Ezra Levant, writing in the Financial Post, on the new 83%:
There are twelve ministers in the Alberta cabinet, including Notley herself, each with a chief of staff. And ten of those chiefs are, like Mitchell, NDP activists from other provinces, many of whom will commute each week to Alberta from Vancouver, Toronto, or elsewhere..
I’m guessing that the Albertans who voted to make Alberta a have-Notley province didn’t think they were voting to have outsiders flown in to run the joint.
Here’s Max Fawcett, Editor of Alberta Oil Magazine, on Graham Mitchell, the man Rachel Notley appointed as the chief of staff to Alberta’s minister of energy:
For those who don’t know him – which is to say, virtually everyone in Alberta – he’s a Toronto resident whose credentials include a Master’s of Environmental Studies from York University, a stint as Jack Layton’s executive assistant and a turn at the left-wing Broadbent Institute as its director of training and leadership….
Dig deep, dig left.
Bonus: A Rebel Media Ezra video that includes footage of an encouragingly energized media scrum peppering the harried Minister of Energy with questions.
“I’m guessing that the Albertans who voted to make Alberta a have-Notley province didn’t think they were voting to have outsiders flown in to run the joint.”
That would be wrong. There was the same inflow of party leeches when Rae’s Dippers won Ontario in 1990. Two of them ruined Ontario Hydro among many other things that went tilt.
Aren’t we lucky? I wonder what will happen with the oil industry in this province. I DO NOT want people from other parts of Canada running things in MY province. Will be sending many emails to Notley and others over the next 3-4 (scary) years.
Experience can be a better teacher than any pedagogue.
In time (soon, I think) Albertans will see how ruinous the newly elected anti-oil despots will be.
If they vote them in a second time, well… one cannot fix stupid, so I’m told.
As bad as it might be for Albertans, I foresee an ugly kickback against these commies. It won’t take long before some LIV’S will have their eyes opened and begin the turnabout. Oh wait, they’re LIVs. We might be screwed.
I agree. The term international communist is in the vocabulary of those who vote NDP and it isn’t just a catch phrase, it’s a promise.
I am still trying to understand how it happened. There were few NDP signs on lawns in my neighbourhood. There was no real groundswell of support for their policies. My son says that there was nothing from the young folk on social media yet I now have an NDP representative.
They go from a history of around 10% support to a majority. WTF?
Add to that the re-election of the worst president in US history and Ontario giving one of the most corrupt governments (and that includes Bob Rae) a majority and it reeks like something is really wrong in western society. It is as if there is a major disconnect between reality and election results.
I expect things to get really ugly here in Alberta.
I see the Obamas will be vacationing in Cape Cod again Obama on his stupid bicycle wearing his pee-pot Helmet or shooting a few rounds of golf and as always when it comes to the liberal Prima Donnas they get to have the whole place to themselves becuase these royal pinheads have their little privlages
It pains me to see so many intelligent posters using logic and common sense in discussing the NDP victory. There was no logic or common sense involved in the last election and I doubt if we can point to any in the next 4 years. Whether they survive will depend entirely on how much pain is inflicted on the average voter and that means going deep into debt and plundering the future in order to feed the demand of the drones and LIV’s at the expense of business and industry. The pain will be minimal for blue collar workers and down no matter how far in the hole the government sinks. Those that provide wealth and jobs will be hammered. The NDP base has always been the drones and working poor. They will be protected at all cost and show up to support Notley in 4 years. This is the same socialist mentality that saw Obama elected for a second term. No logic, no common sense. Just spin, hype, green, global warming and evil 1 %. Don’t be surprised if it works. I give you exhibit A…….Ontario.
Hmm!
Sounds like there’ll be bodacious “carbon cock points ” in that arrangement
They’re just getting the pieces in place. Wholesale destruction of the AB economy won’t start until after the Fall Federal Election. They know by doing anything now it will just end up hurting Tommie the Commie’s chances at the federal level.
a masters of environmental studies. now that is right up there with a phd in basket weaving or lying 101.
Even if you don’t live in Alberta this should concern all of us. This looks like back room maneuvering of the lowest order and it could affect the economy of the entire country. With this added to the ongoing Ontario economic disaster created by the McGuinty cum Wynne Liberals who are supporting Boy Trudeau for Prime Minister we could be freezing in the dark sooner than we think.
Who is really going to be running Alberta? Is Notley up to the job or is Alberta going to be run by those she has chosen to have in her backrooms?
A great news story and a brilliant job by EZRA.
It will be fascinating to see the follow-up (if any) by Alberta media folks and whether the CBC notices this at all.
I think that socialist Governments have always hired professional managers to run the province. It was CCF Tommy D who created the so-called big 5 of civil service…. who all moved to Ottawa over time…. The CBC would have those stories in their vault.
That’s one of the big questions, whether the usual suspects in the local media (CTV, CBC, Global, Corus) are going to run interference for the “progressive” new government or whether they’ll actually cover issues such as this (highly newsworthy) airlifting of activists from other provinces into the highest non-elected positions in government in Alberta.
It’ll be a good litmus test to see which news organizations are really legitimate. I’m encouraged by the energy and persistence of at least a couple of the journalists (anyone know who they are?) in the scrum surrounding Marg McCuaig-Boyd in the Ezra video, who seem to grok that Notley’s government is disrespecting Albertans by jetting in these outsiders.
You’re right that Ezra’s done a brilliant job on this story. Wrt the petition, though, I wonder if it might not be better for Alberta in the long run to have Toronto anti-oil activist Graham Mitchell staying on as Notley’s chief of staff. It’s a choice she made — an important choice, symbolically and otherwise — and I think she should wear it for as long as possible, so that Albertans get a bit more of a sense of what sort of ideology and machinations they’re really dealing with here with the NDP.
I’d wager that if you took a poll right now, only a small percentage of Albertans would be familiar with the proverbial airlifting in of out-of-province activists to run the ministries. It should stew a bit. It would be kind of useful in the future to be able to tie Graham’s background to some of the questionable/damaging energy industry-related decisions Notley will surely be making.
Reading the comments over at the linked National Post story is scary. I get that people were pissed off at the provincial conservatives. I’m an outsider to Alberta politics but my impression is that the left knew they would never get power in Alberta so their tactic became to infiltrate the conservative party and subvert it. The solution is not to elect commies, but to take back the conservative party.
Not sure what the reaction of Albertans to these statist attempts will be. Possibilities range from acquiescence to “unconventional political participation,” possibly involving firearms.
The certainty is these watermelons will try; they can’t help themselves, they must ensure everyone has “social license” to act “sustainably.” under their cajoling and well-compensated “leadership.” No doubt it’s going to be a gong show and Mr Harper is going to benefit big time from the misadventures of the twin towers of idiocy in AB and ON. Once Canadians understand the federal NDP are cut from the same cloth as this bunch – with Mr Harper sure to connect the dots for the voters – they will (hopefully)decide to go with a proven commodity, whatever their personal bias against Harper.
The progressive pendulum continually swings between NDP and Liberal, splitting that vote in differing degrees and preference – now vulnerable to a right flank bleed off to Harper pragmatism. Currently the Dippers are the flavour of the month and the Grits and their fairness champion have run out of steam. Canadians don’t yet understand what the NDP actually stands for, and what the consequences of their woeful idealism and inexperience are. Can Mulcair convince them he’s moderate as Notley conned Albertans? I personally think not. He can’t pull off a shiny pony like Obama did and Trudeau will try, he hasn’t got anywhere near the charisma and he seems to actually have a political conscience, again unlike Obama – though on the cynical side and, like Obama, a champion of statism.
Mulcair is already displaying his lefty lunacy with his hopeless gambit to convince the provinces to help him abolish the Senate. The Quebec premier has already and unsurprisingly de-facto vetoed his plan. What’s also unsurprising is his abolition position, since socialists have been trying to kill the Senate since Lenin was alive. What’s his next idea – cancel tax cuts and replace them with tax increases, as the Liberals propose? Ethics?
Too bad Mr Mulcair has his own ethics mess to clean up with his MPs combining their political and constituent activites on the taxpayers’ dime, $2.75million vrs the $1million of the Senate scandal. They are arrogantly refusing to return the money, claiming “partisanship;” I have a feeling if they do it’s going to leave a big hole in their campaign finances, so they’ll try to hang on past the election. It won’t work, both Trudeau and Harper will crush him in the debate over it the second he talks about scandals. BTW, I wonder how many of his MPs would be dredged up in an MP audit?
If Canadians, after a considered campaign with debates and platforms fully articulated, decide to go with Dippers, as they did in their kick the bums out shotgun marriage in AB, then Canadians better brace themselves for a rougher ride though the economic turmoil that already awaits. We’ll get past it and them – even socialists can’t destroy this country, right? Actually I’m not sure. If we follow the Americans down that memory hole, lacking their productive capacity, we could push ourselves into a deep period of decline that would challenge the economic misery of the inflation/stagflation 21% interest rates days of the early 80s. IOW we could be “be stuck AT stupid.” In perpetuity.
Socialism in Alberta is now in the hands of the dour-faced academics, social-“workers” and zombie-unionists instead of the conservative progressives (happy-faced socialists). The dour-faced socialists are tribal and paranoid and prefer to dole out the loot within their tribe. With such pervasive socialism, the spoils of political victory are widespread and abundant – all those bureaucracies with need of political apparatchiks everywhere. Thus begins the slow learning of the new government. If they value more than one term they will act with some restraint and one of the first lessons will be from within when their own public sector unions can’t get as much loot as they want, which in Alberta is already more than any other province. The next lesson will be how little integrity there is in the corporate world and how much the rent seekers will suck-up to them from the oil patch. Principled operators will stand aside and start moving out of Alberta if things go against them.
Fascinating to see the professional Kleptocrats funnel in.
The Elected and appointed royalty flying in to feast upon the taxpayer.
Perhaps Madame Guillotine needs to sing again.
How are the NDP ‘elite’ treating their troops any differently than the Conservatives?
A need to know basis is pretty much the limiting aspect of all discussion and debate. It is the same old BS that has probably existed for many decades.
The last kick at the can to change this mentality was Reform and the vestiges of that
philosophy has pretty much died. The CPC does not challenge its membership to be informed decision makers and in fact have stifled the riding associations to make sure grass roots process does not happen. If there is no philosophical grounding then how can decision making be evaluated? There is none so perfect for those who might have to account.
The sad reality is that this golden opportunity for true conservatism to re-establish itself has been frittered away. It will die with the next election or the one after. When you see political carpetbaggers like MacKay jumping ship you know the dye is cast.
“I wonder if it might not be better for Alberta in the long run to have Toronto anti-oil activist Graham Mitchell staying on as Notley’s chief of staff.”
I agree, Alberta’s economy has allot of economic deflation yet to go to get things back to rights, so we need the NDP at full destructive power to make it happen.
Plus I’d like to get a good deal on a new RV this year instead of next, along with some recreation land in the next few years before a competent government takes over and prices soar again.
I know you’re sort of joking, or half-joking, but I want to make clear I’m not hoping for economic destruction. It’s more that when Notley’s policies tank the economy, having Mitchell in place as her hand-picked chief of staff for the minister of energy will be like blood on her hands, and will make her M.O. a lot more clear/apparent to Albertans.
That’s the “better for Alberta in the long run” I’m referring to, making sure that people know exactly how red she is. If she dumps Mitchell now she could just say it was a mistake — “Gee, I just thought he had good organizational skills, I didn’t really notice his anti-oil stance…”
You don’t just pick a energy minister’s chief of staff without knowing the complete background of that person. There is a strong parallel to Obama’s inner circle in that you surround yourself with like minded thinkers and opposing views are not welcome. Mitchell will stay and she doesn’t give a damn what Albertans will think. She was elected to rule,…….end of story. Unfortunately. Saving the planet demands hard choices and tough decisions. Any contrary opinions come from deniers. That’s what the people voted for as she sees it. She’s a left wing loon, but she knows exactly what Mitchell’s role will be. Again,…unfortunately.
“half-joking” yes, and do agree with your premiss that Albertan’s need to clearly see who has blood on their hands when the dust settles.
I’m only half joking because although I’d be fine in an economic collapse, there are countless good Albertan’s who wouldn’t be.
Alberta does need to cool it’s “hot” economy big time, a market correction is long overdue to lower prices and clear out the tens of thousands of imported scabs that have washed up into our cities and smaller communities looking to feed off “All that Oilfield money”.
The NDP are in just the right place at the right time to knock Alberta’s economy into the toilet for awhile. Although many will suffer in the short term, if the slowdown is sever and long lasting there’s a good chance we can clear out a lot of the deadwood – Just as any large corporate restructuring does!