I will attend the Special General Meeting for the Alberta Party and I will hear what they have to say. I will vote my conscience, as an individual and as an Albertan; the same as I did in the Alberta NDP leadership in 2024, and the UCP leadership before that.

And I will hope for the best, as I always do.

Cheers.

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