The former health minister shares her plans for health, climate, and housing NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman joins the Daveberta Podcast to talk about why she is running for the Alberta NDP leadership and her plans for health care, climate, and housing. We discuss Hoffman’s experiences as Minister of Health and
Continue readingTag: Rachel Notley
Alberta Politics: ‘Nenshimania’ grips social media, but would choosing Calgary’s former mayor to lead Alberta’s NDP really be a good idea?
Before we get carried away by the current outbreak of Nenshimania, let’s just remember that it wasn’t the Alberta Party or the Alberta Liberals that toppled this province’s 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty in 2015, no matter how much they might wish they had. Departing NDP Leader Rachel Notley in 2019
Continue readingIn This Corner: Whither the Alberta NDP?
During the provincial election of 2015, Rachel Notley was everywhere. Literally. The party – which, going into the election, had just four seats – was desperate. Their candidates were so unknown, so unprepared, that election signs would have given you the impression that Rachel Notley was running in your constituency
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Rachel Notley Steps Down
“We didn’t get everything right, but we governed with integrity, an ambitious agenda and an earnest desire to make life better for Albertans.”—Rachel Notley The first time I met Rachel Notley was after she’d won the NDP leadership race. She was hosting a meet-and-greet at a coffee shop in Calgary.
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: It’s A Confession
In the wake of Rachel Notley stepping down as leader of the Alberta NDP, the geniuses over at National Post decided to publish an “opinion” piece that tries to lay all of Alberta’s political problems at her feet. Besides being partisan drivel, it’s interesting to go through this particular example
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley: The woman who made Alberta democracy great again!
Say what you will about Rachel Notley, she made Alberta democracy great again! A steely eyed Rachel Notley on Oct. 18, 2014, moments after she was elected leader of the Alberta NDP (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Ms. Notley, who yesterday announced her plan to step aside as Opposition leader in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley, who made history as Alberta’s first NDP premier, announces she will step down as Opposition leader
Rachel Notley, who led the Alberta New Democratic Party to an unexpected majority government in 2015, announced today she will step down as Opposition leader. Ms. Notley wipes away a year, as her husband Lou Arab stands by (Photo: Screenshot of NDP video). Her noon announcement confirmed what has been
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The AESO Emergency Alert
Last night Alberta’s electric system operator (AESO) issued a province-wide emergency alert asking Albertans to immediately reduce their electricity use to minimize the potential for rotating outages across the province. First the good news, Albertans responded to the call. Within minutes usage dropped significantly and rotating power outages were avoided.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘Pause’ in Smith Government’s Alberta pension plan sales pitch sounds more like a strategic effort to regroup
On Friday, Finance Minister Nate Horner used what was billed an “Alberta Pension Plan engagement update” to announce the United Conservative Party Government will “pause” its effort to persuade Albertans the province should take over more than half the assets of the Canada Pension Plan and use them to set
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The last thing Alberta New Democrats need is a dumb fight over their name, which is just fine as it is
It would be a pity if the coming NDP leadership race got sidetracked into a silly fight about whether Alberta Opposition party should change its name. Former Calgary-Currie NDP MLA Brian Malkinson, who thinks the NDP should change its name (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). But exactly that could happen when
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What’s next for Rachel Notley? Is there a path to the PMO for Alberta’s former NDP premier?
So what’s next for Rachel Notley? Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). The buzz grows louder by the day that sooner than later Ms. Notley is going to move on from her present role as Alberta’s Opposition leader. Gossips are hinting at sometime early in the new
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Ask Me Anything about Alberta politics episode
You shared your Alberta politics questions and we answered them in our annual Ask Me Anything episode of the Daveberta Podcast. New and recent episodes of the Daveberta Podcast are available to paid subscribers of the Daveberta Substack. In case you missed them, you can catch up on recent Daveberta
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Smith to Legislature: Sorry/Not sorry!
Sounding about as sincere as the proverbial used-car salesman and not as convincing, Premier Danielle Smith whipped through an apology to the Alberta Legislature yesterday for breaking the Conflicts of Interest Act back in January when she talked to former justice minister Tyler Shandro about extremist street preacher Artur Pawlowski’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley is no Jim Prentice or Danielle Smith, so she’s not about to quit in a tantrum or a snit
Bored reporters were trying to gin up a little post-election excitement yesterday speculating about whether Rachel Notley will stay or go now that her New Democrats are back in Opposition, albeit with a significantly larger caucus than before May 29. The late Alberta premier Jim Prentice, just before the election
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Word of Advice…
We’re still trying to make sense of this election. There’s no question Rachel Notley’s NDP made phenomenal gains against the UCP. They pulled in 776,000 votes (157,000 more than they received in 2019) and gained 39 seats (15 more than they had in 2019), but it still wasn’t
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley’s unforced error – that 3% corporate tax increase – probably cost the NDP the election
SAINT JOHN, N.B. – The principal unforced error that most likely cost the Alberta NDP the May 29 election was the foolish decision to blab about a 3-per-cent tax increase for the largest corporations. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). When Rachel Notley said that, with an explanation that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: No predictions today, but the stakes are high, maybe existential, so just go vote!
One of the dirty little secrets of Canadian politics at the end of the beginning of the 21st Century is that a lot of political professionals have come to recognize the awesome power of fear. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper (Photo: Screenshot of UCP video). And nothing instills fear
Continue readingAlberta Politics: No Revelations, just allegations, as Artur Pawlowski brings his circus to the steps of the Legislature
The circus came to the steps of the Alberta Legislature yesterday. The Pawlowski Bros. and Preachers and Press Corps Circus, that is, for lack of a better name. Artur Pawlowski during his jeremiad (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Actually, notorious Calgary street preacher Artur Pawlowski didn’t appear to have brought his
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Notley tells throng of supporters of NDP plan to invest $1.8 billion in Edmonton over three years
Calgary may be the battleground in Alberta’s May 29 provincial election, but NDP Leader Rachel Notley stopped in Edmonton yesterday morning to tell a throng of supporters packed into the entrance hall of the Citadel Theatre in the city’s downtown what her party would do for Alberta’s nowadays-neglected capital city.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta premier’s worst moment in last night’s leaders’ debate happened before the opening bell rang
The worst moment in yesterday’s televised leader’s debate for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith came well before the hourlong event’s opening bell rang at 6 p.m. Premier Smith during the debate (Photo: Screenshot of broadcasters’ pool video). That was when Alberta Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler issued her report on Ms. Smith’s
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