Alberta Politics Thread v2

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by Dion

The personal smear of Jason Kenney continues with 2 more websites courtesy of the NDP. Another attempt by Notley to make Kenney look like a monster and someone you can't trust.

https://meetjasonkenney.ca/

https://backwardmachine.ca/

I hate hate hate dirty politics. Hate it.

But even without these craptacular websites, it's well known how backwards and imbecilic Jason Kenney is. He was/is a terrible choice to lead the UCP.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

getty. you forgot getty.

Hey, we don't use that word around here!

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Given he said as recently as last year that climate change was still up for debate [1], I'm not sure you can expect much in the way of useful policy.

1: https://www.nationalobserver.com/201...climate-change

Except that's not what he said. From the article:

Kenney has said that while he agrees humans are causing climate change, he also believes there is a “legitimate range of perspectives about exactly to what degree” humans are responsible.

“Are you saying that there’s merit to the argument, or the question, of human activity that causes climate change?” asked Liberal MP committee member Jennifer O'Connell, citing that quote. “No,” Kenney responded.

“Then why do you say these things?” O’Connell shot back. “Do you say these things for political attention? Why do you say them, if you don’t think they’re true? How do I know what you’re saying here today is true?”

“Mr. Chair, the member quoted me, then asked a different question,” Kenney protested. “I have said that there is a debate of the precise degree to which there are anthropogenic (human-caused) causes of climate change. I agree with the scientific consensus that there are significant, very significant, anthropogenic causes of climate change.”

I have no problem with this statement.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

getty. you forgot getty.

Are you saying that Getty had a bad image?

[Johnny Makarov]

At least Getty has an excuse with his 10 years in the CFL as a QB, he probably had CTE.
What's Kenney's excuse? Getting noogied by Harper and Anders in their wild after parties at the Manning Institute?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

I hate hate hate dirty politics. Hate it.

But even without these craptacular websites, it's well known how backwards and imbecilic Jason Kenney is. He was/is a terrible choice to lead the UCP.

Notley figures this is the only way she can win the election. Pit leader against leader and have it come down to who do you trust the most.

She can't win on the economy or pipelines so becoming a school yard bully is all she has left. She could run on her record but she won't. Quite sad if you ask me.

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Jacks

After Stelmach/Redford/Notley that is a mighty high hill to climb.

He will easily be the king of the hill. I'm not loyal to any party I base it on platform, but Kenney as a leader is not even an option for me.

[stampsx2]

It’s easy to see who works for the public sector in this thread.

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by AFireInside

He will easily be the king of the hill. I'm not loyal to any party I base it on platform, but Kenney as a leader is not even an option for me.

If you base it on platform then Kenney wouldn't be ruled out just yet...

Notley, to her credit, has performed more in line with what would be expected over the last 6-8 months. I don't like her as a leader but with an open mind, I can see improvement.

That said, I don't forget the other 3 and a half years of sitting on her hands and trying to dodge darts. AB needs someone in this current economic state who will not only dodge the darts and throw them back but likely start throwing some first.

Notley's hail mary right now is promising a bunch of non existent money to anyone who asks for it so that the NDP is able to claim that Kenney will cut back her promises which he or any leader for that matter would need to. It is greasy but it works to those who are told they will lose hours or their job if Kenney gets in.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

It’s easy to see who works for the public sector in this thread.

It's pretty clear that the public sector unions have already begun campaigning. First off lying to workers in the hospital about NDP events and now planting these nonsensical arguments.

Kenney is going to win by a landslide and it's because people want a hopeful positive outlook for Alberta's future. The NDP smear campaign is a terrible strategy (although likely no strategy at all could bring this terrible government back for another term).

[Ozy_Flame]

Former UCP board member says he was bullied for helping investigation into ‘kamikaze’ campaign

A former member of a United Conservative constituency association in Southern Alberta delivered a blistering rebuttal Wednesday to party leader Jason Kenney’s characterization of a recent slew of resignations.

Mark Hudson was one of six board members who departed the UCP Livingstone-MacLeod constituency association earlier this month. In a statement to media Wednesday morning, Hudson said he left because of personal attacks and bullying by UCP board members over his co-operation with an investigation into Jeff Callaway’s short-lived 2017 leadership campaign.

...

“While the vast majority of the (constituency association) board has been supportive of me, I cannot continue given the increasing gravity of the election commissioner’s investigation, for I feel the bullying would simply worsen,” Hudson wrote. “I cannot simply hide away in a corner and shut up.”

Hudson also refuted suggestions by Kenney and UCP MLA Jason Nixon that the recent exodus of UCP Livingstone-Macleod board members was driven by bitterness over the results of a recent nomination race.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Former UCP board member says he was bullied for helping investigation into ‘kamikaze’ campaign

A former member of a United Conservative constituency association in Southern Alberta delivered a blistering rebuttal Wednesday to party leader Jason Kenney’s characterization of a recent slew of resignations.

Mark Hudson was one of six board members who departed the UCP Livingstone-MacLeod constituency association earlier this month. In a statement to media Wednesday morning, Hudson said he left because of personal attacks and bullying by UCP board members over his co-operation with an investigation into Jeff Callaway’s short-lived 2017 leadership campaign.

...

“While the vast majority of the (constituency association) board has been supportive of me, I cannot continue given the increasing gravity of the election commissioner’s investigation, for I feel the bullying would simply worsen,” Hudson wrote. “I cannot simply hide away in a corner and shut up.”

Hudson also refuted suggestions by Kenney and UCP MLA Jason Nixon that the recent exodus of UCP Livingstone-Macleod board members was driven by bitterness over the results of a recent nomination race.

It's hilarious that the NDP keeps touting these nomination battles as some sort of negative. Of course people are going to be upset if their horse didn't win the race.

The bottom line is that the NDP can't even find people to run for them, let alone have a true contest for any nomination! Most of their union sycophants have already been posted to plum government appointments so see no point in running and losing in an election.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

What Kenney said was that the money the NDP spent on this lab should have been spent on a hospital, because that would address capacity issues and the money would go to treating actual patients. This is not by any stretch of the imagination a crazy or outlandish thing to say. Whether or not you agree with that difference of opinion about how our tax dollars should have been spent in this particular case, it's obviously not some "gotcha" statement that can be laid at the feet of the UCP as a gaffe or anything. Characterizing it like that is dishonest.

This is rich. The government of Alberta, which includes the PCs along with the NDP, have built many new hospitals and medical facilities across the province in recent years, and have massively invested in new medical infrastructure for years. Alberta Infrastructure spends hundreds of millions a year on new and renovated medical infrastructure. Hell, the South Health Campus is one the largest medical facilities in the entire world, and what you see right now is just PHASE ONE.

Given the amount of AI lab projects I've seen come through RFPs over the last thirteen years, a consolidated lab facility would actually do this province wonders in decreasing wait times, increasing efficiency and raising quality of medical care. Kenney must be misinformed on what labs do and how they can directly benefit patients.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Muta

Given the amount of AI lab projects I've seen come through RFPs over the last thirteen years, a consolidated lab facility would actually do this province wonders in decreasing wait times, increasing efficiency and raising quality of medical care. Kenney must be misinformed on what labs do and how they can directly benefit patients.

This is a perfectly reasonable rebuttal to the suggestion that the money was not well spent. What is not a reasonable rebuttal was to misstate what Kenney was actually saying, which is that the money would be better spent on health services that directly assist patients. You think that's wrong, which is fine, and I don't know enough to agree or disagree with you (I have no expertise in this area but your post makes good sense to me). But saying "Kenney thinks labs don't heal people", which was the original line from detractors, is just asinine dishonesty. If he's wrong here, he's wrong on policy.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

But saying "Kenney thinks labs don't heal people", which was the original line from detractors, is just asinine dishonesty. If he's wrong here, he's wrong on policy.

Kenney is quoted as saying the following:

"Why is the NDP choosing to spend the equivalent of a new hospital on a building that will not actually touch patients or heal people"?

Either Kenney knows something we all don't, or he doesn't understand what labs do.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

But saying "Kenney thinks labs don't heal people", which was the original line from detractors, is just asinine dishonesty. If he's wrong here, he's wrong on policy.

That’s almost exactly what he said: “a building (referring to the lab) that will not actually ... heal people.”

How is it dishonest? It’s a quote.

Edit: Even you reframing it as Kenney suggesting it as a build that does not directly assist patients... how does it not? Have you ever had lab results? They assist me, directly, when something is wrong with my health.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

It’s easy to see who works for the public sector in this thread.

Also easy to see who is a lizard person.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Just because you're quoting someone accurately doesn't mean you're not twisting their words. He's very obviously saying they should spend the money on something that directly serves patients. A building you go to in order to receive health services from a physician - Foothills or Rocky View. Instead, the NDP propose to spend that money on a facility that performs analysis and provides the results to physicians, which is currently a function primarily performed by private third parties. That is accurate.

Whether he's RIGHT about that being a bad idea is a separate matter. His actual statement isn't inaccurate unless you want to mischaracterize it, which as I said, is asinine dishonesty.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Just because you're quoting someone accurately doesn't mean you're not twisting their words. He's very obviously saying they should spend the money on something that directly serves patients. A building you go to in order to receive health services from a physician - Foothills or Rocky View. Instead, the NDP propose to spend that money on a facility that performs analysis and provides the results to physicians, which is currently a function primarily performed by private third parties. That is accurate.

Whether he's RIGHT about that being a bad idea is a separate matter. His actual statement isn't inaccurate unless you want to mischaracterize it, which as I said, is asinine dishonesty.

But you actually had to twist his words to make your point...

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

But you actually had to twist his words to make your point...

No, I simply had to read the context and give them an honest and charitable interpretation. In other words, precisely what the Edmonton Journal did:

Speaking with media in Edmonton, Kenney said the government should be making choices to directly support patient care, not building a $600-million lab.

The government’s current lab plan also includes a program to share information through a database. Kenney said he doesn’t have a problem with that, but a UCP government would take a close look at databases to make sure they’re being developed “in a common-sense way.”

As for the rest of the lab system, he said he would consult with experts, public servants and AHS for advice on how to best proceed.

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...-to-save-money

The fact that you don't understand what's wrong with trying to "gotcha" people by taking their words out of context and attaching a meaning they didn't intend to them says nothing good about you.