Tag: Rufus Awharitoma

10 things I’m watching in the Alberta Legislature this spring

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 25, 2025

The Rotunda of the Alberta Legislature Building ahead of the provincial budget announcement in February 2024 (photo credit: Dave Cournoyer)

Political scandals, resignations, budget cuts, strikes and coal mining – Alberta politics is never boring

The familiar voice of Speaker Nathan Cooper calling out “order!” and “the honourable member for…” will once again echo through the hallowed halls of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly when MLAs return to Edmonton for the start of the spring session today.

Government House Leader Joseph Schow released the United Conservative Party government’s legislative agenda for the session, which I will write about over the next few weeks, but here is a broader overview of what I’m watching as MLAs return to the Legislature:

1. Private surgical contracts scandal

Some people are calling it the Dodgy Contracts Scandal and the opposition NDP have gone all in on naming it CorruptCare, but whatever you are calling this political scandal there is no doubt it will be front and centre in this legislative session.

This morning’s news that Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie is resigning from cabinet in protest of the scandal and how Premier Danielle Smith has handled it is sure to add fuel to the political fire.

“I’m not going to stand by and see potential corruption exist within government and be a part of that,” Guthrie is reported to have said. He plans to sit in the Legislature as a UCP MLA, but whether Smith wants him to remain in the government caucus is unclear (and unlikely).

Cracks in UCP cabinet unity started to show when Guthrie’s proposal to remove Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange from her current cabinet post was leaked to the media, though it is unclear who leaked it.

Smith and LaGrange tried to change the channel on the scandal at a press conference last week by pinning the blame on Alberta Health Services procurement staff, but an almost never-ending series of scoops from Globe & Mail investigative reporters Carrie Tait and Alanna Smith have undermined the UCP government’s efforts to spin their way out of the political storm.

Expect the NDP opposition, with the protections of parliamentary privilege, to spend a lot of time questioning and prodding UCP cabinet ministers about this scandal during Question Period.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack

Many subscribers know that I am tracking candidates running for party nominations in Alberta ahead of the upcoming federal election. The list of candidates is available for everyone to read but paid subscribers get extra information about the nomination contests and candidates.

Tags Adriana LaGrange, Alanna Smith, Alberta Federal Candidate Nomination Update, Alberta Health Services, Alberta NDP, Amber Murray, Athana Mentzelopoulos, Blake Desjarlais, Bow River, Calgary McKnight, Calgary-Skyview, Carrie Tait, CorruptCare Scandal, Dale McFee, Danielle Smith, Dave Quest, Daveberta Substack, David Bexte, Dodgy Contracts Scandal, Edmonton-Griesbach, Foothills, Graham Abela, Grande Prairie, Jennifer Villebrun, JL DeCosta, John Bruinsma, Joseph Schow, Josh Senneker, Karen Principe, Kattie Aurora, Lethbridge, Mark Carney, Mickey Amery, Naheed Nenshi, Nathan Cooper, Nathan Svoboda, Peter Guthrie, Ritesh Narayan, Rufus Awharitoma, Spring Session of the Alberta Legislature, Tanveer Taj, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Long list of COVID-19 grievances could head to UCP AGM policy debate

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date September 16, 2024

Premier Danielle Smith and Innisfail-Sylvan Lake UCP MLA Devin Dreeshen at a UCP member only town hall meeting (source: United Conservative Party / Facebook)

It’s hard to imagine the old PC Party getting bogged down by this debate

If I had walked into the Alberta Legislature ten years ago and told an MLA, staffer, or journalist that in 2024 the province’s political landscape would be a competitive two-party system, I probably would have been laughed out of the Rotunda. They might have even alerted a security guard if I’d been so out of my mind to predict that the New Democratic Party would be competing with the conservatives to form Alberta’s government.

Until that point ten years ago, only twice in the Progressive Conservative Party’s four decades of uninterrupted majority governments had the dynasty been seriously challenged in an election. The PC Party was unquestionably Alberta’s Natural Governing Party.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack

Tags Airdrie-Cochrane, Alberta Bill of Rights, Alberta Federal Candidate Nomination Update, Alberta NDP, An Injection of Truth, Banff-Kananaskis, Black Hat Gang, Blake Desjarlais, Bridget Mearns, Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Fish Creek, Calgary-Lougheed, Calgary-Peigan, Calgary-Shaw, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, COVID-19 grievances, COVID-19 Pandemic, Danielle Smith, Dave Hancock, Dave Quest, Daveberta Substack, David Egan, Devin Dreeshen, Edmonton Southeast, Edmonton-Griesbach, Edmonton-Whitemud, Eric Bouchard, Highwood, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, Jason Kenney, Jason Stephan, Jim Prentice, Kerry Diotte, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, Lethbridge-West, Lethbridge-West by-election, Louisiana State Legislature, Morinville-St. Albert, Naheed Nenshi, Nixan Patel, Policy Making, Rachel Notley, Red Deer-South, Rob Miyashiro, Robin Campbell, Rufus Awharitoma, Shannon Phillips, Sherwood Park, Stockwell Day, Taber-Warner, Ted Morton, Tyler Shandro, UCP AGM 2024, United Conservative Party, United Conservative Party Policy Document, William Aberhart, World Health Organization

Alberta Politics

Alberta NDP leadership candidates consider splitting from the federal NDP

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 21, 2024

NDP leadership Rakhi Pancholi (photo source: Rakhi Pancholi / Facebook)

NDP members should remember there is no easy fix. Just ask the Alberta Liberals.

“This action reflects the isolationist politics of Alberta, but more importantly it is the result of the deep, deep malaise at the top end of the federal party. There is the little Toronto power group which throws the ball back and fourth to each other – they feed off each other.”

That was a quote from an Alberta Liberal activist attending the party’s convention in Calgary where members of the seatless party voted two-to-one to break ties and declare provincial independence from the Liberal Party of Canada led by Prime Minister Trudeau.

That was in February 1977.

Fast forward to today and, although the circumstances are different, you might hear something similar come from the mouth of an Alberta NDP member when talking about the provincial party’s relationship with the federal NDP in Ottawa.