Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by eddly

I voted NDP for many reasons (voted about an hour ago). Go back a few pages to see my struggles with being undecided. Many reasons to vote NDP for the first time in my life (even though I consider myself a conservative, albeit more centrist)

....

Fight the hate speech that UCP is promoting. Get off the fence and support NDP... this time.

YES! Welcome to the orange side. Did your wife vote as well?

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Muta

Young people - GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY. UCP supporters, especially the older ones (and brainwashed lemmings like Yoho), are motivated and are interested in determining your future. Get out and vote and make sure your voice is heard too. This province is your future, you should decide which direction it goes. Your voice and vote absolutely matter.

It would be easier to get out the young vote if our fixed election date was not the last Monday in May.

University students are mostly all off campus at that time. If it was in March or early April, voting booths could be set up on campus.

[eddly]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

YES! Welcome to the orange side. Did your wife vote as well?

She will likely vote NDP as well (along with my two young adult children). 4 from my family in the riding of Calgary SE.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I'm going to be very, very surprised if this isn't a UCP majority. Alberta is going to Alberta IMO.

Which is too bad, really. Long term, having 2 capable governments competing for your votes is a good thing. Always voting one way is like having a sole source supplier....nothing good comes of it unless you're the supplier.

Ah, like Dynalife!

"We're going to improve the health care system by leveraging the advantage of competition in the free market".

"How are you going to do that?"

"By awarding the contract for Alberta's lab services to a single entity that will be guaranteed income regardless of performance"

[Fuzz]

I just realized all our estimates are probably wrong. We should have 46 UCP, 40 NDP, 1 Feces Cookie. Because she isn't going to sit with the UCP, right?

[timun]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I just realized all our estimates are probably wrong. We should have 46 UCP, 40 NDP, 1 Feces Cookie. Because she isn't going to sit with the UCP, right?

She'll be welcomed back into the fold the second the election dust settles.

[timun]

I'm guessing 48-39 UCP victory, sadly.

[#-3]

I'm going with 44-43 UPC.

It's very contentious when the UPC takes Glenmore by only 7 votes.

Then it's even more contentious when, by appointing one of their members the speaker, most of the UPCs objectives end up moving slower than wanted through an effectively dead locked legislature.

Then even more contentious when the UPC splits in half along it's natural division for perceived lack of accomplishment, and the NDP asks the LG for permission to try and form Alberta's first minority government under the results of the existing election, having a 43 NDP - ~20 PC - ~20 WR - ~4 IND fractured house. Even if they somehow wrangle their way into government they'll only hold it together for a short period.


May you live in interesting times.

[calf]

43-43-1 (UCP's expelled candidate).

Jennifer Johnson "shows significant growth and improvement in her LGBTQ2S+ views" over the next 24-48 hours, bringing it to 44-43, but with a UCP Speaker, it is effectively 43-43 when things come to a vote.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Ah, like Dynalife!

"We're going to improve the health care system by leveraging the advantage of competition in the free market".

"How are you going to do that?"

"By awarding the contract for Alberta's lab services to a single entity that will be guaranteed income regardless of performance"

But some of that profit was given back to the employees in the form of lanyards and coffee mugs.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by eddly

I voted NDP for many reasons (voted about an hour ago). Go back a few pages to see my struggles with being undecided. Many reasons to vote NDP for the first time in my life (even though I consider myself a conservative, albeit more centrist).

Send a message to the federal conservative party that my vote is not guaranteed to go their way. If they spend too much time trying to win the far right conservative vote (please stop mentioning woke...)... they will alienate their more centrist base.

If PP continues with this woke angle that he has, he will lose the federal election. PP and the federal conservatives need a wake up call. I like the idea of giving Singh and Trudeau a false sense of security that they can win a federal election prior to 2025 as well (gaining a Liberal majority).

Fight the hate speech that UCP is promoting. Get off the fence and support NDP... this time.

Spot on. Thanks for voting. I think that you've hit on a theme that many in Alberta seem to miss: you are not getting good representation when you allow a party or ideology to take your vote for granted. Nip this nonsense in the bud and break this TBA/UCP apart, and hopefully a more moderate conservative option can re-emerge.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

But some of that profit was given back to the employees in the form of lanyards and coffee mugs.

Citation needed

[Sylvanfan]

I believe you can show up and decline your ballot. You just have to notify the deputy returning officer that this is your choice. This way it counts for voter turnout, but it gets recorded as a decline vote. If there's enough of these parties will try to figure out who declined and if they can lure those voters the next go round.

Honestly it's what I'm going to do...and in St.Albert it won't matter, Marie Renauld the incumbent NDP MLA will easily get 55% or more of the vote. I'll know not to complain about the provincial government since I didn't pick one.

[Ozy_Flame]

St. Albert is weird. They vote for Marie Renaud provincially, but then they vote for that gaslighting, manifesto-reading ghoulish mistake of a human trash can Michael Cooper into Parliament.

I don't get it.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by eddly

She will likely vote NDP as well (along with my two young adult children). 4 from my family in the riding of Calgary SE.

UCP should only win Calgary SE riding now with 60% vote.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

St. Albert is weird. They vote for Marie Renaud provincially, but then they vote for that gaslighting, manifesto-reading ghoulish mistake of a human trash can Michael Cooper into Parliament.

I don't get it.

Michael Cooper is one of the tools I must want see lose. Unfortunately, he won’t.

Last week I thought the NDP might take this. I no longer feel that way. I’m predicting the UCP takes 48 seats and that my Edmonton-area riding returns our UCP MLA. It’ll be a disappointing evening.

[MBates]

Originally Posted by Muta

Check out post #11928.

Also, MBates' post on page 594 is a must-read. That post should be stickered at the top of each page of this thread.

I will add my favourite quote from now retired Chief Justice Catherine Fraser originally written to inspire new judges that seems entirely applicable to be addressed to inspire the voting public as well [my emphasis added]:

You hold your positions in trust for future generations. The burden you have taken on is foundational. You will need not just intellect and the ability to communicate. You will need courage and fortitude to maintain the rule of law. This ideal is not invulnerable. It is always under threat.

We, your predecessors, inherited the blessings of democracy, freedom, human rights and the power to maintain these things. This inheritance came at great cost. We did our best to improve the delivery of fair and equal justice and to ensure that all processes of law and government were done fairly and openly. You will do the same. But watch closely. All these blessings and the rule of law can be unraveled the same way they were originally knitted together. The subtle movement of the best of intentions may undermine the rule of law more than the forward rolling of weaponry. We do not need clashes of civilizations, or world wars, to let slip our grasp on the rule of law.

Be vigilant. Be devoted. Be fearless. Remember what you have been entrusted to do. No one else can do it but you.

[octothorp]

The 44-43 scenarios are really interesting both ways, because of the whole speaker election thing. It's not uncommon in that scenario for parties to elect opposition speakers that they respect, to maximize their voting members (see Liberal speakers during Harper's time).

But in this instance? Hard to see any NDP member helping out the UCP and standing for speaker. Likely Smith favours Cooper as speaker again. Would anyone else run against him? All it would take is the NDP +1 to get a non-Smith-ally as speaker. I believe speaker elections are secret ballot, which adds further intrigue to it.

In the reverse scenario, who would the NDP actually consider palatable amongst UCP members (keeping in mind that this scenario probably sees almost all of the moderate UCP members in Calgary lose)? Maybe Toews? I could see him agreeing to be speaker, since he has no loyalty to Smith. It's also somewhat keeping with precedent for the legislature to vote for Cooper if he chooses to stand again...

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

St. Albert is weird. They vote for Marie Renaud provincially, but then they vote for that gaslighting, manifesto-reading ghoulish mistake of a human trash can Michael Cooper into Parliament.

I don't get it.

He was not exactly well liked going jnto the last election where his % of vote shrunk in spite the overall disdain with the Federal Liberals in the riding. So that performance only brings more negative attention his way. Under the previous leader there would be more pressure to replace him as the nominee.

But as I've said many times...current Conservative strategy is to double down on that type of personality and hope those supporters show and vote and that the apathetic folks don't vote Liberal. But they might find the opposite is happening.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by octothorp

The 44-43 scenarios are really interesting both ways, because of the whole speaker election thing. It's not uncommon in that scenario for parties to elect opposition speakers that they respect, to maximize their voting members (see Liberal speakers during Harper's time).

But in this instance? Hard to see any NDP member helping out the UCP and standing for speaker. Likely Smith favours Cooper as speaker again. Would anyone else run against him? All it would take is the NDP +1 to get a non-Smith-ally as speaker. I believe speaker elections are secret ballot, which adds further intrigue to it.

In the reverse scenario, who would the NDP actually consider palatable amongst UCP members (keeping in mind that this scenario probably sees almost all of the moderate UCP members in Calgary lose)? Maybe Toews? I could see him agreeing to be speaker, since he has no loyalty to Smith. It's also somewhat keeping with precedent for the legislature to vote for Cooper if he chooses to stand again...

The NDP would just need to hold out for a week. Without Smith winning, Smith will be forced to step down. Shortly after, the party is going to self destruct.