What Qualities Do You Want in the Next Premier of Alberta?

UPDATE 4:00 PM JANUARY 27 
Ted Morton just resigned from Cabinet and announced he is running for the leadership of the PC Party:  Read on in this context.  This blog was posted a couple of hours before hand.


As the PC Party trudges along to path towards a new leader a burning question for Albertans is what qualities capabilities and skills do we want in the next Premier of Alberta.

There is no guarantee that the next leaders of the PC Party will be Premier.  When Stelmach won the leadership the Premiership was exactly what we were choosing.  This time the leader will be Premier but for a relatively short time until there has to be an election.

A WANT AD FOR THE NEXT PREMIER
Paula Simons writes in the Edmonton Journal today about this question of what do we want to be our political leader for the Next Alberta.   Her wish list for new leader qualities and characteristics is contained in this paragraph:

Wanted: Smart, energetic party leader who understands contemporary urban issues and priorities. Must love rapid transit, regional land use planning and public education. If you like river valley walks and vibrant downtowns, give me a call. Homophobes and hard-line ideologues, right wing or left, need not apply.


She does a nice summary of the trials and tribulations of Premier Stelmach term as Premier.  No one knows what will happen but chances are the PCs are in for some trials and tribulations themselves as the Caucus and the Party try to figure out the leadership process.  What to do next as well as when it will all happen in a destructive culture of internal distrust, disgust and disquiet.  


DO WE GET HOMOPHOBES & IDEOLOGUES RUNNING OR RUINING THE PROVINCE?
I see the Bill 44 homophobes and fiscal hard line ideologues, a.k.a. the "Morton Minions," will line up behind him and continue to agitate.  This is because the budget politics are not over yet - not by a long shot.   According to media reports Morton came out of PC Caucus yesterday saying the budget is "going ahead."  Here is the kicker.  When asked if he will deliver the budget he said " We'll see!" He is reported to add that "The Premier and I have to talk."


There are media reports from the "usually reliable sources" that he was threatening to resign if he did not get to table his allegedly draconian budget.  I think now that Premier Stall-mach has said he will resign instead.   Eventually the Morton Minions will want to push off the cliff him sooner than later.  How does that happen?  I speculate about tactics for sure, but not much about intent.  


WHAT IS MORTON'S NEXT MOVE?
To get a quicker Stelmach exit and to stage a leadership strike while the iron is hot advantage for Minister Morton, I see a scenario that he merely resigns Cabinet - just before the legislative session starts Feb 22,  It will be couched as a matter of personal principle because while Morton agrees that while Cabinet sticks together, he can not, in all consciousness, based on his personal ideology, present a deficit budget as a Minister in the Stelmach Cabinet.  If Stelmach wants a deficit budget he will have to find some one else to read and wear it politically.


This accomplishes more than further embarrassment for the Premier and the continued erosion of the PC brand.  It puts Morton on the moral high ground with his base, his fellow fiscal hawk ideologues.  These guys believe government is always the problem and never the solution.  They want to cripple government by withholding resources that set it up to fail.  They then triumphantly usher in the private sector "free market" solutions to address all pressing public policy issues, including health care. 


The tactical timing and political intent of a Morton Cabinet resignation means he is then free, as a backbencher, to start actively campaigning for the PC leadership.  He does not have to heed the rules or wait politely for the actual  resignation letter of Premier Stelmach.


WHITHER ALBERTA?
What happens the the peace order and good governing of Alberta in the meantime?  There is none.  The caucus fragments as replacement leadership aspirants huddle in dark rooms and scheme in hushed tones each trying to be the next leader, or make the leader or to at least be engratiated to the leader.  


The Progressive Conservative Party splits and shatters into segments like a broken mirror with shards only reflecting small segments of the reality.  Nobody is looking at the whole picture or for the good of the province. Is it progressives versus conservatives, Edmonton versus Calgary, north versus south, rural versus urban, in the Corridor versus out of the Corridor or just all of the above?  


What will happen to all those proudly touted billions of dollars of Alberta Advantage investments in such uncertainty? What happens to on going initiatives like Inspiring Action on Education?  Is the Premier's personal agenda for a Competitiveness Strategy?  Will it only play out as an internecine competitive struggle in the PC Party and Caucus?   


Then we have reality of the rancour and rhetoric in the right wing culture war between Morton and Smith.  All this happens as the province's economy slips into decline and deterioration.  Is this the inevitable consequence of power politics as usual?  Where is the servant leader who can inspire and challenge us a citizens to realize our potential in service of the betterment of the society as a whole instead of mere personal self service?


WE NEED A GAME CHANGER!
We not only need to change the political game we have to quit seeing it as a game or a war.  We need a new narrative for the Next Alberta.  What is festering now and soon to be raging,  That challenge for thoughtful Alberta is to come together as citizens and write that new narrative.  Will we be a society of Darwinian individualists where it is each man for himself and the only goal is making as much money, by what every means you can, as quickly as possible and regardless of consequences?  Or will we strive to be better persons who apply our talents and skills to achieve our personal potential but and in the service of the greater good?   


We will have two choices for Premier in realizing the Darwinian society; Danielle Smith or Ted Morton.  We have not yet found the choice for the latter preferred future. I am putting my hopes and efforts behind the Alberta Party and Glenn Taylor, if he runs for leader, to help Albertans realize that latter choice together.  


Alberta is not at a crossroad.  It is at a trail head with three paths before us.  One veers hard right with Smith and Morton, the other goes to the left with Swann and Mason.  The Alberta Party is setting out to create a new path between them.  The way forward takes the best of the other options and integrates them with progressive values and then moves us forward.  


Albertans who get engaged, informed and show up to vote will decide which is the preferred path for the province in the next election.  It will not the political parties or the wannabe Premiers.    In the meantime there is not much certainty about the direction or the destination of the province.  That will not change if power politics will prevail and good governance is devalued.  The short term future for Alberta is not pretty.  We have choices to make and a province to create.  Lets use our collective wisdom in the effort and not our pooled ignorance.

Glenn Taylor on Doing Politics Differently

Glenn Taylor the Mayor of Hinton has written an interesting blog post posing questions to Albertans about doing politics differently.  This is not easy stuff to do but he sees an opportunity and a challenge to those ends.

He says (in part) "The resignation of Premier Stelmach along with the rise of the Alliance has opened up the door for a new discussion to take place, let us not allow the governance of Alberta to be defined by the politics of division, the politics of power, the politics of the past.."

I am a big fan of Glenn Taylor.  I have worked with him in the past on a number of projects in Hinton and the Grande Alberta Economic Region.  I am encouraging him to run for the leadership of the Alberta Party as well.

I think it was Preston Manning who said a couple of years ago that it is likely we don't yet know the name of the next Premier of Alberta.  I am thinking Glenn Taylor is that name and the Alberta Party is the way forward to make that happen.

I will be doing a blog post on why I support Glenn Taylor and the Alberta Party over the week end for posting on Monday.

Rick Mercer Rants on Harper Attack Ads

The pith and substance of Rick Mercer's anger against misleading and personal attack ad is exemplified in this terrific rant.  His takes on them is that they are the work of bullies and cowards.  I agree entirely.

The propensity of the Federal Reformatory types to use these pre-election ads that are not subject to campaign spending rules.  That is such a cheap trick and an integrity breach the spirit of the law.  These political dirty tricks are right out of the American Republican cum Tea Party types that Harper seems to idolize.

Personal attack ads come from the kind of people you tend not to trust to make fair and effective laws that serve the greater good - only their own self-interest.  I think the fact that Harper's Alberta brain trust who write and run these anti-democratic and misleading ads are behind the Wildrose Party in Alberta.  I make one wonder if this cozy relationship with Harper gives substance to Premier Stelmach warning to us to expect them to engage in that same kind of George Bush-league politics Harper loves to do.

If you want respect as a politician, attack policy - not persons.

Here is what Mercer says about all this:

Dave Taylor Joins the Alberta Party

So yesterday was a big day for the New Kid on the Block Alberta Party. It has its first MLA as Dave Taylor moves from disgruntled Liberal to disaffected Independent to the discovery of the Alberta Party.

There was lots of noise over this move in the social media and the traditional media.  I was even taken to task as an Alberta Party member for a blog post I did on January 8, 2010 when two PC MLAs went directly from one party to the Alliance without any cooling off period as Independents to take the temperature of their constituents over such a move.  Give it a read and tell me what you think is the right way for politicians to change their minds.  What about when a political party kicks out an MLA like the PCs did with Raj Sherman and Guy Boutilier?  Should the PCs first consulted with their constituencies to get permission?

There is no simple answer and saying it is just "politics" as usual is not very satisfactory either.  The bottom line in al of this be careful and intentional about who you vote for.  Politicians are given consent to govern us at the ballot box.  We defer to their judgment to make value trade-offs and choices on our behalf all the time.  We also empower them to make laws that will limit and dictate our behaviours.  That is a lot of power.

The unanswered question is what guides and drives our ballot box choices and is there just one answer to that question?  Is that answer simple or complex and does it change over time between elections?  Of course all these variable are in play so to over simplify the relationship of the elected and the electors is a mugs game.  Add the other complexity of is a politician beholden to the direction of the constituents or to their own conscience?

How is a politician to know the hearts and minds of constituents and are they fulling informed on the facts, implications as well as the feeling and emotions around any proposed policy decision?  On the other hand how are constituents to know what is in the heart, mind and morality of the politician as they seek wisdom in order to make a values trade-off between competing interests.  All political decision have a moral underpinning to them and that adds to the complexity of communications and comprehension.

Those of us not in Calgary Currie can rant and rave all we want but we are spectators in this contest.  The players are Dave Taylor and the citizens of Calgary Currie.  What they think about his decision to move out of the Liberal Party to Independent is as critical as their reaction to his move from Independent to Alberta Party. That is Dave Taylor making hard political choices and that always means a trade-off of values.

The right to make that choice is Dave Taylor's.  The right to assess and pass judgment on that choice is the right of the citizens of Calgary Currie.  If they want a by-election now to assess Taylor's choice, they can tell him so loudly, vociferously and in great numbers.  If they want to wait until the general election coming sooner than later they will stay quiet and pass judgment on him then. In the mean time the rest of us can armchair quarterback all we want but it is just crowd noise.  Unless Calgary Currie wants to take Dave Taylor to task for his decisions, who are we to judge?

As for the Alberta Party, the Dave Taylor move to join them is a big boost of public credibility and internal confidence.  However, one swallow does not a summer make.  There is a great deal more to do before the Alberta Party is election ready and credibly so.  As for some great commentary on all this to-ing and fro-ing read Graham Thomson of the Edmonton Journal, Josh Wingrove of of the Globe and Mail, Kevin Libin of the National Post and one of my favourite bloggers - The Enlightened Savage.

The next step for the Alberta Party is finding a leader.  A major move in that direction happened yesterday too.  Glenn Taylor, the current and three time Mayor of Hinton took the first overt step towards running for the Alberta Party leadership. He put up the non-refundable deposit as a candidate as a show of good faith and his personal confidence in the Alberta Party.  Now he awaits a final decision to run or not depending on the final rules for the leadership campaign from the Alberta Party Provincial Board, expected February 5th.

Full disclosure, I am working on Glenn's bid for Alberta Party leadership.  So stay tuned for more on Glenn Taylor and feel free to contact me at ken@cambridgestrategies.com if you want to join the Alberta Party and the campaign team.

What Motivates Our Voting Choices?

The announcement yesterday of former Alberta Liberal moving from Independent and becoming the first MLA of the revived and revised Alberta Party drew lots of interesting reaction in MSM and social media.  Some on Twitter called up a blog post I did over a year ago when two Conservatives bolted directly to the Alliance last January.

Fair game but I felt there was a slight misrepresentation of what I was suggesting and seeking input from readers on floor crossing  at that time...but that is for others to judge.  Here is a link to the January 2, 2010 post for you to consider. Here is the central question I was asking about voter motivation in election:

When citizens cast ballots it is unclear if they are voting for a party, a candidate, a leader, a platform, an issue of just name recognition or any combination of these motivations.  Do we elect politicians to exercise their best judgement or to reflect the majority opinion of their constiuents or perhaps some other controversial but perhaps more "enlightened" position on an issue?  


  



So I pose the same questions again but this time as "A burning question!" You can let your thoughts be known in the comments to this blog and on the Burning Question on the right hand side too.

Blog Polls Are Crap!

I have recently returned to posting "Blog Polls" every week on this site.  I have had some reluctance in doing it because they are not really scientific polls.  It is really misleading to call them polls because it implies that they are random and science based.  They are nothing of the sort. I have had some Tweets from folks I respect who have called these "blog polls" crap and I agree...especially if they are represented or understood to be science based random and reliable polls.


WHY BLOG AND MEDIA "POLLS" ARE CRAP
I know the main stream media including major newspapers, radio stations and television websites often to the same misleading techniques as "blog polls."  That hardly justifies the activity and does nothing to absolve the misleading label of "poll."  These mainstream media "polls" are not scientific or reliable either.  Like those on blogs they are at best a relatively unreliable representation of what some readers might think.  We have no idea of the nature and composition of the readership or the respondents in either case.

These "polls" can even be hijacked by groups who what to create an impression of reality that is also misleading by pushing one group or another to flood the "poll" with answers that serves their preferences or purposes. The recent question of who should hold the balance of power if we have a minority Alberta government is perhaps an example of a push by a group to influence results.  I don't know but have suspicions.  Many of my readers are Alberta Party members and many more are Alberta Party curious so it is no surprise that this new party is the dominant choice.  I note a key strategist of the Alberta NDP recently criticized my blog polls Twitter and all of a sudden there is a surge in NDP support for holding the balance of power.  I think this is an example of starting the conversation so long as people see that the survey results are only useful for that purpose and not conclusive of anything.

This is just a signal to readers to use their critical thinking skills and read these surveys like they would horoscopes.  Treat them with the same degree of authenticity.  These so-called "polls" are to random sampling opinion surveys as Dr. Phil is to psychology...infotainment at worst and conversation starters at best.

SCIENCE BASED POLLING UNDER PRESSURE TOO
Opinion polling as a science has come under serious credibility pressures recently too.  This is because the tried and true techniques used in the past to generate a random representative sampling has reliability problems with the rise of cell phones as virtually the exclusive connectivity link of a younger generation and the difficulty to connect to them skews the data.  The move towards self-selecting volunteers to register with pollsters who allegedly represent a demographic or a region is suspect too because the more indifferent or disengaged opinions are not likely to be canvasses.  Then we have caller ID that allows people to filter out unwanted calls or unknown callers.  That again undermines true randomness.  Then we have the fact that as many as 20 calls have to be made before someone will take the call and invest the time to respond to a phone survey.  How randomly representative is the data collected with that kind of randomness?  There are "solutions" but they are not perfect either.  But that is another issue for another post some other time.

DOES HARPER HATE EVIDENCE MORE THAN LIBERALS?
With the Harper government destroying the Canada Census we will not longer have a randomly selected scientifically reliable source of crucial information on Canadians after 2006.  The ignorance of that policy decision will ensure that public policy design in the future will be a crap shoot that will inevitably result in crap public policy.  I believe that is the ultimate political goal here.  The fundamentalist anti-intellectual underpinnings of the Reform roots of the Harper government want to design failure into government so it can be replaced by Darwinian market forces in all cases.  I mention this to show that even quality scientific polling is being undermined by a political ideology that says it is OK for faith to trump facts.  Evidence is tough to rebut so the Reformatory Harper government passes policy to ensure we don't have facts in the first place.  That is even more dangerous to democracy than silly unscientific "blog polls."

IT'S ABOUT STARTING THE CONVERSATIONS
I think the questions posed in a "blog poll" will only be conversation starters in and amongst the readers of that blog in comments, social media and off-line IRL (in real life).  There is no reliable value to be attributed to the responses and folks have to know that.  I will continue to put questions to my readers for response but I will not call them "Blog Polls" any more.  I will call them "Burning Questions" from now.  I hope these Burning Questions continue to serve the purpose to engage citizens in the political culture of our times.  I hope they trigger real conversations in communities, between friends and amongst co-workers and even within families to help focus attention on the political issues and public policy concerns that are shaping our times.

If that is the case, I believe they are worth keeping.  If you have a Burning Question you want me to pose, email it to me.

Where Has the Integrity Gone?

I have been trying to find the time to do a blog post on the Annual Report of Alberta's Privacy Commissioner, Frank Work.  Making a living keeps getting in the way.  However,  Graham Thomson had covered the salient points in his Edmonton Journal column today.  It is worth a read.

My political concern is the general decline in good governance in Alberta.  We know from random sample research that the dominant values Albertans want to see drive and guide public policy in our province are integrity, accountability, transparency, honesty along with environmental stewardship with fiscal and personal responsibility.

With the continuing decline of the Alberta to respond to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy that aligns with these values is becomes apparent that citizens have to one of two things.  Either we make the current government change to align with those values or we change to a new government that will align with those values. We have a political culture that values spin over substance and loutishness over values.

The Thomson column provides a strong example that explains the propaganda tactics that has become the staple diet of modern politics.  The recent rehash of reheated rhetoric by Dr. Ted Morton that Alberta is being ripped off by the federal government because we pay more taxes to Ottawa than services in return is pure political propaganda at its apogee.

We pay more federal tax money than others in Canada BECAUSE we make more money than anyone else in Canada.  The sense that Confederation is we versus them relationship the right wing in Alberta always trots out when it is in trouble in the polls or wants to precipitate an election is not good government and really bad politics.

If we can't assume political integrity in our government, we citizens can at least keep them honest.  We do that by calling them on transparency and accountability breaches and  telling them loud and clear that things better change in government or we citizens will change the government next election.  The status quo is not good enough.  Anyone who thinks counterclockwise and wants to turn Alberta back in time is not a viable alternative either.  Time for some thinking for a change.

The Politics of Fear and Propaganda Pervade

We all have to improve our media literacy.  The Internet demands it because the traditional "authoritative voices" of professional journalism in mainstream media have all but disappeared.  The old media model of delivering eyeballs and ears is falling apart in a fragmented audience that is getting used to free content on the Internet.

Reliable news sources are being lost in the noise and sensation of  places like Fox News as they reach for ratings by pushing adrenaline inducing infotainment instead responsible professional journalism and informed in depth commentary.  We will soon have the same kind of propaganda promoting media experience with the unleashing of Fox News North.

In American politics the vitriol and anger gets even worse, but Canada is not far behind as Harper continues to use Karl Rove wedge issues in ways the divide people and pander to fear.  The political culture is beyond a conventional adversarial debate of artificial black and white issue framing that is over-simplified spin and pushed by sound bites and pithy print quotes through a compliant media.

Now the political culture is approaching fascism in some circles and with some politicians.  The spin is escalating beyond persuasion into misleading half truths and outright lies - repeated over and over for effect.  There is a cynical truism about this kind of  pathetic political "communications."  That reality is that a lie heard seven times becomes a truth to many people.  In our hyper-connected and constantly "on" world we are voluntary victims of the consequences of perpetual partial attention.  We don't read, reflect and try to understand content - especially on-line content that is becoming the dominant news source for most of us..  We merely scan and skim content for impressions and that has the effect of suspending our disbelief and diminishes our capacity for critical thinking.  We end up with more information but become less informed.

The other disturbing trend in our political culture is the use of intimidation, coercion, bullying and innuendo by those in power against public servants and public service organizations, agencies and community based volunteer boards.  Even duly elected municipal politicians and school boards are wary of bringing truth to power for fear of personal and institutional retribution from government.  We become quietly complacent and compliant and avoid using our voice for fear of "consequences."

So as an introductory lesson in media and political literacy here is an "educational" video allegedly about and from the Liberal Party in Australia.  It is a public service ad that every citizen needs to see, reflect on and remember as you get inundated with the Harper Conservative Party negative attack ads on other politicians.



(H/T to Daveberta for the link.)

Obama Support Rising

There is a new poll of 1000 Americans for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News saying 53% of Americans approve of Obama's performance as President.  Too bad voters were not thinking that way in the November mid-term elections.

He is up 8% since December and his disapproval rating is down 7% to 41%.  According t reports on the poll, Independents have not felt this good about Obama since August 2009.  The other side (the dark side?) the GOP Republicans are not doing so well.  25% of Americans say they will bring the wrong kind of change to Washington and 55% said the Republicans are too inflexible in dealing with Obama. Conversely 55% said they trust - yes TRUST - Obama to strike the right balance with his opponents.  Looks like Palin, Limbaugh and Beck have over played their hands?  Here's hoping.

AMERICAN PROGRESSIVES WAKING UP?
Looks like Progressive in the United States have woken up to the fact that showing up, voting and winning is not enough.  You have to continue to be an informed, engaged and active citizen if you want intelligent evidence-informed public policy. To stay aloof means you will be ruled by extremist ideological zealots.  The President can't do it all by himself.

ARE ALBERTA PROGRESSIVES WAKING UP?
There are lessons here for progressive thinking Canadians, and even progressive thinking Albertans voting federally and provincially.  Stop the fundamentalist and extremists from all stripes can ruin the country, the province and destroy a free and open society.  Apathy used to be Boring. Now it is dangerous to democracy too.  Alberta is waking up to this fact.  Will Alberta show up in the next election to change the direction and co-create the Next Alberta?  

Where's Raj Sherman? At an Alberta Party Event in Edmonton Whitemud!

I am more and more impressed with the way Dr. Raj Sherman is reaching out and spreading his message about the need to fix the current mess around health care and then fixing the system.

Tomorrow night he is attending the organizing meeting of the Edmonton Whitemud Constituency for the Alberta Party as a guest speaker on health care.  He was invited by Don Schurman, a mutual friend and former head (retired) of the University Hospital to come to the Alberta Party meeting tomorrow night and speak on health care.  Don is one of my fellow Instigators of Reboot Alberta, also a former PC and a newly engaged member of the Alberta Party.

Raj continues to connect with a wide range of people across the entire political spectrum, throughout the wide range of the health care system and now is heading into communities all over Alberta with his message, working in collaboration with the Friends of Medicare.

He shows up in the NDP - Wildrose Alliance spoof video collaboration for the Legislature Press Gallery Christmas party too.  It is not all serious stuff.

We need more of this kind of non-ideological political conversation that focuses on the greater good in the public interest and not just silly scoring political points in snippy sound bites.  By the same token political parties have to learn to drop the destructive command and control top down democracy debilitating approach to politics too.  We need more integrity, accountability, honest, responsibility and transparency in our provincial politics.

Raj is getting very good at doing that everywhere and that is a good thing that is resonating with thinking Albertans.  Now if we can clone that political attitude and change the political culture so we have more adult political conversations. We need policy conversation with a long term public servant perspective that reflects a values approach.  Maybe then we will find Albertans prepared to return to a sense of citizenship that is active and informed.  Only with this king of political participation can we preserve, protect and promote our democracy, express our rights and enjoy our freedoms.

Good government is not one that is so small and starved for resources, including a professional civil service, that it can't do its job in the service of citizens and taxpayers.  Dr Sherman is showing a new way of thinking and of doing politics in Alberta.  As an Alberta Party member I also want to see politics done differently.  Dr. Raj Sherman is an inspiration.  But we need others to inspire us in other public policy spheres.   Raj has a laser-like focus on health care and while it is important it is not enough to change how politics are done in Alberta.  He sets an example and is showing us a way to do politics differently.  That has to be a good thing if only others in political office and influence or who aspire to political office and influence take a lesson from him.

Thanks Don Schurman and thanks Raj Sherman for helping us realize we can and must do politics differently. I am out of town tomorrow night otherwise I would be there.  I hope to hear all about the Edmonton Whitemud Alberta Party constituency event and about Raj's contribution on how to fix the crisis in our cherished public health care system the when I get back.

Peter Kent Steps In It Over Oil Sands & It Will Stick to Him

UPDATE:  Here is another link to the Saturday Globe and Mail on "Harper's Oil Sands Muse" that supports my concern in this blog post.

Here is a very important story out of the Hill Times about Minister of the Environment Peter Kent that is worth reading and reflection.  It is about the simplistic opening comments by Peter Kent the newly minted Harper Minister of the environment.  Mr. Kent is a seasoned and competent journalist but as a politician, not so much.

It appears that the primary briefing book for Mr. Kent in his first foray on to the Harper front benches was Ezra Levant's oil sands book "Ethical Oil."  The Hill Times story says Mr. Kent was staking out his position on oil sands to align with the uber-conservative Mr. Levant before he even considered the larger picture of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the oil sands.  Don't get me wrong, Ezra's book makes a good point but one that is insufficient to justify free market unfettered development of the oil sands.  Being the best of a bad lot is not good enough. Geopolitical issues around oil production and marketing are significant to Albertans and Canadians.  But that does not absolve Albertans as owners of the oil sands from our responsibility to be concerned for the environment, social, habitat and other consequences of oil sands development beyond getting rich quickly.

I am a big fan and supporter of oil sand development but recognizes we can and must exploit this resource more responsibly and in so many ways.  I have no problem with the Minister of Environment quoting from books written on themes within his jurisdiction. Might I suggest (by way of shameless plug) that he also read Green Oil by my business partner Satya Das or Peter Silverstone's "The World's Greenest Oil" for a broader deeper understanding of the problems and positive possibilities of responsible and innovative oil sands development.  Full disclosure, I published Green Oil. I admire the initiative of super-citizenship Dr. Peter Silverstone.  He is a psychiatrist who takes time to be an active Albertan and is one person who realizes his personal responsibility as an owner of the oil sands.  By writing his book, he has shown what engaged informed citizenship really is all about and what a difference one person can make.

So why would a guy with Mr. Kent's credentials, experience and journalistic ethic be caught taking an obvious  pre-emptive political strike position in his new portfolio that is purely ideological and tactical?  Why would he be caught commenting the way he has on the oil sands before having the advantage of a full briefing on the topic?  why would he not give himself a chance to grasp the complexities and nuances of his portfolio, especially relating to oil sands?

Is this a cost of doing business that if you want to sit in the Harper Cabinet, you have to toe a line?  Is this just the most recent example that a Cabinet Minister's Job #1 in the way Harper rules is about pursuing political positioning and running roughshod over any aspiration of good governance?  Was that homage to Ezra's "Ethical Oil" the price Kent had to pay to be in Cabinet?  Was this the initiation test of his allegiance to the Prime Minister and a condition of his appointment?  Makes you wonder what other explanations there could be for such a misstep by a sophisticated experienced journalist must know a thing or two about abuse of power.

Good government is always good politics.  Pure politics is hardly ever good government.  I wonder if this kind of political push by the Prime Minister for propaganda over policy is the real reason the former Progressive Conservative Jim Prentice prematurely quit politics. We will never know but we ought not to be so naive that we don't consider that as a real possibility.  Sad isn't it!

Mr Kent first utterances has to be a serious disappointment to the oil sand industry too.  His political  and governance missteps may impact his future in the next election but so what.  Politicians are notorious for thinking short term and for personal political advantage. Industry, however, has billions of long-term dollars invested.  They are at risk over volatile prices, world-wide recessions, environmental policy uncertainty and the rise of alternative energy sources.  Uncertainty and risk management are facts of life for the oil sands industry, now and well into the future.  They also realize the depth and breadth of their struggle to justify their social license to operate in this complex social, economic, ecological and political culture.

The oil sands industry, like politicians, are charged, tried and convicted in court of public opinion.  Industry  has more at risk as I see it.  There is an allure of short-sighted expediency but they realize they have to take a more complex world view in what they do and how they do it.  Industry must take a long-term perspective to justify the large up-front investments and taking on inherent duties like reclamation.  That is a complex current responsibility but decades away from being delivered and that is even more uncertainty.  The oil sands operating culture is more complex and controversial than superficial gamesmanship artificial chaos of power politics that we see as core characteristics of too many of our so-called political "leaders."

Being cozy, co-operative and collusive with the federal and provincial governments has worked for the industry up to now but it is an obviously mistaken and insufficient industry strategy going forward.  My work with the industry tells me they get this.  They are adapting appropriately, and cautiously, to appeal directly to the citizens as owners of the oil sands as they attempt to justify their social license to operate and exploit this valuable resource for the benefit of employees, shareholders, suppliers, citizens and future generations.

My betting is behind industry to do the right thing on their social license sooner than later. Unless we change governments or our government change their political culture I despair that they will ever do the right things for the right reasons in the right way at any time soon.  Citizens have to insist that our industry tenants and our government property managers start doing a much better job of serving the greater good and not just serve their self-interests as they develop our oil sands property.  Time for Albertans as owners to raise the expectations bar on themselves too. We have to get better informed, effectively active and unshakably insistent that the oil sands development is done right. After all it is all being done in the name of Albertans and Canadians.

Creativity, Sir Ken Robinson & Co-Creating the Next Alberta

Here is a link to pointed and informative video by Sir Ken Robinson on creativity in the STEM subjects-science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/askskr-question-8-creativity-is-not-just-for-the-arts

Sir Ken is in Red Deer on February 9th and I will be there with some guests who will no doubt report on their reactions to his lecture on his new book The Element.  The event is sold out with 700 people coming from all over Alberta. You can see interest is great and a new organization called Creative Alberta is forming.  .

There is another public lecture and conversation featuring Michael Adams author and pollster in Edmonton at the Sutton Place Hotel in the evening of March 17, 2011.  His latest book is on the values and  attitudes of Baby Boomers in this stage of their lives called  Stayin' Alive: How Canadian Baby Boomers Will Work, Play, and Find Meaning In the Second Half of Their Adult Lives

We will also have Jean Twenge. Professor of Psychology from San Diego State University speaking at the same public lecture speaking on themes of her new book the "Narcissism Epidemic, Living in the Age of Entitlement."

All event of this is part of the Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta project I am involved with in partnership with the Alberta Teachers' Association.  Check out more on this exciting initiative about the emerging roles, relationships and responsibilities of public education in Alberta at www.learningourway.ca 

You can get tickets for the Michael Adam / Jean Twenge lecture on line very soon at WWW.LEARNINGOURWAY.CA  Visit the site often to be part of the conversation about what Aspiring Albertans can do to co-create the Next Alberta.

Follow what is happening on Twitter at #creativealberta and #abfuture

What Should Raj Sherman Do-AN UPDATE

When I did my analysis of the next steps for Dr Raj Sherman I discounted leaving politics to return to medicine as an option because Raj himself said he was going to run in the next election.

However I did not anticipate the imagination and creativity of Sharon McLean the publisher and owner of the recently discontinued free newspaper The Edmontonian.  She has recruited Raj to talk about medicine and health care on line in an Internet television like site called Well and Wise OnLine.

Here is a link to the introductory video.http://www.wellandwiseonline.com/videos/dr-raj-sherman/  Have to say Raj is a natural in this role. He will no doubt be professional, informative and even a bit entertaining  in this endeavour.

Full disclosure - I have written a few articles for Sharon's The Edmontonian from time to time but I have nothing to do with this new venture.  I do wish her the best of luck though as she pursues this project.

Anticipating a Minority Government in Alberta?

OK - this idea of an Alberta minority government is a very hypothetical possibility today.  There is no imminent election in the province but the politics are more volatile than most people living here have ever seen.

All signs point to a change from the political status quo next election.  Will we do the historical thing and go for a wholesale change of government?  Or will we reaffirm the status quo like in the last provincial election that returned the PCs with an increased majority under Stelmach as a new leader.  Were we that supportive, or looking for stability or just wanting to give him a chance to prove himself?  Or will we be so divided and uncertain about our future by the time the next election comes around that we end up with a minority government.

The key question, of course, is which party would form the minority government?  Some of the power shifts in a minority government situation to a smaller party, provided they have enough votes to keep the minority government in power, or not.  In that case it is just as critical a question for citizens to consider as to who should have that balance of power to make or break the minority government.

If Albertans decide to elect a minority government next time, will it be a sign we want to change incrementally or perhaps we want to send the PCs a message of our discontent but not rejection.  That is what Albertans in Calgary Glenmore did in the by-election by putting the PCs in third place in popular vote.  That was in a constituency that had been held by the Deputy Premier.  OUCH!

I wonder if Albertans interpret that by-election as indication that the warning shot across PC bow has already been delivered.  If so the next election outcome could be much more open and uncertain than the conventional wisdom that tends to think tomorrow will be a reflection and a mere extension of yesterdays results.

The blog poll this week presumes a minority government but not who wins.  It ask who do you want to be the conscience of any minority government should we end up with one.  Will you answer differ depending on who you think will form the minority government?  Or will you trust one party over all others to hold the balance of power to keep any potential minority government on their toes and honest?  Is that balance of power party choice chosen because they are able to assure a wider range of opinions will be debated?  Or is that balance of power party perceived as a government in waiting and able to pick the time and ballot question in the next election after this one?

This is not a random scientific poll just a conversation starter and an attention focus for readers.  I hope your comments on this post will give some insight as to what party you would prefer form a minority and why as well as who you trust to have the balance of power and why.  It is complex stuff and an informed answer requires that you think about where you want the province to go and how to return political stability as part of the means to get there.

Looking forward to your choice and you feedback in the comments.

Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes | Video on TED.com

Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes | Video on TED.com

Here is a video with great insight about public education when the school is no longer the place to get the information but the place to learn how to use the information.

All vital to Inspiring Action on Education and Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta

GOTTA LOVE TED.COM

Canada Called "Climate Criminals" Over Oil Sands

Here is a link to a blog post and a 7 minute video of a protest on the oil sands on the EU-Canada free trade deal that is starting to be negotiated in Brussels.

As an Albertan and therefore and owner of the oil sands, I feel we have to be more aware about what is being said about us in the international community.  Equally as important I am concerned what my provincial and federal government are saying and doing about the development of the oil sands, in my name and with my property.  Do other Albertans feel the same way? I would love to hear your perspectives in comments.

Then I feel I have to know more about what my tenants, the oil sands developers are doing to exploit my resource in a responsible and sustainable way...along with paying a fair rent to me and future generations by way of royalties.

For the typical citizen it is hard to get the information and when you do get something from the usual sources it has so much spin and propaganda we all know we can't believe it and we start to mistrust the sources.  A perfect example of this is the response to my non-scientific blog survey showing about 6% of participants were prepared to trust our governments to monitor the ecological impacts of the oil sands.

The spin and propaganda from governments these days is so obvious we have simply decided to ignore them as a trustworthy source of  factual information.  This is a dangerous situation for an effective democracy. Something has to change and the climate for more open, transparent and accountable government is not good

SEE Magazine Captures Spirit of Alberta Party People

Maurice Tougas has an interesting piece in the most recent issue of SEE Magazine that captures the essence and spirit of the people joining the new Alberta Party.  Many of the early adopters and the energy for the the idea of a new progressive political party emerged from the Reboot Alberta movement that started in November of 2009.

Lots has happened since and a lot more needs to happen for the Alberta Party to be viable contender for the hearts and minds of Albertans who are tired of the pointless rhetorical positioning of a Spin  Doctor politics.  This kind of change is not easy.  Real change never is.  But there is a growing group of Albertans who know we can and must do better. We know that good governance, quality government and public-service politics with informed engaged citizens can make this happen.  After all, the politicians work for us.  Not the other way around.

I want to share some comments of an apolitical friend who sent me an email as she contemplate the need for change in how Alberta is governed and growing.  I don't have permission to use her name and I am only quoting part of what she told me by email.

My correspondents came to her realization that she need to start participating politically through her involvement in Reboot Alberta.  She says she "...thought it was time to begin a conversation about the  current state of Alberta and how we, together, could 'reboot' Alberta to the province we all knew and loved...and we knew that the concern for the well being of our province was, perhaps, more far-reaching than we anticipated."  She goes on to note "...that many folks, myself included, had a clear idea of what it meant to be both Canadian and Calgarian, (or what ever municipality we were from) but very few had given much thought to what it meant to be an Alberta, or had a vision for Alberta...it occurred to me that many of us, myself included, had taken for granted the stewardship that is our responsibility."    

She describes her transformational moment that brought her to the tipping point of dusting off her citizenship and re-engaging in the political culture of Alberta. She was listing to the CBC "about goings on at the Legislature" and the "combined bumbling that caused me to think aloud in the words of my old cartoon pal Popeye the Sailorman 'That's all I can stands...I can't stands any more.'  Upon returning home I
immediately went to the Alberta Party website and joined and left a note saying put me to work.'"

She has taken on the role of Calgary coordinator for the Alberta Party leadership bid of Glenn Taylor and has started reaching out to people in Calgary to get involved.  She has been in touch with her network of fellow Albertans and at New Years, she asked them (and all of us) "...to count your blessings and consider the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."

She closed her note to friends and family and said "...please put Alberta on your list of things to think about.   The way you may choose to help impact our future is, of course, up to you.  It may or may not be political - you may want to get more involved in your community or with causes that are important to you or it may be with me in this new party or perhaps in a party where you are already a member - any of these will make our province stronger."

This email was an important statement of a personal commitment to engage in assuring a prosperous, inclusive future for Alberta that lives with ecological integrity.  Our prosperity is not assured in a spirit of pure competition where the goal is to be the best place in the world.  It will be found the more profound and personal testament of an aspiring Albertan, like my friend.  That more profound personal and collective aspirations for Alberta is to be the best place for the world. That is the foundational motivation for me in my journey to pursue the political transformation I see as possible through the Alberta Party.  It is good to see and know that I am not alone.

Political Progress and the Emerging Ridicule of the Alberta Party

While I will direct my mind to the Alberta Party, much of the paradigm I will describe applies to the evolution of the Wildrose Alliance and the PCs, Liberals and NDP as well...we are all just at different stages and phases of this process.

I am inspired by a quote that I believe came from Schopenhauer.  He said to the effect that all truth passes through three stages.  First it is ridiculed.  Second it is violently opposed and third it is accepted as being self-evident.  I was reminded of this quote in a recent workshop I attended on "Unstoppable Conversations" that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It helped me get a handle on a framework for many of the thoughts about changes and transformations in the Alberta political landscape that I have been rumbling through my brain lately.

Back to Schopenhauer' s quote and the evolving nature of "truth."  First off, I don't hold much stock in truth.  It is too subjective, temporary and perceptually ambiguous a concept to deserve the weight it has in our political culture discourse.  I can accept the de Bono concept of a proto-truth.  To me that is something we hold on to as self-evident until something better (or just different???), comes along to occupy the mind space of a society.  That sense of a proto-truth is very alive in the context of the Schopenhauer quote too.  Truth changes.  It is not absolute.

THE OLD LINE PARTIES ARE AT STAGE THREE OF THE "TRUTH"
The image of the PCs, Liberals and NDP are all at the third stage of  truth in Schopenhauer's world.  The self-evident niches for each of them are embedded in the political cultural context of the times and perceptions about them are set in the minds of citizens.  The PCs after 40 years in power are the natural governing party but they are off their game of late.  The Liberals are the oldest political party in Alberta but marked with a cultural meme that ties them to the federal party and the alleged evils of the often reviled National Energy Policy.  To many misplaced beliefs and mythologies make them a political non-starter for most Albertans. The NDP are not extreme but just not mainstream enough to be seen as ready to govern.  We like the NDP as critics of government in service of the public interest - but no more.

These conventional political parties seem to be able to sustain and reaffirm their political space on the left-right spectrum in the minds of most Albertans.  Otherwise they would lack a sense of significance and could just as well disappear from the consciousness of the everyday Albertan.  They tend to oppose each other in a political game of oppositional posturing and positioning, politely called "spin" but is in fact mostly just hard ball propaganda. They are not seen as nimble nor adaptable to the changing times or competent given the complexity of a shrinking world culture, globalized economy or the realities of an interdependent environment.

THE ALBERTA PARTY AND WILDROSE ARE DIFFERENT
The Wildrose Alliance Party, in my perception, is moving into the second stage of truth, that of being violently opposed.  I say that because I am one of those who are actively opposed to the Wildrose Alliance governing philosophy of Libertarianism social policy and Monetarism economic policy and an environmental policy that is based on Climate Change Denial.

However, I would not call my opposition to the Wildrose Alliance Party "violent."  The rancorous rhetoric of the extreme right in the USA and the linkage of that rhetoric alleged to encourage actual physical violence.  Political based violence like the killings it Tucson and the murder of abortion doctors by radical hardcore conservatives of the assassinations of the 60s some say is returning.  The question is why and who, what and where is that level of violent opposition becoming normative in the States?  We know how it is becoming normative.  The gun culture of the United States of America and the decline of education standards, opportunity erosion and increasing fear, uncertainty and doubt about the future for too many Americans.

Back to Alberta.  I am more at the vehemently opposed level to the governing philosophy and political culture of the Wildrose Alliance.  My opposition to the Wildrose is is a matter of conviction and vigour, not hate and anger. I  do not want Alberta to be governed by that, or any other similar political dogma. My opposition, like every other moderate progressive I know or ever met, is intellectual and philosophical, not a matter of force and violence.  I am a democrat and will defer to the will and decision of an informed and engaged majority of voter.  Those who win elections with a mere 40% turnout casts a serious suspicion of those criteria being met in our elections.  We need both democratic and electoral reform beyond tinkering with advertising rules and rates of special interests groups.

The Alberta Party is just emerging on the political radar screen in Alberta.  As a result of such attention other partisans are stepping up the rhetoric and ridicule.  That puts the Alberta Party very much at the first stage of the "truth" - the ridicule stage. This stage one level of ridicule is coming from some supporters of the other parties but not the parties themselves.  This link is a perfect example. Here is a blog post with point of view on the political context of the stage one ridicule too.

I think this is all in good humour and pretty slick political PR too.  It is important because it is an attempt to frame the Alberta Party as something it is not before the party has a chance to express its own narrative of what it is and aspires to be come.

This is not a new tactic for hard core conventional political party operatives.  Harper spent an enormous amount of taxpayer supported money on television ads leading up to an election.  This negative campaign timing was pretty cynical because this stuff was pure political campaign advertising but done just in advance of an election so it would not be controlled nor limited by campaign spending laws.  Harper was successfully framing Stephane Dion, as the new leader of the Liberal Party in the public consciousness before Dion could set out his own narrative in the public mind. 

This kind of negative adverting is universally denounced and universally used - because it works.  Some Alberta unions did a high cycle television ad campaign in the last Alberta provincial election saying Stelmach Had No Plan.  That resulted in new legislation sponsored by the Stelmach government limiting third party election spending in the province.  So much for electoral free speech and opinion through advertising in Alberta.  Not a big deal really, because there is scant evidence that such advertising changes opinions in any event.  But as an offence to free speech...and government control of free speech - its a big deal.

A CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL POLITICAL CULTURE IS WHAT WE NEED
The Alberta Party is trying to change the nature of the discourse with a policy of MLA Guidelines aimed at returning civility and professionalism back into Alberta politics.  I applaud those efforts.  They may be naive but the sentiment is not misplaced.  The theatre of the absurd that is Question Period or the pathetic discourse that passes as debate, dialogue and even public consultation in Alberta is disheartening.

My contribution to this effort at more civility and professionalism in politics in Alberta will be on this blog.  I will continue to be critical of the politics and the tactics of those with whom I disagree but I will not engage in personal attacks about politicians at least not without evidence-based justification.  When it comes to comments on how various political philosophies and promoted propaganda, I intend to be vehemently opposed where I disagree. But I will try my best not to be disagreeable in the process.  I hope my readers support this position with non-anonymous comments that are aligned with this approach.  I hope readers will be civil and vigilant in helping me keep to my word on this.  Just a small step but one worth taking.

What Raj Sherman Should Do - and WHY!

I did a blog poll on this question of Raj Sherman's future in politics last week.  This is a non-scientific sampling of 174 self-selecting anonymous people.  The results are merely anecdotal, so look at the results lightly and in that light.  However the outcomes of this polling there is a clear indication of gratuitous advice to Raj Sherman, the ousted PC caucus member.  The results are interesting.

Full disclosure, I am a member of the Alberta Party, the Edmonton Glenora constituency President but I in no way speak for the Alberta Party.  This blog, as always, is just my personal perspective.  For the record, I have had a number of email exchanges, phone chats and face-to-face meetings with Raj since he was ejected from the PC Caucus. I expect we will stay in touch. I want him to join forces with the Alberta Party and will give some reasons for this later in this post.  Not a big surprise to anyone I expect.

THE OPTIONS - OR NOT!
Here is the non-scientific but still intriguing blog poll outcome.  Raj should join the Alberta Party according to 45%, or join the Liberal Party according to 14%.   The other options all cluster between 6%-9% so they are not really significant.  Raj has already rejected the idea of quitting politics. That option only had 7% support anyway.  That is the same number who thought he should go back to the PCs.  There were 6% who felt he should join the NDP and 8% preferred that he sit with the Wildrose Alliance Party.

In this post I am going focus mostly on reasons  to join or not to join the Alberta Party and the same for the Liberal Party.  I cautiously discount the other alternatives.  The Wildrose is a political force with a core of supporters.  My sense is their protest support is as deep as a dime and there is a lingering mistrust that pervades them.  They have a history and we are not sure what  they really stand for anymore.  We are cautious about what the strong social conservative element might do to Alberta, once in power.  Look at Bill 44 that targeted homosexuals and teachers as an example of social conservative influence on politics and policy.  Google Bill 44 in Alberta if you are unfamiliar with this draconian piece of legislation.

In my communications with Raj, he was looking at all options but I can't see him aligning with the Wildrose, on principle.  He says he believes the PCs have a surreptitious plan to privatize health care after the next election.  Despite protest to the contrary, no thoughtful observer of the Wildrose Alliance Party could conclude that they would not also privatize health care...once in power.  They are not stupid.  They will campaign on a middle of the road policy platform but their behind-the-scenes brain trust is pure Stephen Harper.  Will they have any moral or ethical problem reversing campaign promises on matters like health care one they form government?  Harper has had no pangs of consciousness in doing just that from Income Trusts to Afghanistan.

Raj has already said he will run again so going back to medicine is a non-starter, at least in the short term.  As for the NDP, you can't fix health care with influence alone, you need power.  Sherman had preferred, front row insider influence in the PC party.  It did little to change things, except his own political fortunes. To consider rejoining the PCs Raj would have to apologize to Minister Liepert. I think that is too bitter a pill for Raj to swallow.

As for staying Independent Raj is quoted as saying "ideally, you need to align yourself with somebody.  The challenge is I'm quite non-partisan."  He is in contact with all the opposition parties in and outside the Legislature. It is pretty difficult, but not impossible, to get elected as an Independent but it is tough to have any impact to change government policy as a lone non-partisan voice in our governance system.  My sense is Raj will join a party, the question is which one, when and why?

The Liberal Party is a definite option for Raj to consider.  However, they have problems getting attention and traction in the political mind space of Albertans.  This should be the best of times for Liberals to be rising in popularity but it isn't happening. David Swann just dismissed his second communications director since he became leader and there is angst in the caucus and in the party itself. Who knows for sure what voters will do to the Liberals, or any of the current and conventional political parties for that matter.  But a one keen and seasoned observer of politics in Alberta said to the effect the Liberals have not captured the imagination of Albertans in almost 100 years and if they can't do it now, they are not a serious alternative political force going forward.  That is not a conclusion but a concern for and about the Liberals.

As stated earlier, my bias is for Raj to take a chance on the emerging Alberta Party because, while it is not non-partisan, it is not a single-minded top down left versus right ideological driven hierarchy driven political machine.  Nor is it a centrally controlled monolith with all the power in the hands of an entrenched leader who is mostly influenced and his or her unelected advisors and undisclosed fund raisers.  The Alberta Party is new.  In fact it is so new that it is just now forming constituency organizations all over the province, and is just starting its leadership process. Raj, in the Alberta Party, can have more influence on the leadership outcome and the election policy platform than he can in any of the other alternatives.  By joining the Alberta Party he can shift public attention, trigger some imagination and bring a new meaning to political participation in our province.

Is the Alberta Party a real force? I say yes it is and while it is very young it is not naive about the challenges ahead for itself as a party, the province and the people of Alberta.  There are outstanding questions of who will lead the Alberta Party. Can they raise enough money to be competitive in an election campaign?  Will they attract enough quality candidates to be taken seriously and gain the confidence of Albertans?  All legitimate issues but as an Alberta Party member, I know the progress on all those organizational fronts is moving along at an amazing pace - and the reception from Albertans is positive, energizing and exciting.

To me the revival of the Alberta Party feels very much like the late 60s.  That was when Peter Lougheed captured the imagination of forward thinking Albertans of those days with his revival of the Progressive Conservative Party.  That was when I got involved in provincial politics, moving beyond student politics at the University of Alberta.  In the late 60's Peter Lougheed was travelling all over the province along with his sidekick (a.k.a. Executive Assistant) Dave King (who is now working hard on the Provincial Board of the Alberta Party). Lougheed was gathering citizen's interest all over the province in the emerging Progressive Conservative Party, one community meeting, one coffee party and one Chamber of Commerce speech, at a time.

Back in the day, the Lougheed PCs came to be seen as the viable option to replace the tired, tedious and too-long-in-the-tooth Social Credit party.  The tipping point came in the 1971 election with the slogan "NOW." Now it is the time for the Alberta Party.  It is now being seen as the progressive viable alternative political voice for moderate progressive Albertans.  What I am grappling with is what will it take to get moderate progressive Albertans to reaffirm their responsibilities and roles as citizens in our democracy.  What is the tipping point to get them to re-engage in changing the political culture and the direction of this province?

Most Albertans are feeling a little uncertain and doubtful about the future.  There is a lingering angst over what the future holds for each of us given all the economic, ecological and social volatility in the world.  We are yearning for a political alternative that is not an extreme.  We are not a province of social conservatives or authoritarian Tea-Party-in-training types we see rising in power in the States.  The Ayn Rand inspired, Libertarian influenced Wildrose Alliance Party conjures some serious suspicions about their real political intentions and where they would take us if they had power. We also know we want to move beyond the rudderless and feckless PCs, who are akin to the old Social Credit party incarnate and failing to adapt to the changing times.

FIX HEALTH CARE IS JOB#1 FOR RAJ:
Raj is clear on one thing.  He wants Albertans to understand and engage in facing the challenges necessary to fix health care in Alberta.  He has recently told reporters and others he is staying in politics and will spend some time touring the province to "...engage people in an honest conversation, a non-partisan conversation...to see how many Albertans care about health care."  Raj can do that very effectively as an independent MLA, in the short term.  He has to be careful he does not become a one-trick pony and morph into just another publicity seeking political protester like Greenpeace has done with the oil sands.

So to help him out with his road show here is some intelligence for him to use in his caravan around Alberta.  This survey data gives a sense of what Albertans are feeling about our health care system.  This data comes from a survey we did of over 1000 Albertans in a random sample in March 2010, just after Raj and Minister Zwozdesky were appointed to the Health Ministry in January 2010.  This data timing reflects more on Minister Liepert's Reign of Error than on Raj's or Gene Zwozdesky's efforts at health care reform.

When Albertans were asked how confident they were in their government effectively managing the health care system only 14% agreed or strongly agreed they had confidence.  Only 21% of us were satisfied with the state of health care in Alberta and just 42% believed we have a world class health care system.  When asked if we had concerns as to whether the public health system in Alberta was sustainable 55% were felt it was not sustainable.  The long term view is even more alarming.  There were 70% of those surveyed who said we need to make changes to our health care system if it will be there for our children.  What kind of changes need to be made is the political and policy challenge.

So there is lots of concern amongst Albertans about a wide range of health care issues.  The Stelmach response last year was a quick and controlled public consultation over the summer and a report that lead to new health care legislation passed last fall.  Has any of that changed the level of public concern or increased confidence in the Stelmach government's handling of health care?  Given the outpouring of public support for Raj Sherman's  recent public advocating for the Emergency Docs cry of a crisis and government mismanagement, I would presume that Albertan are not assured nor appeased by the Stelmach government attempts at policy change.

WHAT IS THE LONGER TERM POLITICAL PLAN FOR RAJ SHERMAN?
So what is Raj Sherman going to do? My advice is stay independent for a bit and go out and talk to Albertans as a non-partisan.  The Alberta Party knows from The Big Listen that people are eager to share their stories, their ideas and express their frustration to anyone in government who will listen and respect their opinions.  Something that 51% of Albertans think is not happening now.

The leadership campaign of the Alberta Party will get going soon.  Progressive minded Albertans will be more aware, engaged and attentive to what is happening with this new progressive political citizen's movement we call the Alberta Party. While Raj is on the road I hope he encourages Albertans to pay attention, buy a membership and use the Alberta Party leadership campaign as a referendum to send a message.  That message is that progressive Albertans are re-engaging in the politics of our time and we want real options and real change and we will reject Libertarian politics or hardcore socially conservative dogma.

As for Raj joining the Alberta Party here is a bottom line as I see it. My sense is Raj Sherman does not need the Alberta Party, nor does the Alberta Party need Raj Sherman,, at least not right now.  However Alberta and Albertans need both of us, sooner than later too.  The synergies of an independent thinking Raj Sherman in a fresh new progressive political movement, like the Alberta Party, would be a positive force to better serve the greater good.  It is the best option for everyone.  Time will tell if that happens.  No predictions, but I have been around politics long enough to know anything can happen, and nothing should surprise us...hope springs eternal.

One thing is certain.  For the first time in 40 years we now have a sense that real political change is coming to Alberta.  What the change will bring, no one knows yet, but Alberta will soon be changed, perhaps in the next election.  Will it be transformed into a model of a 21st century pluralist society with a new prosperity of a  diverse creative economy that is respectful of ecological realities.  Or will the counterclockwise forces of the far right dominate and take Alberta back into a rigid authoritarian dog-eat-dog world where an unfettered marketplace model drives all the social, environmental and economic policy decisions?

To be continued......

Holiday's Are Over - Politics Is Back!

Graham Thomson is speculating on a number of critical uncertainties in Alberta politics.  The pressures of leadership in all spheres of influence are enormous and especially in politics.  Speculation on internal tensions for replacing party leaders at so close to an election with all the planning and pressures that entails is understandable for inside-baseball partisans but meaningless to the ordinary citizen.

In my mind Stelmach deserves to lead the PCs into another election and then decide himself what his future is.  The same is true for Swann, Mason and Smith.  Only Mason and Stelmach have faced the trial-by-fire reality of a general election and we should see the election results of the other two leaders before we start throwing them under the bus as in Swann or deifying  them as in Smith.

Then there is the new wild card, the Alberta Party.  They are just starting to select their leader and will be selling memberships and raising public profile in the process culminating at a leadership convention in Edmonton at the end of May.  The yearning for a change in the political culture of Albertans is such that anything can happen...and in politics, it usually does.  So the smart money should not reject any political scenario, but don't fixate on any one possibility either.

The other dynamic is the general dysfunction and discontent amongst politicians and partisans.  This started a year ago with the PC-WAP floor crossers. We then say Dave Taylor bolt from the Alberta Liberals to sit as an independent to Kent Hehr running for Mayor of Calgary as an option to provincial politics.  That was followed by the ejection of Boutilier from the PC Caucus and more recently the PC caucus expulsion of Raj Sherman from their ranks.  Add in the impact on party organizations due to 4 new seats in plan and the real possibility of a number of potential MLAs considering retirement from politics.

The range of paradoxes, ambiguity, complexity and even chaos outcomes can't all be discounted when there is a hunger for change and some fear what the future holds in the citizenry.  Change is in the air.  That is the only certainty I can see.  That "change in the air" sense was there in the last provincial election too and it resulted in a larger Stelmach majority instead of a change of government.  That result was because Albertans were hoping the Stelmach government would change so they did not have to change the government.  Stelmach has  adapted and changed but not in ways that are in alignment to the new realities Albertans are seeing, facing and fearing.  And that may make all the difference.

Peter Kent Has Talent BUT He is No Jim Prentice

Congratulations and condolences to Peter Kent the newly condemned Harper Con Minister of the Environment. I think Jeffrey Simpson's column in the Globe and Mail today captures the conundrum the Toronto based Minister will face internally.  Harper is a one-man authoritarian control freak and that will put the laudable investigative journalist instincts Mr. Kent somewhere between the back burner or buried in the closet.

The external pressures the new Minister faces are even more disheartening as he is clearly appointed for political purposes as a bone to Toronto as Harper prepares to engineer the timing of his next election, likely over the budget or his execution of same, not his ineptness and indifference to the environment.

Do not expect Mr. Kent's journalistic talents to be seen or even allowed to be applied to his new portfolio.  Harper does not like science, evidence or opinion that runs contrary to his dogma - especially from his Cabinet or Caucus.  That is really unfortunate but Harper is the strict authoritarian abusive father figure.  He uses his power to control the lives of his underlings and his lesser-beings in Cabinet and Caucus because he, and he alone, makes the rules and all the decisions for all those who serve him at his pleasure in  in his house.

ALBERTANS ACCEPT SOME FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT IN OIL SANDS 
As for Mr. Kent engaging effectively about federal involvement in oil sands policy and regulation, the Albertan industry and the Alberta government will watch him with a wary eye.  The Alberta public knows that the oil sands are key to our future and continued prosperity.  Only 17% of us are in any way satisfied with the performance of our federal MPs - and that was before Jim Prentice left politics and the oppressive regime of Stephen Harper.  Mr, Kent will do nothing to reverse those fortunes and impressions of how effective our MPs are in protecting our interests as Albertans.

Our research shows that Albertans know the provincial government is responsible for managing our natural resources. We overwhelming (90%) hold industry liable and responsible for any environmental damage they cause.  Interestingly 62% of Albertans see some role for the federal government in the development of the oil sands.  In the Chretien Liberal days of the mid 90's that federal role was federal tax breaks instigated by Alberta MP and former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan.

EXPECT A FED-PROV FIGHT OVER WHO RUNS THE OIL SANDS SHOW?
Today the Harper Cons are belatedly entering into the environmental monitoring role as a federal government. We found that 68% of Albertans believed the federal government has increased its role in the development of the oil sands.This is unnerving to the Alberta government who are responding with an even more belated entry into responsible environmental monitoring.  There is a looming jurisdictional donny-brook over who is ultimately responsible for environmental monitoring and re-mediation policies to assure Albertans, as owners of the oil sands, that their resource is being developed responsibly.  The partisan hand wringing in the province is all behind closed doors but there are signs surfacing of the inter-governmental competition for the trust of Albertans, not just the political hearts and minds.    This may be the fed-prov "crisis" that Premier Stelmach will use to trigger an early Alberta election...but I doubt it.

WISE GOVERNING OR DUMB LUCK?
Bottom line is both the federal and provincial governments are wise to be focused on the issue about environmental monitoring regarding oil sand development.  That is a good start because 18% of Albertans said that was the most important concern they had around how their oil sands were being developed.  While it is a start is is noting to brag about because that same survey showed 20% Albertans were concerned about having assurance that the proper type of oil sands reclamation was being done.  Add to that the 19% how said their top priority for responsible oil sand development was habitat protection and you see why I say ecological monitoring  is just a start for government engagement and regulation.

So we have a Toronto media type with proven investigative journalist credentials allegedly running Harper's environment portfolio.  Actually Harper was pretty clear who would be running the file in the Kent appointment announcement when he said Kent's mandate was "to stay the course."  That is code for continue to do nothing but talk a lot so it does not look like you are doing nothing.

So Mr. Kent welcome the Harper in Wonderland world of inert environmental policy and authoritarian political control of you and your soul.  We don't expect to see much of you in Alberta after the first run through.  Your real job is to get more seats in Toronto next election, not to champion economically enlightened planet saving environmental policy.  Don't expect industry to be calling on you much after the first grin an grab initial rounds of meet and greet the new Minister.  They have real fish to fry...oops - bad metaphor.

"Success" Must be Redefined to Thrive in the Creative Age

This clip of a film has piqued my interest.  I have not seen the film but I want to.  It asks the key questions about what role our education system should play in preparing young people for a changing world and how do we prepare young people to be healthy, bright and contributing citizens?



As part of the Learning Our Way to the Future initiative and the Creative Alberta movement I see so much potential being enabled by the platform for transformation from the Dave Hancock lead Inspiring Education and Inspiring Action on Education.

I am pleased to see this screening of this film being done in collaboration with a number of interesting sponsors and in particular the Calgary Public Library and Leadership Calgary , the sister organization to Leadership Edmonton.  These programs are all about striving forward with a greater understanding of the human venture which teaches a  progressive approach to unleashing leadership that has wisdom and judgement.

The Calgary screening is January 12, 2011 at John Dutton Theatre, W.R. Castell Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE.  Doors open at 5, screening at 5:30 and moderated discussion at 7 pm.  Tickets at www.race.leadwellinitiative.com

I will work on getting this film screened in Edmonton in the near future too.  Stay tuned.

Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta: The Alberta Aspiration

One of the most exciting projects we are involved with at Cambridge Strategies Inc. is the Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta.  Part of this project is a rethinking of public education principles, practices and progress measurements.  It is aided abetted by the work of Alberta Education in the Inspiring Education initiative lead by Minister Dave Hancock.


RETHINKING EDUCATION AND LEARNING
We have to rethink the concepts of education and learning beyond the paradigms of the industrial complex of the past.  We have to think and adapt to the consequence of the networked horizontal information economy.  We have to develop skills and capacities to prepare our children, and ourselves, for the conceptual age economy that is emerging.  This is the way forward for developed societies and for continued prosperity in places like Alberta. Alberta has an excellent public education system that is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this new way forward.  However we must redefine success and rethink what we mean by progress.  It is about a new sense of being literate that includes the traditional concepts but move beyond them into a 21st century context.


CHANGING THE PARADIGMS:
Sir Ken Robinson puts all this in context in this RSA video. It is 11 minutes long but worth every minute of it.
(H/T to Alberta Education's Inspiring Education site for the link) 

This new way of thinking, learning and of being an educated person is going to be realized through unconventional partnerships, relationships and new collaborative models of meaning making. We are all in this together and alone as we develop our personal gifts in ways that also contribute positively to the greater good.     

We are capable of  imagining, creating and even adapting to new measures and meanings of progress and prosperity.  These new models must promote social cohesion through inclusion and a savouring our social diversity, not fearing the differences.  New thinking must require that we work within the realities of the environmental limits of the planet.  We need an economic model that develops new technologies and assets that promote sustainability and innovation from the creativity of Albertans.

THE ALBERTA ASPIRATIONS:
This next Alberta is all about our finding and fostering our Aspirations in ways that align with our values.  Now that we in Alberta can become anything we we want to be, what is it that we want to be?  My answer is simple and complex.  It is not just about the old Alberta Advantage mentality of competing in the old industrial   marketplace model with a shallow goal to be the best IN the world.  It is more about leading, seeing and achieving our potential to aspire to be the best FOR the world.

We have all the ingredients and the infrastructure necessary to achieve this Aspiration.  We just need the attitude shift necessary to actually do it. In short, the Alberta Aspiration mindset has to trump the old race to the bottom paradigm inherent in the Alberta Advantage mindset.  We need to adapt from the Alberta Advantage mindset but not eliminate it as we work through to realizing the Alberta Aspiration model.  In doing so, we transform ourselves and our province into a trail blazing example of a 21st century integrated society, economy and ecology.

JOIN IN AND BE A CO-CREATOR OF THE NEXT ALBERTA:
You can join in the co-creation collaboration of Learning Our Way to the Next Alberta in a number of ways.  Sir Ken Robinson will be in Red Deer February 9th for a reception 6-7 pm and public lecture and discussion from 7-9:30 pm where he will speak about this opportunity to transform public education.  This is an event in collaboration with the Alberta Teachers' Association locals in Red Deer, Creative Alberta, the Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer College.  The cost is $10 and for tickets contact Jennifer Bahler at jbahler@rdpsd.ab.ca or 403-505-5889  Ticket proceeds to the the Central Alberta Women's Shelter.