I got an interesting email this afternoon. The Wildrose Party is on its way emerging from 76 people who attended a meeting in Red Deer last week end. It is in the process of setting up a non-profit society and will then proceed to register as a political party.
The founding principles are:
1. That the party's Leader and MLAs will remain accountable to the membership.
2. That provincial policies espoused by the party will reflect and strengthen the mainstream values and priorities of Albertans.
3. That the party will take a constructive stance favouring earned prosperity in all regions of Canada and the full exercise of Alberta's rights under the Constitution of Canada.
The website has been opened (www.wildroseparty.ca) and a founding convention is scheduled for Edmonton on October 26 and 27. They say they need to enlist 6004 founding members to register as a political party and they anticipate a spring 2008 election. So they have lots of work to do and a short time to do it in.
The founding executive is interesting as well:
Rob James, president (Calgary)
Link Byfield, executive director (Morinville)
Sharon Maclise, vice-president membership (Edmonton)
Gordon Lang, vice-president fundraising (Calgary)
Gordon Stamp, vice-president policy (Edmonton)
Don Weisback, vice-president communications (Brooks)
Eleanor Maroes, treasurer (Edmonton)
Marilyn Burns, secretary (Edmonton)
Southern Directors:
Don Gebauer (Calgary)
John Hilton-O'Brien (Calgary)
Rosemary Craig (Calgary)
Northern Directors:
Faye Engler (St. Albert)
Phil Gamache (Edmonton)
Daniel Johnson (Edmonton)
Ah yes…the freedom of association, ya gotta love it! I smell democracy in the air.
Ken:
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy one to deal with. Why didn't the Premier's Office just refer this to Frank Work right from the start. They had days to react to this and take a proactive approach. Now they are back in react mode and damage control as I mentioned in my earlier posting.
If you preach openness and transparency, you have to live it. This would have never happened under the Klein Administration. It would have been dealt with swiftly and taken off the table. As you said, there are no dress rehearsals in politics. You need to get it right on the first take.
May I suggest the following reading material for all political advisors in the Stelmach governmment and this is no joking matter: "The First 90 Days in Government: Critical Success Strategies for New Public Managers at All Levels" by Peter Daly and Michael Watkins
June 26, 2007
Commissioner initiates investigation into allegations involving the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work will open an investigation into recent allegations involving private investigators working for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.
Commissioner Work will look into what kind of information had been collected by the investigators who had been hired by the EUB to monitor hearings in Rimbey into a proposed high voltage power line.
Last week, allegations were made that the private investigators may have collected, used and disclosed more information than they should have under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).
The Commissioner will investigate those allegations and will work with the EUB to determine what information was collected and how that information was used.
-30-
Contact:
Wayne Wood
Communications Director
Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
(780) 644-4015
"I smell democracy in the air."
ReplyDeleteHmm. All I smell is politics.
Anon - democracy and politics is often a distinction without a difference.
ReplyDeleteWhat you smell is Tom Olson's hair products.
ReplyDeleteThis is the old Reform crowd, once again giving an ambiguous name to what the right *really* needs in Alberta--another failed attempt to influence the governing party from nowhere.
ReplyDeleteWhy these folks can't simply park their continued support behind Ted Morton within the PC Party, I don't know.
Unless the "17" parties on the right merge, this is a lot of effort just to even get the party started.
Wild Wild West Party would be better.
If Dion and his anti-oilsands bandwagon get into power, this party could be popular. I, for one, am fearful of a Liberal leader who has so much disstate for the economic situation of AB.
ReplyDeleteIf Dion and his anti-oilsands bandwagon get into power, this party could be popular. I, for one, am fearful of a Liberal leader who has so much disstate for the economic situation of AB.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:23. You hate Liberals that is obvious but you are sorely mistaken if you think the CONS in Ottawa don't damage Alberta.
ReplyDeletePreston Manning used to fearmonger Albertans by talking about a carbon tax. Now, it's the CONS implementing it. The tax incentive for the oilsands that Ann Mcellan fought for and won is being repealed by Harper.
Harper is going to include resource revenues for the calculation of federal equalization. Klein bitterly opposed it. But HArper and Stelmach are going to enact it.
The Harper-Charest coalition gave Quebecers a $1 BILLIOn dollar tax break. Alberta got zilch.
Harper has seriously damaged energy trusts and sucked $36 billion out of the pockets of Canadians with his trust deception (He promised he'd never do it!).
It is too bad that you buy into the CON propaganda and are not the being honest about the facts.
It is surprising how excited Albertans get about federal Liberal policy that affects Alberta and then go right to sleep when Harper does the same thing.
Yeah, and I'm sure the Liberals with ZERO seats in Alberta and with little to no prospects of picking up any would be great for Alberta.
ReplyDeleteI did not say that Harper is not hurting Alberta, but one must pick the least of two evils. Dion would not hestitate to use Kyoto to destroy our oilsands economy (or so I believe given his numerous stances on the subject).
Excellent post.Thanks for sharing ..........
ReplyDelete