Alberta Election Thread - Election Day April 16 2019

[Weitz]

Anti-gay laws?

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Anti-gay laws?

He wants to remove mandatory GSA from schools. Pretty anti-gay there.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

He wants to remove mandatory GSA from schools. Pretty anti-gay there.

False.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

He wants to remove mandatory GSA from schools. Pretty anti-gay there.

Well that isn't true. So what else? Also I don't think GSA's are mandatory even right now. Someone has to start one.

[CliffFletcher]

Have we forgotten the the UPCs aren't just the PCs - that they absorbed the socially conservative and rural Wildrose Party? The fire and brimstone candidates coming out the woodwork shouldn't be a surprise to anybody - these people represent a significant part of the grassroots of the UPC.

[crazy_eoj]

UCP showing 19 point lead over NDP in latest poll.



Jason Kenney's UCP has the support of 53 per cent of voters across the province, compared with 34 per cent for the NDP, according to the data released Wednesday by Janet Brown Opinion Research.

The UCP also has a 21-point lead in Calgary, with 53 per cent support versus 32 per cent for the NDP, the poll suggests.

The capital city appears to be the NDP's only stronghold, where 46 per cent of respondents support Notley's party and 39 per cent support the UCP.

In the rest of Alberta, the UCP has a gaping 43-point advantage over the NDP — 66 per cent to 23 per cent.

"If these numbers hold, the UCP would win a large majority in the range of 65 to 70 seats out of 87," Brown's poll concludes.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...rown-1.5082632

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

He wants to remove mandatory GSA from schools. Pretty anti-gay there.

He wants to eliminate protections for participants in GSAs that prevent that participation from being disclosed to parents by teachers or administrators of the school, is, I think, the accurate characterization.

And again, this would have been an easy debate to dodge. Simply exclude that change from the reversions of NDP policy and you don't even start a political issue about this. Given that reality, it appears to be a deliberate provocation.

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Have we forgotten the the UPCs aren't just the PCs - that they absorbed the socially conservative and rural Wildrose Party? The fire and brimstone candidates coming out the woodwork shouldn't be a surprise to anybody - these people represent a significant part of the grassroots of the UPC.

I don't know that it's a mortal shock, although the fact that there are so many such instances is somewhat surprising to me given the obvious political expediency of avoiding this stuff and how clear a win the UCP would be in line for if they'd managed to do it.

Speaking only for myself, I saw Kenny's statement of "we'll nip this in the bud before it becomes an issue", and said, "okay, I'll wait and see how that goes". And well, I have waited, I've seen, and he and his cohort have failed. Either they're not trying to keep this element of their party suppressed, or, perhaps more horrifyingly, they are trying, and this much awfulness is still slipping through the cracks in spite of their honest efforts.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

He wants to eliminate protections for participants in GSAs that prevent that participation from being disclosed to parents by teachers or administrators of the school, is, I think, the accurate characterization.

And again, this would have been an easy debate to dodge. Simply exclude that change from the reversions of NDP policy and you don't even start a political issue about this. Given that reality, it appears to be a deliberate provocation.

Of course it is. Kenney is so confident he has this thing sewn up over the economy in the province that he can feed his rural base red meat social conservatism and still win an easy majority.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Well that isn't true. So what else? Also I don't think GSA's are mandatory even right now. Someone has to start one.

That was literally his plan. Make it up to the principal if they want a GSA along with the ability to inform parents of participants if they do.

Right now any principal approached by a student must make a GSA - it's mandatory. I'm not sure how you can say it isn't true.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

He wants to eliminate protections for participants in GSAs that prevent that participation from being disclosed to parents by teachers or administrators of the school, is, I think, the accurate characterization.

And again, this would have been an easy debate to dodge. Simply exclude that change from the reversions of NDP policy and you don't even start a political issue about this. Given that reality, it appears to be a deliberate provocation.

If I'm a parent, i would want the ability to know. Hopefully I've done a good enough job and have a strong enough line of communication with my son/daughter that they'd be open to telling me...but I would like to know so I could figure out how to help parent that way too.

These kids won't always know what is best for them at say 14 or 15 or whatever. They're young, still figuring things out.

If I can learn and understand more, then I can also help guide them.

And maybe I am misunderstanding what the contention is around GSA which could be possible.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Jesus Christ, UCP is a dumpster fire. They literally just had to show up and win the election. Why did they need to do any of this??

Choose a deplorable leader and get deplorable results.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Choose a deplorable leader and get deplorable results.

Choose an incompetent leader who doesn't understand how taxes and economy works, and get incompetent results. (See Alberta's debt level, ~ $70B, which costs us dearly.)

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

He wants to eliminate protections for participants in GSAs that prevent that participation from being disclosed to parents by teachers or administrators of the school, is, I think, the accurate characterization.

And again, this would have been an easy debate to dodge. Simply exclude that change from the reversions of NDP policy and you don't even start a political issue about this. Given that reality, it appears to be a deliberate provocation.

It's more about eliminating the ability of the government to defund religious schools under Bill 24, and it's impossible to cancel only a portion of a bill.

As I'm sure you're aware this bill is currently being challenged in court anyways, so there exists the potential for this bill to be struck down.

You're probably right that the correct political move would have been to not say anything and then make changes after winning the election (a la NDP).

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

That was literally his plan. Make it up to the principal if they want a GSA along with the ability to inform parents of participants if they do.

Right now any principal approached by a student must make a GSA - it's mandatory. I'm not sure how you can say it isn't true.

None of those things would change.

There's lots to criticize about the UCP, totally making things up isn't necessary.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

It's more about eliminating the ability of the government to defund religious schools under Bill 24, and it's impossible to cancel only a portion of a bill.

This is fundamentally wrong. It's entirely possible to cancel a portion of a bill. It's dead easy. You write new legislation that replaces existing sections of the relevant law you want to "cancel", and leave the others intact.

As I'm sure you're aware this bill is currently being challenged in court anyways, so there exists the potential for this bill to be struck down.

Sure I am. That challenge will fail, but if you have confidence in it, fine and dandy - wait for the court decision to come down. Then you don't have to own it politically.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

None of those things would change.

There's lots to criticize about the UCP, totally making things up isn't necessary.

What? WHAT?

Have you not payed attention to like anything?

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...ovincial-exams

UCP Leader Jason Kenney said Monday if elected to government, his party would replace Alberta’s School Act with the former Progressive Conservative government’s Education Act. It would eliminate changes the NDP introduced with Bill 24, which requires school principals to immediately grant student requests to form a gay-straight alliance and requires private schools to have publicly available policies to protect LGBTQ students.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

What? WHAT?

Have you not payed attention to like anything?

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...ovincial-exams

The Education Act requires GSA's to be granted, regardless of NDP and Union talking points. http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/e00p3.pdf

As mentioned by others the major change is removing the provision making it illegal for teachers to inform parents of a child's involvement. As well as the ability of the government to defund private schools, currently facing a court challenge.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Mark Smith was the education critic when they were arguing against GSA and notifying parents. The same Mark Smith that insinuated that love between same sex wasn't really true love. He was the same Mark Smith who wrote that religious schools should be allowed to fire anyone who engaged in same-sex relationships. But sure, he's not anti-gay at all.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Mark Smith was the education critic when they were arguing against GSA and notifying parents. He was the same Mark Smith who wrote that religious schools should be allowed to fire anyone who engaged in same-sex relationships. But sure, he's not anti-gay at all.

So we agree on the anti-gay laws then?

[Dogbert]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

UCP showing 19 point lead over NDP in latest poll.



Jason Kenney's UCP has the support of 53 per cent of voters across the province, compared with 34 per cent for the NDP, according to the data released Wednesday by Janet Brown Opinion Research.

The UCP also has a 21-point lead in Calgary, with 53 per cent support versus 32 per cent for the NDP, the poll suggests.

The capital city appears to be the NDP's only stronghold, where 46 per cent of respondents support Notley's party and 39 per cent support the UCP.

In the rest of Alberta, the UCP has a gaping 43-point advantage over the NDP — 66 per cent to 23 per cent.

"If these numbers hold, the UCP would win a large majority in the range of 65 to 70 seats out of 87," Brown's poll concludes.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...rown-1.5082632

The UCP also has a 21-point lead in Calgary, with 53 per cent support versus 32 per cent for the NDP, suggests the poll, which was commissioned by the Global Petroleum Show.

No bias there, I’m sure.