My reading of the recall act indicates it only encompasses the pool of electors in a constituency that voted in the previous election. Not the entire pool of constituents eligible to vote.
If I’m correct, a successful recall would hinge on the petitioner finding the required % of actual voters and convincing them to sign the petition (effectively reversing their vote).
It seems to me this is a far harder task than finding voters in general disgruntled with the problematic candidate. In this way, the recall legislation passed by the UCP is cynically performative as its thresholds are impossibly high to meet. Or they realized such legislation could be used against one of their own - that just wouldn’t do….
In any event, the bastards want to rig the game so they can’t lose. Assholes have to asshole.
I thought (hoped) I might have a week or so to somewhat relax, think about gardening and springtime in Alberta. Sadly, not even a day has gone by before the UCP/Smith are at their undemocratic ways. This is terrible legislation - rigging the game. Sadly, I have little faith that the majority of Albertans will recognize this for what it is: the ongoing march to authoritarianism.
If they are doing away with vouching, you can add seniors living in senior residences to the voter suppression list. That is a significantly large demographic that votes come hell or high water. My recent experience working at a senior's centre federal polling station clearly proves that.... many eligible voting seniors needed to have someone vouch for them as they had just moved to the centre and they did not have any ID with a current address. Even if they had received a voter ID card, they had just moved to the residence and the change of address had not yet been processed... Had they not been able to have a staff member vouch for them, a significant number would not have been able to vote. :( We already have so few democratic "levers" to get rid of bad actors...
No accident that it's the day after a fair and legit fed election that Stormy Danielle has no control over. Furious fascist fck! Hopefully we can use her new Recall rules to get rid of her faster.
It’s deeply concerning to see Alberta heading in a direction that prioritizes corporate influence over democratic fairness. Danielle Smith’s proposed electoral reforms risk undermining the integrity of our political system by opening the door wider to big money—drowning out the voices of everyday Albertans. At the same time, introducing measures that may suppress voter turnout under the guise of “reform” weakens our democracy at its core.
Elections should be about ideas, community representation, and fairness—not about who can afford the biggest ad campaign. We’ve seen how corrosive corporate money can be in politics elsewhere, and we shouldn’t replicate that in Alberta. Safeguarding voter access and keeping elections fair should be non-negotiable in any healthy democracy.
Paper ballots and hand counting have served us well. That should be the only way of voting and counting. The removal of the corp and union donation ban, however, is just dumb.
I suspect that the reinstating the union and corporate, even individual donations during the election period has two objectives. 1! the UCP is free to accept all the bribes they want and 2. (given that the UCP and its supporters are anti-union) they are free to then blather their usual malarky that the NDP is financed by the big labour unions including the Public Sector unions. This would sit well with the mentally challenged UCP grassroots. I may be wrong, but that second one seems to be the major one.
I suspect it’s some stupid “muh freedums” argument; that people and organizations should be able to spend their money where they want. Imaginary “freedums” - and imaginary threats to those freedoms - is a big part of what drives the right wing crackpots these days. In that sense Smith isn’t being cynical, she’s making an earnest attempt to appease her base. It’s just that her base is effing stupid and radicalized by Twitter and right wing pod casts. As is Smith herself.
I urge those who have the means to support independent journalists who can help keep track of these changes.
Municipal election regulations were changed by the provincial gov't with Bill 20 last year, and now again with Bill 54. Municipal politics will be even more confusing as Edmonton and Calgary will have newly formed political parties putting candidates forward.
Thank you Dr. Wesley for your commitment to democracy and informing Albertans.
Pull the RCMP and Canadian military and all weaponry out of Alberta so she cannot recruit them for her version of ICE, which is her next step no doubt. Her proud boys and diagalon aren't trained for any real resistance from the thousands of Albertans who have had it with her. Also all treaty lands should immediately take action to secure them from her grasp. She should also be charged with treason for conspiring with US Republicans against Canada.
And they are getting smarter. The federal campaign was a carbon copy of the US playbook down to the same words. This seems more tailored to its audience, hence even more dangerous.
Also good to remember that for MAGA et al., an accusation is a confession. If they are accusing someone of it, they are probably doing it or going to do it. Good journalists are needed.
The time line requirements about preliminary results seems to be contrary to the no tabulators. Either she wants fast and efficient or she does not. She can’t demand fast and then also require painstakingly slow processes.
Wow! This is some Trump derangement syndrome on full display!! In actuality this is a warning to the Feds to think twice before going back on all their “promises”, not to hide it from anyone. It’s not national news- which it should be- because the bought and paid for legacy media chooses not to cover it.
She is Maple MAGA to her core.
#FireTheLyingConnivingUCP
I have another word that starts with c instead of ucp.
My reading of the recall act indicates it only encompasses the pool of electors in a constituency that voted in the previous election. Not the entire pool of constituents eligible to vote.
If I’m correct, a successful recall would hinge on the petitioner finding the required % of actual voters and convincing them to sign the petition (effectively reversing their vote).
It seems to me this is a far harder task than finding voters in general disgruntled with the problematic candidate. In this way, the recall legislation passed by the UCP is cynically performative as its thresholds are impossibly high to meet. Or they realized such legislation could be used against one of their own - that just wouldn’t do….
In any event, the bastards want to rig the game so they can’t lose. Assholes have to asshole.
I thought (hoped) I might have a week or so to somewhat relax, think about gardening and springtime in Alberta. Sadly, not even a day has gone by before the UCP/Smith are at their undemocratic ways. This is terrible legislation - rigging the game. Sadly, I have little faith that the majority of Albertans will recognize this for what it is: the ongoing march to authoritarianism.
If they are doing away with vouching, you can add seniors living in senior residences to the voter suppression list. That is a significantly large demographic that votes come hell or high water. My recent experience working at a senior's centre federal polling station clearly proves that.... many eligible voting seniors needed to have someone vouch for them as they had just moved to the centre and they did not have any ID with a current address. Even if they had received a voter ID card, they had just moved to the residence and the change of address had not yet been processed... Had they not been able to have a staff member vouch for them, a significant number would not have been able to vote. :( We already have so few democratic "levers" to get rid of bad actors...
No accident that it's the day after a fair and legit fed election that Stormy Danielle has no control over. Furious fascist fck! Hopefully we can use her new Recall rules to get rid of her faster.
It’s deeply concerning to see Alberta heading in a direction that prioritizes corporate influence over democratic fairness. Danielle Smith’s proposed electoral reforms risk undermining the integrity of our political system by opening the door wider to big money—drowning out the voices of everyday Albertans. At the same time, introducing measures that may suppress voter turnout under the guise of “reform” weakens our democracy at its core.
Elections should be about ideas, community representation, and fairness—not about who can afford the biggest ad campaign. We’ve seen how corrosive corporate money can be in politics elsewhere, and we shouldn’t replicate that in Alberta. Safeguarding voter access and keeping elections fair should be non-negotiable in any healthy democracy.
This is the. OST dangerous portion of the legislation.
Paper ballots and hand counting have served us well. That should be the only way of voting and counting. The removal of the corp and union donation ban, however, is just dumb.
I suspect that the reinstating the union and corporate, even individual donations during the election period has two objectives. 1! the UCP is free to accept all the bribes they want and 2. (given that the UCP and its supporters are anti-union) they are free to then blather their usual malarky that the NDP is financed by the big labour unions including the Public Sector unions. This would sit well with the mentally challenged UCP grassroots. I may be wrong, but that second one seems to be the major one.
I suspect it’s some stupid “muh freedums” argument; that people and organizations should be able to spend their money where they want. Imaginary “freedums” - and imaginary threats to those freedoms - is a big part of what drives the right wing crackpots these days. In that sense Smith isn’t being cynical, she’s making an earnest attempt to appease her base. It’s just that her base is effing stupid and radicalized by Twitter and right wing pod casts. As is Smith herself.
I urge those who have the means to support independent journalists who can help keep track of these changes.
Municipal election regulations were changed by the provincial gov't with Bill 20 last year, and now again with Bill 54. Municipal politics will be even more confusing as Edmonton and Calgary will have newly formed political parties putting candidates forward.
Thank you Dr. Wesley for your commitment to democracy and informing Albertans.
Pull the RCMP and Canadian military and all weaponry out of Alberta so she cannot recruit them for her version of ICE, which is her next step no doubt. Her proud boys and diagalon aren't trained for any real resistance from the thousands of Albertans who have had it with her. Also all treaty lands should immediately take action to secure them from her grasp. She should also be charged with treason for conspiring with US Republicans against Canada.
Danille Smith is the Marjorie Taylor Green of Canada.
Nah she's the Michelle Rempel Garner of Alb....oh wait!!!
And they are getting smarter. The federal campaign was a carbon copy of the US playbook down to the same words. This seems more tailored to its audience, hence even more dangerous.
Also good to remember that for MAGA et al., an accusation is a confession. If they are accusing someone of it, they are probably doing it or going to do it. Good journalists are needed.
The time line requirements about preliminary results seems to be contrary to the no tabulators. Either she wants fast and efficient or she does not. She can’t demand fast and then also require painstakingly slow processes.
Exactly the plan. It subverts the process and, they hope, creates mistrust in the outcomes.
Smith and her regime need to be sent packing to the usa. They will fit in fine there
And so, what actions do you recommend we take?
Wow! This is some Trump derangement syndrome on full display!! In actuality this is a warning to the Feds to think twice before going back on all their “promises”, not to hide it from anyone. It’s not national news- which it should be- because the bought and paid for legacy media chooses not to cover it.
Is the removal of references to Indigenous Chiefs significant? It’s all over the bill but I don’t understand why.