Women of ABpoli Hot Flashes: The parallel universe is winning
This Week in AB
Danielle Smith releases details of the proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act; and it's still garbage
Smith's proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act (ASA) is effective because there is a small but loud group of people in Alberta who believe they should be better off than they are and it's all Trudeau Sr's fault they are not.
There is no fighting this alternate reality.
The orange wave in 2015 wasn't brought on by fighting a lost cause, it rose against the entrenched entitlement of a political party that had outlasted the good will of the people. What helped the NDP is that voters who rejected the PCs chose instead to support Wildrose and allowed the NDP to come up the middle in a number of ridings.
Only one of those political advantages exists today and it won't be capitalized upon with the kind of deception that works on a minority of people.
Danielle Smith is reaching out to people who feel that same disenfranchisement (albeit a much smaller group) and offering a solution -- much like Rachel Notley did by promising to also increase corporate tax rates in 2015 before the cringeworthy phrase of "we're all in this together" began to feel like hearing nails dragging across a chalkboard.
However, unlike 2015, Danielle Smith isn't offering a real solution.
Smith confirmed on Tuesday, Sept 6, that her intention is to bring the original unconstitutional fairytale of the ASA to Cabinet (which will look much different if she were to become Premier) and draft legislation that will not hold up in court if passed in the Alberta Legislature.
Which brings us to the first level of protection against really bad legislation being passed: the elected Members of the Legislative Assembly.
On Thursday, Sept. 8, four leadership contestants -- Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Rajan Sawhney, and Travis Toews -- held a press conference to call out the proposed ASA and said they would not support blatantly unconstitutional legislation.
Jason Kenney also said he would not support "risky, dangerous, half-baked" legislation (we'll come back to that).
In any case, it's questionable whether the message, delivered by other politicians, really hits the mark.
One would think they're trying to reach out to members and Albertans who haven't already been swayed by Smith but the ASA is essentially worshipped by some people because they really, really want it to work, pretty please with a cherry on top.
Before getting myself banned from the Facebook Group "Holding MLAs Accountable" -- not to be confused with holding leadership candidates who want to be MLAs accountable, apparently -- I watched the validation they passed around to one another for parroting faith in Danielle Smith and Todd Loewen as philosopher queen and king.
These people are desperate for someone to give them power against a changing world and they aren't going to be told that a magic Act won't work.
That brings us back to whether we can really rely on MLAs to stand up against potentially unconstitutional legislation.
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, we pass unconstitutional legislation all the time; a number of Harper's bills were challenged in court, and there's (potentially) the NDP's Turn off the Taps legislation (which every MLA in the Legislature in 2018 supported bur one: the Liberal Party's Dr. David Swann).
So, excepting Dr. Swann, every MLA who was in the Legislature in 2018 is fully willing to support potentially unconstitutional legislation -- just not the ASA.
The Court of Appeal's decision, however, may be the legal loophole that will allow the ASA to sit on the books in Alberta for many, many years.
"Until Alberta imposes restrictions on exports through action taken pursuant to the act, a (constitutional) dispute has yet to arise and may not arise at all. Put otherwise, the dispute as it currently stands remains more theoretical than real," the decision on the Turn off the Taps bill read.
Smith has said during the debates that she expects the ASA would only be enacted "rarely" (although she's also said it could be enacted in a whole lot of ways because it's a magic Act -- we're really just guessing at what is true or false coming from Smith... but I digress).
If the courts are not willing to rule on the potential unconstitutionality of legislation, only willing to get involved after "action (is) taken pursuant to the act", then, if Smith won, she and the UCP may well be able to pass the legislation, keep the promise to the base, and shelve it -- or maybe even get it framed so the separatists can come by and visit, hold vigils, leave offerings...
What that does to political or investor certainty in the province, I cannot say, but I think having it on the books would continue to make heads explode and also placate the poor folks who think Smith is going to do something for them -- at least until after the next election.
UCP creating more jobs; this time with guns!
“Un. Believable. UCP thinks we need more guns, faster.”
40 new positions will be created under the Chief Firearms Office to help get more guns into the hands of Albertans.
Applications are currently processed in New Brunswick but those flagged for further investigation are already processed in Alberta.
Kenney said the federal handgun ban has been particularly difficult for elderly folks who are worried their "investment" will become "valueless". You can't make this up.
Speaking of catastrophically stupid...
Can you imagine being part of this group and finding out that you were taken in by your own assumption that everyone else was actually as dumb as the dude who thought this plan up?
Most people get to fuck around and never have the karmic "find out" moment but these guys are making a case for "Alberta man" to be as much of a cringe-worthy Google search as "Florida man" (you will only be disappointed in humanity).
"UC Britt" and "UC Tiff", dude with alleged criminal intent thought, would be better cover to bring in a hockey equipment bag full of guns (if they could lift it -- I kid you not) being "that the police would not think much of it... because they were 'girls'."
I imagine "UC Britt" and "UC Tiff" gave a punching bag one hell of a workout after having to hang out with those charmers.
Canada
Pierre Poilievre wins the CPC leadership race on first ballot with 68 per cent support from one per cent of Canadians
The pre-announcement show was at least two and a half hours long and I had no intention of watching the whole thing. However, I not only caught the announcement but Poilievre's introduction, delivered by his wife, Anaida Poilievre, as well as his speech.
Let me say that this couple looks like they will be a force to be reckoned with and no party should be thinking that Poilievre's win means the CPC will not be a contender in 2025 (at least today).
Anaida's speech was impressive; her French is fantastic (to a non-speaker's ears), she was clear, passionate, and had an air of self-confidence, and pride in her husband's achievement, that was admirable. She will be an asset.
For his part, Poilievre didn't thank the convoy people for coming out and voting. He didn't mention how he was going to take down the Governor of the Bank of Canada and freeze out the World Economic Forum.
No, this was a Poilievre who just got that much closer to touching the brass ring that could make him Prime Minister.
He wasn't abrasive, nor was he ignorant.
I'm not saying he can keep this up for three years and I'm not saying his campaigning persona might not work against him in the next election; I am saying that there is no easy win for either the Liberals or Conservatives if this is the Poilievre who will be leader.
Long live the King's opposition.
The last wave
Final thoughts
“My mom got my daughter a recorder so that’s my Saturday.”
“Ah, social media. Dividing people and blocking any real progress on issues since 1997.”
Cover photo credit: @TrevorTombe