I know that political candidates dislike the surveys that special interest groups send to them during election campaigns. The questions are often amateurish and leading. They are designed to limit the ability of a candidate to respond fully or to weasel out of addressing the issues posed. There will be the usual plethora of such candidate surveys in this election. If the various surveys also gives a sense of a candidates values that are behind the opinions expressed then they provide a real valuable service to voters.
One of the more vital surveys this election,that will be of interest to many Albertans, is being promulgated to candidates by The Pembina Institute. It deals with the challenges and opportunities surrounding the development of Alberta’s oil sands.
I know from the results of the Cambridge Strategies Inc. and Policy Channel survey that there are serious concerns about the rate and scale of oil sands development. The economic benefits have to also be balanced by the environmental and social consequences.
I know from the results of the Cambridge Strategies Inc. and Policy Channel survey that there are serious concerns about the rate and scale of oil sands development. The economic benefits have to also be balanced by the environmental and social consequences.
The Pembina Institute has commissioned a professional pollster and will approach all candidates in all 83 ridings to take their online survey. They will be asking candidates for opinions about the pace of oil sands development and if it ought to be controlled other than by the marketplace. They ask if oil sands companies must be able to demonstrate that they can reclaim the lands they mine. Candidates will be asked what standards they think should be used for GHG emission controls, hard caps or intensity targets. They are even allowing the candidates to refuse to answer.
It will be interesting to see the results on a Party-to-Party basis as well as regionally. I would be curious how many of the candidates align with the values of Albertans on the same issues, and which party has the most candidates with the best alignment. It will also be interesting to see which candidates from which political parties actually participate the most in this non-partisan survey.
Pretty safe bet the Greens will be the big participation players percentage wise. The candidates from the mainline parties will need to play too and I expect most candidates will want to let their personal views to be known. I still wonder, however, if the candidates will be directed by the various party campaign War Rooms on exactly how to answer – if thay are allowed to answer at all. Both approaches would be very wrong in a democracy. Either party approach would also be very telling on just how such a political party would actually govern us.
We have seen that top down and message controlling domineering approach with Mr. Harper for the past 2 years. It does not make for good government.
I posit that the answer to your question about whether the War Rooms will try and script their candidates will be dependent on the type of survey the Pembina Institute provides. If it is a one-sided "environment only" (or majoritarily-oriented) piece, without economic gives-and-takes being expressed (amateurish, in your description) then there is a very strategic reason to be co-ordinated... if only because local MSM will try and pick apart individual candidates answers looking for their next big "dirt piece".
ReplyDeleteBut maybe that is just cynical me.
To the contrast, Canadians are seeing a prime minister who has a clear and strong direction for Canada. Compare Harper to Paul Martin, who waffled on every issue and, in particular, very important issues. Canadians are enjoying good government and the polls continually state that Harper is the strongest leader in Canada.
ReplyDeleteYou can make normative statements but you should not ignore the facts. Your normative statement is inherently flawed because the majority of people state the opposite conclusion.
Who is paying for the poll to be done?
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 7:06 - Let me get this right...you want me and other voters to compare Harper to Paul Martin in deciding who to vote for in the next election.
ReplyDeleteBoy if you think that comparison is still relevant - you must be off your meds.
Yup Harper is seen as a good manager in those polls...but not by a majority. Too bad authoritarian management skills are not the stuff of good political leadership.
Nobody likes Harper and they don't trust him as a leader either. And here I am referring to his own Cabinet members, not just the majority of Canadian voters who share this opinion.
Ken, I appreciate that your blog is sticking to relevant issues more religiously than some of us more partisan bloggers out there.
ReplyDeleteThat said, suggesting that the Pembina Institute and anything they undertake is non-partisan is quite the stretch.
If I were a candidate, I wouldn't waste my time responding to a survey whose results will undoubtedly be skewed against me... particularily as a PC.
Hey BR...I am trying to be partisan - not just mindlessly so.
ReplyDeleteRe Pembina - don't confuse a think-tank's policy bias with a partisan bias. I don't think tey would care who the party was so long as they saw the importance dealing of the ideas the people at Pembina put forward.
They are a thoughtful and egergized group that does good work. They have a broad base of fiscal and philosophical support from an interestng range of engaged sponsors from industry, to academia, to stewardship groups and just plain sound citizens.
I think a candidate would be ill-advised to give this survey a pass.
BTW - I liked your post on Todd Babiak's piece on Fort McMurray. I think I will post my disagreements with him too.
As least with Harper his own Ministers aren't vying for his job. Dion's own cabinet ministers said that "he didn't get it done" on the environment which is supposedly Dion's only strong point.
ReplyDeleteYour irrational hatred towards Harper is somewhat alarming. Have you spoken with him personally or just base your conclusions on media reports? I made my conclusion of Dion after speaking with him before he was leader for more than half an hour - I was simply not impressed with him. This is why I think that, during an election, Canadians will be even more turned off by Dion.
Anon @ 7:45 - don't be so sure that Harper has scared off all internal contenders. He is about to crash and burn in the next election. All the alternative aspirants have to do is stay the course and stay away from him as he self immolates.
ReplyDeleteAs for my irrational hatred towards Harper, you are wrong. I don't hate him. I distrust him. I fear him. I question his motives. I question his judgement. I question his personal capacity to lead. I see no evidence of a capacity for statesmanship or if he even knows when that personal quality is needed. I question his agenda for Canada. I question his sense of the country and where he sees it needs to go. I question his political tactics.
I could go on but you get my point I am sure. It is not that I hate Harper. I don't hate anyone (rationally oi irrationally).
Harper concerns me deeply in his approach to every aspect of governance, policy and politics. I don't think he understands Canada and Canadians. I think he is inadequate for the office of Prime Minister.
I agree with your endorsement of the Pembina Institute. They have a comprehensive and extensive body of research literature available on their website; and I think they are probably one of the most sophisticated NGOs in the country. What people like BR, fail to grasp is that Pembina and other eNGOs really don't care who is in power, they just want tangible solutions to environmental problems. A perfect example of this is California's Republican government. They have been lauded by several environmental groups for the groundbreaking work they are doing. No one is discounting their initiatives because the governor is right of centre.
ReplyDeleteThx for the thoughtful comment eh!
ReplyDelete"As for my irrational hatred towards Harper, you are wrong. I don't hate him. I distrust him. I fear him. I question his motives."
ReplyDeleteAnd you got all of that from media reports without knowing him personally. Wow! Talk about blinders!
Anon @ 7:22 - Nope I did not get all that from media reports. I got that from reading the CPC website for two years, reading his speeches and through subscribing to his email distributions.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't know him "personally." I only wnat to know him politically - and from his personal political sources...which must be reliable...considering the "source."
If I am mistaken about his politcal motivations as a result of those sources, Harper must be misleading me and the rest of the country in other ways I haven't even considered yet.
I have some pretty strong perceptions of you too based only on your comments. I don't know you personally - I only know you ANONYMOUSLY. Such a shame I don't get to know you better - don't you think?