daveberta.ca - Alberta Politics and Elections

This post belongs in the ridiculous category.

It appears that Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work has decided to reward Government Services Minister Ty Lund for his “commitment to the province’s freedom of information and privacy legislation.” Lund, who was first elected in the Rocky Mountain House riding in 1989, was known as “Forest Stump” during his days as Forestry Minister (a name coined by former Liberal leader and Senator, Nick Taylor).

Funny, this year the Canadian Association of Journalists awarded the government of Alberta with the “Code of Silence Award” for its poor handling of the media and opposition’s request for access to government flight logs.

This is the same government which used FOIP to stall opposition access to government flight logs, important Enron documents, West Edmonton Mall’s ATB financing records, and Stockwell Day’s legal fees (the Opposition Liberals had to pay $59,571 in FOIP fees to find out that the PC Government paid $792,000 of Stockwell Day’s legal fees).

Now, I’m not accusing Mr. Work of political hackery or anything. His CV and experience is pretty impressive.

But, according to his website “[t]he Commissioner is an Officer of the Legislature.” Okay… he’s an officer of a Legislature in which the Tories have held a majority for the past 34 years…

According to the CBC, Gurmant Grewal has been cleared of wrongdoing in two investigations launched after the Conservative member of Parliament tried to get Ottawa-bound passengers at Vancouver’s airport to carry a package for him.

The RCMP and Transport Canada were investigating the June 4 incident to see if Grewal committed any offence

Now the RCMP says the Newton-North Delta MP is off the hook because he had cleared security with the package before he started approaching people to do the errand for him. Read the rest here

#5 of the Dog Judo series is out!

(Thanks to Rob for the heads up!)

“Stumbling Tory MP Grewal hasn’t exactly acted like a 007 agent, but more like a suicide bomber”

– Angelo Persichilli, the Hill Times

I thought this picture was funny and appropriate at the same time….

Today, Alberta Advanced Education Minister Dave Hancock announced the composition of a committee that will review Post-Secondary Education in Alberta. No student or faculty representatives are on the committee, but not surprisingly there are 3 Tory MLA’s on it.

(On another note: This story caught my eye.)

Tory Minister Guy Boutilier got into a shouting match with ND MLA Ray Martin yesterday afternoon!

According to CBC, Martin wanted to know why a developer that has donated money to the Fort McMurray MLA got what the NDP is calling a sweetheart deal on 900 acres of government land in Fort McMurray, with no public tender.

Boutilier, who was elected MLA for Fort McMurray in 1997 is currently Alberta’s Minister of the Environment. Boutilier was Mayor of Fort McMurray from 1992 to 1997, when he jumped to the provincial scene following the retirement of Fort McMurray Liberal MLA Adam Germain.

Ray Martin is the ND MLA for Edmonton Beverly Clareview. Martin served as MLA for Edmonton Norwood from 1982 to 1993 and ND Leader from 1984 to 1994. In 1993, Martin was defeated in Norwood by Liberal Andrew Beniuk. Last November, Martin returned to provincial politics after being elected in the Edmonton Beverly Clareview riding.

More Boutilier outrage can be found here, here, and here.

It seems I have AGAIN had the privilege of gracing the pages of another forces of darkness blog! Two in one week! Wow. Peter Rempel must be a trend-setter.

This time, it happens to be on the nicely designed RootleWeb blog, run by a Blogger known only as Ruth.

It appears that Ms. Ruth has taken exception with my fourth criterion of selecting “le blog of the week.” In a recent posting about the tolerance level of “lefties,” Ms. Ruth wrote:

“Now consider Daveberta’s criteria for his blog of the week:
1. Smart
2. Entertaining
3. Informative
4. Not crazy right-wing.
Why the need to add the last criterion? If everyone is entitled to their opinion and we must be tolerant of all, then why not select a blog that is smart, entertaining, informative and also crazy right wing. The combination does exist. Captain’s Quarters is a perfect example.”

First, I would like to thank Ms. Ruth for her post.

Second, I agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion (no matter how crazy that opinion may be).

Third, I would like to point out that I have not excluded all right-wing blogs, only those which I consider “crazy-right wing.” So, there still is potential for 2 or 3 of the hundred or so blogging forces of darkness to make “le blog of the week.”

Don’t Click Here

Former Liberal MP Pat O’Brien has said that he and another (unnamed) Liberal MP may vote against the Government in tonight’s budget vote if the Government did not delay the Same-Sex Marriage Bill.

So, assuming all MP’s show up, and the O’Brien senario plays out, that would make it:

131 Liberals (-the Speaker and the ‘unnamed Liberal MP’)
19 ND’s
= 150

96 Tories (minus Gurmant Grewal and David Chatters (Chatters for sure), and perhaps Darrell Stinson)
54 Bloc Quebecois
1 Independent (O’Brien)
1 Liberal (My bets are on Tom Wappell)
= 152

WILD CARD: 2 other Independent MP’s (Parrish and Kilgour)

So, if this senario plays out and both Parrish and Kilgour vote with the Lib/ND Coalition, then the Speaker will break the tie, if not…

Read more on CBC.

This really ticked me off.

Last week, the US House Appropriations Subcommittee voted to slash the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s budget for next year by $100 million and eliminated another $23 million used to pay for shows such as Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, and Arthur.

They also voted to cut funding entirely from the Corporation for Publc Broadcasting within 2 years!

This seems to be a direct result of Bush’s appointment of Roveite and outed-O’Reilly Factor fan, Kenneth Tomlinson, as the Chair of the CPB Board of Directors.

According to the group People for the American Way, Tomlinson has claimed to have concerns about the “objectivity and balance” of the CPB and PBS, Tomlinson has taken a series of steps to ensure that their programming better reflects the Republican mandate. In response, he has:

– Created programs to showcase conservative views such as “Tucker Carlson Unfiltered” and “The Journal Editorial Report.”

– Hired a White House staffer to draft guidelines for a new PBS ombudsman to monitor programs for bias.

– Filled the ombudsman positions with one conservative and one “liberal” who endorsed Bush’s former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels in his run for governor of Indiana.

– Replaced the CPB’s chief executive officer with a top Republican advisor to former chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, Tomlinson is now pushing for the appointment of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to serve as the board’s next president.

What’s next? Jerry Falwell’s Sesame Street Hour with Big Bird, the happy and abstinent heterosexual freedom bird?

Read more: here, here, and here.

It looks like I’ve again had the privilege of gracing the pages of our right-wing blog friend, Rempelia Prime. RP is one of my favorite blogs on the forces of darkness blogroll.

Thanks for the coverage, Peter.

I still think that this was one of the funnest (and one of the most unexpected) results from last November’s provincial election.

Liberal candidate Jack Flaherty went up against two-term Tory MLA Mary O’Neill in St. Albert and won. Flaherty spent $14,003, and O’Neill spent $61,434.

Businesses boosted Tory candidate’s campaign

By Mark Wells
Staff Writer
St. Albert Gazette

Money isn’t everything when it comes to politics.

Incumbent Tory MLA Mary O’Neill had a whopping $112,931 on hand for her unsuccessful 2004 bid for re-election, according to financial statements released by Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer.

But the two-term MLA was upset by Liberal newcomer Jack Flaherty in a close race, where the challenger spent $14,003. All polls counted, Flaherty won 6,474 votes to O’Neill’s 6,064. Flaherty’s campaign focused on issues like instituting smoking legislation, funding for seniors and the disabled and improving education.

The Liberal MLA managed to raise $9,985 in donations of $375 or less and $1,900 in donations over $375. The only business to contribute to Flaherty’s campaign was Hole’s Greenhouses, with a $500 donation. Edmonton-based Alberta and Northwest Territories Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers gave $400. The remainder of Flaherty’s campaign funding came from the St. Albert Liberal constituency association. Read the rest here!

This “[t]he biggest donors to O’Neill’s campaign were Saint City News owner June Warren Publishing Ltd., which provided $2,000…” pretty much cleared up to me why the SCN editorial pages were so pissed off that Flaherty won.

Oh well. This is what electoral competition looks like, guys!

Dear loyal readers,

Along with updating my ‘les blogs’ section, I’ve added a new feature on the side bar called ‘le blog of the week.’ Hopefully, every week or two, I’ll put some special blogger’s blog in the spotlight and single them out for being:

1. Smart
2. Entertaining
3. Informative
4. Not crazy right-wing.

The very first ‘blog of the week’ is Buckets of Grewal. Buckets is a hard working Hamilton blogger who has taken the blog-o-sphere by storm in gathering info on “Grewal-gate.” Along with co-posters, Edward T. Bear and the Shoveller, Buckets of Grewal is kept crisp and up to date. Buckets even made it on the CTV website!

As all epic battles, the forces of darkness have begun to muster their armies in an attempt to discredit hard-working Buckets.

Alas, Buckets can rest assured that he or she has the full support of daveberta and my small but dedicated band of recycling downtown dwellers.

Keep up it up!

D : )

I thought this was fun. Check out the civilized right-wing response here. I wish people hated me that much 😛

Thanks to Nic at GoPolitical for the heads up.

I watched Back to the Future II last night. Though I am a long time fan of the BTTF Trilogy, this is my least favorite of the three. For those of you not familiar with the second film, here is the just of it (if you haven’t seen it and don’t want me to spoil it for you, leave now and if you stay, I’m assuming you saw the first film).

The movie picks up just before the end of the first film: Marty returns to 1985 and discovers his “present” has been pleasantly changed: his dad is now a successful author, his mom is a hottie, and he is now the proud owner of a super cool black truck, and Biff is now his dad’s *slave*, and Lea Thompson is still hot. Just as Marty and Jennifer (Thompson) reunite, Doc Brown returns in the Delorian (which can now fly). He rushes Marty and Jennifer into the Delorian and tells them they have to come with him to 2015 to save their future son, Marty Jr., from being thrown in jail for some unexplained reason.

So, Doc, Marty, and Jennifer travel from 1985 to 2015 and discover a Hill Valley filled with flying cars, 80’s retro cafes, automatic fitting coats, and hover boards (very cool). Marty intervenes and pretends to be his son, and takes on Griff (who’s Biff’s grandson, and I’m assuming is Needles’ son). Mayhem ensues as Marty out hover boards Griff and his gang of hyper implanted hoodlums. Just when Doc and Marty are ready to return to 1985, the cops pick up and unconscious Jennifer (who Doc zapped to sleep when the first arrived in 2015) and use her finger prints to identify her as Jennifer McFly. Still unconscious, they bring her to her 2015 home in what is then a complete ghetto.

1985 Jennifer

Right before Doc and Marty leave to try to recue her, Doc discovers that Marty had purchased an Almanac of Sports Statistics from 1955 to 2000. Knowing how bringing the book back could change time and have far reaching implications, Doc throws in a garbage can. During this altercation, 2015 Biff had been listening to the entire argument… Doc and Marty go to rescue Jennifer as she is stuck in her 2015 home with 2015 Marty, his parents, and their kids. While the rescue is going on, 2015 Biff steals the Delorian and travels back to 1955 with the Almanac that Doc had taken away from Marty. Jennifer is rescued after seeing what a bunch of losers her 2015 family is.

2015 Marty and 2015 Needles

So, back to 1985 they go (not knowing that Biff had returned the Delorian from 1955 to 2015). When the three return to 1985 Hill Valley, they discover that it is not the same Hill Valley. 2015 Biff had traveled back to 1955 Hill Valley and gave the Sports Almanac to 1955 Biff. Since that point, an alternate history was created and a new 1985 was created. Marty’s dad was dead (shot by Biff), his mom was now the bimbo wife of Biff (now the richest man in America-having never lost a sports bet). Doc and Marty discover what 2015 Biff did and decide that they now must travel back to 1955 Hill Valley and stop 2015 Biff from giving 1955 Biff the book (yes, this is very confusing to write). So, Doc and Marty leave Jennifer and Einstein (Doc’s dog) in the alternate 1985 Hill Valley and travel back to 1955 Hill Valley (the setting of the first movie).

Hilarious mayhem ensues as Marty tries to get the Almanac back from 1955 Biff. Long story short, with the help of Doc and his 2015 hover board, he does. The movie is about to end when the Delorian, with Doc in it, gets struck by lightening and vapourized right before Marty’s eyes. All hope is lost; Marty is stuck in 1955 with no time machine.

But then, a mailman (played by Joe Flarhety) drives up (in the pouring rain) and delivers a letter to Marty which had been waiting to be delivered to that exact spot in 1955 for 75 years. Marty opens the letter and sees that it’s from Doc! The lightening strike zapped him back to 1885! He’s okay! But Marty is still stuck in 1955… (end scene)

Okay, I hope this was brief enough. If I made any *major* mistakes, let me know.

Though I did enjoy the film, I found it to be too jumpy and chopy (all that time travelling and so on). Here are some things I liked about this film:

1. The political references in the 2015 Hill Valley 1980’s retro café (especially the Reagan/Ayatollah reference).

2. The hover board and the fun of 2015 Hill Valley in general!

3. Seeing alternate 1985 Mr. Strickland blast his shotgun while yelling “slackers!”

4. The scene with 2015 Biff and 1955 Biff (“Shut up butthead!”).

5. My favourite quote, Doc to Marty: “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

I have some unanswered questions:

1. Why does Doc let Marty take the 2015 Hover Board back to 1985? And then to 1955?

2. Would a mail delivery company hold on to a letter for 75 years?

3. If 1980’s are coming back now (2005), then are they going to stick around until 2015? (god hope not!)

4. Is Needles, Biff’s son?

5. What did 2015 Marty do to get fired from his job?