Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Torture]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Alberta holds out as 8 other provinces sign on to receive $37B under new federal child-care deal

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...deal-1.7476380

In the article you posted. Yeesh. Walking away from $6B from the Feds. Well yes Jones, it's not sustainable if you walk away from the Feds' funding agreement. We're at $15 so it's not like we're that far off. If Manitoba can find a way to do get to $10/day (and they already have), I think Alberta can cobble together the pennies.

In that letter, which Jones posted on social media, he said Alberta wants a new deal that steers away from the previous agreement's goal of universal $10-per-day child care, which he described as "unsustainable and not supporting the families who need it most."

"If Minister Jones wants to walk away from a program that helps over 100,000 Alberta families save up to $11,000 per child every year, that's on him. But he can look parents in the eye and explain why he's throwing their savings and child-care stability out the window," her press secretary, Geneviève Lemaire, told CBC News at the time.

[para transit fellow]

an energy economist on CBC the other morning suggested that we don't need export tariffs. we need to consider another curtailment strategy to slightly reduce production volumes and raise the price a little. the increase will remove what is left of the discount and then become the basis of Trump tariffs

Alberta did that in 2019 under Notley. apparently Kenny didn't stop the practice until 2021.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by troutman

I’m seriously considering filing a complaint about his treasonous actions being a violation of his legal oath. I have doubts about his mental capacity too.

I'm hearing there are wheels in motion regarding this

[woob]

Didn't AB do this the last time the Feds brough out Child Care subsidy/initiatives? Stuck their nose up and didn't play ball until months later?

[Torture]

Originally Posted by woob

Didn't AB do this the last time the Feds brough out Child Care subsidy/initiatives? Stuck their nose up and didn't play ball until months later?

Yep

[puffnstuff]

“Alberta Health Services wrote off the Turkish inventory in 2023-24, valuing the massive stockpile at $0, according to the documents. Alberta paid roughly $20.4-million for the 1.4 million bottles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen it is now looking to unload, according to the documents.”
Smith is reportedly considering shipping it to Ukraine

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

“Alberta Health Services wrote off the Turkish inventory in 2023-24, valuing the massive stockpile at $0, according to the documents. Alberta paid roughly $20.4-million for the 1.4 million bottles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen it is now looking to unload, according to the documents.”
Smith is reportedly considering shipping it to Ukraine

Haven't they suffered enough?

[MrButtons]

Listened to a podcast yesterday and the guests (two were from YYC) were talking about how a pipeline across the provinces is probably not likely. it's a decade out if it happens and we should focus on either a smaller goal of getting it to the west coast or instead of pipeline, using rail. I know little to nothing on the rail subject, anyone got any insight on the history of that or the likelihood it could work? Or articles from the bootlickin MSM I could read?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by MrButtons

Listened to a podcast yesterday and the guests (two were from YYC) were talking about how a pipeline across the provinces is probably not likely. it's a decade out if it happens and we should focus on either a smaller goal of getting it to the west coast or instead of pipeline, using rail. I know little to nothing on the rail subject, anyone got any insight on the history of that or the likelihood it could work? Or articles from the bootlickin MSM I could read?

The bottom line is that while all the premiers say things like "we need to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and work together", they still all want control and aren't making meaningful concessions on anything. It's unbelievable, but that is really where we are. I work in finance and the idea of one national regulator has been something that they have said they're working towards for as long as I can remember. That is a slam-dunk and should be easy to implement, but some provinces stand in the way and we're stuck with every province and territory having their own. I mean really...we can't have inter-provincial alcohol sales and ease of movement there, but now we hope that we're going to build oil pipelines?

The fact that the provincial governments can't work together on really easy issues makes me realise that anything complicated is just out of the question. Even in the face of what is literally an existential threat to the country, they still have their agendas and won't budge.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by MrButtons

Listened to a podcast yesterday and the guests (two were from YYC) were talking about how a pipeline across the provinces is probably not likely. it's a decade out if it happens and we should focus on either a smaller goal of getting it to the west coast or instead of pipeline, using rail. I know little to nothing on the rail subject, anyone got any insight on the history of that or the likelihood it could work? Or articles from the bootlickin MSM I could read?

We already move a lot of oil by rail, so that works. The rail lines are already built, so it's just a matter of capacity. It won't be anywhere near as efficient as a pipeline, and can create cost increases in shipping goods elsewhere if the rail companies prioritize oil-by-rail.

They're also right that a 1,000km pipeline to the West Coast, even through the mountains, will be quicker and far less expensive than building a 4,000km pipeline to the East Coast, a lot of that through the Canadian Shield. Energy East's business case was only feasible for TC because they were planning on converting a natural gas pipeline through Ontario to an oil one.

So in the short term, if a federal government wanted to force a pipeline through for national interest reasons at a time when there would be the public will to do so, the Northern Gateway route to the West Coast would be the way to do it.

[Superflyer]

Originally Posted by Slava

The bottom line is that while all the premiers say things like "we need to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and work together", they still all want control and aren't making meaningful concessions on anything. It's unbelievable, but that is really where we are. I work in finance and the idea of one national regulator has been something that they have said they're working towards for as long as I can remember. That is a slam-dunk and should be easy to implement, but some provinces stand in the way and we're stuck with every province and territory having their own. I mean really...we can't have inter-provincial alcohol sales and ease of movement there, but now we hope that we're going to build oil pipelines?

The fact that the provincial governments can't work together on really easy issues makes me realise that anything complicated is just out of the question. Even in the face of what is literally an existential threat to the country, they still have their agendas and won't budge.

Nova Scotia made a huge announcement the other day about this.

https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025...ervers/453049/

Meanwhile, on Feb. 25, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston introduced a bill in his province’s legislature to get goods moving across Canadian jurisdictions through mutual recognition. That’s a process which seeks to quickly knock down internal trade barriers by having one jurisdiction accept the regulatory standards of another, rather than the more daunting task of harmonizing individual regulations. There’s a catch: the Nova Scotia law would only offer this broad and sweeping mutual recognition to provinces that reciprocate by passing similar legislation of their own.

[para transit fellow]

Alberta talks of removing inter provincial trade barriers...

yet earlier this week Alberta implements a hike in alcohol taxes in favour of local producers?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-fee-1.7474491

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

Alberta talks of removing inter provincial trade barriers...

yet earlier this week Alberta implements a hike in alcohol taxes in favour of local producers?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-fee-1.7474491

This is only true to the extent that beer or other alcohols are substitutes for wine.

[Harry Lime]

The race for time to make a pipeline to the East, is just how quickly the US can increase domestic capacity and start freezing out the oil sands.

A ten year timeliness is probably just fine, as long as it starts soon.

[curves2000]

Originally Posted by Slava

The bottom line is that while all the premiers say things like "we need to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and work together", they still all want control and aren't making meaningful concessions on anything. It's unbelievable, but that is really where we are. I work in finance and the idea of one national regulator has been something that they have said they're working towards for as long as I can remember. That is a slam-dunk and should be easy to implement, but some provinces stand in the way and we're stuck with every province and territory having their own. I mean really...we can't have inter-provincial alcohol sales and ease of movement there, but now we hope that we're going to build oil pipelines?

The fact that the provincial governments can't work together on really easy issues makes me realise that anything complicated is just out of the question. Even in the face of what is literally an existential threat to the country, they still have their agendas and won't budge.

Your post is spot on and a reflection at how badly this country is managed by every province from every political party. We just don't get it from a business and economic perspective.

I also was in finance and can recall all the talk about the benefits of a national regulator yet here we are in 2025 with the same nonsense. We literally are about as stupid of a nation where we just can't figure out basic things. Our government officials are patting themselves on the back for some loosening of alcohol sales across a border or two. Wow, really earth moving stuff.

I have said it before and I will say it again. It's by some miracle that as a people we are not a starving nation. We pretty much do some natural resource extraction, sell to the USA mostly from US affiliated companies, some stable banking/insurance and that's it.

In some ways if these tariffs go through and actually crush Canadian business, it will hopefully lead to a revolt of the electoral class to the governing people. Just because our elected officials in every province are beyond brain dead, doesn't mean we need to suffer anymore than we have to.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

Alberta talks of removing inter provincial trade barriers...

yet earlier this week Alberta implements a hike in alcohol taxes in favour of local producers?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-fee-1.7474491

They also added a $3/bottle AGLC fee for wine shipped direct from BC to consumers recently.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Torture

They also added a $3/bottle AGLC fee for wine shipped direct from BC to consumers recently.

It's to protect the blossoming Alberta wine industry. Who doesn't love a good dandelion wine, or maybe Wild roses and muscat, whatever the #### that is. She's just looking out for Alberta, and if costs us more, well, that's just the price of stupidity.

[Paulie Walnuts]

When can we vote these ####ers out ?

[puffnstuff]

Busboobs doesnt like dissension

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-ahs-1.7477691

Former Alberta infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie is barred from attending UCP caucus meetings following his recent abrupt resignation, as part of a 30-day probation period he's been placed under.

[AltaGuy]

https://donate.prageru.com/event/eas...a-2025/e618826

Can she be arrested for treason?