Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[octothorp]

So Aheer is officially running for the UCP leadership. She's interesting because she was the only UCP MLA to criticize Kenney for being too slow on implementing restrictions.

I think she'd be really formidable in a general election, but I'm not sure she's got a chance in the leadership race, as she'll be the last-choice for most of the former WRP (interesting because she's former WRP herself), and UCP insiders may consider her a backstabber for publically speaking out against Kenney and party policy.

Where she might have an impact is that she might draw otherwise reluctant moderate PC voters to cast a vote, and those voters, even if they're not enough to get her into the final ballots, may help an establishment candidate like Toews.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by accord1999

The other big provinces are like that as well, total corporate taxes are significantly less than personal income taxes. Alberta and Ontario usually do better because of the higher number of head offices.

Apples to Apples

% of tax generated by corporations based on your chart;

QC 18.4%
ON 27.6%
AB 21.8%
BC 28.1%

I'd suggest Quebec is an outlier, because of it's unusually high levels of personal services, (you get what you pay for).

So really what is shown is that Alberta is collecting ~88% of their taxes from people when it should be closer to ~82% looking at bench marks.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by #-3

So really what is shown is that Alberta is collecting ~88% of their taxes from people when it should be closer to ~82% looking at bench marks.

I think 2020 is an outlier based on what COVID did to oil and gas companies earnings and general confidence for that year. Previous to that, it ranged from as low 24.9% in 2016 as the 2014 oil crash continued to hurt the Alberta economy to 30% in 2019.



The 2021 and 2022 data will be interesting to compare corporate tax revenues from the recovery in oil and gas prices with the current 8% corporate tax rate versus previous strong oil and gas years with higher tax rates.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by octothorp

So Aheer is officially running for the UCP leadership. She's interesting because she was the only UCP MLA to criticize Kenney for being too slow on implementing restrictions.

I think she'd be really formidable in a general election, but I'm not sure she's got a chance in the leadership race, as she'll be the last-choice for most of the former WRP (interesting because she's former WRP herself), and UCP insiders may consider her a backstabber for publically speaking out against Kenney and party policy.

Where she might have an impact is that she might draw otherwise reluctant moderate PC voters to cast a vote, and those voters, even if they're not enough to get her into the final ballots, may help an establishment candidate like Toews.

Canada and the States are the same way, a bunch of extremist nuts pick who is going to be nominated, and the rest of the population has to pretend that they are not a horrible choice.

The system of joining a party to vote (the vote that really matters) aligns you with one side and is antithetical to democracy. Multiple members of the same party should be up for overall leadership in the general election. The Party should nominate three per Party, and let the people decide on which is less deplorable, without throwing out the platform. This would effectively make the platform the important part of an election.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Rajan Sawhney and Rebecca Shultz have entered the race.

Looks like there is a lot of interest. Internal UCP polls probably show them beating the NDP next year.

[Ferarri]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

Rajan Sawhney and Rebecca Shultz have entered the race.

Looks like there is a lot of interest. Internal UCP polls probably show them beating the NDP next year.

Pretty crazy to think that the UCP would win another election even after their disastrous term in office. Only in Alberta…

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

Rajan Sawhney and Rebecca Shultz have entered the race.

Looks like there is a lot of interest. Internal UCP polls probably show them beating the NDP next year.

Shultz is my MLA, not sure someone who argues for special treatment from local business owners who ask her to adhere to the covid rules her government set is a very good choice to lead the party. Oh wait I forgot which party we’re talking about here.

[Ozy_Flame]

Rajan Sawhney was on Jespersen's show this morning and talked up the great work of LaGrange and Savage on their education and energy profiles respectively. She also has Angela Pitt as coach in her corner. Not off to a great start.

As for Schulz, I think she's in over her head and going to be dust in the corner for this race. This isn't even mentioning that her Shadow minister counterpart - the NDP's Rakhi Pancholi - had a far better handle on the child services portfolio than her.

Neither one of them really publicly contended with Kenney's leadership style, and that's going to affect them unfortunately. Because of that, they seem like backbenchers too timid to stand up when their backs are against the wall.

Personally I think both of them have major uphills battles with Toews and Aheer already declared.

[calgarygeologist]

Sounds like Michelle Rempel Garner is going to be in the race for UCP leadership. I don't necessarily hate this move as I think she is the least awful of all the candidates right now. This will definitely be an interesting leadership race.

[aaronck]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Sounds like Michelle Rempel Garner is going to be in the race for UCP leadership. I don't necessarily hate this move as I think she is the least awful of all the candidates right now. This will definitely be an interesting leadership race.

Have you read her "Buffalo Declaration"?

https://buffalodeclaration.com/

[Misterpants]

Yes would be great to get that progressive Oklahoman perspective to bring back to Alberta.

[The Fisher Account]

Sky Palace gonna be re-named the Wine Palace

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Sky Palace gonna be re-named the WineWhine Palace

Both work...

[PeteMoss]

Watching a few of the candidate videos and it continues to shock me that the "Ottawa is mean to us" message has not yet become an embarrassment to Albertans.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Watching a few of the candidate videos and it continues to shock me that the "Ottawa is mean to us" message has not yet become an embarrassment to Albertans.

Oh it has, but remember they’re running for the leadership of a party that is also an embarrassment to Albertans.

[woob]

UCP leadership contender Danielle Smith wants Alberta to ignore federal laws it doesn't like.

Can we fire her into the sun, please?

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by woob

UCP leadership contender Danielle Smith wants Alberta to ignore federal laws it doesn't like.

Can we fire her into the sun, please?

I love this comment from the article.

"“The idea is frankly so absurd and untenable I’m not even sure it would create a crisis because it would be laughed out of court too quickly for a crisis to develop,” Emmett Macfarlane, a constitutional law expert at the University of Waterloo, said in an email."

[Looch City]

I propose an Alberta Anti-Extremism Bill. Ship all these crazies outta here.

Jesus Christ she's a waste of breath.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Looch City

I propose an Alberta Anti-Extremism Bill. Ship all these crazies outta here.

Jesus Christ she's a waste of breath.

She does have one of the best memes with her boob bus though. So not totally insignificant.
Unlike Rempel. She is just pure garbage with no memes.

[calgarygeologist]

Rempel getting slammed by the far right so she can't be that bad:

With the rat Kinsella promoting her out of nowhere, and an enthusiastic “letter writer” the next day, the stench of Liberal corruption is obvious. Rempel is a conservative in name only. It is surprising that she has not already crossed the floor to join Trudeau. The federal PC party would be happy to get rid of her. With Liberal stooges already as mayors of Edmonton and Calgary, Rempel would be the end of Alberta.

https://edmontonsun.com/opinion/lett...for-ucp-leader