I’ve posted a post-debate poll on the sidebar… voter early and vote often…
Welcome to daveberta.ca liveblogging of the 2008 Alberta Leaders’ Debate.
6:28 PM: It looks like the Mr. McLean and Mr. Markusoff from the Edmonton Journal’s Election Notebook will be giving me a run for my money as those two intrepid journalists try their hand at liveblogging the debate.
Game on, Gentlemen!
6:39PM: We need change. Change. Change. Change. I think the leaders have said “change” at least 50 times by this point.
6:41 PM: Short commercial break… thoughts so far? After a short technical glitch, I finally have the debate on fully…
6:44 PM: For some blatantly partisan Tory liveblogging, make sure to check out my friend Blake’s blog at albertatory.
6:45 PM: Kim Trynacity asked a question to Taft about health care. Taft gives a decent answer. Hinman responds, talking about incentives for hospitals? C’est quoi? Innovative ideas… sure. Ed Stelmach is talking about a health care high school…
6:49 PM: Paul Hinman says “I agree with Mr. Mason” and tears a hole in the space time continuum.
6:53 PM: CalgaryGrit and Joel Kom are liveblogging too.
6:54 PM: This is a pretty disappointing debate so far…
6:58 PM: I’m watching the CBC coverage. Duane Bratt from Mount Royal College is on talking about the back to back health care questions. I feel like I’m watching TSN… the coverage style is fun…
7:00 PM: Segment #3 is beginning! Let’s get some more questions! “Convince the viewers that you are a leader and a strong leaders for Alberta!” IN 30 SECONDS! GO!
7:01 PM: Kevin Taft: “Charisma never built a hospital or balanced a budget.”
7:02 PM: Stelmach isn’t actually doing that bad. So far, they’ve all been cut off. Brian Mason: “My wife thinks I’m charismatic.”
7:05 PM: Phew! All the leaders think Alberta’s a great place… it’s a pretty unfair question to ask for responses in 30 seconds…
7:08 PM: Graham Thomson to Kevin Taft: Is it time for a policy to slow down the oilsands and Alberta’s heated economy? Taft gives a pretty solid response, need to pace development and respect the environment.
Stelmach is attacking Jean Chretien!!!
7:11 PM: Hinman attacks Stelmach: you’re not listening to industry, you’re listening to your heart. Brian Mason sob story… it’s about the little people, not big oil. Stelmach cares about the little people – Alberta is a beacon of hope.
7:14 PM: As I predicted, Stelmach is doing better than people predicted (which really isn’t saying much considering the expectations were pretty low). He answered the leadership question pretty well, but has stumbled on other questions. Mason has been pretty aggressive. Taft is staying collective and picking his fights, but needs to get in there more.
7:18 PM: Taft: “If you protect the environment, you protect jobs and the economy.” Taft did a pretty solid job answering the question on the environment.
7:20 PM: Stelmach is sticking to his script, but isn’t really animated. He should show more emotion.
Brian Mason is spending most of his time attacking Kevin Taft. Taft fires back at Mason for flip flopping the NDP position on emission caps.
7:29 PM: I just did an interview with Global Edmonton for a mid-debate reaction. Check me out on the 11pm news!
7:34 PM: I’m sitting with a bunch of crazy New Democrats while I watch this (including Sherwood Park NDP candidate Katherine Hay).
7:36 PM: Stelmach: “A ten year plan to get rid of homelessness is ambitious.”
7:46 PM: So far, I think Taft and Mason are doing the best, but in two very different ways. Taft is keeping composed and together with his message. Mason is spending most of his time on the attack. Stelmach in the meanwhile is sitting back as Mason goes after Taft. Stelmach is doing better than I thought he would. He’s staying on message, but remains a mysterious cardboard, he needs to show some more life or any kind of emotion. Not sure there is a clear winner yet…
Thoughts? Comments?
7:55 PM: Closing remarks!
Brian Mason used his time to attack the Liberals, Conservatives, and Big Corporations.
Stelmach: We believe in free enterprise, everyone else believes in government control.
Hinman: People can spend money better than politicians and bureaucrats. Don’t be fooled by the other parties. Wildrose Alliance is a common sense option.
Taft: Last closing remarks. Time for Alberta to take its place. 37-years is enough of one government. Time for a change.
Best closing line of the night: Mount Royal Poli Sci Prof Duanne Bratt: “well… Ed Stelmach got through the debate.“
More detailed comment and analysis coming soon…
Tonight is the only Leaders’ Debate of the 2008 Alberta Provincial Election. The debate will be televised on CBC, CTV, and Global from 6:30-8pm. Here’s my rundown of what to watch for from the party leaders:
Ed Stelmach, Progressive Conservatives: It is no secret that Ed Stelmach is not a strong public speaker. Many political watchers have been predicting that his debate performance will mirror the first week of the Tory campaign, I am going to disagree. Though I don’t think Stelmach is a decent debater by any stretch of the imagination, I do think that because the expectations are so low for him that an even moderately okay performance by Stelmach will be seen as a win for him (regardless of how painful the experience is for both Stelmach and viewers).
This will be the only debate that Stelmach will participate in during this election. According to his campaign manager, George Sebest, “the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, Premier Stelmach, will debate only other party leaders in provincial forums,” meaning that Stelmach will be a no-show at the all-candidate forums in his constituency of Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville.
Kevin Taft, Alberta Liberals: In the 2004 televised debate, Kevin Taft performed well against Ralph Klein and Brian Mason, but Ed Stelmach introduces is an untested dynamic in a televised debate. This debate is Kevin Taft’s chance to shine and convince Albertans that he is indeed a Premier-in-waiting. If he can do this without falling into the trap of sounding too stiff and academic and he is able to connect with viewers in a confident Premier-like fashion, he just might be able to convince Albertans that, after 37-years of Tory rule, it’s time.
Paul Hinman, Wildrose Alliance: After being excluded from the Leaders’ Debate under his previous leader in in the 2004, Paul Hinman has won points by just being included in the debates. If Hinman is able to get a word in edge wise and communicate a competent message, this will be a personal win for him.
Brian Mason, New Democrats: Mason issued a challenge to the other party leaders to stick to the issues during the debate. I agree this is a great idea, but I’ll be looking to see if Mason actually sticks to his challenge. Expect Mason to go after Kevin Taft as much or even more than he takes aim at Ed Stelmach. If his party is going to gain seats in this election it will be at the expense of the Taft Liberals in Edmonton, not of the Stelmach Tories.
George Read, Alberta Greens: Unfortunately, George Read was not invited to participate in the debates (I would have supported Read’s inclusion in the debates). Instead, Read will be contributing to the debates through a YouTube video cast following the election. Make sure to check it out.
I will be live blogging the debates here on daveberta.ca and blogging my reaction on CBC YouCast (you can also watch the debate on the internet thanks to CBC).
Created in 1971, Calgary-McCall switched from the Social Credit to the Progressive Conservative column of MLAs in 1975 when Tory Andy Little defeated Social Credit MLA George Ho Lem. In more recent times, current Tory MLA Shiraz Shariff was elected in 1995 in a by-election after the death of Tory MLA Harry Sohal. In 1997 and 2001, Shariff was easily re-elected, but in 2004, Shariff faced as strong challenge from Alberta Liberal Darshan Kang. Kang came within 300 votes of defeating Shariff. In 2008, Kang is back for a rematch.
Before becoming an MLA, Shiraz Shariff was a child welfare worker for Alberta Family and Social Services and taught in Mount Royal College ‘s Department of Social Services. Shariff is the Deputy Chair of Committees for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Darshan Kang is a realtor and has been an active member in the Saddleridge, Castleridge/Falconridge, and Martindale-Tardale Community Associations. Kang was also involved in ROSH, a group which he helped successfully oppose a slaughterhouse to be built in north east Calgary.
Green candidate Heather Brocklesby graduated from the University of Calgary’s faculty of communication and culture with a minor in political science and works as a legal assistant at a downtown Calgary law firm.
The Wildrose Alliance candidate is Ina Given. NDP candidate Preet Sihota is a local realtor.
With 33% of McCall residents having immigrated to Canada, McCall is one of the most ethnically diverse constituencies in Alberta (more than 9% of residents were born in India, more than 4% in the Philippines, and 37% speak a language other than English at home). Between 2004 and 2006, McCall’s population grew by 27.96%, bringing over 6,100 new voters to this constituency. With McCall being a such a close race in 2004, the over 6,100 new McCallians will play a big role in deciding who this constituency’s MLA will be.
Controversy?
Following the 2004 election, both Shariff and Kang leveled charges of improper election and campaign activities against each other. Following the fiasco surrounding the appointment of Tory-connected returning officers in the past few weeks, Naheed Nenshi has told CBC that he was shocked by the behavior of a Calgary Returning Officer and his poll clerks in the 2004 election.
Calgary-McCall 2008 Candidates
Alberta Liberal – Darshan Kang
Green – Heather Brocklesby
NDP – Preet Sihota
PC – Shiraz Shariff
Wildrose Alliance – Ina Given
Calgary-McCall Past-Election Results
2004
x Shiraz Shariff, PC – 3,195
Darshan Kang, Lib – 2,891
Ina Given, AA – 576
Preet Sihota, NDP – 328
Voter Turnout: 33.9%2001
x Shiraz Shariff, PC – 6,558
John Phillips, Lib – 2,082
Preet Sihota, NDP – 449
Darryl Elvers, AFP – 139
Rory Cory, SC – 121
Voter Turnout: 39%1997
x Shiraz Shariff, PC – 5,118
Amar Singh, Lib – 2,701
Rory Cory, SC – 876
Voter Turnout: 41.7%1995 By-Election
Sharaz Shariff, PC – 2,496
Jeet Shergill, Lib – 1,980
Anne McGrath, NDP – 713
Doug Cooper, SC – 470
Peter Hope, COR – 61
Voter Turnout: 28%
Straddling the Alberta border with Montana, Cardston-Taber-Warner was created in 1997 through the merger of the former Cardston-Chief Mountain and Taber-Warner constituencies, Cardston-Taber-Warner is probably the antithesis to my constituency (Edmonton-Strathcona) in the spectrum of Alberta politics.
In 1997, Cardston-Taber-Warner re-elected Tory MLA Ron Hierath as he easily rode to victory over the Social Credit and Alberta Liberal candidates (Hierath had previously been elected as the MLA for Taber-Warner). In 2001, Hierath was replaced as the Tory candidate by Cardston County Reeve Broyce Jacobs and was easily re-elected against Alberta First Party Leader John Reil. In 2004, Alberta Alliance candidate Paul Hinman narrowly defeated Jacobs by over 100 votes to become his party’s only MLA. Hinman became Leader of the Alberta Alliance shortly after the election.
In 2008, the Tories are targeting Cardston-Taber-Warner in a big way with Broyce Jacobs taking another run at Paul Hinman.
Paul Hinman has had a tough run as Alberta’s only Alliance MLA. In one year, he went from being an irrigation farmer, cow-calf producer, purebred-cattle breeder, feedlot operator and small-business entrepreneur to being the Leader of the Alberta Alliance after the last election. Having watched Hinman’s performance over the past couple years, I’d say that he has become more comfortable in his daunting role of leading the right-wing now-Wildrose Alliance against the well-funded Tory machine. Though I completely disagree with the majority of the views that Hinman and his party espouse, I really think it would be a shame if voters in Cardston-Taber-Warner replaced Hinman with simply another Progressive Conservative backbencher.
Enter Broyce Jacobs. Broyce Jacobs is a well-known name in the Cardston-area after having served 18-years as a Municipal Councillor and 17-years as Reeve of Cardston Country before becoming an MLA. Jacobs graduated from Brigham Young University in 1967 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and currently owns and operates a cattle ranch in Mountain View. I’m sure Jacobs will be taking nothing for granted in his second run against Hinman.
Alberta Liberal candidate Ron Hancock is a provincial tax specialist who is a former Councillor from the Town of Raymond and chairman of the Chinook Health Region Community Health Council on Seniors Issues. In his work with the provincial government, Hancock served as chief economist for the Alberta Housing Corporation, manager of rural business initiatives for Alberta Economic Development, and as a development officer in the Crowsnest Pass.
Green candidate Billy Turner is a University of Calgary Political Science student who spends his summers competing at rodeos all over Alberta in the bareback riding events in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association and the Calgary Stampede.
One of the big factors in this deep rural southern constituency is the large Mormon population which wields a substantial amount of political influence in the region (Cardston was settled in 1887 by Mormons from Utah who traveled to Alberta in one of that century’s last wagon migrations). Between 2004 and 2006, Cardston-Taber-Warner grew by 3.07%, bringing over 500 new voters to this constituency.
Cardston-Taber-Warner 2008 Candidates
Alberta Liberal – Ron Hancock
Green – Billy Turner
ND – Suzanne Sirias
PC – Broyce Jacobs
Wildrose Alliance – Paul Hinman*
Cardston-Taber-Warner Past Election Results
2004
Paul Hinman, AA – 3,885
x Broyce Jacobs, PC – 3,756
Paula Shimp, Lib – 783
Lindsay Ferguson, Grn – 225
Luann Bannister, NDP – 185
Voter Turnout: 46.7%2001
Broyce Jacobs, PC – 5,256
John Reil, AFP – 2,557
Ron Hancock, Lib – 1,747
Suzanne Sirias, NDP – 240
Voter Turnout: 53.1%1997
Ron Hierath, PC – 5,157
Ken Rose, SC – 1,568
James Jackson, Lib – 1,417
Susanne Sirias, NDP – 518
Voter Turnout: 49.1%
The University of Alberta Students’ Union is hosting an all-candidates forum tonight for the constituency of Edmonton-Strathcona.
Edmonton-Strathcona All-Candidate Forum
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
6:00 p.m.
Myer Horowitz Theatre (2nd Floor, Students’ Union Building)
*RSVP on Facebook
The candidates in Edmonton-Strathcona are:
Alberta Liberal – Tim Vant
Green – Adrian Cole
ND – Rachel Notley
PC – T.J. Keil
A coalition of Post-Secondary Education groups from across Alberta, including the Council of Alberta University Students, Alberta College and Technical Institute Student Executive Council, Alberta Graduate Council, Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations, and Alberta Colleges and Institutes Faculties Association, have launched an advocacy campaign geared at increasing awareness of PSE issues during this election campaign. The Imagine Alberta campaign ad can be seen above.
I’m planning to provide some more detailed analysis on this soon, but for now, here’s a quick look at what each of Alberta’s main political parties are offering in their plans for Post-Secondary Education:
– Ensure the lowest post secondary tuitions in Canada.
– Ease access to continued learning of all kinds, with a focus on more flexible class times and increasing the number of institutions able to offer degree programs.
– Increase Affordability by giving students a break in their tuition of almost $1,000 a year.
– Create a $300/year books and tools credit for post-secondary students.
– Reduce interest rates on Alberta student loans and increase the part-time earning limits.
– Reducing or eliminating property taxes for on-campus student housing to make
accommodation more affordable and to encourage the construction of more units.
– Recognize regional disparities in allocating student loans.
– Restore legislative control over tuition increases.
– Create targeted additional learning spaces for areas with a high number of applicants.
– Provide three year funding envelopes for post-secondary institutions so they may better plan for the future.
– Establish Mount Royal University in Calgary.
– Establish teaching chairs to support and recognize excellence at post-secondary institutions.
– Improve student-faculty ratios.
– Boost graduate student numbers.
– Create a Post-Secondary Endowment Fund, using a portion of oil and gas royalties (in just 15 years, the endowment could grow to $15 billion and generate $770 million in extra funding every year).
– Create a $500 million Endowment for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, using a portion of oil and gas royalties.
– Reduce tuition fees to 1999-2000 levels, and fully fund a tuition freeze thereafter.
– Reduce the student loan interest rates to prime and find ways to reduce administrative costs on student loan payments.
– Generate additional provincial grant, bursary and scholarship opportunities thereby reducing dependency on student loans.
– Create an endowment for social sciences, arts and humanities research.
– Work to ensure that Cabinet Ministers and MLAs meet with post-secondary institutions, Governors and Student Unions regularly to learn about, and respond to their concerns.
– Increase the availability of post-secondary spaces at existing institutions and support the creation of new facilities, particularly in rural areas where it can be difficult to access post-secondary education.
– Support initiatives to build additional student housing.
– Extend accreditation options to building trade unions to create more apprenticeship spaces.
Interestingly, the NDP website says that the Alberta Liberals “have no plan to reduce tuition levels,” which not only contradicts reality, but also means that the NDP must have missed the giant headline on the front page of last Saturday’s Edmonton Journal that read “Taft vows to roll back tuition.” But then again, the NDP website also accuses the Liberals and Conservatives of neglecting Post-Secondary Education because they accept corporate donations, which doesn’t really even make sense as an argument.
Alberta Progressive Conservatives:
– Continue to limit annual tuition increases to the rate of inflation.
– Lower the student loan interest rate by 2.5% to the prime lending rate.
– Improve affordability of graduate student programs to facilitate research and commercialization and to foster creativity.
As these three bullet points don’t really present much of a plan, I thought it would be fair to give you some more on what the PCs have in mind for PSE. Here is more of Ed Stelmach’s vision for Post-Secondary Education in Alberta:
– Supports post-secondary education in Alberta.
– Ensure that Alberta citizens be given priority for admission over out-of-province students.
– Provide “fixed term tuitions” to freeze the tuition rates for post-secondary education students for the duration of their program.
– Consult with business and the public sector to determine their requirements for professional and skilled workers over the next ten years. Then meet representatives of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions and develop a plan to provide the necessary facilities and instructors to educate these workers.
– Institute an educational scholarship form of financing for all Albertans seeking a post-secondary education. Each qualified Alberta student will receive a full scholarship for five years to the post secondary institution of choice within Alberta.
– Give priority for admission and funding to Alberta students to Alberta post-secondary institutions over out of province students seeking admission and funding.
– Utilize the technology available to make higher education more accessible to all Albertans.
– Work with employers, post-secondary institutions and the Alberta Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission to increase training and apprenticeships in the trades and technical sectors.
– Strengthen the network of colleges, institutes and on-line learning opportunities throughout the province.
– Increase research and development funding for colleges, universities and institutes and encourage private sector partnerships.
– Double the annual number of graduates in computer science and electrical and computer engineering within five years.
– Increase investment in technology research and post-secondary skills training.
– Support continuing education for members of the professions in the province.
– Provide forgivable student loans to Alberta students attending accredited schools of education providing they teach for ten years in underserved communities in Alberta.
– Include the total cost of post secondary education when calculating amounts for student loans.
Created in 1997 after the dissolution of Edmonton-Roper, Edmonton-Castle Downs has been a battle ground of close races between the Tories and Alberta Liberals ever since. Alberta Liberal Pamela Paul narrowly defeated Tory Ihor Broda in 1997 (Broda later ran for Mayor in 1998), but later declined to run for a second term after sitting as an Independent MLA in 1999. When 2001 rolled around, Tory Thomas Lukaszuk joined the Tory sweep of Edmonton by defeating Liberal Boris Yaremko in a solid election win. In 2004, Edmonton-Castle Downs was the closest race in the province. After a hard fought battle and three judicial recounts, Tory incumbent Thomas Lukazsuk was declared re-elected by 3 votes over Alberta Liberal Chris Kibermanis, who was originally declared elected by 9 votes on Election Day.
Castle Downs 2008 is Kibermanis v. Lukaszuk Round 2. With both candidates knowing that every vote will count, don’t expect either of them to cede any ground in this race.
Lukaszuk has noticeably matured as an MLA since his “victory” in 2004, but he remains in the Tory backbenches. In 2007, Lukaszuk was involved in a minor scandal involving a contact given to former Edmonton-Meadowlark Tory MLA Bob Maskell in which Maskell billed the government of Alberta $600 for one short meeting with Lukaszuk on the topic of Fort Edmonton Park. Lukazsuk supported Jim Dinning in the 2006 Tory leadership race and is the only Edmonton Tory MLA without a seat at Ed Stelmach’s cabinet table.
Kibermanis works in the construction industry as a welder and is a former draft pick for the former NHL Winnipeg Jets. He’s also active in the “Raise the Roof” campaign for Edmonton Housing and is an active member of the Cumberland-Oxford community league executive in Castle Downs. Like Lukaszuk, Kibermanis hasn’t stopped campaigning since 2004.
The Greens and the New Democrats are running Bob Reckhow and Ali Haymour respectively. Reckhow has been an faculty member at the University of Alberta and Athabasca University, and has a Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from the University of Toronto. Haymour is a Sheriff with Alberta’s Solicitor General Department, but is currently on leave while finishing a degree at the University of Alberta.
Between 2004 and 2006, Castle Downs grew by 12.45%, bringing over 3,600 new voters to the constituency. Castle Downs is also a relatively young constituency with only 30% of residents over the age of 45.
Edmonton-Castle Downs 2008 Candidates
Alberta Liberal – Chris Kibermanis
Green – Bob Reckhow
ND- Ali Haymour
PC – Thomas Lukaszuk*
Edmonton-Castle Downs Past Election Results
2005 (Post-Judicial Recounts)
x Thomas Lukaszuk, PC – 5,022
Chris Kibermanis, Lib – 5,019
Peter Cross, NDP – 1,314
Colin Presizniuk, AA – 586
Ross Korpi, SC – 78
2004
Chris Kibermanis, Lib – 5,019
x Thomas Lukaszuk, PC – 5,014
Peter Cross, NDP – 1,317
Colin Presizniuk, AA – 583
Ross Korpi, SC – 78
Voter Turnout: 41.3%
2001 Thomas Lukaszuk, PC – 5,971
Boris Yaremko, Lib – 4,479
Michael Charrois, NDP – 1,235
Voter Turnout: 46.9%
1997 Pamela Paul, Lib – 4,456
Ihor Broda, PC – 4,373
Peter Johnsen, NDP – 1,394
Dave Friesen, SC – 460
Voter Turnout: 50.4%
Created in 1993, Calgary-Varsity was represented by Tory Murray Smith until 2004 when the patronage gods blessed him with the position of Alberta’s Ambassador to the United States of America in Washington D.C.. Smith’s blessing included a $210,500 annual salary, a car, a posh Washington apartment and other benefits, and a $105,000 quitting bonus for leaving his job five months early (a sweetheart clause that was signed and sealed by Ed Stelmach when he was Alberta’s Intergovernmental Affairs Minister).
In 2004, with Smith’s departure, Alberta Liberal Harry Chase challenged Tory Mike Smyth and surprised many political watchers by defeating Smyth by over 700 votes. Chase (who also has one of the best names in Alberta politics) is a school teacher and former Friends of Medicare organizer. In 2004, Chase benefited from the apathetic Tory campaign and a strong get-out-the-vote campaign by the University of Calgary Students’ Union (the University of Calgary is in Varsity).
In 2008, Chase is facing off against Tory Jennifer Diakiw. Diakiw is a fundraiser for SAIT and the U of C and has a long history of involvement with the PC Party. Diakiw also describes herself like a lot of modern women would: “For 25 years, like a lot of modern women, she has juggled family, career and a deep commitment to the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, and has thrived successfully in each.” (no word if Diakiw has previously served as a local returning officer). Chase and Diakiw are joined by Green Sean Maw, Wildrose Alliance candidate Brennan Ltyle, and New Democrat Tim Stock-Bateman.
Sean Maw is a Engineering Instructor at Mount Royal College and has previously served as the Research Director at Calgary’s Olympic Oval. He was also involved in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics and is also working on projects for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Brennan Ltyle is a U of C Political Science graduate who is now working for Suncor Energy. Tim Stock-Bateman is the Director of Development for Corporate & Foundation Relations for the University of Calgary. Stock-Bateman also released a pretty clever campaign video on YouTube earlier in the campaign.
Between 2004 and 2006, Varsity grew by 10.46%, bringing over 2,700 new voters the constituency. The mix of the large university community and Calgary’s dissatisfaction with Tory leader Ed Stelmach, Varsity should be one of the safer Calgary Liberal constituencies in this election.
2008 Calgary-Varsity Candidates
Alberta Liberal – Harry Chase*
Green – Sean Maw
ND – Tim Stock-Bateman
PC – Jennifer Diakiw
Wildrose Alliance – Brennan Ltyle
Upcoming All-Candidates Debates
Tuesday, February 26, 12:00-1:30 pm
University of Calgary
MacEwan Student Centre
Wednesday, February 27, 7:00-9:00 pm
Dalhousie Community Centre
5432 Dalhart Rd. N.W.
Past-Election results in Calgary-Varsity
2004
Harry Chase, Lib – 6,347
Michael Smyth, PC – 5,591
Ronald Beninger, AA – 765
Richard Larson, Grn – 761
Mark Gabruch, ND – 637
Leonard Skowronski, SC – 118
Voter Turnout: 54.2%
2001
x Murray Smith, PC – 8,173
Carrol Jaques, Lib – 3,938
Susan Scott, ND – 1,309
Travis De Preez, Grn – 334
Voter Turnout: 59.4%
1997
x Murray Smith, PC – 7,232
Carrol Jaques, Lib – 5,414
Mike Bressers, SC – 646
Dick Huysman, NDP – 640
Joel Ashworth, Grn – 132
Voter Turnout: 59.10%
RottenTories.ca has a great review of Ed Stelmach’s new film…
The Bucket List (2008)
Consensus:“Plan 9 from outer space”…minus the plan!
Rated: R for Ridiculous
Runtime: 37 Years
Theatrical Release: Aug 30th , 1971
Box Office: $940 a second
Synopsis: In this sequel to the 1971 flop, “Harry Strom”, Ed Stelmach captures the Tory leadership on what his future press secretary calls a “just say no to Calgary” platform and sets out to run one of the least inspiring, most accident prone campaigns in Alberta history. This big budget production is full of plot holes in everything from his health care to daycare announcements.Genre: Would be a comedy … if it wasn’t so sad.
Starring: Ed Stelmach
Director: No director. That’s the problem.
Calgary Grit has a pretty good rundown of the ongoing Tory CRO appointment scandal and here’s a great clip from Friday’s Edmonton Journal:
“On Thursday, Stelmach insisted he had nothing to do with selecting the returning officers. Tom Olsen, a spokesman for the premier, later clarified that Conservative MLAs and Tory constituency associations put names forward to party officials, and those officials submit the list to the chief electoral officer at Elections Alberta. Cabinet then approves the choices through an order-in-council.”
Here’s some video footage that I took of Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft announcing that an Alberta Liberal government will put the Chief Electoral Officer in charge of ensuring free and fair elections in Alberta, rather than… say… the Progressive Conservative Party. A modest proposal if I’ve ever heard one…
In a stunning mid-election move, Alberta Tory leader Ed Stelmach has appointed former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris as Alberta’s new Chief Returning Officer.
Stelmach, who has also appointed a number of PC-affiliated, but completely unbiased, local Returning Officers (including PC Constituency Officials and failed PC nomination candidates) declared that this move was part of his party’s plan for change that works for Albertans.
Faced with criticism, Stelmach was quick hit to hit back: “there are many people that I know… that are in Alberta… met over the years… so are you saying anyone that anybody I shook a hand with the optics are that they can’t ever serve as a deputy returning officer?“
As Republican Secretary of State for the State of Florida, Harris presided over the 2000 US presidential election in that state. Though there were allegations of conflicts of interest and partisan, unethical behavior by Harris during the 2000 campaign, they were mostly leveled by know-it-all liberal-types who didn’t support Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush in the first place. A year before the 2000 election, Harris had been named as Bush’s Florida campaign co-chair, a position that did not create a bias during the election. The 2000 US Presidential Election in Florida went off without a hitch.
With half of current Returning Officers appointed by Stelmach having strong connections to the 37-year-old Progressive Conservative government, it is only fair that a completely unbiased individual with a clear record of unbiased and fair involvement in elections, such as Katherine Harris, help make sure that Alberta’s elections turn out the way they should.
Here’s a look at some of the best 2008 Alberta election related YouTube videos from this week…
The Alberta Liberals have released a fantastic video of Leader Kevin Taft talking about Alberta’s future.
Edmonton-Strathcona Alberta Liberal candidate Tim Vant has come out with this video. Tim is the owner of Fiore’s Italian Cantina in the Garneau-area of Edmonton-Strathcona. The video includes an endorsement from Kim Franklin, owner of the High Level Diner.
Calgary-North Hill Alberta Liberal candidate Pat Murray has released an, err… interesting video… points for creativity, Pat…
The spotlight is put on Lacombe-Ponoka Tory MLA Ray Prins in a video from Alberta Green candidate Joe Anglin.
Red Deer-North ND candidate Shawn Nielson has a created a video of what can only be described as ‘epic’…
Here’s number 1 of 3 online get out the vote videos…
Can someone please explain to me how the Premier of Alberta recommending appointments of election Returning Officers is appropriate on any level?
Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach said he doesn’t believe the Tory connections are a problem, especially since all returning officers are picked by the chief electoral officer.
“They’re all interviewed by the chief electoral officer and were selected by the electoral officer,” Stelmach said Tuesday in Strathmore.But Jacqueline Roblin, spokeswoman for Elections Alberta, said the names of returning officers actually come directly from Stelmach.
“They come right from the premier’s office with these names that they are recommending that they be appointed,” she said Wednesday.
…
Roblin said candidates for returning officer jobs are interviewed by the chief electoral officer to ensure they follow provincial law. She said about half of the returning officers questioned have connections to the Tories, while the other half said they don’t have ties to any political party.
I wish someone could explain to me how Ed Stelmach doesn’t think this is an issue?
A little bit of shameless promotion this evening…
– Tomorrow morning Edmontonians will bear witness to an epic political battle rivaling Rumble in the Jungle as Ken Chapman and I will face off at 7:40 a.m. on CityTV Edmonton… so, tune in.
– I wrote a column in this week’s SEE Magazine… you check it out. Also, make sure to check out the main story in this week’s SEE in which Public Interest Alberta‘s Bill Moore-Kilgannon talks about the secrecy of the current Tory government.
– I’m glad to see that Calgary-Fish Creek Alberta Liberal candidate Laura Shutiak is getting some mainstream media attention for starting her campaign blog. Keep up the good work, Laura!