Category: Diana McQueen

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Alberta Cabinet Shuffle Dave Hancock Diana McQueen Doug Horner Ed Stelmach Fred Horne George Groenveld Iris Evans Jack Hayden Mel Knight Rob Renner Ron Liepert Ted Morton

alberta cabinet shuffle.

With a cabinet shuffled expected in the near future (possibly as early as tomorrow), there is no shortage of speculation about who will be shuffled in, out, and around. A cabinet shuffle will put a new face on the tiring PC cabinet that has weathered a brutal public beating on issues ranging from unpopular health care restructuring, Bill 44, resource royalty tinkering, international attention on the oilsands, a by-election defeat, a seismic drop in the polls, and MLA defections.

As I wrote in December 2009, It is going to take something much more meaningful than a cabinet shuffle to change PC Party fortunes. One of Premier Ed Stelmach‘s greatest challenges is that his government doesn’t have a defining purpose beyond governing for governing sake, and it shows.

Iris EvansRon Liepert

Finance Minister Iris Evans may keep her job, but there are strong rumors about a comfy patronage appointment as Alberta’s Representative in London, UK. With a strong political pedigree, Doug Horner is a key candidate for promotion – to Finance, or more likely, Health & Wellness. His father, Hugh Horner, served as an MP, MLA, and cabinet minister between 1958 and 1979, including as Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture of Alberta.

The rumor mill appears to have come to an unlikely consensus that Minister Ron Liepert will relieve Minister Mel Knight of his position in Energy. Delicate as a wrecking ball, Minister Liepert oversaw the haphazard dissolution of Alberta’s regional health authorities and centralization under the Alberta Health Services ‘Superboard.’ I am sure that the energy sector will love him.

Iris EvansLindsay Blackett

As the Godfather of Edmonton PC MLAs, Dave Hancock is expected to remain Education Minister, not interrupting the ongoing School Act review. Also expected to remain in their job is Environment Minister Rob Renner, who has proved his ability to deliver a respectful media performance on dirty files like climate change and the oilsands. 

First-term MLA Diana McQueen wooed PC delegates in her introduction of Premier Stelmach at their 2009 leadership review convention. McQueen could be a strong addition to a weak cabinet. After playing interference for Premier Stelmach on the Alberta Hospital Edmonton bed closures, another rookie MLA, Fred Horne, has been rumored to be a candidate for Minister of Health, but more recently has been rumoured to replace Minister Horner in Advanced Education. Horne served as Executive Assistant to Minister Hancock, who also he served in the portfolio.

Long-time Stelmach confidants Jack Hayden, Ray Danyluk, and Lloyd Snelgrove will likely stay rewarded for their loyalty, but may be shuffled. Ted Morton is clearly enjoying his current role as Sustainable Resource Development Minister, but columnist Don Braid has suggested that he may be moved to the Treasury Board position. Weak Ministerial performers Lindsay Blackett, Janis Tarchuk, Heather Klimchuk, and George Groenveld are also prime targets for being shuffled.

After taking another look at the rumoured shuffle, it does not appear to be much of a change after all. We shall wait and see.

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Anthony Heinrich Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act Diana McQueen Evan Berger Jack Hayden Joe Anglin Ray Prins

battle over bill 19 far from over.

Infrastructure Minister Jack Hayden may have convinced the AAMDC to vote down an a resolution opposing Bill 19 at their recent convention, but whatever influence Hayden has over rural Reeves and Mayors (Hayden is the former Director of the AAMDC and Reeve of Stettler County), it’s not stopping a group of rural landowners in central Alberta in their steadfast opposition to Hayden’s Land Assembly Project Area Act.

While Hayden’s power of persuasion over rural politicians may be impressive, it doesn’t mean there is lack of concern over Bill 19 on municipal councils. The Drayton Valley Western Review has reported that Brazeau County Council voted not to oppose Bill 19 because they believed ‘their voice is too small to be effective.‘ As such they have left matters in the hands of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties to give voice to the concerns of the residents of Brazeau County. The Western Review continued:

One councillor, Anthony Heinrich, does not feel this is the best course of action. He was disappointed that council would not be voicing the concerns of the ratepayers directly while seeking support from other municipalities and counties in the area, something that has been done in the past.

Heinrich says he is disappointed in the way the MLAs are dealing with this issue. At a meeting in Warburg March 10 with the Warburg Pembina Surface Rights group three MLAs; Evan Berger, Diana McQueen and Ray Prins listened to the concerns of those present. Heinrich says he thought the constituents were being listened to, but, after reading some of the comments made by McQueen in a previous article in The Western Review, felt that perhaps this is untrue.

He says it is possible MLAs are speaking truthfully when they give their word that no Alberta resident will be taken advantage of using this bill. However, he is concerned that these MLAs may not hold the positions that they currently do when an issue arises.

A group of landowners, including Green Party leader Joe Anglin, are continuing to host information sessions and public town hall meetings across central Alberta to raise awareness and opposition to Bill 19. The United Power Transmission Area Groups will be hosting two more town hall meetings in Innisfail and Crossfield on April 6 & 7:

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Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act Diana McQueen Doug Griffiths Evan Berger Jack Hayden Joe Anglin Ray Prins Verlyn Olsen

rumble in ryley ko? [the continuing saga of bill 19].

Some reaction from Joe Anglin on last night’s hotly anticipated Bill 19 Town Hall in Village of Ryley:

For Immediate Release

March 24, 2009

Bill 19 was Drafted in Error?

(Rimbey, AB) Bill 19 – still looking for the right combination to debate Green Party Leader Joe Anglin over the proposed Land Assembly Area Act [Bill 19], the Hon Jack Hayden, author of the Bill, attended a public forum in Riley AB on Monday night to try his best to defend the Bill. Mr. Hayden accompanied with MLAs Mr. Evan Berger (Livingstone-Macleod), Mr. Ray Prins (Lacombe Ponoka), Ms. Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley/Calmar), Mr. Verlyn Olson (Wetaskiwin/Camrose), and Mr. Doug Griffiths (Battle River-Wainwright) failed to convince the crowd in attendance of the merits of the Bill or the proposed amendments, and may have embarrassed themselves.

Mr. Hayden told the crowd in the attendance, as the government has done at previous public forums, Bill 19 was needed because the Restricted Development Act was struck down in a previous court decision. When queried by Mr. Anglin over the referenced court decision, Mr. Hayden was informed that a Restricted Development Act has never existed in law in Alberta, and the Alberta courts have no record of a decision striking down any piece of Alberta Legislation called the Restricted Development Act.

Anglin went on to ask Mr. Hayden that if he could not produce a copy of a court case striking down the assumed Restricted Development Act, would he then agree that the premise for drafting Bill 19 was based on an error concerning a court ruling that doesn’t exist, and would he then withdraw the Bill because of this error?

Mr. Hayden did not respond to Anglin’s question, and the other five MLAs scrambled and shuffled paper. However, Mr. Hayden and the other MLAs in attendance would not comment further on the fact the Minister may have drafted Bill 19 in error – in view of the fact the courts have not struck down any legislation in Alberta called the Restricted Development Act.

-30-

Joe Anglin
Leader of the Alberta Greens
(403) 843-3279

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Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act Diana McQueen Jack Hayden Joe Anglin Ray Prins Verlyn Olsen

prins, mcqueen, berger, and olson legitimize opposition to bill 19.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) about central Alberta becoming the revolutionary hotbed of Albert politics, but while it may not be an actual hot bed of revolution, politics in central Alberta have becoming increasingly interesting.

After Infrastructure Minister Jack Hayden introduced Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act into the Legislature on March 2, 2009, the legislation has met strong opposition from landowners in central Alberta, including Green Party leader Joe Anglin. Anglin described Bill 19 as “a punitive Bill that is chock-full of consequences for any landowner or citizen who would defy the Minister of Energy,” and is a member of a group of landowners who have organized town hall forums and information sessions on Bill 19 in communities across central Alberta. The opposition to Bill 19 appears to have caught the attention of the region’s PC MLAs, four who have been seen attending these town halls to defend the legislation.

At a forum in Warburg, PC MLAs Ray Prins (Lacombe-Ponoka), Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley-Calmar) and Evan Berger (Livingstone-MacLeod) were in attendance, and yesterday in Ponoka, Prins, McQueen, Berger, and Wetaskiwin-Camrose MLA Verlyn Olson defended Bill 19 at an information session hosted by Anglin.

Rather than using the reliable ‘ignore the opposition between elections‘ strategy that has served the PCs so well over the past 36 years, the very presence of these four PC MLAs have actually legitimized the opposition to Bill 19 in rural central Alberta.

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Alberta NDP Alberta Progress Party Brian Mason Diana McQueen Edwin Ericksen Linda Duncan Rachel Notley

central alberta a hotbed of political revolution.

Central Alberta is becoming a hotbed of political attention this week. Yesterday, Green Party Deputy Leader Edwin Erickson released a statement declaring his departure from the Greens to help build the Alberta Progress Party. In 2008, Erickson was the Green candidate in the central Alberta riding of Drayton Valley-Calmar, where he placed second with 19% of the vote against PC MLA Diana McQueen. Erickson will be on CBC Edmonton’s Radioactive (740AM) at 4:10pm today explaining his move. (h/t AGRDT)

This weekend, the Alberta NDP will be holding a revitalization conference in the central Alberta city of Red Deer. Though “revitalization” may not be the most accurate description, as it’s probably a stretch to say that the NDP have ever actually been ‘vitalized‘ in central Alberta, it does show an understanding of something the Federal Liberals are missing.

It’s unlikely the NDP will be electing swaths of MLAs and MPs in rural Alberta anytime soon, but in the short-term, this is a clear strategy for any party wanting to build a base and increase the funds it receives through the federal campaign finance system (even if this strategy only increases the NDP vote by 1,000 votes in every riding in rural Alberta, it would still be a worthwhile investment of resources for that party). The NDP haven’t elected an MLA in rural Alberta since 1989.

Speaking at the event will be MP Linda Duncan, MLAs Brian Mason and Rachel Notley, and Nova Scotia NDP organization Matt Hebb.

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