Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

The UCP has never been held accountable. The Conservative Party before then just the same. It's not good to have unchecked power that long.

This. The same people pissing and moaning the loudest about how only scumbags could continue to vote for the federal Liberal party are also perfectly happy to keep voting UCP.

Modern conservativism has become the ideology of self-interest and personal grievances. Any semblance of principles are disingenuous and easily dismissed when applied to their own sphere.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Are you actually this dumb in person? If I met you in person would you be this stupid? Defending them? I am 100% comfortable with them being executed. There is no defending corruption. Trust me when I tell you, the fact that we allow this nonsense in Canada is a direct result of a lot of people not caring about anything. If the AB Health Minister showed to peoples homes door knocking, a shocking amount of people wouldn't give her the time of day. Just brush her off cause the Flames game is on, dinner on the stove and their ugly mut is barking away.

Unlike a lot of homers, I don't defend my team when it comes to this garbage. These garbage is prevalent everywhere in politics in Canada, people are just that naive. Save me the "not every party does this" When your dealing with billions and billions in contracts, it's like having honey on your fingers. It's pretty dam easy to take a lick.

Best worst poster here

[PepsiFree]

Real conservatives at this point are cast out of the conservative echo chamber and painted as leftists. Everyone left of those conservatives, from the center out, is “radical” or “extreme.”

It’s become a hate driven ideology that pretends less and less to care about the pillars of financial conservatism and more and more about the socially regressive, hate-based pillars once exclusive to the extreme right.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Are you actually this dumb in person? If I met you in person would you be this stupid? Defending them? I am 100% comfortable with them being executed. There is no defending corruption. Trust me when I tell you, the fact that we allow this nonsense in Canada is a direct result of a lot of people not caring about anything. If the AB Health Minister showed to peoples homes door knocking, a shocking amount of people wouldn't give her the time of day. Just brush her off cause the Flames game is on, dinner on the stove and their ugly mut is barking away.

Unlike a lot of homers, I don't defend my team when it comes to this garbage. These garbage is prevalent everywhere in politics in Canada, people are just that naive. Save me the "not every party does this" When your dealing with billions and billions in contracts, it's like having honey on your fingers. It's pretty dam easy to take a lick.

But they’re still your team, you’re responsible, so take some instead of shrugging it off and saying “I guess we’re all responsible!”

People trying to get this stuff out in the open and investigated aren’t to blame. People who voted against these losers aren’t to blame. People who actually stand up and say “enough is enough” without couching it in “but oh well everyone is like this!” are not to blame.

Like sorry if nobody takes “they should be executed” seriously after you call them your “team” and go around trying to scatter blame on every other party, politician, and voter. Grow up, own your vote, and use it wisely next time.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by curves2000

A lot of this fraud was predicted from before, it happens everywhere in Canada at all levels no matter who is in charge. Anybody remember how I brought up the children cancer center for proton therapy being built privately in Edmonton as opposed to Calgary's Cancer center? Crickets. Same thing. Tens of millions of dollars being funneled to existing MLA investors and rich guy's in Florida.

Problem is nobody in Canada get's upset enough with this type of stuff. Nobody ever wants to hold anybody accountable and people love arguing the little thing. There is zero control anywhere in Canada and when I bring up fraud, flat out theft and corruption people always say its baseless. This is literally happening right in front of us and we are all to blame.

Good on other countries who decide to hang their government officials in public squares every once in a while. A reminder to the elected that people are watching.

So you thought you had second-hand knowledge of a scandal and are mad because nobody indulged you...which is weird because we are all professional investigative journalists here.

But now that there is a substantiated scandal being reported your response is that it happens everywhere and nobody cares so who cares. But also we should hang these guilty people from the streets even though we don't care enough to demand accountability by just...you know, voting them out.

But it's good to know you are outraged enough for violence, but not outraged enough to send your hot tip to anybody that could actually do something about it. Other than us of course...sorry everyone here at CP let you down

[White Out 403]

Does anyone actually think the UCP won't win the next election? Voting electorate of Alberta is very American like in their ignorance and low information bull####

[troutman]

Calls for resignation grow louder

https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/artic...e-allegations/

[Keith] Brownsey [MRU]adds that an independent review is what is needed to ensure accountability, but Premier Smith is ultimately the one individual who needs to be held to a much higher standard.

“I mean, there’s no denying that something went on here, and it is the buck stops with the premier. Their premier should resign. There really is no way out of this,” he said.

[Looch City]

Smith? Resign?

Nope. She'll pull a fast one and find another way to grift from this situation lol.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Does anyone actually think the UCP won't win the next election? Voting electorate of Alberta is very American like in their ignorance and low information bull####

12 seats were decided by under 700 votes in the last election. All 12 of those ridings went UCP in 2019, but NDP flipped 6 of them for 2023.

If NDP flips the remaining 6 they win. (Except UCP wants to introduce 2 more seats which will complicate things).

Of the 6 to flip:
Alberta Party took more votes than the UCP victory margin in 2
Greens or Liberal Party took >50% of the victory margin in 3
Calgary-North had no other parties involved and was decided by 129 votes

Of course you can't pencil all of those votes to the NDP, but hopefully some of those candidates/voters ask themselves if they want to be the difference between another 4 years of UCP horrorshow.



So it's not as tough a path as you might think. It'll be interesting to see how and where the lines are redrawn. Of course the UCP is trying to UCP it, but this should be a case where their incompetence backfires on them:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...tion-1.7374605

Under the rules, the population of electoral divisions is allowed to deviate 25 per cent above or below the provincial average.

Nine ridings are outside that limit: Calgary-Buffalo (downtown), Calgary-Foothills (deep NW; 261 margin), Calgary-North East, Calgary-Shaw (deep SW), Calgary-South East, Edmonton-Ellerslie (its in the south), Edmonton-South, Edmonton-South West, and Airdrie-Cochrane.

6 bolded are NDP ridings. So one would think southern Edmonton should simply go from 3 to 4, but Calgary will be a bit more complicated. Ridings through N/NW Calgary were all very close; NE and DT areas were NDP strong; S Calgary all UCP strong; east side slightly favoured UCP.

I suspect UCP essentially gains the other 'new' seat in the south, but other tweaks could work out in NDPs favour. But really we should also be seeing a consolidation of rural ridings.

[Winnie]

When the NDP complaint machine demands a resignation, you resign!

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by woob

We need a citizen watch type panel within government, whereby if citizens have a legitimate concern, they can put forth a request for the panel to initiate an investigation. The panel then reaches out to RCMP or what not to assist with investigation.

I don't think you want the citzens voting on who should be in the panel but maybe it can be a handful of societies/organizaitons that elect who sits on the panel. Legal members, medical members, teachers, etc. It is recognized that this panel can request any all information in an investigation (presuming it doesn't threaten provincial/national security) and the investigation continues until complete. Government cannot deny requests, remove the panel, etc. etc.

It's crazy that once a government is in power, citizens seem to have less and less means to hold them accountable, investigate things, and enforce removal of members if it's deemed they broke laws, were fraudulent, etc.

Edit: I realize this would be ripe for abuse, but there could be a threshold? The panel essentially agrees if a request has merit or if its a clear partisan or fluff attempt at derailing an initiative people don't agree with.

Think the problem you would run into would be being able to find unbiased people for that board. The population is too polarized these days. Just read through the different political threads on here.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Torture

If we lived in normal times this would be enough for a Premier to resign.

Has that ever happened? Anywhere?

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Has that ever happened? Anywhere?

Alison Redford…in Alberta

[getbak]

Didn't BC have something like three straight Premiers resign due to scandal in the 80s/90s?

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by getbak

Didn't BC have something like three straight Premiers resign due to scandal in the 80s/90s?

You could be right. I seem to remember at least one or two due to criminal investigations.

[Fuzz]

Politicians used to have shame. Smith has absolutely zero, so no, she won't resign. She will try to find a way to blame others, though.

[Fuzz]

Parks says many people in the system are quietly questioning deals with new clinic groups.

One he knows of is paid a set rate for patients to stay two nights for recovery, even though only 11 per cent stay one night, and 89 per cent go home the day of surgery.

“I know that’s true, but I can’t prove it because all the contracts for these clinics have the actual money figures redacted.”

https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/co...alison-redford

Yes, yes, tell me again how privatization is going to save us money.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Winnie

When the NDP complaint machine demands a resignation, you resign!

You don’t believe she should resign? This is much worse than Redford.

[WideReceiver]

Smith resigning is about as likely as Trump getting a brain and morals.

[Amethyst]

Smith will never voluntarily resign. She's all about the power. And, honestly, I don't think she gives a %$#^ what the policies are. She just cares about staying in power and right now these are the policies those who are keeping her in power want.

As someone who is not originally from Alberta, I find it extremely strange that, except for that one blip, Albertans NEVER vote for anyone else. I mean, I guess if you want to be like Russia it makes sense, but ... weird.

I think with a popular, well spoken leader and how the UCP has treated even their own supporters there is a *chance* they get voted out next election. But I'm not counting on it. It's sad. I've lived here for years and have built a life here, but it's becoming more and more unbearable.