Tag: Alberta Election 2023

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Alberta Politics

It’s all about the UCP leadership review

Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis and Premier Danielle Smith respond to questions about politicians accepting tickets to NHL playoff games (source: Screenshot from YourAlberta / YouTube)
Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis and Premier Danielle Smith respond to questions about politicians accepting tickets to NHL playoff games (source: Screenshot from YourAlberta / YouTube)

Protected rights for the unvaccinated and tax cuts aimed at appeasing unruly UCP members ahead of November vote

Summer is normally a time when politics cools down and politicians hit the BBQ circuit, but there’s something smelly in the air and it’s not just the wildfire smoke that Albertans have become accustomed to being part of our increasingly hot summers.

A political scandal surrounding Premier Danielle Smith and senior United Conservative Party cabinet ministers accepting tickets to skybox seats during the Edmonton Oilers NHL playoff run has erupted. Globe & Mail journalist Carrie Tait first broke the story that Smith and some UCP cabinet ministers had accepted box seat tickets to NHL playoff hockey games from private corporations that have close connections to or are lobbying the Alberta government.

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Alberta Politics

Why Kathleen Ganley is running for the Alberta NDP leadership

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley (source: Kathleen Ganley / Facebook)
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley (source: Kathleen Ganley / Facebook)

Calgary NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley joins the Daveberta Podcast to share why she is running to replace Rachel Notley as leader of the Alberta NDP.

Subscribe to the Daveberta Substack to listen to the interview.

 

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Alberta Politics

Danielle Smith’s big win

UCP leader Danielle Smith on election night in Calgary (source: Danielle Smith / Facebook)
UCP leader Danielle Smith on election night in Calgary (source: Danielle Smith / Facebook)

Losing Calgary was the plan Smith shared with Rick Bell months before the 2023 election

Danielle Smith has never been interested in building a big tent political party.

It was October 2022 when Smith landed in hot water with United Conservative Party MLAs from Calgary when she told Postmedia columnist Rick Bell that she would be okay with her party losing half its seats in that city.

Fast forward seven months and that’s what happened when Smith’s UCP were re-elected on May 29, 2023.

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Daveberta Podcast

Ask Me Anything about Alberta politics episode

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You shared your Alberta politics questions and we answered them in our annual Ask Me Anything episode of the Daveberta Podcast.

New and recent episodes of the Daveberta Podcast are available to paid subscribers of the Daveberta Substack. In case you missed them, you can catch up on recent Daveberta Podcast episodes with Edmonton Public School Board chairperson Trisha Estabrooks, thewrit.ca publisher Éric Grenier, and strategist Chris Henderson.

The Daveberta Podcast is hosted by Dave Cournoyer and produced by Adam Rozenhart. This episode was recorded on July 12, 2023.

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Alberta Politics

Saddle up. Calgary Stampede politics are back.

The cover of the 1974 Calgary Exhibition and Stampede annual report (source: Glenbow Museum)
The cover of the 1974 Calgary Exhibition and Stampede annual report (source: Glenbow Museum)

Dust off your cowboy boots and hat. It’s that time of year again. It’s the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. It’s the Calgary Stampede.

The Stampede is a must attend event for politicians of all stripes. Aside from the actual rodeo (the Chuckwagon races are a must see), the free pancake breakfast and BBQ circuit is unparalleled and a huge opportunity for local, provincial and federal politicians to connect with Calgarians. Proper attire is key, as is the ability to wear it properly.

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Alberta Politics

Bringing Jason Nixon and Ric McIver back into cabinet was smart politics

Then-leader of the Wildrose Party Danielle Smith at a press conference during the 2014 Edmonton-Whitemud by-election. Newly nominated Wildrose candidate Jason Nixon is standing on the right side of the photo. (source: Dave Cournoyer)
Then-leader of the Wildrose Party Danielle Smith at a press conference during the 2014 Edmonton-Whitemud by-election. Newly nominated Wildrose candidate Jason Nixon is standing on the right side of the photo. (source: Dave Cournoyer)

It has been almost two weeks since Alberta Premier Danielle Smith named her new 24-member cabinet and a lot of ink has been spilled dissecting what the appointments could mean for the start of the United Conservative Party’s second term as government and the next four years.

There are big challenges facing the new cabinet, especially for ministers appointed to high-profile positions. But what caught my attention among the appointments was the return of two former cabinet ministers who were pushed into the backbenches when Smith entered the Premier’s Office last October.

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Alberta Politics

The election aftermath for Alberta’s NDP

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley at an Edmonton rally on May 28, 2023 (source: Rachel Notley / Facebook)
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley at an Edmonton rally on May 28, 2023 (source: Rachel Notley / Facebook)
Victory was within sight but out of reach for Notley’s party

It was a historic election result for the Alberta NDP.

Rachel Notley’s NDP won 38 seats in last week’s election and will form the largest Official Opposition in the province’s history. The NDP got more votes in this election than it ever has before, including a historic high of 49% in Calgary. The party ran the most sophisticated, well-organized and best-funded campaign in its history.

But it fell short of its ultimate goal of forming government.

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Alberta Politics

How to build an Alberta cabinet without Edmonton

Premier Danielle Smith and UCP candidates election 2023
It’s easy. Edmontonians didn’t want a seat at Smith’s cabinet table.

It has been one week since Alberta’s election and Premier Danielle Smith is expected to appoint a new roster of cabinet ministers soon.

At least six current United Conservative Party cabinet ministers and three former cabinet ministers were defeated in the election. Along with four former cabinet ministers who declined to run for re-election, it means there could be some new and inexperienced MLAs with jobs as cabinet ministers.

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Alberta Politics

Top 12 closest races of Alberta’s 2023 election

The top 12 closest races in Alberta’s 2023 election (map source: CanadianPolling.ca)
The top 12 closest races in Alberta’s 2023 election (map source: CanadianPolling.ca)

It’s been a few days since Election Day in Alberta and as the dust begins to settle I’ve been able to take a closer look at the results in ridings across the province.

The Alberta election results tell a big story.

1. Alberta is politically divided, but not equally divided everywhere.
2. Alberta is politically competitive, but only in some places.

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Alberta Politics

Never bet against the Conservatives in Alberta

UCP leader Danielle Smith on election night in Calgary (source: Danielle Smith / Facebook)
UCP leader Danielle Smith on election night in Calgary (source: Danielle Smith / Facebook)

Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party will form a majority government in Alberta and Rachel Notley’s NDP will form the Official Opposition.

As of 2:00am, the UCP has 49 seats and the NDP has 38, which I believe is the closest election result in Alberta’s history. There are still some remaining polls that haven’t reported in a few Calgary ridings with tight races, so those numbers could shift slightly.

This election has been a wild ride and the electoral map shows a deeply divided province.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack. Sign up for a paid subscription to get access to the Daveberta Podcast and special election extras.

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Alberta Politics

Impress your friends with Alberta election night trivia

Sunset at the Alberta Legislature (source: Dave Cournoyer)

It’s Election Day in Alberta! If you didn’t vote in the advance polls, voting stations are open today from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Whether you are planning to settle in for a quiet evening of results watching or heading to your local candidate’s campaign office for a victory party, I am happy to share some fun Alberta election trivia you can wow your friends and family with tonight.

Enjoy!

Dave

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Alberta Politics

Follow the leaders: Mapping where Smith and Notley campaigned in Alberta’s election

A map showing which ridings UCP leader Danielle Smith campaigned in from May 1 to May 27, 2023 (map: CanadianPolling.ca)
A map showing which ridings UCP leader Danielle Smith campaigned in from May 1 to May 27, 2023 (map: CanadianPolling.ca)

Over the course of the election I’ve been doing my best to keep track of which ridings United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith and Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley visited for events and announcements on the campaign trail between May 1 and May 27, 2023.

The leader’s tour can give some insight into where the parties are on the defensive and where they hope to make gains in an election. And, if competitive ridings are the big measurement, then there were only a few surprises on this map.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack. Sign up for a paid subscription to get access to the Daveberta Podcast and special election extras.

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Alberta Politics

Nenshi and Harper endorsements set the tone for final weekend of Alberta’s election

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley and former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi (source: Rachel Notley / Twitter)
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley and former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi (source: Rachel Notley / Twitter)

There are two days left until Election Day in Alberta.

I was planning on taking a short break from writing any election commentary this morning, but I decided I had a few thoughts I wanted to share about some recent high-profile election endorsements.

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Alberta Politics

Final Friday! Three days left until Election Day in Alberta

NDP leader Rachel Notley speaking at an event in support of Calgary-Fish Creek candidate Rebecca Bounsall (source: Rebecca Bounsall / Twitter)

There are three days left until Election Day in Alberta!

The parties and their leaders are spending the final days making their last pitches to voters and rallying their supporters.

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley spoke to a crowd of about 350 supporters at a campaign rally in Medicine Hat yesterday before heading back to Calgary to speak at a backyard gathering in support of Calgary-Fish Creek candidate Rebecca Bounsall.

Neither of these places are where an NDP leader would traditionally spend any time during the final days of the campaign in past elections but all of the old assumptions have been tossed out the window in 2023.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack. Sign up for a paid subscription to get access to the Daveberta Podcast and special election extras.

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Alberta Politics

Daveberta Podcast: An election so hot, you melt like you’re staring into the Ark of the Covenant

With Election Day only a few days away, Chris Henderson joins the Daveberta Podcast for a deep discussion about Alberta’s election campaign, how we got here and the spicy scenarios that might become reality after the votes are counted on May 29. We also discuss what the possible election outcomes mean for United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith and Alberta NDP Rachel Notley.

Listen to this episode of the Daveberta Podcast by signing up for a paid subscription to the Daveberta Substack.

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