Albertan here. Agreed that Nenshi needs to get his act together and quick but don't discount the fact that there is a lot of momentum around Lukaszuk's ForeverCanada movement. The release of the Alberta Next panel clearly puts a separation referendum in the window (perhaps on the ballot as well) and by and large, Albertans are not having it. We're fed up with her pandering to her fringe right and the damage she's doing to healthcare and education in this province. Nenshi needs to put a more credible economic picture together than Notley did in 2023 as well as draw the line on separation and he (they) win. I will do everything to help unseat her and her corrupt cronies.
By all means, criticize separatists and separatism if that is your wont. But, dammit, drop the maga reference. That is a reference to the US - perhaps you didn't know? - and is being used to simply attempt to connect Smith to Trump. Yes, she spoke to him but she was working to protect Alberta's oil exports. Successfully, as it turned out. On the other hand, how successful has MC been?
Anyway, please drop the useless maga references as it shows that you have no imagination about how to criticize her beyond trying to smear her with DJT. It seems to me that Evan has provided you with many topics with which to criticize her; I can find ways to counter and /or confirm those criticisms and find yet again other criticisms of her. The question is, why can no you find anything other than DJT?
JFC Ken……the people who control the UCP have been bragging about going down to talk to Trump's people. So, I'm calling them what they are: MAGA pricks. You don't like it? Fuck off. I've no time for ANY sepratist apologizers/sympathizers.
The NDP is likely waiting fpr the separatists and the new conservative party leader, ex-minister Peter Guthrie, to reveal the pile of skeletons in the UCP closet. Conservatives are nipping at Smith's heels - let them devour each other by exposing their leader's Panamanian safe tax haven with ultimate grifter Sam Mraiche. Former Chief of Staff Marshall Smith is also on the run....
The RCMP and Auditor General are both investigating this corruption at the highest level, and AB taxpayers will be pissed once the truth emerges.
Dani is clearly scared as her house of cards is starting to collapse. Greed and arrogance will always bite back in the end.
Nenshi’s time as NDP / Opposition leader can only be defined as an underwhelming failure.
Someone defined the Federal NDP’s base as the most progressive university graduates in urban areas — a very small tent.
The Alberta NDP seems to be focused on the same small group of people. Not a recipe for success.
Communication seems to be limited to traditional press releases and question period.
Their message feels like same recycled ideas — vague calls to improve education and healthcare — and it all comes off as tired and lazy. AND I AGREE WITH THEIR MESSAGE.
Why isn’t anyone talking about diversifying Alberta’s economy?
Why isn’t anyone talking about the opportunities of Calgary and Edmonton to draw in Canada’s best and brightest?
The NDP bench has some excellent commentators — why are they being kept behind the current when the party leader seems uninterested in leaving his office?
The UCP is an unmitigated disaster, Albertans deserve better — but the NDP is determined to not provide a better option.
One also wonders if the emergent availability of another party folks to the right can vote for, aka the "new" Alberta Tories, will change the landscape from the last couple AB elections. Splitting the vote on the right has got them into trouble in the past.
Actually, Vince, I suspect that the "new" party [actually, it is a recycled party that used to be the Alberta Party] is quite useful for the UCP. I expect that the "new" party will simply siphon off folks who might have left the UCP and voted Liberal but then would have chosen to be "daring" and voted NDP. The "new" party will keep those few UCP defectors from defecting all the way to the NDP. In other words, a phony alternative.
For the past two elections, the Alberta NDP has heard that voters would have preferred they campaigned on plans rather than on faults of the UCP.
In 2023, their platform contained excellent, easy-to-understand plans for both healthcare and education. (While there were also many, many ideas around economic improvement, I don't think they weren't as well packaged/messaged.)
But here's the thing: With Smith at the helm in 2023, the ABNDP's lead strategists couldn't resist ignoring the advice from 2019. They saw an easy mark in Danielle and, at the protest of most of the people who make up the ANDP, they focused on dragging Smith. Once again, the actual platform took a backseat.
I'm not so quick to say Nenshi's doing a bad job, though. From a communications standpoint, I think he's been on it. I still have faith that, perhaps with a clean house, his will do something different this next election.
I think the author has nailed Alberta's current political zeitgeist better than most. Growth is as central to Albertan identity as french is to Quebec and remaining distinct from the US is to Ontario. The NDP has done nothing to articulate a vision for growth. Investing in health and education may satisfy the NDP's public sector union base, but a cynical electorate has heard such empty promises as a path to better future for decades.
Separtism is a red herring. I have yet to hear any Albertan opine on separatism other than as a justification for their already determined political persuasian.
I would decribe my own leanings as strongly libertarian. I both "utterly despise Eastern Canadian elites who want to meddle with [Alberta's] prosperity and impose their values", and am a "socially liberal [Calgarian] who enjoy[s] a gay wedding but also enjoy[s] their six figure a year salary". Issues like the culture wars and health care don't resonate as all political parties overindulge identity, and health care is a mess in every Canadian province regardless of the party running the government.
The MOU is Smith's checkmate. She wins regardless of whether the Feds unblock the regulatory process or if they don't. The only scenario where she loses is if the Province bungless the pipeline. This is the main reason she may want to go early.
The other motivations for an early election:
-the NDP seems unprepared
-weak short-term oil prices will blow holes in the deficit
-Nenshi seems to lack energy and motivation
I would also add that Nemshi is an extremely polarizing figure in Calgary. There is a reason that he didn't seek a fourth term.
We cannot be silent. We must let our voices be heard and our signatures be counted. You must be a constituent from Smith’s Brooks/Medicine Hat riding to sign her recall, but take the initiative to sign any mla being recalled in your area. We have signing stations located in the riding daily. To find a signing station to recall Brooks/Medicine Hat MLA Danielle Smith, please search:
The Doug Ford parallel is actually really instructive here. Smith has the same opportunity to frame the ballot question before the opposition gets organized but the execution risk is way higher because Nenshi isnt as obviously unprepared as Crombie was. The economic messaging gap you point out is the crucial weakness though, basically nobody knows what an NDP economic platform looks like post-oil diversificaiton and that vacuum gives Smith space to define them negatively. I remember covering a local election where the insurgent candidate got crushed because they never articulated what they'd actually DO, just what they opposed. Feels familiar here tbh.
Evan, you write, "...Smith is absolutely vulnerable to a competent, capable, intelligent opposition...."
As a resident of Calgary and having lived under the total misrule of our city by Nenshi, I can honestly advise that there is absolutely no danger of the NDP being that competent, capable, intelligent opposition.
Albertan here. Agreed that Nenshi needs to get his act together and quick but don't discount the fact that there is a lot of momentum around Lukaszuk's ForeverCanada movement. The release of the Alberta Next panel clearly puts a separation referendum in the window (perhaps on the ballot as well) and by and large, Albertans are not having it. We're fed up with her pandering to her fringe right and the damage she's doing to healthcare and education in this province. Nenshi needs to put a more credible economic picture together than Notley did in 2023 as well as draw the line on separation and he (they) win. I will do everything to help unseat her and her corrupt cronies.
I'm a fellow Albertan, I'm with you on everything said here. The ABNDP need a better leader
Good article. I'll add one more to Nenshi's list of deficiencies: where is he RE: Smith's dangerous and destabilizing pandering to MAGA separatists?
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze, Christian ....
By all means, criticize separatists and separatism if that is your wont. But, dammit, drop the maga reference. That is a reference to the US - perhaps you didn't know? - and is being used to simply attempt to connect Smith to Trump. Yes, she spoke to him but she was working to protect Alberta's oil exports. Successfully, as it turned out. On the other hand, how successful has MC been?
Anyway, please drop the useless maga references as it shows that you have no imagination about how to criticize her beyond trying to smear her with DJT. It seems to me that Evan has provided you with many topics with which to criticize her; I can find ways to counter and /or confirm those criticisms and find yet again other criticisms of her. The question is, why can no you find anything other than DJT?
JFC Ken……the people who control the UCP have been bragging about going down to talk to Trump's people. So, I'm calling them what they are: MAGA pricks. You don't like it? Fuck off. I've no time for ANY sepratist apologizers/sympathizers.
And I see that your parents taught you good manners to go along with your potty mouth.
The NDP is likely waiting fpr the separatists and the new conservative party leader, ex-minister Peter Guthrie, to reveal the pile of skeletons in the UCP closet. Conservatives are nipping at Smith's heels - let them devour each other by exposing their leader's Panamanian safe tax haven with ultimate grifter Sam Mraiche. Former Chief of Staff Marshall Smith is also on the run....
The RCMP and Auditor General are both investigating this corruption at the highest level, and AB taxpayers will be pissed once the truth emerges.
Dani is clearly scared as her house of cards is starting to collapse. Greed and arrogance will always bite back in the end.
I agree that this is part of the strategy for the NDP. Smith is terrified of the 'divide the right' because that is surely going to happen.
Nenshi’s time as NDP / Opposition leader can only be defined as an underwhelming failure.
Someone defined the Federal NDP’s base as the most progressive university graduates in urban areas — a very small tent.
The Alberta NDP seems to be focused on the same small group of people. Not a recipe for success.
Communication seems to be limited to traditional press releases and question period.
Their message feels like same recycled ideas — vague calls to improve education and healthcare — and it all comes off as tired and lazy. AND I AGREE WITH THEIR MESSAGE.
Why isn’t anyone talking about diversifying Alberta’s economy?
Why isn’t anyone talking about the opportunities of Calgary and Edmonton to draw in Canada’s best and brightest?
The NDP bench has some excellent commentators — why are they being kept behind the current when the party leader seems uninterested in leaving his office?
The UCP is an unmitigated disaster, Albertans deserve better — but the NDP is determined to not provide a better option.
One also wonders if the emergent availability of another party folks to the right can vote for, aka the "new" Alberta Tories, will change the landscape from the last couple AB elections. Splitting the vote on the right has got them into trouble in the past.
Actually, Vince, I suspect that the "new" party [actually, it is a recycled party that used to be the Alberta Party] is quite useful for the UCP. I expect that the "new" party will simply siphon off folks who might have left the UCP and voted Liberal but then would have chosen to be "daring" and voted NDP. The "new" party will keep those few UCP defectors from defecting all the way to the NDP. In other words, a phony alternative.
For the past two elections, the Alberta NDP has heard that voters would have preferred they campaigned on plans rather than on faults of the UCP.
In 2023, their platform contained excellent, easy-to-understand plans for both healthcare and education. (While there were also many, many ideas around economic improvement, I don't think they weren't as well packaged/messaged.)
But here's the thing: With Smith at the helm in 2023, the ABNDP's lead strategists couldn't resist ignoring the advice from 2019. They saw an easy mark in Danielle and, at the protest of most of the people who make up the ANDP, they focused on dragging Smith. Once again, the actual platform took a backseat.
I'm not so quick to say Nenshi's doing a bad job, though. From a communications standpoint, I think he's been on it. I still have faith that, perhaps with a clean house, his will do something different this next election.
nenshi saw bonnie crombie get murked by ford and thought "hey, what if we did *that* but in alberta?"
I think the author has nailed Alberta's current political zeitgeist better than most. Growth is as central to Albertan identity as french is to Quebec and remaining distinct from the US is to Ontario. The NDP has done nothing to articulate a vision for growth. Investing in health and education may satisfy the NDP's public sector union base, but a cynical electorate has heard such empty promises as a path to better future for decades.
Separtism is a red herring. I have yet to hear any Albertan opine on separatism other than as a justification for their already determined political persuasian.
I would decribe my own leanings as strongly libertarian. I both "utterly despise Eastern Canadian elites who want to meddle with [Alberta's] prosperity and impose their values", and am a "socially liberal [Calgarian] who enjoy[s] a gay wedding but also enjoy[s] their six figure a year salary". Issues like the culture wars and health care don't resonate as all political parties overindulge identity, and health care is a mess in every Canadian province regardless of the party running the government.
The MOU is Smith's checkmate. She wins regardless of whether the Feds unblock the regulatory process or if they don't. The only scenario where she loses is if the Province bungless the pipeline. This is the main reason she may want to go early.
The other motivations for an early election:
-the NDP seems unprepared
-weak short-term oil prices will blow holes in the deficit
-Nenshi seems to lack energy and motivation
I would also add that Nemshi is an extremely polarizing figure in Calgary. There is a reason that he didn't seek a fourth term.
We cannot be silent. We must let our voices be heard and our signatures be counted. You must be a constituent from Smith’s Brooks/Medicine Hat riding to sign her recall, but take the initiative to sign any mla being recalled in your area. We have signing stations located in the riding daily. To find a signing station to recall Brooks/Medicine Hat MLA Danielle Smith, please search:
https://recalldaniellesmithnow.ca and share this information as much as possible.
The Doug Ford parallel is actually really instructive here. Smith has the same opportunity to frame the ballot question before the opposition gets organized but the execution risk is way higher because Nenshi isnt as obviously unprepared as Crombie was. The economic messaging gap you point out is the crucial weakness though, basically nobody knows what an NDP economic platform looks like post-oil diversificaiton and that vacuum gives Smith space to define them negatively. I remember covering a local election where the insurgent candidate got crushed because they never articulated what they'd actually DO, just what they opposed. Feels familiar here tbh.
Evan, you write, "...Smith is absolutely vulnerable to a competent, capable, intelligent opposition...."
As a resident of Calgary and having lived under the total misrule of our city by Nenshi, I can honestly advise that there is absolutely no danger of the NDP being that competent, capable, intelligent opposition.