154 Replies to “SWTE: Dumb Luck Alberta”

  1. Colby Cosh had some good points on the risks that Alberta took on to develop its oil industry, but ya think I can find them?
    I’m just waiting for my Globe-reading, used-to-work-for-Stelco-as-a-metallurgical-scientist father-in-law to make some comments about Alberta’s dumb luck with oil, at which time I will respond “yeah, it’s just like steel – ya just dig a hole in the ground and up it comes. No brains required!”

  2. “nature is cruel” HAHAHAHA damn that was funny, Kate. How vindictive of nature to deposit all that oil and gas in Alberta and abruptly end at the Saskatchewan border. You rock.

  3. I wish knuckleheads like that would actually read the constitution before they start talking about it…just how many people in this country don’t know that the Notwithsatnding clause only applies to the Charter?
    Sheesh.

  4. Just to give you an idea how extreme CBC panelist Alan Macleod the constitutional lawyer / “undecided” voter / “CBA Best Liberal Blogger 2004” is:
    He recently proposed that Prince Edward Island should have their equalization funding cut for not moving fast enough to implement the Gay Marriage bill. He said this mere weeks after the passage of Bill C-38.
    To repeat, provinces which do not step and fetch quickly enough to please Alan and his extreme gay marriage views – views which most Canadians and parliamentarins don’t support – should have their equalization money taken away.
    Alan is also quite famous among Charter geeks for literally inventing a human right out of thin air: he was the lawyer who got political affiliation “read into” the charter in one of his cases.
    Another fine example of the CBC presenting “undecided” voters who are anything but.

  7. Headlines of the future, some good some bad, depending on your point of view…
    “Heads roll at CBC, CTV, Globe and Mail, Liberal
    graft, mail fraud cited.”
    “It turns out, Liberals Fabricated US/Canada Spat To Win Votes.”
    “Martin to parents, In fact, child care wait times have been reduced.”
    “18 years since Chretien cancelled helicopters, Martin says, next year …for sure…”
    “Martin’s liberals in free fall.”
    “Martin’s liberals receive funding from
    Maurice Strong’s china connections.”
    “Criminal charges pending, liberals jumping ship”
    “Gomery insists, I did investigate PM Martin,
    I just can’t say what I discovered.”
    “Martin overheard, We can’t give the money back,
    there is no money to give back.”
    “Martin to taxpayers, there my ships and they
    fly the flag, I damn well choose.”
    Martin on health care: “My approach is not
    Socialism, it is in fact canadian”
    “Maurice Strong arrested in NY, feds want to
    talk to former canadian PM Paul Martin”
    “Former PM Paul Martin has fled Canada, recently
    seen in China.”
    “RCMP announce hundreds of liberals arrested,
    Auditor General says it’s about time.”
    “Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces, new
    legislation trumping liberal get-out-of-jail
    free cards, sweeping reforms.”
    “Charest trounces seperatists, Quebecers embrace
    Harper’s conservatives.”
    “Quebec likes new look senate.”
    It won’t be long….!
    Long live truth, justice
    and the Stephen Harper way..!
    …LoL…

  8. Excellent post as usual, Kate.
    I read the article you referenced by this wingnut Potvin calling for a military occupation of Alberta. Who in blazes is this raving lunatic who proposes that our national government invent an “emergency” over oil and throw anyone who opposes it in jail? I sincerely hope that this latter-day Stalinist’s influence doesn’t extend beyond a couple of trendy coffee houses in downtown Vancouver, or we’re really in trouble.
    On a side note, I have to wonder just where he would find the troops to engage in all this jackbooted thuggery anyway, given the sorry state of Canada’s defense. But, like your typical Marxoid, I doubt that he sees any contradictions in his hate-filled ramblings.

  9. Kate, just read your latest entry, and part of Marcie A.’s post on health care. If you’ve mentioned this previously, good, if not, highlight the great news yesterday about Alberta’s successful pilot project on assembling ‘crack’ surgical teams to really cut into wait times for hip and knee joint replacements.
    This is exactly the kind of thing Harper and the Conservatives are proposing (ie. dedicated surgical centres – like the Shouldice centre – delivered publically or privately, but FULLY covered by the public payer system). There’s so much untapped potential, it just takes new thinking (ie. private MRI clinics that run 24 hrs instead of public ones that b/c of union restrictions only operate half the day or less, etc.).
    This is a Canadian success story, and should be milked by the Conservatives for all it’s worth.

  10. I am one of the few born and raised calgarians currently in the city; I was essentially raised as a seperatist (because I was raised in the wake of the nep) but have tended to vote Reform / Alliance / Conservative because it is the best choice that we have.
    At one point in time when you mentioned seperatism in Alberta 2/3 of people would assume that you’re crazy or just reacting to Qubec; today I would say that 2/3 of Albertans have either accepted the need to seperate or are looking at it as the only option we will have left in the near future. I would honestly dare Paul Martin to try to revive the NEP, I’m certain it would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  11. Now that Ottawa has soured relations with both Washington and Edmonton, isn’t it time for you Albertans to declare independence and apply for annexation by the US? As a Texan, I can assure you, it’s been done before.

  12. “Must have been greedy Albertans that surveyed that border 100 years ago!!!”
    Actually it was greedy Liberals trying to divide the Western voice. That’s on the record.
    Same as always. Liberals first. Canada second.
    If Haultian had won his fight to be the first premier of Buffalo (AB+SK) that oil/gas map would look different.
    The West wants in? Even Scott Reid wouldn’t be asking for Buffalo to blow him. 😉

  13. Kate, as usual, you managed to raise my blood pressure, which is usually not that high. Well, you didn’t, but that idiot Potvin sure did. My favorite quote:
    “Oh, they�ll howl for awhile no doubt, and there will inevitably be those who actually start shooting or bombing and will have to be hunted down and taken care of. But for the sane majority, a deal can be offered: acquiesce to the complete appropriation of all energy resources by the federal government, or see the feds also seize all Alberta government accounts, including the rich Heritage Fund. It would only be gracious to give Klein a day to formulate his answer�and to surround the Alberta legislature with Canadian soldiers to help him see the one true path.”
    This guy is a complete idiot.

  15. it would be interesting to have all energy resources – oil, gas, hydro converted to a common standard ( joules ?) and then see which province has the most, done the most.
    My curioisity is about Quebec – is it the energy king province of Canada ??

  17. Potvin should invest in some history books before he decides to call for the army to invade Alberta as a pre-emptive strike for nationalization of energy. My bet is on the Albertans and the rest of us ‘red-neck’, ‘gun-totin’ Westerners to pull our unregistered guns from out of the barn. We’ll see how many of the armed forces want to go up against real Canadians who are willing to fight for what they believe in. Potvin should be reminded that it was a hard fight to get French-Canadians into the last big one(WWII)”Conscription if necessary….”. Most of them stayed home to defend their seigniorys. Let the government nationalize the James Bay Power Project before it comes knocking on our door again.

  18. Very interesting indeed. And I’m not sure I can settle for a CPC minority government either. Good column Kate.
    As for a future military occupation of Alberta in the event of a Liberal win, notice the changes made to our armed forces so that they can “best meet challenges within.” Their words, not mine. This is part of the overall plan that also included the disarming of the Canadian populace, hence the gun legislation. A Liberal win at the polls will see the last few pieces fall into place. This will be a disaster because following the win will be another NEP and a virtual rebellion within Alberta. Albertans are not like Quebecers. Albertans will complain to a point, then they will act.
    Woe to Canada. Does anyone really understand how close to the edge we are getting?
    Look for a very interesting provincial election in Alberta if the Liberals win nationally or even if the CPC win a weak minority.

  19. Could someone indulge a Yank for a moment? Since my paternal relatives migrated to the US in 1852 from NS, I have followed, from time to time, Canadian politics. This has intensified in the last year fueled by regular visits to Kate and several other Canadian blogs.
    It is my perception that the Libs are getting a touch desperate and that things could go very ugly and possibly quite sideways in the election run up and possibly for sometime after.
    As I read your Clarity Act, which is anything but clear, a province does not have the absolute right to secede but must negotiate a separation process. After that things get a little bit hazy.
    Has anybody actually gamed out this situation? What would constitute a triggering event? Does anybody have a flowchart of the process delineating critical events? Is there a current threat of nationalization? Are separatists in Canada ready to “…screw (their) courage to the sticking place”?
    From here it looks like there is about a 60/40 chance against the current government doing something really provocative in the area of dirty tricks but I never rule that out when the stakes get very high. And, the stakes for the Liberals look very high indeed.

  20. Hungry Valley…Any advice you get in this blog is extremely one-sided. Do yourself the service of collecting a broad range of opinions from other sources before making any judgements.

  21. I find it interesting that folks always refer to Western Separatism as being an Alberta thing. Come WEST, folks. Out here, on the edge, we’re just as pissod off at the idiots in the Liberal Party as anyone. When, not if, when separatists in the Western part of Canada decide to go, it won’t be pretty, but trust me, it’ll be quick.
    BC ain’t going to be behind Alberta for too long with all our oil and gas reserves. There’s plenty in the off-shore wells waiting to be dug out.
    How about thinking in terms of B.C./Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba and the NWT as a unit.
    Freeze in the f***king dark ONTARIO.

  22. Liberal candidate denies pro-Islamic remarks
    The Mississauga-Erindale federal Liberal candidate vehemently denies allegations he made pro-Islamic remarks during his victory speech at the nomination meeting earlier this month.
    Omar Alghabra, 36, said the allegations were simply “not true” and were “false and inaccurate.
    “I didn’t say a thing about Muslims or Islam in my acceptance speech,” said Alghabra, who took 488 of the 773 votes cast at the meeting Dec. 2.
    “I don’t agree with mixing politics and religion. Yes, I’m a Muslim, but I’m also a Liberal, a man and an engineer. The whole thing is untrue.”

  23. Mike…I’d rather freeze in the dark than read your horseshit. Do you really think happiness is measured in energy reserves? Moron.

  24. Ron, I stopped listening and believing, small L, liberals down here forty years ago. I would prefer listening to a balanced, small and large C, conservative viewpoint anytime. I find that they are a lot more intellectually honest. A fact supported in recent academic research. No you won’t get a citation from me. Not my responsibility. Use Google. It’s free.
    I also make it a point to ignore oppositional trolls in whatever forum I find them. Clear? Good. Then STFU.

  25. No, I don’t believe, as Ron implies, that happiness is measured in energy reserves. But, I do think that the Liberal mentality which believes that they should control evrything in Canada (and make sure it ends up in Ontario and Quebec) is totally wrong.
    The attitude of the Liberals and their supporters are the biggest impetus to increased Western Separation.

  26. the map is out of date. there are equal fields on both sides of the border. Its an economic demarcation line. Saskachewan needed 5$ gas to overcome their repressive royalty and marketing mechanism.
    FREE THE WEST

  27. Hungry Valley… You can’t put balanced and conservative in the same sentence. Conservatism deals with extremes.
    Could someone indulge a small L Liberal for a moment? As I read your Clarity Act, which is anything but clear…blah blah woof woof

  28. Free the west indeed.
    How about free this country from CCF/Social Credit/Reform/Alliance/Consrvative/Liberal/Bloc poiltics altogether.

  29. yes , the splitting of the Northwest Territory into two in order to limit voting power is recorded.
    the demarcation line predates oil in Turner valley by several years. It does not predate the discovery of gas at Medicine Hat. however , the main Medicine Hat accummulation is the same on the Sask side of the border. The gas at the Hat was regarded as an inconvenience at the time, they were looking for water and coal for the CPR and their wells kept blowing up.
    If Albertans had been that greedy for the black stuff they would have asked for Norman Wells, it was drilled in 1928 but seeps were recorded by Alex Mackenzie in the late 1700s.
    Plus there were no “albertans” at the time.
    Now there are , and there are separtists too.
    THE WEST WANTS OUT

  30. Just re-read the Kevin Potvin article. Here are my observations.
    Would it not be interesting indeed for Alberta to petition the UN for protection as it chooses its own path in the world?
    Would it not be interesting indeed to see American Soldiers crossing the southern border at the request of the Alberta government for protection as Ottawa threatens to “send Canadian soldiers” to “surround the Alberta Legislature…”
    Now, to get serious for a moment…
    For an idiot like Kevin Potvin to threaten Alberta, even with tongue in cheek, with sending troops shows that he has no idea how this war will be fought. It will be fought in the courts Kevin, as there is nothing in Canadian Law that prohibits a province from “opting out” of Canada any time it chooses. Each province freely joined with other provinces to create Canada and each can freely choose to end the marriage. Of course there will be a settlement. This is what courts are for, not troops.
    Take the tongue out of your cheek Kevin, pour yourself a cup of coffee, a strong cup of coffee, and try to write a decent column that addresses the real problems and the real issues. Perhaps look at it from both sides and list the difficulties for each should Alberta separate. You will need a long sheet of paper for the Canadian side because as soon as this issue is in the courts your money tree will stop shedding its leaves. Just think of it. All it would need is the filing of a single document in a provincial court.
    Of course, you could also make a list of things that Ottawa could do to keep Alberta *in* Canada.

  31. “An August 2005 poll published by the Western Standard pegged support for exploring the idea of forming a country at 42% in Alberta”
    Getting a number like 2/3 all depends on the question you ask; if you ask “are you exploring the idea of Alberta forming a country independent of Canada?” you probably get 42% support, on the other hand if you ask “If the Liberals attempt to revisit the National Energy Program would you support the seperation of Alberta so that Alberta would become a country intependant of Canada?” I’m betting the results would be in the 80% range.
    One thing I will never understand is why would anyone ever think the National Energy Program was a good thing; it destroyed the economy of Alberta and threw Canada into a Recession.

  32. Dumb Luck Alberta
    Canadian Broadcasting Company ^ | Dec 20, 2005 | Kate McMillan
    Posted on 12/20/2005 1:11:39 PM PST by caveat emptor
    Dumb luck Alberta
    Kate McMillan
    “Frankly, the Conservatives cannot shake the picture that they are a party centred on Alberta. That is not bad in itself, of course, but it causes a loss in translation. You can’t claim for years that you are different and misunderstood and then expect everyone will get what you are saying when you ask for our votes. So much of that province’s fortunes are tied to its blessings – the resource, the global price of the resource being well past the cost of extraction and the kindly division of powers that gives the province exclusive benefit to the resource – that holding it up as an example of anything for the rest of us is a bit of a leap. ” – Alan McLeod [Canadian “left-center” blogger and contributer to CBC forums..CE]>>>
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1544192/posts

  33. Ron: “Hungry Valley… You can’t put balanced and conservative in the same sentence. Conservatism deals with extremes.”
    Ron, check the definition of Conservative at http://www.dictionary.com please.
    If I dress “conservatively”, I guess for you that means I wear a full dayglo orange leisure suit? Jackass.

  34. I was at a Harper rally in London Ontario this afternoon. The turnout was very good, so good in fact that half of the people who attended could not see or hear Harper deliver his 10 speech (the rally was at a local pub with various room dividers etc). Then as quickly as he entered, he exited, and the buses were gone. It was nice to see such a show of support in a riding that has gone Liberal since ’93 (London West), and I heard many people afterward talking about how much they liked Harper. I hope he keeps this up right until election day this time around.

  36. No Bob, I would say it’s time for Alberta to declare independence and have disenfranchised U.S. states apply for annexation by Alberta (whatever her name ends up being) I would imagine there would be some interested.
    As a Texan, you should be aware that the economy in Alberta should be on par with countries like Kuwait and already overshadows that of many U.S. states.

  37. Canadian soldiers, for all their bravery, would be no match for gun-totin’ rednecked Albertans.
    C’mon, gimme a break.
    Slingshots against guns?

  38. nfld signed one of the most repressive agreements ever at Churchill falls. but it was with Quebec so that doesnt get to be revisited.
    the resources of Alberta are targetted every couple of years by the feds.
    Vive l’Alberta libre.
    still hoping for a Martin victory and a split along the ottawa valley. if quebec can exit in less than a month I will be one happy guy.

  39. how dare you compare us to the US.
    our GNP per average province is less than Albama, excepting which is the only one higher than Albama.
    PS Albama is nigh on bottom not the top.
    show me the way to the next whiskey bar.
    oh dont ask why.
    I tell you this must die.
    this Canada is a lie.

  40. Ron:
    “How about free this country from CCF/Social Credit/Reform/Alliance/Consrvative/Liberal/Bloc poiltics altogether.”
    Ah, Comrade…a kindred spirit!!! Let us join arm in arm as a mighty force to push bougouise capitalist pigs and opportunistic thieving scoundrels into the oceans! How they blind and confuse the proletariat. It is good, Ron, that you understand how much of a sickly sweet lie democratic ideals and individual freedoms are. Or how wrong it is to have the shelves of stores so full of overproduced goods… Or even how wasteful it is to have so many warm homes with hot water. After all, what use are comfortable workers with full bellies in serving Mother Kanada! Plough on, brave comrade Ron. Plough on!

  42. “No Bob, I would say it’s time for Alberta to declare independence and have disenfranchised U.S. states apply for annexation by Alberta (whatever her name ends up being) ”
    AlWyTana?

  43. Great article Kate. I think your prediction has already come true, as in the Chinese curse. Times are interesting.
    Kevin Potvin is playing with fire when bandies about phrases such as ” can’t even dodge lesbian-chucked cream pies”
    He obviously hasn’t had to pass by Kitsilano Park after the ladies fastball team has just lost a game. Sturdy gals with sensible haircuts. Can hum the ball at blinding speed without even losing the ash off the end of their smokes.

  44. Guys like Potvin are so daft as to be below my comprehension. There is a very simplistic notion floating around amongst the intelligentsia that you just poke a hole in the ground and you let the oil pour into a tank. When the tank is full, you drain it into a truck and haul it to a depot which refines it, or pours it into a pipeline which is happily connected to your local gas station or furnace. He would undoubtedly be surprised to find his beloved oil supply dry up without the expertise and hard work of thousands of Albertans who go to work every day and use their specialized skills to keep the oil and gas flowing. If about 50,000 of us quit work for about a month, shit would happen. Or, more correctly, stop happening. Half a dozen Red Deer based companies alone could cause a major disruption to the flow of energy out of Alberta. Wouldn’t that be interesting? As for Saskatchewan, and its’ paucity of oil revenues? Well, the fact is that Sask. has as much proven reserves as Alberta. Most people don’t grasp that a lot of Alberta’s oil wealth stems from the taxes paid by the oilpatch workforce and its’ supporting economy. As the Western oilpatch matured, it became easier and easier to service wells all over the West from centralized locations. Thus, hundreds of millions of dollars are earned annually by Saskatchewan natives, working routinely in Saskatchewan, but based out of Red Deer because that’s where they moved to 5,10, or 20 years ago. I know of Sask. sons who work over 150 days a year in their home province-100 nights of hotels and 50 nights standing shivering or swatting mosquitoes beside a frac sand or nitrogen pumper. I say just try and nationalize our oil. See what happens.

  45. Cal2, I think you have to add Alberta’s equalization payment back into it’s total which will then put it past quite a few of the states.

  46. Go easy on Ron, KRB. Forget about him thinking, as it’s all he can do to try and stop his drool from staining his bib overalls, and typing must hurt his knuckles after they’ve been dragging on the ground all day.

  47. Why is it every time that western separation becomes a topic everyone assumes that we would join the US. That is absolutely the most unpalatable idea I have ever heard – I’m all for separation but I’ll be damned if I’d want my new country to join a nation that’s been kicking me in the ‘nads economically at every turn for the last 20 years!

  49. Bear,
    That’s only because you’re not part of the US–Duuuuh! So that means, YOU’RE THE COMPETITION.
    And if their kicks hurt that badly, just imagine the benefits if you were a friend, or better yet, another state.
    Isn’t the economy of California larger than that of Canada total?

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