It was 1975 and Lougheed’s PCs were swimming in oil money like Scrooge McDuck
The Heritage Savings Trust Fund was front and centre in Premier Danielle Smith‘s pre-budget televised speech last week, so there’s a good chance Albertans are going to hear a lot about it when Finance Minister Nate Horner rises in the Legislative Assembly this afternoon to table the provincial government’s annual budget.
In her 8-minute address to Albertans, Smith said she wants to funnel oil and gas royalty revenues into the Heritage Savings Trust Fund to increase it to between $250 and $400 billion by 2050. A report to the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund reported the fund had a market value of $21.6 billion in 2023.
Many Albertans know the patriotic version of the Heritage Savings Trust Fund story – a visionary rainy day bank account created in the 1970s by former premier Peter Lougheed meant to preserve Alberta’s oil wealth for future generations. But like many political stories that reach legendary status it is missing a lot of relevant historical context.
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- Tags 2024 Alberta NDP Leadership Race, Adriana LaGrange, Alberta Budget 2024, Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, Alberta NDP, Anaida Poilievre, Brian Jean, Corb Lund, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David Climenhaga, David Parker, Don Braid, Gil McGowan, Gordon Miniely, Grant Notley, Harry Strom, Janet Brown, Jenni Byrne, Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Max Fawcett, Nate Horner, Perry Bellegarde, Peter Lougheed, Pierre Poilievre, Sarah Hoffman, Scooge McDuck, Take Back Alberta, Tyler Gandam, United Conservative Party, Werner Schmidt
Danielle Smith’s transgender youth policy isn’t really about parental rights
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date February 9, 2024
“Parental rights” has a long history in Alberta and it’s not what it sounds like
When you write about politics for long enough you begin to notice certain themes and issues that pop up perennially year to year.
So when Premier Danielle Smith’s office released a 7-minute video last week laden with messages about parental rights, my mind immediately wandered back to the first time I heard that term in 2006.
Those were heady days to be a political writer in Alberta. The Ralph Klein era was coming to an end and there was a whiff of change in the air.
From the Progressive Conservative backbenches came a private members’ bill that, under the guise of parents rights, would force schools to notify parents anytime school material included a mention of same-sex marriage and that no student be required to attend or teacher be required to teach that part of the course. This was less than one year after same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada.
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- Tags 2024 Alberta NDP Leadership Race, Alberta Medical Association, Alberta NDP, Alberta Office in Ottawa, Alberta Pro-Life Political Association, Alberta Teachers' Association, Alex Puddifant, Alison Redford, Brian Mason, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Eric Bouchard, Feo Snagovsky, Gay-Straight Alliances, Irfan Sabir, Jeff Gunnarson, Jim Prentice, John Carpenter, Jonathan Teghtmeyer, Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Ganley, Libertas Alberta, Lindsay Blackett, Naheed Nenshi, Raj Pannu, Rakhi Pancholi, Ralph Klein, Richard Dur, Sarah Hoffman, Shane Getson, Shannon Phillips, Sing for Love 2024, Take Back Alberta, Tanner Hnidey, Ted Morton, Transgender Rights in Alberta, Tucker Carlson, United Conservative Party
10 things I’m watching in Alberta politics in 2024
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date January 22, 2024
From the price of oil to the influence of right-wing populist groups to the NDP leadership race and more
January is usually a quiet month in politics, making it a good time to look ahead at what to expect in the year to come. Here are ten things I will be watching that could have a big impact on Alberta politics in 2024:
1. Price of oil
Alberta is probably the only province where the international price of oil is at the top of the Premier’s daily briefing notes. The price of oil not only has a big impact on a lot of Albertans’ jobs, but also the provincial government’s revenue stream.
Relying heavily on the price of oil to pay for the day to day operations of public services, the Alberta government’s 2023/2024 budget projected as much as 25 percent of its revenue will come from oil and gas royalties.
“If we go into this coming fiscal year starting April 1 with $72 per barrel, that might put the government into a situation where they either have to revise their spending plans or face a modest deficit,” University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe told CBC.
In Alberta, governments live and die by the price of oil.
2. Influence of right-wing populist and separatist groups
Without a doubt the influence of populist and separatist groups has grown in Alberta politics in recent years. Nowhere is this more pronounced than inside the governing United Conservative Party since Danielle Smith became Premier in October 2022 after riding the wave of populist discontent that pushed out former premier Jason Kenney.
In the closing months of 2023, newly elected UCP President Rob Smith spent nearly two hours on a livestream hosted by Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Chris Scott and past Independence Party of Alberta candidate Kerry Lambert.
The APP has advocated for the creation of a Republic of Alberta and is currently calling for a referendum on Alberta’s independence from Canada. Scott gained notoriety in conservative circles during the COVID-19 pandemic when his restaurant in the central Alberta hamlet of Mirror remained open in contravention of public health rules.
Also, in the final days of 2023, the UCP highlighted an endorsement from University of Calgary professor Barry Cooper in its year-end fundraising pitch on social media. Cooper has compared Alberta to pre-revolutionary colonial America in 1775 and has called for a referendum on separation from Canada. He is also a co-founder of the Free Alberta Strategy, an autonomist documentchampioned by Premier Smith’s Chief of Staff Rob Anderson.
And, on January 24, Smith will host and interview American media personality and conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson at an event in Calgary that has been promoted by the APP and other influential right-wing groups like Alberta Proud, and Take Back Alberta (which is reported to be under investigation by Elections Alberta).
3. The race to replace Rachel Notley
It is hard to imagine the modern Alberta NDP without Rachel Notley, but she announced last week that she will not lead the NDP into the 2027 election and will step down as leader when her successor is chosen, likely later this year.
The leadership race jockeying has already begun, with at least five MLAs sending signals that they plan to run: Calgary-Mountain View MLA Kathleen Ganley, Edmonton-Glenora MLA Sarah Hoffman, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi, Edmonton-City Centre MLA David Shepherd, and Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse.
The NDP Provincial Council will meet on January 27 to discuss timelines and rules for the leadership race. The winner of the race will lead the 38-MLA NDP Caucus into 2025 and the party into the 2027 provincial election.
I am planning to write a lot more about this leadership race in the weeks and months to come.
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- Tags 2024 Alberta NDP Leadership Race, Alberta Federal Candidate Nomination Update, Alberta NDP, Alberta Prosperity Project, Alberta Proud, Barry Cooper, Calgary Signal Hill, Calgary-Mountain View, Chris Scott, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David MacKenzie, David Shepherd, Dean Mikalauskas, Edmonton-Centre, Edmonton-City Centre, Edmonton-Decore, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Rutherford, Edmonton-Whitemud, Free Alberta Strategy, International Price of Oil, James Cumming, Jason Kenney, Jeremy Nixon, Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Kathleen Ganley, Kelly Hopper, Kerry Lambert, Leela Aheer, Michael Kim, Rachel Notley, Rakhi Pancholi, Randy Boissonnault, Rob Anderson, Sarah Hoffman, Sayid Ahmed, Take Back Alberta, Trevor Tombe, Tucker Carlson, United Conservative Party, University of Calgary, Wyatt Claypool
Danielle Smith hosts Alberta’s largest call-in talk show: the United Conservative Party
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date November 7, 2023
Any good talk radio host understands that the show doesn’t belong to the host, it belongs to the listeners. And if this past weekend’s annual general meeting is any indication, talk radio host-turned-Premier Danielle Smith might be taking a similar approach as leader of the United Conservative Party.
Aside from a nod to protecting parental rights during her keynote speech, Smith largely stood out of the way as more than 3,700 delegates packed into Calgary’s BMO Centre to vote on party policy and elect a new executive board. It was an impressive crowd and probably the largest provincial political convention in Alberta’s history.
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- Tags Albert Biel, Alberta NDP, Alberta Prosperity Project, Calgary-Fish Creek, Central Peace-Notley, Chantelle de Jonge, Chestermere-Strathmore, Chris Scott, Dahlia Mostafa, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David Parker, Don Braid, Innsifail-Sylvan Lake, Irma Roberts, Jack Redekop, Jagmeet Singh, Jason Kenney, Jason Nixon, Jason Stephan, Jessica Arsenault, Jim Prentice, Joanny Liu, John Roggeveen, John Williams, Lake of Fire, Lisa Young, Morinville-St. Albert, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, Rachel Notley, Rajan Sawhney, Ranjit Bath, Red Deer-South, Rick Orman, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Rob Smith, Samantha Steinke, Sara-Lyn Quist, Sonia Egy-Samu, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, Take Back Alberta, Tim Hoven, Todd Loewen, Trisha Estabrooks, United Conservative Party, United Conservative Party AGM, Valerie Boese, Vicki Kozmak-LeFrense, Wildrose Party
Nate Horner’s hooked on a pension feeling
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date November 3, 2023
More confusing messaging about the Alberta Pension Plan
As Alberta’s United Conservative Party government continues its big $7 million advertising push to convince Albertans to leave the Canada Pension Plan and start a separate Alberta Pension Plan, Finance Minister Nate Horner told CTV’s Vassy Kapelos that the province’s decision on whether or not to hold a referendum on leaving the CPP will be based on a “high level feeling from many sources.”
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- Tags Alberta NDP, Alberta Pension Plan, Alberta Prosperity Project, Andrew Knack, Anna Murphy, Brian Jean, Bruce McAllister, Canada Pension Plan, Cheryl Oates, Chrystia Freeland, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David Parker, Erika Barootes, Fair Deal Panel, Free Alberta Strategy, Gudie Hutchings, Jack Redekop, Janis Irwin, Jim Dinning, John Williams, Justin Trudeau, Kyle Kasawski, Len Webber, Lethbridge-West, Mickey Amery, Mike Ellis, Nate Horner, Peter Bethlenfalvy, Rebecca Shultz, Rick Orman, Rob Anderson, Shannon Phillips, Take Back Alberta, The Discourse Podcast, Trevor Tombe, UCP Unity Slate, United Conservative Party, United Conservative Party AGM, Vassy Kapelos, Yonathan Sumamo
Look who’s running in the UCP AGM Board elections
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date October 13, 2023
What to make of Take Back Alberta, the Unity Slate, and everybody else on the ballot.
With the United Conservative Party’s November 3 and 4 Annual General Meetingfast approaching, the party’s Board of Director elections are a major focus of attention.
The UCP board is the governing body of the organization and is made up of seventeen elected directors, party leader Premier Danielle Smith, and two non-voting MLAs who serve as Caucus liaisons. The two MLA spots, which are chosen through a vote of UCP MLAs, are currently filled by Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely and Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland MLA Shane Getson.
Half of the UCP director positions are up for election this year and the sweeping success of the slate of candidates backed by the social conservative Take Back Alberta group at last year’s AGM has fuelled a lot of speculation about what might happen in this election.
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- Tags Akin Osakuade, Alberta Biel, Alison Redford, Amanpreet Singh Gill, Banff-Kananaskis, Calen Warkentin, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Fish Creek, Calgary-Montorse, Camrose, Central Peace-Notley, Christina Edwards, Christopher Miller, Dahlia Mostafa, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Deena Hinshaw, Don Getty, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, Gary Mar, Irma Roberts, Jack Redekop, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, Jackie Lovely, James Stourjesdyk, Jason Nixon, Jessica Arsenault, Jim Prentice, Joanne Birce, Joanny Liu, John Voorhorst, John Williams, Kelsey Beasley, Kris Moen, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, Lakeland, Michelle Mather, Morinville-St. Albert, Nancy Betkowski, Patti Vold, Prasad Panda, Ralph Klein, Ranjit Bath, Rick Orman, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Rob Smith, Ruven Rajoo, Samantha Steinke, Sara-Lyn Quist, Shane Getson, Shelley Tupper, Sonia Egy-Samu, Sonia Kont, Take Back Alberta, Tim Hoven, Todd Loewen, UCP Unity Slate, United Conservative Party, United Conservative Party AGM, Valerie Boese, Vicki Kozmak-LeFrense
Net-zero a no-go for Alberta’s UCP government
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date September 28, 2023
Never a dull week in Alberta politics
Fresh from launching a pro-Alberta Pension Plan advertising campaign, the Alberta government has launched another advertising campaign asking Canadians to email their Member of Parliament to encourage them to oppose the federal government’s draft Clean Electricity Regulations (most Alberta MPs are Conservatives, so they are probably already opposing it).
The government’s “Tell the Feds” ad campaign warns that electricity prices could quadruple and Albertans could face blackouts during -30C temperatures if the draft federal regulations are adopted.
Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz, MLA for Calgary-Shaw and 2022 UCP leadership race candidate, has been the government’s point-person in opposing the draft federal regulations.
- Tags Alberta NDP, Amanda Freistadt, Blake Desjarlais, Calgary-Shaw, Clean Electricity Regulations, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David Parker, Edmonton-Decore, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Griesbach, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Jack Redekop, Janet Brown, Janis Irwin, Jason Stephan, Monique LaGrange, Nathan Neudorf, Net-Zero Electricity Grid in Alberta, Rachel Notley, Rebecca Schulz, Red Deer-South, Rick Orman, Ruven Rajoo, Sarah Hoffman, Sharif Haji, Take Back Alberta, Tell the Feds, United Conservative Party, United Conservative Party AGM
Alberta Pension Plan games begin. But why?
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date September 22, 2023
“More Alberta, less Ottawa”
Alberta’s United Conservative Party government opened up a new front in its fight for more provincial autonomy with a proposal to withdraw Alberta workers from the Canada Pension Plan and create an Alberta Pension Plan.
Premier Danielle Smith joined Finance Minister Nate Horner and pension engagement panel chairperson and former finance minister Jim Dinning on stage to announce a sunshine and apple pie forecast for a new Alberta Pension Plan.
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- Tags Alberta Agenda, Alberta Federation of Labour, Alberta Firewall Letter, Alberta Firewall Manifesto, Alberta Pension Plan, Alberta Residents League, Blake Shaffer, Brad Lafortune, Calgary Signal Hill, Canada Pension Plan, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Dan Kelly, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David MacKenzie, David Parker, Edmonton-Strathcona, Ellen Nygaard, Free Alberta Strategy, Gil McGowan, Heather McPherson, Jack Mintz, Jeremy Nixon, Jim Dinning, Lethbridge-West, Michael Kim, Michel Leduc, Nate Horner, Parkland Institute, Public Interest Alberta, Rachel Notley, Ralph Klein, Ricardo Acuna, Rob Anderson, Ron Liepert, Shannon Phillips, Stephen Harper, Take Back Alberta, United Conservative Party, University of Calgary, Virendra Gupta, Wyatt Claypool
Danielle Smith enjoys a honeymoon summer
- Post author By Dave Cournoyer
- Post date September 1, 2023
It’s been a quiet, but not boring, post-election summer in Alberta
Conventional wisdom tells us that the summer months are a quiet and boring time in politics, but not so in Alberta. It’s not often there is an actual quiet and boring political summer in this province.
Two summers ago was the Best Summer Ever disaster and the summer before that was the first COVID-19 summer. Before that was the Summer of Repeal.
And last summer, one of the most unexpected political comebacks happened right before our eyes. Former Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith, who had been written off by most political watchers after her disastrous decision to cross the floor in 2014, defined the summer of 2022 and the United Conservative Party leadership vote that followed.
But this year’s political summer was a fairly quiet, albeit incredibly smoky, affair.
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- Tags Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Amarjeet Sohi, Best Summer Ever, Calgary-Glenmore, Cynthia Moore, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-South West, Harrison Fleming, Jason Kenney, Justin Trudeau, Jyoti Gondek, Ken Sim, Kyle Kasawski, Nagwan Al-Guneid, Nathan Ip, Paul Hinman, Pierre Poilievre, Rachel Notley, Rick Orman, Sarah Hoffman, Sherwood Park, Steven Guilbeault, Take Back Alberta, United Conservative Party, Wildrose Independence Party, Wildrose Loyalty Coalition, Wind and Solar Power Moratorium
The Alberta NDP Caucus released the list of critic roles that its roster of 38 Official Opposition MLAs have been tasked to fill.
Every NDP MLA has been assigned a role as a critic or in the caucus leadership, which is not unusual for provincial oppositions in Alberta. But, because of the unusually large size of the opposition caucus, there are more critics than cabinet ministers to shadow.
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A controversial right-wing media personality with a huge online following will soon be entering the election fray.
Toronto psychologist Jordan Peterson is making three speaking tour stops in the Alberta next week and will almost certainly provide fodder for local conservative media columnists to chew on.
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- Tags Alberta Election 2023, Alberta NDP, Bill Tonita, Brandon Lunty, Calgary-Acadia, Calgary-Elbow, Cathy Hogg, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Diana Batten, Doug Griffiths, Edmonton-City Centre, Edmonton-South West, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, Grant Notley, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, Jenn Prosser, Jordan Peterson, Kaycee Madu, Leduc-Beaumont, Lee Richardson, Rachel Notley, Samir Kayande, Spirit River-Fairview, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, Take Back Alberta, Taneen Rudyk, Thomas Lukaszuk, Tyler Shandro, United Conservative Party
United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith and Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley will face each other at 7:00 pm tonight in the only televised leaders debate of Alberta’s election campaign.
This is the first time Alberta has had a TV debate featuring only two party leaders, but both people taking the stage have experience doing this before.
This is Notley’s third televised debate since 2015 and it’s Smith’s second.
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- Tags Alberta Election 2023, Alberta Election Leaders' Debate, Alberta NDP, Brian Mason, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Don Getty, Edmonton-Whitemud, Ernest Manning, Grant Notley, Jason Kenney, Jennifer Johnson, Jim Prentice, Kevin Taft, Lacombe-Ponoka, Laurence Decore, Michael Maccagno, Nancy MacBeth, Neil Reimer, Paul Hinman, Peter Lougheed, Rachel Notley, Raj Pannu, Raj Sherman, Ralph Klein, Randy Thorsteinson, Take Back Alberta, United Conservative Party
It’s amazing how much can change in four years.
The United Conservative Party won big in Alberta’s 2019 election, taking 63 seats in the Alberta Legislature and earning 54.8 per cent of the province-wide vote. The party racked up huge margins of victory in rural ridings and swept Calgary.
It was a juggernaut.
It also wasn’t clear on that election night if the Alberta NDP would be able to recover from their defeat. It felt unlikely.
That the UCP is now neck-and-neck with the NDP in most polls with only 24 days left until the next election says a lot about the UCP’s four years as government and the NDP’s time in opposition.
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- Tags Alberta Election 2023, Alberta NDP, Artur Pawlowski, Banff-Kananaskis, Brad Lafortune, Brian Jean, Bruce McAllister, Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-West, Carrie Tait, Corb Lund, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Castle Downs, Erika Barootes, Jason Kenney, Jeremy Nixon, Joan Chand’oiseau, Joe Ceci, Karen Shaw, Lee Richardson, Morinville-St. Albert, Public Interest Alberta, Rachel Notley, Rebecca Schulz, Ron Ghitter, Samir Kayande, Sarah Elmeligi, Take Back Alberta, Thomas Lukaszuk, Todd Hirsch, United Conservative Party
“Hey, you’re the candidate nominations guy!”
It’s not what people usually call me when I meet them for the first time, but it’s what a longtime daveberta.ca reader said when I met them for the first time a few weeks ago.
But I guess it’s true.
I started tracking the names of people running for nominations to become party candidates in elections 16 years ago and have since done it for every provincial and federal election in Alberta and municipal election in Edmonton. By my count that’s 15 elections.
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- Tags Airdrie-Cochrane, Alberta Election 2023, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta Liberal Party, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Banff-Kananaskis, Barry Morishita, Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, Brooks-Medicine Hat, Bruce MacKeen, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Falconridge, Camrose, Central Peace-Notley, Chris Nielsen, Coutts Blockade, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Danielle Larivee, Danielle Smith, Dave Hanson, Daveberta Substack, David Parker, Edmonton-Decore, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Whitemud, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, Gary Friedel, Janet Eremenko, Julia Hayter, Katherine Swampy, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, Lesser Slave Lake, Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin, Melissa Crane, Morinville-St. Albert, Oneil Carlier, Parmeet Singh Boparai, Peace River, Rachel Notley, Raj Sherman, Scott Cyr, Take Back Alberta, Tany Yao, United Conservative Party, West Yellowhead, Zulkifl Mujahid
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley was nominated as her party’s candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona this past weekend. Speaking to a crowd of more than 800 supporters gathered at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Notley delivered an energetic speech that felt like a campaign kick-off for the former premier’s party.
Notley was first elected as MLA for the central Edmonton riding in 2008 and was re-elected in 2019 with 72.2 per cent of the vote. The riding has elected NDP MLAs since 1997 and the party previously held the riding from 1986 to 1993.
UCP choose Claresholm Mayor in ‘do-over’ nomination vote in Livingstone-Macleod
Town of Claresholm Mayor Chelsae Petrovic won the United Conservative Party‘s ‘do-over’ nomination vote in Livingstone-Macleod. Petrovic defeated Tanya Clemens and Don Whalen in a decisive first ballot victory. Petrovic earned 759 votes with Clemens collecting 469 votes and Whalen finishing third with 118 votes.
This is the UCP’s second time holding a nomination vote in the southern Alberta riding.
Former People’s Party candidate Nadine Wellwood was the only candidate in a previous nomination race held in November 2022 after MLA Roger Reid withdrew the day after the entry deadline. Wellwood was then disqualified by the UCP provincial board of directors.
Crowsnest Pass Municipal Councillor Lisa Sygutek wrote about the nomination vote and what she describes as Take Back Alberta’s takeover of the local UCP constituency association.
The NDP have nominated well-known conservationist and author Kevin Van Tighem and Nanton town councillor Kevin Todd is running for the Alberta Party.
Bouchard wins 5-way UCP race in Calgary-Lougheed
Restaurant manager Eric Bouchard defeated Sherrisa Celis, Max DeGroat, Mark Fiselier, and Michelle Mather to win the UCP nomination in Calgary-Lougheed.
Bouchard told the Western Standard that the opposition to the NDP government’s decision to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour in 2018 was a reason he ran for the nomination. A quick glance at his twitter feed suggests that opposition to COVID-19 public health restrictions is a more recent reflection of his politics.
The riding was represented by former premier Jason Kenney from 2017 until his resignation in November 2022.
NDP members in the riding voted to select Venkat Akkiraj over Kim Wagner in that party’s nomination vote this week. Akkiraj is a law student and former organizer with the Ontario NDP.
City Councillor jumps into Grande Prairie UCP race
City Councillor Gladys Blackmore is the fourth candidate to enter the UCP nomination contest in Grande Prairie. Blackmore served on City Council from 2001-2010 before making an unsuccessful bids for mayor in 2010 and 2013. She returned to city council in 2021.
She joins Nolan Dyck, Larry Gibson, and Tayyab Parvez in the race to choose a UCP successor to retiring MLA Tracy Allard.
The UCP MLA for the neighbouring Grande Prairie-Wapiti riding, Finance Minister Travis Toews, has still not announced whether he plans to run for re-election. Toews is now the only remaining MLA who has not announced their plans for the May election.
Hinshaw critic wins UCP nomination in Lethbridge-West
Torry Tanner defeated Rick Dempsey to win the UCP nomination vote in Lethbridge-West. Tanner was a participant in an unsuccessful lawsuit against former Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw challenging Alberta’s COVID-19 public health restrictions.
The riding is currently represented by NDP Shannon Phillips.
Other nomination updates
Calgary-Foothills: The Alberta Party disqualified Shaoli Wang as a candidate after a series of embarrassing social media posts were revealed. Wang will instead run as an Independent candidate.
Cypress-Medicine Hat: James Finkbeiner and Justin Wright are on the ballot when UCP members vote to nominate a candidate on March 16. The riding is currently represented by Independent MLA Drew Barnes.
Edmonton-City Centre: Richard Wong is the UCP candidate in this downtown Edmonton riding.
Leduc-Beaumont: Heather Feldbusch, Nam Kular, Brandon Lunty, Dawn Miller, Dave Quest, and Karen Richert are running for the UCP nomination. A vote is scheduled for March 18.
Peace River: Nancy O’Neill is running for the Independence Party of Alberta nomination.
Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre: Former Clearwater County Reeve Tim Hoven will run as an Independent candidate. Hoven was disqualified from running for the UCP nomination against Jason Nixon last year. It was widely believed that Hoven could have defeated Nixon, who was then serving as former premier Kenney’s chief lieutenant.
Upcoming nomination votes
With just over 80 days left until Election Day, the Alberta NDP have nominated candidates in 77 of Alberta’s 87 ridings. The United Conservative Party has candidates named in 76 ridings and the Green Party has 26 candidates. The Alberta Party has nominated 12 candidates and the Liberal Party has one.
Candidate nomination votes are currently scheduled for the following dates:
- March 16 – Cypress-Medicine Hat UCP
- March 18 – Leduc-Beaumont UCP
- March 18, 19, 20 – Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre IP
- April 1 – Calgary-North East UCP
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- Tags Alberta Election 2023, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta NDP, Brandon Lunty, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-Lougheed, Chelsae Petrovic, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Dave Quest, Dawn Miller, Deena Hinshaw, Don Whalen, Drew Barnes, Edmonton-City Centre, Edmonton-Strathcona, Eric Bouchard, Gladys Blackmore, Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, Heather Feldbusch, Independence Party of Alberta, James Finkbeiner, Jason Kenney, Jason Nixon, Justin Wright, Karen Richert, Kevin Todd, Kevin Van Tighem, Kim Wagner, Larry Gibson, Leduc-Beaumont, Lethbridge-West, Lisa Sygutek, Livingstone-Macleod, Mark Fiselier, Max DeGroat, Michelle Mather, Nadine Wellwood, Nam Kular, Nancy O’Neill, Nolan Dyck, Rachel Notley, Richard Wong, Rick Dempsey, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Roger Reid, Shannon Phillips, Shaoli Wang, Sherrisa Celis, Take Back Alberta, Tanya Clemens, Tayyab Parvez, Tim Hoven, Torry Tanner, Tracy Allard, Travis Toews, United Conservative Party, Venkat Akkiraj