One of the enduring myths of our era is that Albertans (or Canadians, or whomever) don’t like negative political advertising, and therefore that political attack ads won’t work here. Now that Alberta’s New Democratic Party has published a website attacking Opposition Leader Jason Kenney’s record as a federal Conservative MP,
Continue readingTag: Adrian Dix
Alberta Politics: Brian Topp, NDP strategist who led Rachel Notley’s 2015 war room, describes what Jagmeet Singh must do this year to win
With a federal election looming this fall, mainstream pundits have already written off the federal New Democratic Party and its leader, Jagmeet Singh, relegating Mr. Singh to history’s discard bin and declaring the party to have already returned to perpetual third-party status. Maybe they shouldn’t, suggests long-time NDP political strategist
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Criticism of John Carpay, who compared pride flags to swastikas, called the work of a ‘left wing mob’
According to an increasingly influential segment of the United Conservative Party’s social conservative base, Albertans who have taken to social media to assail an ally of party leader Jason Kenney for the bigotry evident in his comparison of the pride flag to the Nazi swastika are nothing more than “the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Topp spin: Alberta premier’s departing chief of staff gives his final report to media with an eye to history
PHOTOS: Brian Topp, Premier Rachel Notley’s departing chief of staff. Below: Mr. Topp’s replacement, John Heaney; Jim Rutkowski, appointed Principal Secretary in the premier’s office; he replaces Anne McGrath, who becomes executive director of the Premier’s Southern Alberta Office in Calgary; and former southern office ED Bob Hawkesworth. It would
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Rafe: By backing LNG, the Horgan NDP lost election before it began
The following is the first in a two-part opinion letter series. In a sequel letter, Common Sense Canadian publisher Damien Gillis will do what he rarely does: disagree with his old pal and partner, Rafe Read more…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: B.C. politics as seen from Alberta: Christy Clark’s re-election strategy exposed
PHOTOS: B.C. Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon reads the notorious Throne Speech attacking Alberta on Tuesday. Below: B.C. Premier Christie Clark, NDP strategist Brian Topp, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and B.C. NDP leader John Horgan. You no longer …
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Christy Clark Tells NEB That Her BC Government Rejects The Kinder Morgan Expansion
When BC NDP leader Adrian Dix announced during the last BC election campaign that he would stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion the MSM went ballistic. They said that he should have waited until all Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Has John Horgan Succeeded In Distancing Himself From Christy Clark’s LNG Nightmare?–Fletcher Interview
Once again the BC NDP seem poised for certain victory against the BC Liberals. However that task and challenge has not been accomplished since 1996 when an upstart and radically relevant Glen Clark upset the Read more…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Fortune favours the brave? Trudeau risks advocating sane gun laws and ripping PM’s dog-whistle bigotry
PHOTOS: Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau during a visit to Edmonton last year. Below: NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It should have been natural for the leader of the NDP to finally be the one who clearly called out Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his unprincipled
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Lessons learned
As I noted here, it’s well worth comparing what’s happening in any given election to any recent precedents. While past performance never guarantees future results, we can tell both what lessons a party has drawn from experience, as well as how strategies change when they don’t work out as planned.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Tory-linked lobbying firm hires former Canadian Labour Congress president and former B.C. NDP minister
PHOTOS: Lobbyists head out to provide “strategic counsel” to Alberta’s new NDP government. Can you spot the recently hired New Democrats among them? No? Well, neither can I. Actual Alberta lobbyists may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Former CLC president Ken Georgetti, former B.C. NDP party president and cabinet
Continue readingAlberta Politics: By ignoring Ed Stelmach, the oiligarchy and the ideological right overreached and lost plenty
PHOTOS: Ed Stelmach in the premier’s office at the Alberta Legislature. Below: Preston Manning, the Godfather of the Canadian right; Stelmach’s finance minister, Ted Morton; New Democrat political strategist Brian Topp. Ed Stelmach, the last good premier the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party managed to elect, spoke up yesterday about the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Head of review panel repeats call for delay to BC Hydro’s Site C Dam
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger One of the biggest illusions in BC politics is that the BC Liberals are down to earth business disciplined stewards managing the most prudent course on behalf of the citizens of BC. Admittedly led by Premier Christy Clark they are better fabricators, spinners and show an
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Bill C-51–Trudeau Liberals and Mulcair New Democrats Put Party First-Canada Second
Richard Hub Hughes-Political Blogger I am a life long New Democrat and I am appalled at the ‘weak as water’ positioning that the Thomas Mulcair led NDP have offered in regard to the Harper anti terror Bill C 51, a bill that will, if passed, turn Canada into a CSIS Police
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Super Industrial BC
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes-Positively Political Rafe Mair is back in the saddle and zoning in on issues of significance to all British Columbians. Mair is calling out to BC NDP Leader John Horgan to stand up to the powerful oil and gas corporations, in part because if he won’t, who will?
Continue readingLeft Over: Mikey Doesn’t Like It…
Former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt quits NDP Harcourt let membership lapse over many issues including the party’s opposition to carbon tax CBC News Posted: Apr 01, 2014 8:10 AM PT Last Updated: Apr 01, 2014 8:10 AM PT Have to agree with Mike, in principle, although my membership lapsed years
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: If Chong’s Reform Act were in place in BC, would Adrian Dix be Premier today?
Lots of the debate around Michael Chong’s proposed Reform Act to, among other things, allow a federal parliamentary caucus to fire the party leader, has taken place in the abstract. We need to do something, it’s better than nothing, you’re with reform or you’re with the terrorists, and so forth.
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss a…
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss
Continue reading