Hot on the heels of a McLelland endorsement of Jim Dinning comes this from Ted Morton;
CALGARY — Tory leadership contender Ted Morton says Alberta should cut the amount it contributes to federal transfer payments so it can build more roads and sewers for an influx of workers.
Speaking on an Alberta radio talk show (Rutherford-CHQR-CHED), Morton says it makes no sense for Ottawa to pay out employment insurance to keep workers in Atlantic Canada and Quebec where they’re unemployed, when Alberta needs workers.
Speaking of Anne McLelland, don’t miss the Stephen Taylor interview.
Heh – “the Alberta Toronto is ready for”.
What does he know about federal politics? He’s just another one of “those rednecks.”
/perfectly unbiased liberal
I think Ted Morton as premier would be the best thing that could happen for Alberta, and I say this as someone who has a pathological aversion to socons. I may hot agree with all of the principles he holds dear, but at least he has some.
Er. NOT agree. Darn fingers aren’t working today.
Sean, does that make you socon-o-phobic? 😉
But wouldn’t that mean that Saskatchewan would have to wait even longer to fix their roads??
Morton’s ability to infuriate and provoke liberals is the most valuable asset he he has.
Just finished reading some of the “Tewksburian” comments on the scary article by the globe and mail regarding snortin Morton. If there was ever any doubt about who I was going to vote for, those intolerant easterners surely helped to make up my mind.
As an economic refugee from Canada’s far east I agree that the equalization program doesn’t work as it should. Otherwise I wouldn’t be in Alberta along with 25000 other newfies.
from the article: “Morton, who is within striking distance of front-runner Jim Dinning in the Alberta Tory leadership race, says recent studies have shown that Canadian workers are not very mobile. He says those studies show it’s a direct result of equalization and transfer payments, which help keep workers in areas of the country where there are fewer jobs. ”
The employment insurance scheme is a job tax; it is a very regressive tax on working people and has been for years. This is another example of Liberalism’s dirty little secret: while EI may be palatable to even a conservative in theory, in practice it is so inequitable and poorly administered that one must oppose its implementation.
Maybe the PC race is a win-win situation: if Morton loses then perhaps the Alberta sovereignty movement will get a boost and maybe a leader. Nothing short of re-confederation is needed to fix this country, and EI – a constutionally entrenched social program – is as good an example of why as there is.
what keep money to build things where they are needed and not contribute to the federal “sit on your duff”ism.
thats practically uncanajun. pass the keefes eh?
Good lord, bob makes sense again. There is hope after all. There is nothing wrong in moving to where the jobs are in spite of what the social police tell us. A Newfie in Ft Mac is as much a Newfie as someone living back in St John’s. The culture isn’t lost over the miles. Actually, thinking it over, Newfoundlanders should go for nation status… ooops, they were weren’t they?
dinning website is priceless….
That globe and mail article, or the comments more precisely, make me want to absolutely throw up.
So many lies that people believe.
Ted’s News Release:
tinyurl.com/yjmdyw
How CTF rates the candidates:
tinyurl.com/yz4bxm
This is full of bluster, signifying nothing. Morton is playing to the pleebs who don’t understand where the feds get money.
The wealth transfer mechanism is funded by taxpayers, not levels of gov’t. Morton is perfectly capable of reimbursing the residents of Alberta the amount they pay the feds, however.
That’s what really annoys me about the whiners here in Sask. about the $800M the Dippers want. Naturally they want it to go to the Provincial gov’t. It isn’t Saskatchewan’s money, it’s Saskatchewan’s residents money.
Cheers,
lance
Morton totally lost my support when he accepted the endorsement of Hung Pham – the former campaign manager of Oberg. This guy is touted to be able to bring along some 8000 ethnic block votes and even demonstrated that this may well be likely. At the Edmonton advance poll (first ballot), the Oberg/Pham campaign bused in some 250 of these supporters so who knows what happens tomorrow.
Yes, Oberg lost out and is now with Stelmach – but Morton accepted Pham into his campaign. Probably helpful some (many?) will only have to count as high as three this time. Apparetnly the union support for Oberg also went to Stelmach.
Secondly, Morton accepted the endorsement of Sayed Sohorwardy – the spokesperson for about 6000 of the less moderate of the 60k +- (estimated) Muslims in Calgary. On TV-Global last night he referred to this as having received an important endorsement from the Muslim Community. Quite disingenuous in the way it was presented in my books and sending a very wrong message as well. If he needs this kind of support so bad, then he can do without my vote.
Glenardo:
Glad to have you, & the rest of the folks from Newfoundland. Alberta has been blessed by the hard working people who left home, to work here. That includes all the Provinces & States.
Most of the people I know love the Newfie attitude of not kissing butt. This attitude is respected here. We don’t like sycophants in Alberta. Actions speak louder than any horn beaked politician or antics.
We encourage everyone to come here not only for the jobs, but it widens the tax base as well to all our good.
As for Saskatchewan. It has more than double Alberta’s potential. I just wish you would have signed the work accord we did with BC. This would have allowed any trade or profession to work here without certification. Trust me, we need you more than you do us in the long run. Its why we want to start businesses there with American partners like here. Up to you folks though.
Than some of your son’s & daughters may return to invigorate your oil fields with there experience gained here. A lot of us like me had parents from there, & lots of relatives.
Ted Morton is the best choice. I noticed Adler did not let a chance to put him down . Neither did Rutherford. Both are misrepresenting him. Making him sound like a radical. Hardly. He has a constitution he has to abide by as well. I guess private health care like Ontario, or a pension plan like Quebec’s outside of the larger version that is falling apart is not a wise thing eh?
During this boom we need infrastructure bad. Paying for cheap daycare in Quebec is not a priority. A twined road to Ft.McMurry. Trains there & most Northern communities. There exploding. He will bring it. The small towns are bloated. Grande Prairie is so bad. You have 1,800 families making more than 80,000 a year living in tents because of no housing. Shelters are needed in the big cities as well.
Democratic renewal is high on the list as well. Term limits & such. Besides it aint a bad thing that him & PMSH are good friends.
If Bob Rae gets in as PM, this Nation will need all the help it can get. For it will not long endure this assault by n NDP tuned opportunist liberal.
Vote Morton for Democratic change, realistic health & Infrastructure, for a future free of federal interference. I might add he is not a great fan of the CWB either.
Met and worked with a lot of Newfies during my time in the CF, up north and in Fort Mac — it’s great to have such cheerful and hardworking folk here in Alberta, but right now, it seems we need more of ’em. Welcome aboard.
I can see why Torontonians are upset that Ted Morton wants Albertans to have a separate provincial police force (as they do in Ontario and Quebec), a separate pension plan (as they do in Quebec), more private health care (as they do in Quebec and B.C. and Ontario), a sweeter deal on natural resources and transfer payments (as they do in Atlantic Canada). Failing to understand that Canada is a mercantalist economy with Ontario and Quebec as the “mother country” and every other province as the “colonies”, they will be wanting the vote and a proportional allocation of seats in the Parliament according to their population next. Harrrrumph — why those upstart colonials!
Calgary Clipper let me ask You something?? If you were running for leadership and someone offered you support, would you refuse it?? All I can see that Morton is doing is accepting support.
Jim Dinning is buying memberships and sending them to people to vote for him. That is bloody unethical.
I think you are overreacting.
Alberta would be really screwed if workers from Newfoundland didn’t come in droves. Saddest thing is that there’s barely an infrastructure to support them. Gordie Johnston from Big Sugar wrote about this years ago with his song “All Hell for a Basement”. Besides the Oilers, it’s the hottest conversation topic in Edmonton, and on weekends, the local pubs are now filled with east coast music, dancing and fun. Thank you Newfoundlanders, but I’m sorry about our government at the same time
welcome newfs.
pulling seismic lines is almost the same as jigging cod.
I was and will remain with Stelmach as number one. The second pick is a bad dream for me now as I am no supporter of Dinning.
To answer your question, yes I would if it was about these two issues. When I see Oberg with Stelmach but not Pham, I’m guessing that probably Stelmach did the same thing. I am not close to the action in any campaign so have no way of knowing this for sure. Perhaps we will all know some day.
Stelmach is the same guy who when he was transport minister 4 yrs ago wanted to have the slow traffic drive on the inside lane of divided highways. He thinks the biodiesel/ethanol industry will cause a slump in feed barley.
clueless git.
He has promised tons of pork to the county and town councillors and he favours expanding photo-radar to all of alberta.
Dinning is my second (reluctant) choice – at least he has a clue.
Dinning doesn’t want to do anything about the transfer payments because the east will see this as “greedy”. Morton has said that when people move into Alberta they don’t bring schools and hospitals with them. Who has Albertans best interest in mind?
Hopefully Dinning will do a BS and join the liberal party … he knows their vocabulary.
I think the MSM articles shrilling “Morton bad, Dinning good”, are going to bug people and they will vote for Morton if they think Dinning is too Liberal, they are tired of Liberal lite Klein.
If Dinning is signing up Liberals, that really tells people in Alberta who’s desperate. Morton is the only true Conservative left to vote for, so he has my vote. Stelmach second.
In Stephen Taylor’s video interview, Anne Mic says that most Albertans are patriotic and want to be part of Canada rather than what Mr. Morton proposes.
Would that be similar to that other patriotic province of Quebec that also wants to be part of Canada, Annie?
Why not go there and spout that patriotic part of Canada horse shit.
Those Froggies will croak you right back on the Greyhound.
Re: Calgary CLipper; If Ted scares you so much become Toronto clipper because thats where you belong, you’d look good with green hair. Ted will flush the toilet of the rod loves, kelly charlabouis and yes that great ex pat communist from Sask. Duane Lingenfelter that is working so hard for Jim Dithers right now. Think hard Alberta, we are prosperous now because of tough decisions in the past if you think Dithers Lite will make those decisions without someone like Ralph telling him to think again
“Globe creates its own fear-mongering headline”
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008303.html
Mark
Ottawa
Glenardo; woo-hoo another convert. I’d love to see more of you here permanently. Sadly our Government had it’s head in the sand in the areas of housing and infrastructure. Hopefully it will ease soon.
On the EI subject; when the Conservatives were looking for input on their budget (Flaharty) I suggested getting rid of EI all together. With almost nil un-employment and talk of importing foreign workers, why not overhaul it? I could maybe see replacing it or combining it with other depts. All it was, under Liberals, was a slush fund.
Go Ted! Give us back our Government.
For those gripped by fear;
Licia Corbella: Nothing scary about Morton
(http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Corbella_Licia/2006/12/01/2575361.html)
A friend of mine works at the IBP plant here in Brooks, he said that the Dinning camp provided memberships to any one who wanted one(apparantly free of charge) I thought buying votes was illegal in this country?
“GO TED MORTON”