The Homefront

Who'd a' thunk. Socialist acting like socialists. Albertans have no one but themselves to blame. Lesson learned for the federal election?

I voted Wild Rose, should I blame myself?

Who'd a'thunk. Socialists acting like socialists. Albertans have no one but themselves to blame. Perhaps there is a lesson here for the federal election. Those thinking of voting red need only look to Ontario for the likely outcome while those voting orange can keep Albetta in mind.

Real people live in Drayton Valley. It's blue collar oil patch. They are hurting.

I will stop criticizing my Albertan friends and family when they get off their well-fed asses and take to the streets en masse to out this traitorous government. Great contribution, Linda.

No investment dollar with a brain is going to go anywhere near Alberta in this political/economic climate. For a province used to prosperity, things could get real ugly until these socialists are gone.

On a more positive note, I suspect my daughter and nephews there may be able to score a helluva deal on a first home in a year or three.

I feel your pain fellow Alberta voters, but as always the citizenry has been dumbed down by years of political and media BS about how disempowered you are to affect your governance in a post-election majority government. But there is a legal/lawful constitutionally defined way to remove a government which has lost public confidence.

Had any of these voter remorse groups who are protesting Notley done even a cursory glance at the constitution or read some Hogg, they would realize protest is a wasted effort – of course the political force of statist government and their media handmaidens want to “protest” precisely because it is a futile act that does not affect government

– the real answer to the recall of an errant/rogue government is through the Lt. Governor – contrary to the disinfo BS you have read in media, the LG’s prerogative powers are all intact and they were kept intact for things like this – removing a government which has acted in bad faith of its constituents. I’m surprised the Wild Rose leadership has not been directing citizen’s committees to circulate recall petitions and get them to the LG and force him to act with a court writ.

Provincial government is still carried out in the name of the Crown; the lieutenant-governor of the province acts as the Crown's representative in all areas of provincial jurisdiction and in the exercise of any related prerogative powers. The lieutenant-governors appoint and may dismiss the provincial premiers and the members of their Cabinets. They summon, prorogue and dissolve the provincial legislatures and assent to provincial legislation in the name of the Crown. The lieutenant-governors still retain a power to withhold or reserve a bill for consideration of the central government so their prerogative powers given in the letters patent are still operative.

Get a million names on a petition for recall to the LG and force him to prorogue this damaging government and strike an election.

The right wing split the vote, but then when Wild Rose defected, the bond broke and the two right wing parties become similar to the NDP and Liberals who have been splitting the vote forever and that is what occasionally lets the conservatives into power.

With a Muslims mayor in Calgary and a communist regime in Edmonton, I see Alberta as a province to flee from ASAP. It's going to get really ugly there before it gets anywhere close to pretty again.

What is embarrassing is that so many Canadians have become so weak and insecure that they actually want government to run their lives if it means they won't have to be responsible for them selves and their families .. shame.

The letter has legs...

Those who don't believe in bigger government ignore politics/government at their own peril. The believers are working non-stop to increase the role of government.

If a conservative party is to succeed, it requires vigilance on the part of conservatives long before an election is called. Make sure the very best candidates are running and elected in the local riding nomination process. I hear the PC's subverted the Wild Rose nomination process and had some rather unelectable candidates nominated. That's politics. Don't let them do it again. Let's hear some reports of rapidly increasing Wild Rose Membership and donations. Every Notley initiative should be a springboard for more memberships and donations.

(I haven't joined Wild Rose or contributed as I'm a Sask resident. The local economy is doing quite well with Alberta people and investments finding a home here.)

"you mention on TV that we are “the embarrassing cousin that no one wants to talk about”. You state we have the worst environmental record...really,

The Canadian NEED to be judged positively by others is an psychological marker of mental illness. (insignificant... self esteem).

If you are confident in your judgement between right & wrong; the opinion of other provinces & countries is irrelevant. Tell them to pound sand!

Drayton Valley was my second home for a good chunk of my career. They are a great community of hard working oil and gas industry service people. They are the heart of the huge Pembina Oil Field and ground zero survivors of the Lodgepole #1 & #2 blowouts in the 80's that have since impacted oil and gas activity worldwide - making operations safer through training, better practices and regulation. These people have lived, breathed and sacrificed for Alberta oil and gas since the 50's. To see a Premier and Party so blithely reject what they've done to add to Alberta's wealth must feel like the ultimate betrayal. Drayton Valley isn't alone in feeling that way. The NDP can ignore and piss all over what Albertan's have done to build the province - after all why would anyone expect them to be any different? But it doesn't mean the insult goes unnoticed and the hurt isn't deeply felt. The people being put out of work are smart. They are proud. And they do have a voice.

On Nov. 5th it will have been 6 months since the NDP was elected in Alberta. So far they've raised corporate taxes by 20% and promised not to lay anyone off. Go NDP! I'm waiting for Quebec's and Ontario's reactions when the transfer payments are recalculated.

I've read the preceding comments and in spite of what some say, there is NO upside to this disaster, (aka NDP). Lower levels of employment (except in government), higher taxes, both of which lead to lower disposable income, higher deficits (and resulting debt) higher costs, entrenchment of civil service (union) wages and diminishing value of assets (real estate). Add to that a minimum wage that will continue to increase over the next 4 years and you've got a recipe for ruin.
Contrary to what leftists believe, a higher minimum wage affects the most vulnerable (read, least skilled) workers the most, as they are the ones who are the first to be downsized.

Albertans have been lazily conservative for the past 15 years. The province used to have a robust and active conservatism. This is the place that had Social Credit in power for 30 years and was replaced by the PC's. (A lesser conservatism, but nonetheless...) The Reform Party...The Western Standard...politicians like Stockwell Day and Rob Anders.

The fruits of conservatism sowed the seeds for the decline. Prosperity and affluence lead to self-indulgence and sloth. Everyone wanted $100,000.00 a year just to show up. Conservatism beyond fiscal prosperity slowly became an embarrassment to the yuppy urbanists and the "show me the money" ruralists. The cities focused on climate change and gender reassignment therapy. The rural areas adopted a NIMBY approach to anything everywhere. Everyone wanted MORE. More of everything. People moved here for a job and retained all the socialism they learned from whatever province they left. Over time our politics responded.

When Ralph Klein stepped down that marked the beginning. (2006) When Rachael Notley won a majority that marked the end. (2015)

Apolitical people that thought it was cool to have a progressive Premier are slowing waking up to the fact that Alberta is going to be in for a world of hurt. Thousands of lay-offs, a stagnant business sector, massive and ballooning debt...it's going to be a huge four year learning curve.

The good news is...the NDP will be the catalyst for a generation of conservative rebirth. Just like Bob Rae poisoned Ontario from ever again electing an NDP government...so too will Rachael Notley.
(Yeah, I know Wynne may as well be NDP, but remember...after Rae, Ontario elected Mike Harris for two terms and he was arguably the most effective Premier in Canadian history. Then they replaced him with Dalton McGuinty who...although leftist...wasn't of the unbearable type. Only now 14 years later, is Ontario back to a Bob Rae-ish situation)

My point?

Alberta will roar back, but it will be 3.5 years of decline at this point. Some stagnant GDP growth....higher unemployment...higher taxes...thousands of NDP-ish decisions that unfold horribly...but Alberta will survive. (In fact it will probably survive too well for many people to pay enough attention to the decline. If oil returns to $100 a barrel the NDP might get a second term...but I digress.)

There is no point in fighting the NDP. Support Wildrose with some dollars and try to protect yourself from the decline.

The sad truth of the matter is that there is no IQ test to become a voter, only that they are over 18 and breathing (except in the US of A). It was no surprise when Alberta voted in the NDP as I have witnessed Ontario sheeple re-elect a scandal ridden lieberal government. Suffice to say that I have a bad feeling about October 19th.

I hope to hell I am wrong.

As far as I can see, the only way to cut short the reign of Notley's Crue is for Wildrose to absorb the rump of the Alberta PC's, forming a unified centre-right party, the same way Reform absorbed the Federal PC's, and then institute recall campaigns against all dipper MLA's who were elected solely because the right-trending vote was split.

I believe it could be done, but it would be a huge effort, and it would have to be successful, because a failed effort would cause the Dippers to make future recalls impossible. I don't think the current Wildrose leadership has what it takes to do this.

I lived in Drayton Valley for a while. Good to see DV voted Wildrose and still has a strong heart of anti-socialism as well as a continuing property rights presence in that area.

Hey kids, now you know how it feels to live in Ontario.

No point in leaving Alberta though. Everywhere else in Canada its the same story.

It is more embarassing to identify as being from Ontario...
Although 2 of my brother's that live in Alberta would beg to differ...we will see if the re-elect the Socialist's.
Both brothers were blind-sided by Redford and her crew...unfortunately they believed Prentice was the answer.
Sad really...

Unfortunately it will not get good again until we see how bad it can get. Even so-called staunch conservatives have got fat and lazy in an easy money economy we've enjoyed here in Alberta. I don't begrudge anyone making a decent living, but we've lost sight of what it took to build this province.

But it isn't just Alberta. Witness the so-called refugee crisis. Bleeding hearts think there should be no quotas. The more the merrier. Don't dare mention radical Islam, clitorectomies, honor killings and like, lest ye be branded a racist. And today's dumbed-down conservatives want to go along to get along, so they silence themselves.

4 generations ago my relatives fled Europe (Ukraine) and arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Aside from a strong faith, the only thing they had in form of guidance was "work or starve". They did alright. No lavish health care system and bloated government bureaucracies in those days, no siree. No grants for cultural pavilions or bullshit "cultural interpretive centers" funded by government largesse either.

Toda's "immigrant" arrives with a selfie stick and iPhone. Designer fashions and a chip on his shoulder. But more frightening, a hell bent determination to turn our once beautiful country into a 3rd world toilet.....just like the 3rd world toilet he fled from.

The immigrant wasn't willing to fight the evil that was over running his country. Who is willing to fight the very evil that we are so eager to import here?

Nothing will change until there is another world war or global scale depression. The minority is now the majority and no one could be bothered to vote. But keep those subsidies and pogey rolling in.

On a related matter, the following anecdote sort of sums up my take on how soft we've become as well as the sickness that permeates the western world: I have a relative who works for the federal government. Every time an election rolls around, this person takes a paid sick day and double dips as an election worker at her local voting station. Same person claims to be voting against Harper because he wants to trim the public service.

Good grief.

Fear not Linda, For Harper has a secret plan to save Alberta. It resides in the secret nature of duct tape over the mouths of researchers and scientists.

Alberta will bounce back as scientists are barred from attending and exchanging information at conferences held anywhere in the world.

Our taxes paid for a beakthrough in processing mehods for fresh water at McGill university in Quebec. The patents for that fresh water tech now belongs to the US GE, corp. Poor nations will have to pay off GE to use this modern method.

No doubt Alberta can look forward to magic secrets from Harper's muzzled science to save their economic bacon.

Have I misread this? Do you know better? Please don't be shy. Point out how barring scientists from meeting with peers and stopping the output of papers will help us Canadian tax payers and Alberta to do better. TG

Hey, Tony Guitar. Yeah our civil servants are consistently occupying the moral high ground. Like the brave civil servant Tony Turner, using his platform to denounce our PM with a self-penned 'Harperman' song. He waited until the opportune time to damage his employer while knowing that he would likely move directly from a paid leave generated by his despicable actions to full pensionable retirement.

Brave! Principled! Ethical! Civil servants of the highest, non-partisan standard. Everything Canadians deserve!

It is time to introduce qualified franchise. The more tax you pay, the more votes you get. And if you're a bum, like the OWS hippies, piss off. No vote for you.

Now that's proportional representation I can get behind!

he right wing did not split the vote. Since Red Ed started the movement followed by that UN lawyer Redford who got power by courting and paying off the teachers union, the Progressive Conservatives have dropped all pretence of being Conservative and were solidly Progressive. There was more orange on Redford election signs that blue. Many people, out of loyalty to the former party, voted for the PC party that no longer existed. The Wildrose has to remind people of this fact and campaign as the only right/ center-right party and leave the Progressives and the NDP to fight over the left. It will take a couple of bad years but by the time of the next election the province will be ready for a good housecleaning that will last a generation.
The next election we can affect are the City elections by recruiting and backing serious mayoralty contenders. Send Nenshi back to school