Smith is an Alberta Separatist. She is more MAGA than Canada. She is a captive of Radical Evangelical Christians and Old Oil Oligarchs in our province.
She is a danger to democracy in Alberta and is intentionally isolating us from Canada and is aligning with Trump.
I agree with everything you have said, Ken. Too many rural Alberta's are blindly voting UCP and not really paying attention to the reality that it is not the old Conservative party. Two more years until our next election. Hope she doesn't screw up too much before we can turf her party.
You are saying that we should all vote NDP. Yeah things will be sunshine & lollipops after that. “Fund healthcare & education” you will say. Translation: run up massive amounts of debt, destroy the oil industry, add a sales tax to “help” people. Increase other taxes, & cripple our province.
A positive future for Alberta is in the USA. Regardless of how you feel about Trump. He can only be president for 4 years more.
Danielle Smith is not an Alberta separatist. She is a “Let’s fix Canada so Alberta can survive & thrive”, politician. This of course is not good enough for many Alberta hating people. Only abject surrender, subjugation & poverty are enough.
I am a separatist. Get mad at me if you want, but your take on Premier Smith is incorrect. She doesn’t go far enough for my liking.
A danger to democracy? How? We have elections in the same manner as other provinces.
Because she is in trumps pocket. If you don’t like Canada, you’re free to become an American. My ancestors fought for your right to choose. And for that very land. Which will always be Canadian land. Bye.
I live here. It is my home. You have no right to evict me.
I ask this question daily: “Why should Alberta remain a part of Canada?”
The responses that I have received always been either empty patriotic platitudes, (yours), or attempts to guilt, bully or shame us into compliance. Do you have any FACTUAL reasons? Premier Smith, for the record does NOT support secession. She is a Canadian Nationalist. She wants to make the necessary changes for Alberta to survive & thrive within Canada. The changes would be beneficial to ALL of Canada. Of course, for eastern liberals, that is unacceptable. Nothing short of poverty & subservience to Ottawa is good enough.
Incorrect. It would be SELLING IN. Life for all Albertans would be better if we are not governed by the POS thieving bastards in Ottawa.
We could be independent, a U.S. state, or hypothetically form a union with other western provinces.
All options are better than staying - no matter how much eastern liberals want to guilt, shame, bully or fill us full of worthless patriotic platitudes.
American here. I think you woefully misunderstand the U.S. , not to mention Trumpism. Only for years you say? Given the way things are headed we will not be having completely free elections by then. Think you’d enter our union as a state? Most likely you could join us as a territory braced? Ruled by us but with no representation in Washington.
Sell out? This is nonsense. Selling out is remaining in Canada. Marx Carnage will declare war on Alberta’s oil industry, attack freedom of speech and make life decidedly WORSE for Albertans.
Albertans will live better when we are no longer a tribute paying colony to Canada.
As far as statehood goes, there are people speaking with the USA right now. Just an exploratory committee to find out what joining the USA would look like. Only after a clear, well defined picture is available, will there be a push for a vote. None of these people are with the Alberta government. Just private citizens that are fed-up with eastern Canada.
And those same loonie Evangelicals are what kept the Socreds’ in power for decades here in Alberta, until Peter Lougheed convinced them that they could still be “christen” and make money off of oil. You just have to forget about the Love thy neighbour part. Ding-a-ling Dani tapped into that perfectly. Alberta against the godless hordes try to take our god given money 💰
She’s out on step with the rest of Canada, and even large swaths of Alberta, but rarely has there ever been a politician so precisely dialed in on the exact demographic they need to maintain their support within their own party, and to get reelected. And her priorities are in that exact order
This is so bang on. As a Calgarian falling outside that demographic, it is so incredibly frustrating, embarrassing and a bunch of other awful emotions.
Smith is creating a distraction from the corruption around the Alberta Health Service. And in the process she will give Carney an assist. That’s all.
EDIT: a few hours after this column it would appear that Smith is actively coordinating with the Trump team to influence the upcoming elections in Canada. This changes it from a distraction to sedition-lite. Time to put the question to Poilievre and the CPC: do you condemn Premier Smith’s attempts to obtain help from Trump? Is the federal CPC coordinating with Smith?
I'd like to believe that it is just her trying to distract Albertans. But that just doesn't fit with her actions since tariffs announced and Trump started his 51st State taunts. Even back before Health care scandal was an issue Smith was down in US and she continues to do so. She seems to feel she's still lobbying for the oil companies (as she did prior to becoming Premier)....
You can be as mad at Danielle Smith as you want to be, and 771,000+ Albertans who voted NDP in the last election will be mad right along with you. But saying that you don't care if Alberta leaves is narrow minded and foolish, not to mention disenfranchising those same 771,000 Albertans who are just as much Canadian as you are. Especially now that she's at 45% in the polls, it's perfectly clear that Smith doesn't represent all of Alberta. She's basically dead politically in the two largest cities. Celebrating Quebec's uniqueness does not require denigrating an entire province on the basis of what is now a minority party that is seriously fraying at the edges. One UCP MLA refused to vote for the 2025 budget; another resigned from Cabinet in disgust over the Corrupt Care scandal. Sure, Smith is masterful at courting the right wing core of her Party, but that core is not a majority anymore now that they've purged all the Centrists out of it. Certainly not in Calgary with her petty, vindictive, sabotaging of the Green Line LRT project. After banning voting machines, casually shifting her term from 4 to 4.5 years, opening up political contributions and with a party with a history of cheating on constituency realignments due this year, clearly she's planning to seriously cheat her way into power in 2027. Even with all of that, there's a good chance she'll fail.
If you actually believe in, want, answers support a united Canada, you don't casually write off any province or territory. I mean, you live in a Province that just re-elected Doug Ford, for god's sake. After your green belt scandal and your declining health care system, just like ours, who are you to talk?
I don’t care if Alberta leaves. Canada is facing an existential threat and your Premier has decided to start a hostage crisis to negatively impact the entire country. The reality is, she is Alberta’s leader and speaks for all Albertan’s - even those that voted for different parties - full end stop. Maybe you should focus your energy on trying to stop this maniacal mega nutbar. Isn’t the health scandal enough? Stealing from sick children? She’s only at 45% in the polls? Give your head a shake. After all the stunts she’s pulled to Albertan’s and other Canadians? She still has 45% support. That’s not a commendation it’s reason condemnation. Her, Trump,Pollievre and Putin are all on the same page. And yet she is at 45%… in a province with a sizeable Ukrainian heritage.
A strong column and as an Albertan, I agree with your perspective. Premier Smith is playing both sides of the same coin - supporting team Canada, and then making outrageous statements about national unity. Her meeting with the PM illustrates what side she is really on. It's always great to play the hate Ottawa/Liberal to distract Albertans from dealing effecitvely with the energy industry in regards to the abandoned wells and environmental pollution of water by the "oilsands". Her intentional misinformation on equalization payments and alluding to Quebec being the prime beneficiary, well this is an old song that should be shelved. Albertans have been willing to sail the ship of living on oil royalties and brag about lower taxes, but I feel the province needs a different direction. Many, many Albertans are Canadians first. Mr. Nenshi encouraged her to hold a referendum on "separation" and if she loses, to resign. We must also remember we have a "CorruptCare" scandal in Alberta that is growing in depth with thanks to great reporting and to Smith likes to distract Albertans by focusing on our current PM and energy. Albertans must hold fast, put Canada first. The province cannot survive alone.
I see Edmonton central is now open for Caney if he wants to run there. I would love to see it, and Carney to win handily, on the basis of “send an Alberta boy to the PM’s offfice”.
After the election Carney can square up with Danielle and say “I represent Alberta too.”
The Alberta Director for Liberal Party is Eleanor O and she is noted on Dave.berta as running in another Edmonton Riding….what is name of person you feel is running?
Hill Times has reported that Eleanor O is moving to run in Edmonton Centre but says nothing about who will replace her in E Strathcona. Neither LPC not PM Carney has made that official as of 11:23 MDT on Sunday.
I don’t think this is a good place for him to run for a seat. I don’t think it would matter if Carney is an Albertan, they will label him a globalist traitor.
Disagree completely. The actual riding is adjacent to the most orange seat in the country. The rest of the country does not understand Edmonton, so a symbolic win for Carney in this seat would be massive. Unfortunate that he isn't running here.
Single use plastics. She says if we don’t get rid of laws prohibiting single use plastics we’ll have a national unity crisis. C’mon. At least make it easy for me to believe you.
As an Albertan, the UCP on the whole have been without question the worst clown show in the history of this province. It was the same under Jason Kenney and it's somehow gotten even worse under Smith. It's literally - LITERALLY - something every 2 days with these damn people. I've lived in this province my whole life and I absolutely hate what it's become.
“Alberta knows all of this, at least on some level. They have to know it”
Which Alberta?
Do the actual movers and shakers in the UCP know it? Sure, but they don’t care because they’re grifters with no actual commitment to Alberta’s long term success. Them and their friends are going to get theirs
Do large chunks of Urban Alberta know it? Yep. See the 44% voting against the UCP
Do the vast majority of Rural Alberta know it? Nope. Seriously, no, not on any level. It’s hard to explain the level of media, educational, and social bubble the rural parts of the province exist in.
No one who hasn’t spent at least a couple weeks hanging out in the coffee shops and bars around the rural parts of the province should be writing about Alberta, for the same reason no one who’s never set foot in Quebec could possibly have an informed opinion on Montreal politics
I lived in rural Alberta (45 minutes outside of Grande Prairie) for 20 years. I can confidently state they are the most government interventionist people I have ever met, and also the most ignorant and stupid people I have ever met. I now live in the Greater Toronto Area by the way and for fun I'd go to the coffee shop and fight with all the old so called conservatives and point out how very socialist they were.
Jason not sure of your point…I’m rural, grew up on a farm. Salt of the earth kind of people. And here in AB born and bred Albertans are friends more than 40 years later. People who are genuinely smart, compassionate, hospitable and would give me the shirt off their backs. Same with rural people I know in Ontario, BC and NB. What I have noted in all 5 provinces where I have lived is the use of the word “townie” or “blow-hard” or “All hat, no cattle” to characterize people who they seem to intuitively know are not authentic or don’t appreciate their values of honesty and hardworking. From your comment, I’d say the locals called you one of those words or perhaps even something less complimentary.
No I value hard work and honesty. I grew up in a farming community, we didn't farm my dad worked in town. I found some of the people in rural Alberta to be too attached to distant and old grievances from 40+ years ago rather than what is currently going on, the National Energy Program after all was repealed over 40 years ago but they were still banging on about it like it was yesterday. It is tiresome to listen to, though not the reason I left. Some of the people were open minded and I quite enjoyed talking with them but some were quite set in their ways and it was more sporting to cross swords with them even though you knew you might as well talk to a wall, and the wall would be more open to the fact it is 2025 and not 1955!
Thanks for the clarification. Yes there are grievances here about the NEP and western alienation. But some Albertans living in both urban and rural Albertan share these grievances, not just rural. The divide seem more like North/South versus rural/urban. It seems like it remains an issue for those who feel the world as they knew it is fading away. Those who align with Western alienation feel the sting of the NEP even today. But that cuts across all regions of the province. Populist politicians pitch themselves as the solution for the aggrieved as Trump does, as far right leaders in the EU do, and as PP tries to do. However, populism only works is there’s an us and them and PP’s problem is that his supporters in ON are the “them” for the “us” here in AB. I think that’s part of the reason he’s losing support in ON, even in rural areas.
“ I’ve lived in Ontario & Qc., and I can say that rural Canada is very similar from the Pacific to the Atlantic”
That’s about as accurate as someone who says they’ve lived in both Vancouver and Calgary, and can say that big cities are very similar across the country
But there are commonalities among people who live in cities in Canada. And there are commonalities among people who live in rural communities across Canada. This has been evident for decades to anyone who has spent time in both environments. Even visiting family (rural to urban, or vice-versa) makes this clear, and there are lots of Canadians familiar with this experience.
You shouldn’t judge rural AB by what you hear in the coffee shops. Lots of quiet progressives in rural AB too. And rural AB is like rural in NB, ON, SK, MB, and BC. QC now is different and difficult to extrapolate because their culture is different and a wide nationalist streak.
Statistically? No there isn’t. There’s a bunch of those ridings where the conservative vote is 75%+. Rural Alberta really is a unique beast in terms of social identification with a specific party.
Ryan the degree of voting Conservative is irrelevant, because you just elect one member for that Riding whether the spread is 75/25 or 50/22/28 (Con vs NDP vs Liberal). My point is that rural Ridings tend to vote Conservative. And that’s true whether it’s AB, SK, MB, BC, ON, NB.
What is interesting or different this election is that more voters in urban Calgary and Edmonton are polling voting Liberal such that there are now between 5-7 seats which could go Liberal. That’s the sea change this election. Maybe it’s because Albertans see Carney more as a Red Tory along the same vein as Clarke or Lougheed? Or maybe it’s because of the Trump tariffs and talk of annexation and Smith’s alignment with Trump as well as general unhappiness with Smith government? I’ve watched AB politics for 44 years and lived here for 25 of those 44 years and I’ve not seen anything like it.
That sounds encouraging. I'm from a successful farm family. Mixed voting amongst members. This is why Trudeau should have done election reform. There are progressives out there.
This is so much on the money. In my thoroughly unscientific poll, my family, residents of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Yukon who vote everything from NDP to UCP are all voting for Carney. Smith and Moe would do well to read the room.
Yes it sure seems like Smith really misunderstands how her words may push voters in other provinces and voters in Calgary/Edmonton to vote ABC. Yes, her demands are ridiculous given the well settled division of powers. But, promoting unity within Canada is most important right now. Danielle Smith by her actions and words doesn’t see that. And Evan your words of “I don’t Care” do nothing to promote national unity either. As an Albertan who is a Canadian first I am disappointed and, surprisingly, feeling a little hurt.
If it means anything, your comments here put me in mind of the blue voters in red states who have to go the extra mile to remind people that it is important to not dismiss entire geographic areas as unified voting blocs. Instead of such dismissal, the rest of us should be vocal in moral and practical support and encouragement to those areas. I appreciate what you are pointing out and we all need to hear it.
They're wilfully ignorant that defunct O&G companies owe their municipalities millions and millions of dollars.
NVM rural health care. My gawd a child died this winter because Cochrane's emergency department is closed at night. They had to go to Calgary and the time lag between emergent care, the child died.
One thing: 44% of who voted didn't vote for DS, and she only won by a 6-seat margin. A plurality didn't vote at all; I predict that will change if we get a chance to vote again. I also know that she'll have an internal fight on her hands (that will dwarf the freedumb convoy/Coutts debacle) if she tries to provoke a unity crisis.
For a vote to matter, the other parties/candidates need to offer an actual alternative.
Voting against something you don't like only goes so far. We need opportunities to vote FOR something.
I think most peole recognize the status-quo isn't working. What is happening is that a populist right is growing to provide a home for those people, but there isn't anyone in the center/left that seems to be moving away from talking like it is still the 1980's or 1990's.
I live in Ontario, and the PC party easily won the election as the Liberals and NDP didn't seem to have anything all that different to offer.
I live in Ottawa, and the Freedom from Responsibiity convoy was infuriating, but I've seen nothing in the political response that moved anything forward. The grievances still exist without a productive outlet.
Smith just colluded with Trump to get him to endorse Canada and pause the tariff talk until after the election because it’s hurting polievres campaign … that if the cons win they are not woke and believe in trumps direction so will work with them. Danielle is the sledge at the bottom of an oil pit
Smith is an Alberta Separatist. She is more MAGA than Canada. She is a captive of Radical Evangelical Christians and Old Oil Oligarchs in our province.
She is a danger to democracy in Alberta and is intentionally isolating us from Canada and is aligning with Trump.
I agree with everything you have said, Ken. Too many rural Alberta's are blindly voting UCP and not really paying attention to the reality that it is not the old Conservative party. Two more years until our next election. Hope she doesn't screw up too much before we can turf her party.
Rural Albertan separatist here.
You are saying that we should all vote NDP. Yeah things will be sunshine & lollipops after that. “Fund healthcare & education” you will say. Translation: run up massive amounts of debt, destroy the oil industry, add a sales tax to “help” people. Increase other taxes, & cripple our province.
A positive future for Alberta is in the USA. Regardless of how you feel about Trump. He can only be president for 4 years more.
No.... vote LIBERAL
UCP is maple maga . Some of us do sincerely love our GREAT COUNTRY.
♥️🇨🇦🍁♥️
Yes, Vote Liberal, because we Albertans are pieces of shit. We must be bankrupted, humiliated & & subservient to our glorious overlords in Ottawa.
🌈🌼🇨🇦❤️🌼🌈
She screwed up! Bigly.
Danielle Smith is not an Alberta separatist. She is a “Let’s fix Canada so Alberta can survive & thrive”, politician. This of course is not good enough for many Alberta hating people. Only abject surrender, subjugation & poverty are enough.
I am a separatist. Get mad at me if you want, but your take on Premier Smith is incorrect. She doesn’t go far enough for my liking.
A danger to democracy? How? We have elections in the same manner as other provinces.
Because she is in trumps pocket. If you don’t like Canada, you’re free to become an American. My ancestors fought for your right to choose. And for that very land. Which will always be Canadian land. Bye.
I live here. It is my home. You have no right to evict me.
I ask this question daily: “Why should Alberta remain a part of Canada?”
The responses that I have received always been either empty patriotic platitudes, (yours), or attempts to guilt, bully or shame us into compliance. Do you have any FACTUAL reasons? Premier Smith, for the record does NOT support secession. She is a Canadian Nationalist. She wants to make the necessary changes for Alberta to survive & thrive within Canada. The changes would be beneficial to ALL of Canada. Of course, for eastern liberals, that is unacceptable. Nothing short of poverty & subservience to Ottawa is good enough.
Why are you so eager to sell out? Since you say this is “your home” 🙄
Sell out?!?
Incorrect. It would be SELLING IN. Life for all Albertans would be better if we are not governed by the POS thieving bastards in Ottawa.
We could be independent, a U.S. state, or hypothetically form a union with other western provinces.
All options are better than staying - no matter how much eastern liberals want to guilt, shame, bully or fill us full of worthless patriotic platitudes.
American here. I think you woefully misunderstand the U.S. , not to mention Trumpism. Only for years you say? Given the way things are headed we will not be having completely free elections by then. Think you’d enter our union as a state? Most likely you could join us as a territory braced? Ruled by us but with no representation in Washington.
Sell out? This is nonsense. Selling out is remaining in Canada. Marx Carnage will declare war on Alberta’s oil industry, attack freedom of speech and make life decidedly WORSE for Albertans.
Albertans will live better when we are no longer a tribute paying colony to Canada.
I’ll repeat my question:
“Why should Alberta remain in Canada?”
No elections in four years? 🙄
As far as statehood goes, there are people speaking with the USA right now. Just an exploratory committee to find out what joining the USA would look like. Only after a clear, well defined picture is available, will there be a push for a vote. None of these people are with the Alberta government. Just private citizens that are fed-up with eastern Canada.
And those same loonie Evangelicals are what kept the Socreds’ in power for decades here in Alberta, until Peter Lougheed convinced them that they could still be “christen” and make money off of oil. You just have to forget about the Love thy neighbour part. Ding-a-ling Dani tapped into that perfectly. Alberta against the godless hordes try to take our god given money 💰
She comes across to me (in BC) as an entitled narcissist... Completely out of step with the rest of Canada, and it shows - oh my, does it show.
She’s out on step with the rest of Canada, and even large swaths of Alberta, but rarely has there ever been a politician so precisely dialed in on the exact demographic they need to maintain their support within their own party, and to get reelected. And her priorities are in that exact order
This is so bang on. As a Calgarian falling outside that demographic, it is so incredibly frustrating, embarrassing and a bunch of other awful emotions.
That’s exactly what she is - Edmonton elected 0 UCP MLAs, she’s a criminal and should be in jail.
Smith is creating a distraction from the corruption around the Alberta Health Service. And in the process she will give Carney an assist. That’s all.
EDIT: a few hours after this column it would appear that Smith is actively coordinating with the Trump team to influence the upcoming elections in Canada. This changes it from a distraction to sedition-lite. Time to put the question to Poilievre and the CPC: do you condemn Premier Smith’s attempts to obtain help from Trump? Is the federal CPC coordinating with Smith?
I'd like to believe that it is just her trying to distract Albertans. But that just doesn't fit with her actions since tariffs announced and Trump started his 51st State taunts. Even back before Health care scandal was an issue Smith was down in US and she continues to do so. She seems to feel she's still lobbying for the oil companies (as she did prior to becoming Premier)....
That’s exactly what she is doing. “Look over here” is the game she is playing.
https://www.cef-cce.ca/content.asp?section=comp&document=index&lang=e#1
Register a complaint with Elections Canada 👆and let’s remove this traitor.
They have already responded to this. It is not a violation of the election act. Maybe it should be, but right now it is not.
You can be as mad at Danielle Smith as you want to be, and 771,000+ Albertans who voted NDP in the last election will be mad right along with you. But saying that you don't care if Alberta leaves is narrow minded and foolish, not to mention disenfranchising those same 771,000 Albertans who are just as much Canadian as you are. Especially now that she's at 45% in the polls, it's perfectly clear that Smith doesn't represent all of Alberta. She's basically dead politically in the two largest cities. Celebrating Quebec's uniqueness does not require denigrating an entire province on the basis of what is now a minority party that is seriously fraying at the edges. One UCP MLA refused to vote for the 2025 budget; another resigned from Cabinet in disgust over the Corrupt Care scandal. Sure, Smith is masterful at courting the right wing core of her Party, but that core is not a majority anymore now that they've purged all the Centrists out of it. Certainly not in Calgary with her petty, vindictive, sabotaging of the Green Line LRT project. After banning voting machines, casually shifting her term from 4 to 4.5 years, opening up political contributions and with a party with a history of cheating on constituency realignments due this year, clearly she's planning to seriously cheat her way into power in 2027. Even with all of that, there's a good chance she'll fail.
If you actually believe in, want, answers support a united Canada, you don't casually write off any province or territory. I mean, you live in a Province that just re-elected Doug Ford, for god's sake. After your green belt scandal and your declining health care system, just like ours, who are you to talk?
I don’t care if Alberta leaves. Canada is facing an existential threat and your Premier has decided to start a hostage crisis to negatively impact the entire country. The reality is, she is Alberta’s leader and speaks for all Albertan’s - even those that voted for different parties - full end stop. Maybe you should focus your energy on trying to stop this maniacal mega nutbar. Isn’t the health scandal enough? Stealing from sick children? She’s only at 45% in the polls? Give your head a shake. After all the stunts she’s pulled to Albertan’s and other Canadians? She still has 45% support. That’s not a commendation it’s reason condemnation. Her, Trump,Pollievre and Putin are all on the same page. And yet she is at 45%… in a province with a sizeable Ukrainian heritage.
We're trying. Edmonton is all NDP, and Calgary is half. Strongest opposition ever.
Calgary is more than half NDP.
I wouldn't mind too much if Southern Alberta left :)
I’m in Saskatchewan and am heartily sick of “the West”. Either province is able to leave despite their posturing and complaining.
A strong column and as an Albertan, I agree with your perspective. Premier Smith is playing both sides of the same coin - supporting team Canada, and then making outrageous statements about national unity. Her meeting with the PM illustrates what side she is really on. It's always great to play the hate Ottawa/Liberal to distract Albertans from dealing effecitvely with the energy industry in regards to the abandoned wells and environmental pollution of water by the "oilsands". Her intentional misinformation on equalization payments and alluding to Quebec being the prime beneficiary, well this is an old song that should be shelved. Albertans have been willing to sail the ship of living on oil royalties and brag about lower taxes, but I feel the province needs a different direction. Many, many Albertans are Canadians first. Mr. Nenshi encouraged her to hold a referendum on "separation" and if she loses, to resign. We must also remember we have a "CorruptCare" scandal in Alberta that is growing in depth with thanks to great reporting and to Smith likes to distract Albertans by focusing on our current PM and energy. Albertans must hold fast, put Canada first. The province cannot survive alone.
"it's a petrostate masquerading as a province"
Brilliant line and explains Danielle Smith's actions as the chief PR of the O&G companies, not Premier of the whole province.
I totally agree, as an Albertan, my dislike of liar Smith increases daily. Albertan’s demand that she call an election.
I see Edmonton central is now open for Caney if he wants to run there. I would love to see it, and Carney to win handily, on the basis of “send an Alberta boy to the PM’s offfice”.
After the election Carney can square up with Danielle and say “I represent Alberta too.”
The chair of the federal liberals in Alberta is running in Edmonton Center now.
Thanks I had not seen that!
The Alberta Director for Liberal Party is Eleanor O and she is noted on Dave.berta as running in another Edmonton Riding….what is name of person you feel is running?
Hill Times has reported that Eleanor O is moving to run in Edmonton Centre but says nothing about who will replace her in E Strathcona. Neither LPC not PM Carney has made that official as of 11:23 MDT on Sunday.
Thanks for clarifying that Cole.
I don’t think this is a good place for him to run for a seat. I don’t think it would matter if Carney is an Albertan, they will label him a globalist traitor.
Disagree completely. The actual riding is adjacent to the most orange seat in the country. The rest of the country does not understand Edmonton, so a symbolic win for Carney in this seat would be massive. Unfortunate that he isn't running here.
Oh I’d love that!
Single use plastics. She says if we don’t get rid of laws prohibiting single use plastics we’ll have a national unity crisis. C’mon. At least make it easy for me to believe you.
Nothing says intellectually and morally bankrupt like, “give me plastic drinking straws or give me independence!”
Trump wants plastic straws. Smith wants plastic bags. Smith and Poilievre are Trump’s agents.
As an Albertan, the UCP on the whole have been without question the worst clown show in the history of this province. It was the same under Jason Kenney and it's somehow gotten even worse under Smith. It's literally - LITERALLY - something every 2 days with these damn people. I've lived in this province my whole life and I absolutely hate what it's become.
“Alberta knows all of this, at least on some level. They have to know it”
Which Alberta?
Do the actual movers and shakers in the UCP know it? Sure, but they don’t care because they’re grifters with no actual commitment to Alberta’s long term success. Them and their friends are going to get theirs
Do large chunks of Urban Alberta know it? Yep. See the 44% voting against the UCP
Do the vast majority of Rural Alberta know it? Nope. Seriously, no, not on any level. It’s hard to explain the level of media, educational, and social bubble the rural parts of the province exist in.
No one who hasn’t spent at least a couple weeks hanging out in the coffee shops and bars around the rural parts of the province should be writing about Alberta, for the same reason no one who’s never set foot in Quebec could possibly have an informed opinion on Montreal politics
I lived in rural Alberta (45 minutes outside of Grande Prairie) for 20 years. I can confidently state they are the most government interventionist people I have ever met, and also the most ignorant and stupid people I have ever met. I now live in the Greater Toronto Area by the way and for fun I'd go to the coffee shop and fight with all the old so called conservatives and point out how very socialist they were.
Jason not sure of your point…I’m rural, grew up on a farm. Salt of the earth kind of people. And here in AB born and bred Albertans are friends more than 40 years later. People who are genuinely smart, compassionate, hospitable and would give me the shirt off their backs. Same with rural people I know in Ontario, BC and NB. What I have noted in all 5 provinces where I have lived is the use of the word “townie” or “blow-hard” or “All hat, no cattle” to characterize people who they seem to intuitively know are not authentic or don’t appreciate their values of honesty and hardworking. From your comment, I’d say the locals called you one of those words or perhaps even something less complimentary.
No I value hard work and honesty. I grew up in a farming community, we didn't farm my dad worked in town. I found some of the people in rural Alberta to be too attached to distant and old grievances from 40+ years ago rather than what is currently going on, the National Energy Program after all was repealed over 40 years ago but they were still banging on about it like it was yesterday. It is tiresome to listen to, though not the reason I left. Some of the people were open minded and I quite enjoyed talking with them but some were quite set in their ways and it was more sporting to cross swords with them even though you knew you might as well talk to a wall, and the wall would be more open to the fact it is 2025 and not 1955!
Thanks for the clarification. Yes there are grievances here about the NEP and western alienation. But some Albertans living in both urban and rural Albertan share these grievances, not just rural. The divide seem more like North/South versus rural/urban. It seems like it remains an issue for those who feel the world as they knew it is fading away. Those who align with Western alienation feel the sting of the NEP even today. But that cuts across all regions of the province. Populist politicians pitch themselves as the solution for the aggrieved as Trump does, as far right leaders in the EU do, and as PP tries to do. However, populism only works is there’s an us and them and PP’s problem is that his supporters in ON are the “them” for the “us” here in AB. I think that’s part of the reason he’s losing support in ON, even in rural areas.
I’ve lived in Ontario & Qc., and I can say that rural Canada is very similar from the Pacific to the Atlantic
I have ex in laws in Qc who are well-to-do farmers & I know the Feds hugely subsidized them (or used to), yet they are to this day Péquistes
Same situation a couple of hours outside of Toronto (Niagara/Wellington/even Muskoka) same
“ I’ve lived in Ontario & Qc., and I can say that rural Canada is very similar from the Pacific to the Atlantic”
That’s about as accurate as someone who says they’ve lived in both Vancouver and Calgary, and can say that big cities are very similar across the country
But there are commonalities among people who live in cities in Canada. And there are commonalities among people who live in rural communities across Canada. This has been evident for decades to anyone who has spent time in both environments. Even visiting family (rural to urban, or vice-versa) makes this clear, and there are lots of Canadians familiar with this experience.
You shouldn’t judge rural AB by what you hear in the coffee shops. Lots of quiet progressives in rural AB too. And rural AB is like rural in NB, ON, SK, MB, and BC. QC now is different and difficult to extrapolate because their culture is different and a wide nationalist streak.
Statistically? No there isn’t. There’s a bunch of those ridings where the conservative vote is 75%+. Rural Alberta really is a unique beast in terms of social identification with a specific party.
Ryan the degree of voting Conservative is irrelevant, because you just elect one member for that Riding whether the spread is 75/25 or 50/22/28 (Con vs NDP vs Liberal). My point is that rural Ridings tend to vote Conservative. And that’s true whether it’s AB, SK, MB, BC, ON, NB.
What is interesting or different this election is that more voters in urban Calgary and Edmonton are polling voting Liberal such that there are now between 5-7 seats which could go Liberal. That’s the sea change this election. Maybe it’s because Albertans see Carney more as a Red Tory along the same vein as Clarke or Lougheed? Or maybe it’s because of the Trump tariffs and talk of annexation and Smith’s alignment with Trump as well as general unhappiness with Smith government? I’ve watched AB politics for 44 years and lived here for 25 of those 44 years and I’ve not seen anything like it.
That sounds encouraging. I'm from a successful farm family. Mixed voting amongst members. This is why Trudeau should have done election reform. There are progressives out there.
This is so much on the money. In my thoroughly unscientific poll, my family, residents of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Yukon who vote everything from NDP to UCP are all voting for Carney. Smith and Moe would do well to read the room.
Yes it sure seems like Smith really misunderstands how her words may push voters in other provinces and voters in Calgary/Edmonton to vote ABC. Yes, her demands are ridiculous given the well settled division of powers. But, promoting unity within Canada is most important right now. Danielle Smith by her actions and words doesn’t see that. And Evan your words of “I don’t Care” do nothing to promote national unity either. As an Albertan who is a Canadian first I am disappointed and, surprisingly, feeling a little hurt.
If it means anything, your comments here put me in mind of the blue voters in red states who have to go the extra mile to remind people that it is important to not dismiss entire geographic areas as unified voting blocs. Instead of such dismissal, the rest of us should be vocal in moral and practical support and encouragement to those areas. I appreciate what you are pointing out and we all need to hear it.
They're wilfully ignorant that defunct O&G companies owe their municipalities millions and millions of dollars.
NVM rural health care. My gawd a child died this winter because Cochrane's emergency department is closed at night. They had to go to Calgary and the time lag between emergent care, the child died.
But vote Blue, amirite?
One thing: 44% of who voted didn't vote for DS, and she only won by a 6-seat margin. A plurality didn't vote at all; I predict that will change if we get a chance to vote again. I also know that she'll have an internal fight on her hands (that will dwarf the freedumb convoy/Coutts debacle) if she tries to provoke a unity crisis.
For a vote to matter, the other parties/candidates need to offer an actual alternative.
Voting against something you don't like only goes so far. We need opportunities to vote FOR something.
I think most peole recognize the status-quo isn't working. What is happening is that a populist right is growing to provide a home for those people, but there isn't anyone in the center/left that seems to be moving away from talking like it is still the 1980's or 1990's.
I live in Ontario, and the PC party easily won the election as the Liberals and NDP didn't seem to have anything all that different to offer.
I live in Ottawa, and the Freedom from Responsibiity convoy was infuriating, but I've seen nothing in the political response that moved anything forward. The grievances still exist without a productive outlet.
Well written. If these are the best candidates we have to offer, something is indeed broken in Canada.
Smith just colluded with Trump to get him to endorse Canada and pause the tariff talk until after the election because it’s hurting polievres campaign … that if the cons win they are not woke and believe in trumps direction so will work with them. Danielle is the sledge at the bottom of an oil pit