How Alberta's quest for a "Fair Deal" could impact a Poilievre prime ministership, and how a Conservative federal government might reshape Alberta politics
This article suggests that Conservatives in Ottawa and across the country can agree on important issues and actually make things happen to benefit the country. I think this is naive. For example the CPC nearly elected Maxine Bernier a while ago and since then has been fighting him tooth and nail. Subsequently the CPC has ground up a couple more leaders and settled on a take no prisoners guy whose tactics closely resemble Donald Trump’s. Over a couple of election cycles the UCP notably froze out Doug Ford during election campaigns. Meanwhile Take Back Alberta is driving most decisions for Danielle Smith’s government in spite of the fact that TBA ideology is the opposite of what Conservatives in urban centres are looking for. There is no evidence that Conservatives across the country can agree on anything except that everything is Justin Trudeau’s fault, but that is not a viable policy after an election but that’s all they have.
I think you’re imagining a level of internal consistency and honesty that doesn’t exist. When Poilievre wins neither he nor any of the Conservative premieres will miss a step in continuing to blame Trudeau for everything wrong. They’ll even blame Trudeau for any of their own new policies that prove to be unpopular. Any premieres or opposition who push back will simply be painted as a Trudeau’s puppets.
Smith in Alberta still blames Notley on a regular basis. Ford still brings up Wynne. In Saskatchewan they’re attacking the previous NDP government right now in their lead up to election, and that was seventeen years ago.
Conservatives experience no cognitive dissonance in being both in power and a perpetual victim at the same time. And there’s no point where they’ll have enough power that they’ll feel any obligation to actually take responsibility
Latest polling shows only a 4 point difference between the Cons and the Libs. That’s basically the possible % of error. His defence of Canada against Trump was slow and supporting Danielle Smith is doing him no favours. Neither have the recommendations from Musk or Jordon Peterson. As a matter of fact these recommendation do the exact opposite.
I find your argument naive and extremely one sided . During the Harper years the federal government left the prairie provinces alone. There were few disagreements between them and the prairie provinces, at least in Alberta, prospered. The only reason there are arguments between the Alberta and liberal federal governments is the constant interference in provincial jurisdictions by them and the chronically unequal treatment of provinces.
Most informed Albertans understand that PP will be unable to make the constitutional changes needed to make Canada the truly democratic, fair and wealthy country it has the potential to be but will vote for him because of his promise to leave our 2 biggest industries, namely agriculture and O&G alone.
Even if Poilievre becomes prime minister, he will not be able to leave either of them alone, because they will both be affected by the energy transition and the increasingly bad effects of climate change. Farmers will need government help when severe weather damages their crops and livestock. They will need to adapt their practices to the real world, which is changing now.
The world is switching to electrical power for transport and heating, and the oil industry will shrink in importance. We need to prepare for that and Smith is refusing to do so. She is a coward who will not face reality.
With Smith holding Alberta back from accepting the inevitable, we wll end up a poor, badly educated province trying to catch up with the rest of Canada which is trying to catch up to the rest of the world. Poilievre will either start to deal with reality and change or he will get booted out harder than Mulroney was.
Alberta has been continuously whining about federal government Interference since the early 1970’s when Pierre Trudeau brought in the National Energy Program and you haven’t stopped making yourselves out to be the victims every day since then. NO ONE has interfered in ANY way with Alberta since that time but holy Christ you folks NEVER stop whining and blaming absolutely EVERYTHING on the feds, including things that have absolutely nothing to do with Canada and are completely outside the governments control!
Albertans have become even more bloody irritating than the Separatists in Quebec!
This article suggests that Conservatives in Ottawa and across the country can agree on important issues and actually make things happen to benefit the country. I think this is naive. For example the CPC nearly elected Maxine Bernier a while ago and since then has been fighting him tooth and nail. Subsequently the CPC has ground up a couple more leaders and settled on a take no prisoners guy whose tactics closely resemble Donald Trump’s. Over a couple of election cycles the UCP notably froze out Doug Ford during election campaigns. Meanwhile Take Back Alberta is driving most decisions for Danielle Smith’s government in spite of the fact that TBA ideology is the opposite of what Conservatives in urban centres are looking for. There is no evidence that Conservatives across the country can agree on anything except that everything is Justin Trudeau’s fault, but that is not a viable policy after an election but that’s all they have.
I think you’re imagining a level of internal consistency and honesty that doesn’t exist. When Poilievre wins neither he nor any of the Conservative premieres will miss a step in continuing to blame Trudeau for everything wrong. They’ll even blame Trudeau for any of their own new policies that prove to be unpopular. Any premieres or opposition who push back will simply be painted as a Trudeau’s puppets.
Smith in Alberta still blames Notley on a regular basis. Ford still brings up Wynne. In Saskatchewan they’re attacking the previous NDP government right now in their lead up to election, and that was seventeen years ago.
Conservatives experience no cognitive dissonance in being both in power and a perpetual victim at the same time. And there’s no point where they’ll have enough power that they’ll feel any obligation to actually take responsibility
Latest polling shows only a 4 point difference between the Cons and the Libs. That’s basically the possible % of error. His defence of Canada against Trump was slow and supporting Danielle Smith is doing him no favours. Neither have the recommendations from Musk or Jordon Peterson. As a matter of fact these recommendation do the exact opposite.
Yecch
Wow. A cowboy gathering of empty headed people. Yee haw!
What’s she done in Calgary?
I find your argument naive and extremely one sided . During the Harper years the federal government left the prairie provinces alone. There were few disagreements between them and the prairie provinces, at least in Alberta, prospered. The only reason there are arguments between the Alberta and liberal federal governments is the constant interference in provincial jurisdictions by them and the chronically unequal treatment of provinces.
Most informed Albertans understand that PP will be unable to make the constitutional changes needed to make Canada the truly democratic, fair and wealthy country it has the potential to be but will vote for him because of his promise to leave our 2 biggest industries, namely agriculture and O&G alone.
Even if Poilievre becomes prime minister, he will not be able to leave either of them alone, because they will both be affected by the energy transition and the increasingly bad effects of climate change. Farmers will need government help when severe weather damages their crops and livestock. They will need to adapt their practices to the real world, which is changing now.
The world is switching to electrical power for transport and heating, and the oil industry will shrink in importance. We need to prepare for that and Smith is refusing to do so. She is a coward who will not face reality.
With Smith holding Alberta back from accepting the inevitable, we wll end up a poor, badly educated province trying to catch up with the rest of Canada which is trying to catch up to the rest of the world. Poilievre will either start to deal with reality and change or he will get booted out harder than Mulroney was.
Alberta has been continuously whining about federal government Interference since the early 1970’s when Pierre Trudeau brought in the National Energy Program and you haven’t stopped making yourselves out to be the victims every day since then. NO ONE has interfered in ANY way with Alberta since that time but holy Christ you folks NEVER stop whining and blaming absolutely EVERYTHING on the feds, including things that have absolutely nothing to do with Canada and are completely outside the governments control!
Albertans have become even more bloody irritating than the Separatists in Quebec!