Apparently infected by the decline of political discourse in the United States, the Canadian right is increasingly moving toward defining the use of facts that run counter to its narrative as conspiracy and policy disagreement criminality. If you doubt this, consider recent Tweets by the likes of Calgary Conservative MP
Continue readingTag: Rick Orman
Alberta Politics: New Kinder Morgan exit strategy hint emerges as tangled Trans Mountain tale twists the national knickers
Jason Kenney, leader of Alberta’s Conservative Opposition party, must’ve struggled yesterday to keep a smirk off his face as he bloviated piously about Kinder Morgan Inc. President Steven Kean’s rumination the time may be nigh to pull the plug on the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project that has the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A Bill to Squeeze British Columbia Till Its Pips Squeak introduced in Alberta Legislature – but can it pass constitutional muster?
Is it just me, or is almost everyone from Alberta quoted in the media sounding a little overwrought these days? Yesterday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Energy Minister Margaret McQuaig-Boyd rolled out Bill 12, rather tendentiously dubbed the Preserving Canada’s Economic Prosperity Act, the sole purpose of which seems to
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta threatens to turn off the taps to BC as we enter Week 11 of the Trans Mountain pipeline dispute
With little appearing to have changed after Sunday’s pipeline summit in Ottawa, the political dispute over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline continues to escalate. In Edmonton today, Alberta Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd introduced Bill 12: Preserving Canada’s Economic Prosperity Act. The bill would give the Minister of Energy sweeping powers
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: July 6 is Jason Kenney Day in Alberta Politics
Conservative Member of Parliament Jason Kenney is expected to announce his candidacy for the leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta tomorrow, July 6, in Calgary, deliver a speech in Grande Prairie that evening and then trave…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney reported ready to announce his bid to lead a Tory Restoration effort as soon as tomorrow
PHOTOS: Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney looks like he’s describing how he’ll capture the Alberta PC Party, then the Wildrose, and unite them whether they like it or not, in this shot grabbed from his Parliamentary Flickr a…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Preston Manning is now publicly, openly at the centre of Alberta’s latest ‘unite-the-right’ effort
PHOTOS: The Ambassadors reimagined. Actual unite-the-righters appearing with Preston Manning may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Preston Manning, Wildrose Opposition Leader Brian Jean, “united alternative” Ambassador Rick Orman, …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s going to take more than Valentine cards and chocolate to unite Alberta’s fractious right
ILLUSTRATIONS: Hey Wildrose Party … the Tories send their love to you! But will this idea “bomb”? Actual Progressive Conservative strategists may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Former PC cabinet Minister Rick Orman, photographed during…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: One day after his graceless departure, former Alberta ‘envoy’ to Washington lands lobbying gig
PHOTOS: Sour grapes! Actual former Alberta trade representatives may not appear exactly as illustrated. (Photo from Barkpost.com.) Below: Alberta Conservative-connected lobbyists Rob Merrifield, Hal Danchilla, Brian Storseth and Rick Orman. Rob Merrifield’s parting shot at the Alberta government: tacky. Canadian Strategy Group’s decision to hire Mr. Merrifield as a lobbyist:
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: lee richardson resigns, calgary-centre by-election could be a conservative proxy war.
Tweet Recently resigned MP Lee Richardson, soon to be Principal Secretary to Premier Alison Redford. (Photo from 5of7 on Flickr) After a bitterly fought provincial election campaign drove a deep rift into Alberta’s conservative movement between the moderate institutional Progressive Conservatives and the ideologically-driven Wildrose Party, a federal by-election in Calgary may
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: gary mar ordered to take unpaid leave pending investigation. alberta pc party releases leadership campaign audited financial reports.
Gary Mar Premier Alison Redford has ordered former cabinet minister Gary Mar, now the Government of Alberta’s representative in Asia, to take an unpaid leave of absence during an ethics investigation of a recent fundraiser held in Edmonton. Mr. Mar, who placed second in the 2011 PC leadership, hosted a
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: What’s the matter with Gary Mar? The guy just can’t stay out of hot water!
Gary Mar: Now in state of suspension, he’s probably not smiling all that much. Below: the unforthcoming Rick Orman, private citizen. What’s the matter with Gary? Gary Mar’s a smart guy, brilliant even. Last year, he came that close to becoming the premier of Alberta. Despite the disappointment the former
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: redford’s ‘change from within’ is a nice slogan, but when you take a closer look…
Despite the narrative of “change from within” that was made popular after the October 1 leadership vote, the wave of change has not spilled far into the Progressive Conservative ranks since Alison Redford was elected into her new role one month ago. – The Globe & Mail is reporting that the controversial Kelley Charlebois is […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Sure, Gary Mar’s $264,576 Asian sinecure is sweet, but does it come with severance?
Gary Mar stands in Hong Kong and gazes back toward Alberta. Albertan politicians-in-exile may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Mar as others see him; Rick Orman aboard business jet with plate of fruit.Word that Gary Mar is about to be sent…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Will Gary Mar reinvent the Alberta Tories? Fat chance!
Gary Mar at the wheel of the new, improved, “reinvented” Alberta Conservative Party. Alberta politicians and the parties they lead may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Mar, Ralph Klein and a Tory electoral strategist speaking with an A…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: blue man group plans to unite the right in alberta.
Aiming to ‘unite the right’ in Alberta by mending fences in Alberta’s conservative political camps, a new “Alberta Blue Committee” has been formed by long-time conservative strategist Ken Boessenkool. From the Edmonton Journal: He has promised its members will reveal themselves next week and that Albertans will see them as “politically active, smart, young […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Top Ten reasons to worry about Premier Gary Mar
Gary Mar exactly as he appeared at a recent Conservative leadership forum, as some guy looks on. Your blogger is on the road, has limited Internet access and needs to keep it short…. so, perhaps we can explore this theme in greater detail soon. P…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Why those drat blamed cowboy poets make me so darned ornery
Your blogger, centre, at the June 1994 gathering of cowboy poets in Pincher Creek, wondering why they reckoned him for a city slicker. Online Alberta political commentators may not have appeared exactly as illustrated. Below: A couple of actual Alberta…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: second-ballot math: alberta tory caucus splits between redford, mar, horner.
The three candidates eliminated on the first-ballot vote to choose the next leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives have all announced their support for front-runner Gary Mar. Carrying 40% of the vote on the first-ballot, it is understandable why the three would endorse the front-runner in terms of both personal political calculation and party unity. Scattering […]
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: doing second-ballot math: ted morton and rick orman endorse gary mar.
Ted Morton has endorsed Gary Mar Ted Morton and Rick Orman have endorsed Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership front-runner Gary Mar. It is unclear how many of Dr. Morton’s supporters may show up to support Mr. Mar on the second-ballot vote on October 1, but it may have saved his political career, which appeared to be […]
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