Stelmach Steps In on Teacher Pension Issues.

Congratulations to Premier Stelmach for taking the conditions off the additional $25M "goodwill" contribution of the Alberta government to the unfunded pension liability for teachers. Putting conditions as to how the funds were to be allocated distributed is not the government’s business.

Now he must continue his leadership and ensure that the resolution of the pension issue is not part of the labour negotiations. This separation of the two issues became a clear message coming our of the PC Leadership forum. It is my understanding that is consistent with the Premiers position then too. For the record, I have worked for the ATA in the past on finding ways to resolve this pension issue and I also working to try and fix the mess left by a former Minister who's bullying tactics was the real cause of the recent teacher strike

The Task Force on the unfunded pension liability the Minister of Learning has set up is also been redirected by the Premier. It merely needs to find the most expeditious way to resolve this issue. It does not need more public hearings on this issue. We have too many of those going on right now. We also have all the actuarial expertise it needs within the fund management and the government finance people so that part of the original mandate is unnecessary…in fact it is obfuscation at its worst.

This unfunded pension liability is one of the most unfair holdovers of mismanagements of past governments all the way back to Social Credit. The 1992 resolution that was reached was not effective for the long term because it assumed the education system would be in constant growth and there would always be more new young teachers coming into the system than older ones retiring. We know how wrong that has proven to be. Even the cuts to education that resulted in significant numbers of teacher lay offs in the debt and deficit days undermined the logic and effectiveness of the 1992 “resolution” of the issue.

Premier Stelmach, Alberta is not out of debt until this matter is resolved once and for all. Continue to take the responsibility to resolve this matter personally and dedicate some of the Sustainability Fund or Heritage Fund interest proceeds towards this problem. It will never be less expensive to do than now and it will never be more important for the long term benefit of our youth and the province as a whole. Do it now. Get it done.

Harper Trade Casey for Comuzzi - What is He Thinking?

Bill Casey gets the boot by Harper for voting against the budget in support of his constituency and joltin’ Joe Comuzzi,recently turfed by Dion, joins the Harper Cons because, as he says, he voted for something (like the budget) that benefited his constituency.

Political Parties? We don't need no stinkin' Political Parties.

Senator Anne Cools gets turfed by the Cons as a Senate rep after defecting from the Liberal awhile ago because she also spoke her mind...while in each party Tut Tut Madame appointed Senator! You are to do as you are told and if that means you have to park your principles and your consciousness at the Senate door – so be it - surely you knew that. Tip of the hat to Cowboys for Social Responsibility for reminding us of this escapade.

Political parties are becoming tribal and bad caricatures of the Survivor reality TV series…it seems as though everyone is getting voted off the island one way or another.

By the way Steve…Comuzzi is no Casey…with those player trading skills like that you can always coach the Maple Leafs after the next election.

Wildrose Party Of Alberta Emerges on the Right

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.

My Birthday Wish for Canada

The Great Canadian Wish List is in its final week and the idea has been dominated by anti-abortionists, pro-lifers, get back to God types and advocates of traditional marriage. Sad as that is, it is the reality of internet after all and free speech is more valuable than the thoughts expressed in many cases.

There are many interesting gems of wishes for the future of Canada beyond the campaigns by fundamentalists and far right groups who have caught on to the chance to use this opportunity make a statement. I encourage you to browse the Facebook site and you will find some of the soul of the country.

My wish was that we reinstate the Kelowna Accord and that we come to value it like we do the Charter. Sure that is as idealist as the so-cons sentiments but it is as deeply and personally held. So for my part of supporting the National Day of Action by the AFN, I want to share my Wish for Canada with you. Here it is:

"Canada as a nation has to get serious and focused on all aboriginal peoples needs in ways that does not seek to assimilate but respects them as nations within a nation. We can be open and accepting enough to embrace this reality as being Canadians as well as accepting their own unique cultures, languages and senses of self. We can do this and we need to do this as part of our pride and purpose as a people and as an opportunity for Canada to be an avatar of inclusion and acceptance of differences.

We have to not fear differences by learning to thrive on them, especially as the world gets more connected, inter-related and interdependent.It is a unique challenge with different variations all over Canada. The prairies are my experience and we have an advantage of the Treaties that cover all of the provinces.







We have a great need for more productive, healthy and contributing people here too and aboriginal Canadians can be a great part of the solution to those challenges too.Dependency and despair is demeaning and we all, aboriginal and non-aboriginal people have to find ways to get past those destructive norms of the past.The Kelowna Accord was a great start. We need to revisit and revive and relish it.







We have to come to see it with as much mutual pride as we now hold for our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.







That is my birthday wish for Canada."

Alberta is Ripe for Change - But What Change Means is Still an Open Question

Ipsos Reid has it figured right when they say the Stelmach Honeymoon is over based on their recent poll results. The fact that all parties are showing support levels that are the same as the 2004 election means politically Alberta is right back at square one in figuring out what kind of changes it wants in government. The PCs support is again at 47%, the Libs at 29%, the NDP at 10% and the Alberta Alliance at 9%. But there is so much more of interest as one delves into the devilling details.

Conventional wisdom is that Alberta majority governments are the result of the rural vote and one major city. In the Klein days that city was Calgary. Today we see Calgary and Edmonton reversing roles, if these poll results are meaningful and they hold until the next election. The PCs are down 8 points in Calgary support (now at 42%) but they are up 12 points in Edmonton enjoying 47% support and they are holding their own in the rest of Alberta up 2 points to 53% support.

Calgary is feeling the Stelmach PCs are not as “into them” as the Klein version was and only 33% believe the current government is addressing their needs. This is even with a large majority of PC MLAs and 5 Cabinet members now representing that city. A public spat between the Calgary Mayor and the Premier fueled by Calgary MSM has done its work.

Curiously, 58% of Edmontonians believes the Stelmach PCs “get them.” This is with only 3 PC MLAs, two of whom are now in Cabinet and one of those MLAs had to go to Court to get a recount and slipped in with a 12 vote margin.

Klein was always more popular than the PC party and he traditionally polled in the low to mid 70s for personal support. Stelmach has personal support in the 54% range and the trend is down. Again his numbers are warped by the Calgary discontent where they don’t like him on a 2 to 1 ratio. One has to wonder if this angst is more about Dinning’s leadership loss than the consequences of Stelmach’s actual win. Calgary did not see this coming and they don’t know what happened or how to interpret it – so they seem to conclude that it must be bad.

Again Edmonton is in a reverse contrast from the Klein years where he had low Edmonton support except in the 1997 election when he was rewarded with more Edmonton seats for a good job on debt and deficit. Today Edmonton is about 60-40 in support of Stelmach and Ed is enjoying his best support in the deep south, right there in Ted Morton Reformer country. The approval rating for Stelmach there is 70-30…that rivals Ralph Klein results. Not bad for a PROGRESSIVE Conservative from the north.

Interestingly, while the Liberal Party support is at 29%, up 9 points since April and 7 points since November 2006, Kevin Taft’s personal support is up only 5 points since April and is actually down 5 points from November when Klein was still around. His job is not all that secure either it seems.

All this says Albertans are still looking for a change but they have not yet found the kind of change they want. They have not yet abandoned the PCs for the Liberals and they have not tossed Stelmach aside for Taft. This means all possible scenarios are at play and nothing can be taken for granted by anyone, especially the Stelmach PCs.

The PCs can easily lose the next election but it will be their own fault, not the result of a perceived positive Liberal alternative. The Liberals do not yet seem to have the right stuff to convince Albertans that they are positive choice for government. Currently they are just an alternative to the PCs. In the real world of electoral politics, that is enough for the Liberals to get power and form the next government. But if that happens, based on what we know from the polls today, Liberals forming a government will be because the PCs let that happen.

The battle for the hearts, minds and hopes of Albertans is on now and fully engaged, even though the election may be a much as a year away. It is going to be interesting.