It is one week since the Leader’s Debate. Does anyone have a strong memory of anything that was said by any of the leaders? Waht was the "take-away" message for you from the debate? Did it make a difference in the minds of Alberta voters and will impact the end results? Nope and Nope!
Well here are some of the issues I think we Albertans ought to be insisting our government start attending to and getting in front of immediately after this election.
Another Poll Shows the Political Sweet Spot in Alberta is the Environment:
Another poll from Leger for CanWest covered in the Herald and Journal for the past two days shows Albertans are way ahead of the politicians about concerns over the consequences of overheated oil sands development. They are calling for a greater pubic policy commitment and an active government response to GHG controls. Our oil sands survey showed the same results last November. NDs and Libs are on the case but with no credibility of being able to deliver. The issue seems to be a blind spot for the PCs…we better get up to speed on this issue and into the game if we want to continue to have the respect and confidence of the Alberta voter.
Stats Can Says Alberta Energy Investment is Bigger that Manufacturing Investment in ALL of Canada!
Oil sands investment in 2004 was $6.3B and zoomed to $16Bin 2007 and a 23% surge expected this year. Total investment in Alberta for 2008 is pegged at $83.8B, way ahead of Quebec at $60B and closing in on Ontario at $106.B. In fact Alberta is likely to catch Ontario in 2009 if current trends continue. Stats Can says “…in one more year at current rates of growth the oilsands will be bigger than everything: Utilities, transportation and conventional oil and gas.” Is Alberta ready to handle this rate of growth and can our political leadership get out in front of this and deal with the consequences? The environment and the economy are not a zero-sum game - they are the same game. And yes Ed Stelmach - you are right - the environment has to trump the economy and leadership trumps issues.
NAFTA and the Next American President:
Every viable candidate for the next US President is anti-NAFTA because they are either protectionist Democrats or a fear mongering Republican as they fall into recession. The environmental standards in a Democratic House, Senate and White House will compel Alberta to get smarter, greener and more strategic in diversifying our energy upgrading and other markets to reduce US dependency. Alberta needs to get in front of the NAFTA renegotiation – if it happens, the eco-integrity and standards issues and enhancing our capacity to maximize the long term value added benefits of our special position as a reliable, stable assured energy supplier.
Change, Change, Change – Fine, I Get it BUT Will it Happen?
I want political leadership with courage and wisdom and the personal capacity to think things through quickly and comprehensively and then to have the wit and wisdom to execute any plan that emerges effectively and efficiently. Albertans know there are sacrifices to be made to change the consciousness to a more holistic and integrated approach that modern governance demands in a globalized and interdependent world-wide reality. We Albertan are already making the wrong kind of “sacrifices” because of the poor planning and a passive policy culture of the past 7-8 years before the PC Party forced a leadership change.
Apathy is Boring - AND Dangerous!
Another Poll Shows the Political Sweet Spot in Alberta is the Environment:
Another poll from Leger for CanWest covered in the Herald and Journal for the past two days shows Albertans are way ahead of the politicians about concerns over the consequences of overheated oil sands development. They are calling for a greater pubic policy commitment and an active government response to GHG controls. Our oil sands survey showed the same results last November. NDs and Libs are on the case but with no credibility of being able to deliver. The issue seems to be a blind spot for the PCs…we better get up to speed on this issue and into the game if we want to continue to have the respect and confidence of the Alberta voter.
Stats Can Says Alberta Energy Investment is Bigger that Manufacturing Investment in ALL of Canada!
Oil sands investment in 2004 was $6.3B and zoomed to $16Bin 2007 and a 23% surge expected this year. Total investment in Alberta for 2008 is pegged at $83.8B, way ahead of Quebec at $60B and closing in on Ontario at $106.B. In fact Alberta is likely to catch Ontario in 2009 if current trends continue. Stats Can says “…in one more year at current rates of growth the oilsands will be bigger than everything: Utilities, transportation and conventional oil and gas.” Is Alberta ready to handle this rate of growth and can our political leadership get out in front of this and deal with the consequences? The environment and the economy are not a zero-sum game - they are the same game. And yes Ed Stelmach - you are right - the environment has to trump the economy and leadership trumps issues.
NAFTA and the Next American President:
Every viable candidate for the next US President is anti-NAFTA because they are either protectionist Democrats or a fear mongering Republican as they fall into recession. The environmental standards in a Democratic House, Senate and White House will compel Alberta to get smarter, greener and more strategic in diversifying our energy upgrading and other markets to reduce US dependency. Alberta needs to get in front of the NAFTA renegotiation – if it happens, the eco-integrity and standards issues and enhancing our capacity to maximize the long term value added benefits of our special position as a reliable, stable assured energy supplier.
Change, Change, Change – Fine, I Get it BUT Will it Happen?
I want political leadership with courage and wisdom and the personal capacity to think things through quickly and comprehensively and then to have the wit and wisdom to execute any plan that emerges effectively and efficiently. Albertans know there are sacrifices to be made to change the consciousness to a more holistic and integrated approach that modern governance demands in a globalized and interdependent world-wide reality. We Albertan are already making the wrong kind of “sacrifices” because of the poor planning and a passive policy culture of the past 7-8 years before the PC Party forced a leadership change.
Apathy is Boring - AND Dangerous!
Time to get focused Alberta and to figure out why you are voting, what you are voting for and then who is the closest to you concerns. The world is run by those who show up and Alberta is no different. Don’t vote – Don’t bitch. Get out and vote and not only can you bitch but you can also stay engaged as a duty of citizenship to get the changes you want. The option to stay passive as the proverbial frog in the boiling water and you only get to self-justify the obvious dire consequences but they will be as much your fault as much as anybody elses.
The PC Party forced nothing. It was still a majority that supported Klein, he was just aware that without a super-majority he couldn't play King Ralph anymore and walked away.
ReplyDeleteAnd the policy culture of the PC's hasn't changed a bit.
Witness the new, improved, split EUB -- the side with the authority doesn't engage with the public, the side that engages with the public has no authority.
Witness the environmental report commissioned by the PC government and submitted by Mark Jaccard in 2006 -- still being kept hidden away from Albertans.
Witness the Order In Council absolving this current batch of MLA's from having to abide by the accountability legislation.
Witness the NEP boogeyman being brought forward now by Stelmach.
It's all the same stuff. Avoiding having to listen to the people, hiding the information Albertans need to make informed decisions, exempting themselves from laws, and blaming everything bad that happens on a dead man's policy from 20 years ago during an oil slump.
Support for this party only continues due to force of habit.
Some habits are bad, people. Re-examine what you're doing. If you don't support what a particular party is saying or doing, why on earth would you vote for them? If that means you don't support any party, then don't vote. If you do, you're only supporting a government you don't want.
But before making that decision, look at your options. Consider the smaller parties as well, the Greens (who are actually fairly conservative), the Wildrose Party, heck, you might even have a communist party representative in your region if you don't think the NDP are far enough left.
Amen, Anonymous 10:35.
ReplyDeleteKen, do you think it's kind of scary that oil and gas is taking such a large relative chunk of the economy and no one (provincially or federally seems all that concerned about it)? Isn't this a recipe for Dutch disease?
Ken,
ReplyDeleteyou hit the nail on the head when it comes to a risk of a loss of PC credibility on the issue of the environment.
Repeatedly, Ed Stelmach has cited the figure that more than 300,000 jobs would be lost if hard emissions caps were implemented now.
It's still not even clear where this number comes from, but finally after weeks of disingenuously bandying it about, Stelmach's communications adviser conceded that the figure was for jobs across Canada.
On February 11, Stelmach used the 300,000+ figure in this context: "The other plan [hard caps] destroys 335,000 jobs. There are 600,000 new Albertans in this province. Do you want to send them back home to other provinces, other countries?"
How can Albertans feel confident in the leadership of the PC Party when Stelmach himself seems to be misleading the public and refuses to provide sources for his figures?
Furthermore, I don't understand how an economic report on carbon tax and emissions reduction would not be "ready for release" weeks after the government based their climate policy on it.
This is not the type of transparent and open discourse that instills confidence in voters. I would wager that you agree with me, but I wish the rest of the PC Party did, too!
Re: NEP boogyman
ReplyDeleteIf the liberal supporters actually admitted the NEP did a lot of damage to Alberta, it would have a chance of being put behind us. The old saying is "if you don't remember the past you will be doomed to repeat it". I, for one, will always remember the damage the NEP did to some of my friends. I think the bumper sticker said it right: let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark.
Time to get focused Alberta and to figure out why you are voting, what you are voting for and then who is the closest to you concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe reason people are voting is because an election was called. There is no other reason than that.
I find all of the issues you listed to be extremely boring. I don't care about them much at all. That's just me, of course, but that's me. If that's the reason to vote, I'll likely stay at home.
NEP never happened - it is an Alberta urban myth...Reagan let the US strategic oil supplies lose on the open market and that undermined market prices of oil. That is what destroyed the Alberta economy....NEP would have done the same thing but Reagan beat the Libs to it. Deal with the facts.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to vote PC even though I have been a long time supporter. They have become too liberal.
ReplyDelete"NEP never happened - it is an Alberta urban myth"
ReplyDeleteAre you actually trying to say that the Liberals did not create the National Energy Program? You must be on some great drugs! You may be able to argue the effects of the NEP but not that it occurred nor the fact that the liberals were willing to screw all Albertans because they didn't need our seats. Now that we have economic power we will never allow the liberals to do that to us again. Sorry Ken, you cannot rewrite history no matter how hard you try.
Chretein just recently said Albertans should share their wealth with the rest of Canada. No thanks - in fact, we already do that with $12 billion in equalization payments flowing to Quebec. Shame on the liberals for trying to take our wealth. The Constitution clearly places property rights in the provincial power hemisphere. The Liberals ignored that (although it was later decided by the SCC that oil was the property of the pvovinces).
This is reason that Liberals were entirely shut out in the last election! And I can guarantee the same result will occur without Anne running.
Anon @ 11:24 - the NEP was passed by the federal LIberals - years ago...but it never got implemented BEFORE Reagan pulled the economic rug out from us and the Texan, Oklahomans and the other energy producing States by releasing the American strategic oil supply on to the market and kicking the oil price in the seat of the pants.
ReplyDeleteThat is what put Alberta into the economic dumpster.
You must appreciate that fact. Harper is doing the same tactic these days like passing an Accountability Act but not implementing it.
Ken:
ReplyDeleteIn your heart and head, you know that Stelmach is no more than a transistional leader. His time as Premier will be very short, even if captures a solid majority on Monday. If a tranformational leader like William Aberhardt, Ernest Manning, Peter Lougheed, or Ralph Klein were running against Stelmach, "Steady Edddie" would be looking for another job. And when that transformational leader does come to the rescue, either from within the PC Party or another party, Albertans will finally be able to look to the future, rather than being stuck in the past, personified by Ed Stelmach, Kevin Taft and Brian Mason.
Why was the NEP passed? What was the point? It just made a bad situation much, much worse. Shame on you for downplaying it.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised you would have to ask the purpose of the NEP and then presume in the same coment I am somehow shamefully downplaying it...when you appear to not even know its purpose.
ReplyDeleteDo the research Adam on why the NEP was passed...it will do you good. I am not down playing it - just putting it in a more accurate and factual context.
Your research may help you to start to understand the role of myth in a society and the dangers of selective historic recollection and its palce in the art of self justification.
Let me know how you make out. I have some articles by some well respected economists on the NEP to help you along once you get the hang of it.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read so many passionate and angry comments in regards to the NEP.
I believe we are missing the point and some of us are letting ourselves become distracted by NEP fear mongering and the like.
The past is the past and these distorted fear tactics need to be replaced with a politics of hope and optimism! This type of rhetoric is exactly what turns people off of politics, especially young people like myself.
I wish politicians here were more like a Barack Obama. His message is resonating with thousands of americans young and old who are engaged like never before.
We need pragmatic solutions from our leaders with a clear vision for the future of this province. This province has such potential to do so many positive things if only more Albertans cared and demanded it!
Jarrett L.
The evolution of the Reform-Alliance-CPC types has gone from grumpy under Manning, to humiliated and embarrassed under Stockwell to nasty, brutish and short under Harper.
ReplyDeleteNothing here indicates the capabilities and qualities needed to govern a modern deomcracy in an interdependent and globalizing culture.
The evolution of the Reform-Alliance-CPC types has gone from grumpy under Manning, to humiliated and embarrassed under Stockwell to nasty, brutish and short under Harper.
ReplyDeleteNothing here indicates the capabilities and qualities needed to govern a modern deomcracy in an interdependent and globalizing culture.