Roundup: Danielle Smith stays, Alberta still a one-party state

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Well, Alberta has decided that it remains a one-party state, no matter how corrupted that party is, or how completely awful the leader is, and just how utterly unsuited Danielle Smith is for office, and that she has embraced all manner of conspiracy theories, or behaved in ways that imperilled democracy. While I have a full column on this coming out later today, there are a couple of things not mentioned therein that I did still want to mention.

One is that I cannot fathom how the whole “Take Back Alberta” narrative persisted. Take it back from whom? From what? You’ve been a one-party state for nearly fifty years, minus the four-year NDP interregnum that came about as a result of a perfect storm that in no way could be replicated this time around.

The NDP ran a weak campaign, and they are now comforting themselves with the fact that they have the largest official opposition in the province’s history, for what little it matters because Smith still has a majority, and they have no actual leverage to make any particular difference in the legislature. I am feeling some flashbacks to 2011 when the federal NDP formed official opposition and felt like they won the election, when they also handed the Conservatives a majority and they had no actual ability to make change or have leverage.

There is also still a particular ugliness in this election, as exemplified by the fact that the UCP candidate who compared trans children to faeces in cookie batter won by a landslide. Smith claims that she’s out of caucus “for good,” but I don’t actually believe her, and I have no doubt that after a few months in that penalty box, she’ll be welcomed back into the party because Smith believes in forgiveness, or some bullshit like that. And not nearly enough people will do any soul-searching over this, and this ugliness will fester.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Another night, another massive air raid against Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, with more than 20 drones shot down as of this writing, and at least one high rise is being evacuated as falling debris has caused a fire. The constant nightly air attacks against Kyiv are taking a toll on its citizens (which is of course why the Russians are doing it). Russians did also allegedly hit a Ukrainian air base, plus port infrastructure in Odessa. There was also a Russian attack on the city of Toretsk in the Donetsk region, which killed two and injured at least eight.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1663350609385254912

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1663176973793861633

Good reads:

  • While meeting with the president of Iceland, Justin Trudeau told the media that the federal government stands ready to assist Nova Scotia with their wildfires.
  • Trudeau and members of his Cabinet also denounced the move by Uganda in signing into law a draconian anti-LGBTQ+ law that can include the death penalty.
  • Stellantis is apparently making a counter-offer to temper its blackmail demands.
  • Pablo Rodriguez says he’s reviewing CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate with an eye to making it less reliant on advertising, particularly if they get money from web giants.
  • As minister responsible for Parks Canada, Steven Guilbeault has declared the 1923 ban on Chinese immigration to be an event of historical significance.
  • Helena Jaczek says the government plans to have a plan for 24 Sussex by autumn.
  • The government announced $95.8 million in new funding for families of missing and murdered Indigenous women (and may expand to include men and boys).
  • The Indigenous advisory committee on the unmarked graves at residential school sites has opted not to work with a group out of the Hague with expertise.
  • Not unsurprisingly, criminal defence lawyers are raising concerns that the bail reform bill may not pass constitutional muster.
  • The National Post got some background documents on Canada’s plans for the Queen’s Funeral and some of the decisions that were made.
  • The House of Commons voted down the Conservatives’ Supply Day motion on ending safe supply of opioids (which was based on a dishonest position anyway).
  • Jagmeet Singh plans to use his party’s Supply Day today to move a motion calling on David Johnston to step down and for the government to call a public inquiry.
  • NDP MP Jenny Kwan says she was briefed by CSIS as being a target of Chinese interference, and still wants a public inquiry.
  • Former Ontario Cabinet minister Michael Chan is suing CSIS, the leakers, and the reporters who have named him in their stories.
  • Heather Scoffield uses the parable of how good of an idea the mortgage stress test turned out to be to advocate for more “sensible solutions” to deal with risk.

Odds and ends:

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6 thoughts on “Roundup: Danielle Smith stays, Alberta still a one-party state”

  1. Jagmeet Singh plans to use his party’s Supply Day today to move a motion calling on David Johnston to step down and for the government to call a public inquiry.

    He really is an embarrassment to the party.

  2. Poilievre says that Canada is broken. Danielle Smith is designing the coffin.
    With these radicals Canadians will experience the true death.
    The left may be woke…not a bad thing, but the far right are ignorant and asleep in the past. Time for them to wake up!

  3. Didn’t this “secret” LPC loving David Johnston moderate 1979 federal leaders debate?

    Also doesn’t it take at least an 11-month investigation to determine if someone is or isn’t a friend of the PM?

    • If you read the story, they are listed in the claim as “John Doe” and “Jane Smith.”

      • I read it 3 times. It just says “unidentified”. I assumed that meant he knew but didn’t name. My mistake.

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