April 23 2012: Alberta Provincial Election

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by SebC

The party that increased spending 40% in their first three years (i.e. before the recession)? The party that formed the highest spending government in Canadian history? The party that cut an economically efficient tax (GST) but sneakily increased income taxes (by playing around with the brackets)? The party that is launching the kind of "war on drugs" that has proven costly and ineffective in the US and Latin America? The party that's destroying a $2 billion (start-up cost) gun registry?

Yeah, they're great for our wallets.

I suspect that a significant portion of that spending was due to the large increases alloted to the Canadian Military which was a disgrace to Canada. I don't mean the military was a disgrace. I mean the amount of money that we have given our military over the last 40 years is a disgrace. If I recall correctly, at the time Canada went into Afghanistan soldiers were going out and buying there own boots!

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The former senate page turned attention whore is back

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04...4.html#s896888

She's still not as annoying as Hot Problems.

[DownhillGoat]

When can we expect to see the results online?

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

When can we expect to see the results online?

Pretty sure the polls close at 8pm, results will start to trickle in shortly after.

[MRCboicgy]

So, any chance for epic local election coverage? The Nenshi night was top 5 times on CP for me, that's a high bar that has been set.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Fiscally the Liberals were pretty good, of course they pretty much governed the opposite of what they promised to get elected. When we have a track record of majority governments, Harper vs. Cretien, then we can look back and compare. Also, the current Liberal party is a shell of it's former self.

I agree with most of that. Dion was terrible, Rae plays the game well but I think he's still a bit of lefty. I think Ignatieff would've done pretty well as a PM (better than Harper), but was never given a fair shot because voters were still hell-bent on punishing the Liberals for sponsorship and Dion (much like I think Redford is bearing the brunt of Stelmach's mis-steps, yet would probably lead a better government than Smith).

I don't see a need to restrict the comparison to Harper and Chretien majorities... wouldn't Paul Martin's minority government be a fair comparison? He didn't increase spending 40% in that time, did he? Yet Harper was forced to because he had a minority? Doesn't hold up. But if we're going to wait, I think Harper will look worse. It'll take time before we start seeing the impacts of the omni-bus crime bill, for instance, but we can predict that they won't be good based on the experiences of other jurisdictions.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The former senate page turned attention whore is back

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04...4.html#s896888

That chick is one demented moron.

She probably got her political education from the back of a cracker jack box.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by SebC

I agree with most of that. Dion was terrible, Rae plays the game well but I think he's still a bit of lefty. I think Ignatieff would've done pretty well as a PM (better than Harper), but was never given a fair shot because voters were still hell-bent on punishing the Liberals for sponsorship and Dion (much like I think Redford is bearing the brunt of Stelmach's mis-steps, yet would probably lead a better government than Smith).

I don't see a need to restrict the comparison to Harper and Chretien majorities... wouldn't Paul Martin's minority government be a fair comparison? He didn't increase spending 40% in that time, did he? Yet Harper was forced to because he had a minority? Doesn't hold up. But if we're going to wait, I think Harper will look worse. It'll take time before we start seeing the impacts of the omni-bus crime bill, for instance, but we can predict that they won't be good based on the experiences of other jurisdictions.

Ignatieff couldn't even control his party let alone run a election, he was a utter disaster, he would have probably been a lousy Prime Minister.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by SebC

I don't see a need to restrict the comparison to Harper and Chretien majorities... wouldn't Paul Martin's minority government be a fair comparison?

That really didn't last too long. The way he was running around at the end promising everything to everybody he could have been the worst, we'll never know.

Edit: Feel free to throw the Trudeau minorities into the equation however.

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The former senate page turned attention whore is back

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04...4.html#s896888

That's an awesome gimmick she has going. She should hire herself out for parties, weddings, etc as the person with the STOP sign.

[flamingchina]

Originally Posted by The Goon

That's an awesome gimmick she has going. She should hire herself out for parties, weddings, etc as the person with the STOP sign.

I hear Infrastructure Canada has lots of jobs for people who can hold stop signs...

[The Goon]

Unbelievably, I just got a robocall from PC Ken Hughes 26 minutes before polls close. Way to go, Ken.

[photon]

I just got a robocall from the one who's daughter was recorded.

EDIT: That's one reason I'm getting all the calls, apparently I'm getting calls for where I lived and where I used to live, at the very least.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by IntenseFan

He passed on some other senators in waiting during some other rounds of appointments for Alberta though.

No he didn't.

Alberta has 6 Senators and 4 of them were appointed before Harper became PM. The 2 who have been appointed since were elected as "Senators in Waiting".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alberta_senators

[Jacks]

Itttttssssss Showtime!!!

[Muta]

I crossed off all the names and voted for myself. I'll turn this f'n province around into a glorious technocratic republic.

[bomba]

Very excited to see this outcome!

[octothorp]

Thanks to stupid shaw my tv and home internet are out. Where's the best place to watch results via mobile phone? Other than right here, of course.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Thanks to stupid shaw my tv and home internet are out. Where's the best place to watch results via mobile phone? Other than right here, of course.

Right here will probably be as up to date as anywhere will be.

[Engine09]

Just came back from voting in Bankview under the wire at 7:55PM, the box was absolutely full, had to jam my ballots in. I'm thinking turnout was good.