dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
Saw a tweet: NDP already killing jobs in Alberta, but only from the PC party. Youch!
Okay, even I didn't think it would be quite that soon . Things can only get better from here, right?
Yup Trying not to get too excited. I remember chuckling at how happy Americans were when Obama was elected...as if things can be turned around solely on ideological grounds and hope. But it's the same here - so much better than the alternative.
Crazy election outcome. I am no NDP'er but I also don't think any party should hold on to power for as long as the PC's did. It will be very interesting to see where this goes. My guess is the Alberta NDP will still be to the right of most progressive parties in the country. They will have to move gradually in order to earn some trust.
Crazy election outcome. I am no NDP'er but I also don't think any party should hold on to power for as long as the PC's did. It will be very interesting to see where this goes. My guess is the Alberta NDP will still be to the right of most progressive parties in the country. They will have to move gradually in order to earn some trust.
Alberta NDP is not the end of the world, although their history in other provinces (especially BC and Ontario) is not impressive. I agree it was time for change, and while I did not vote NDP, I sure didn't vote PC either. 12 years too long as far as I'm concerned. In fact, our riding voted in the ONLY Liberal candidate, interim leader David Swann.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
Saw a tweet: NDP already killing jobs in Alberta, but only from the PC party. Youch!
From Wikipedia, and my mother and grandparents live in Bc and I have heard this story over and over. Politicians are politicians, the NDP in BC were no different under Glen Clark in the late 90s
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the BC NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses". During these years, the BC NDP began to bleed support and activists to the BC Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the BC NDP's former voters deserted the party for the BC Liberals.New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour, Dimitrios Pilarinos, who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside. In 2002 Clark was acquitted of breach of trust and corruption charges in the Pilarinos case; Pilarinos was convicted of six charges.
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
Saw a tweet: NDP already killing jobs in Alberta, but only from the PC party. Youch!
From Wikipedia, and my mother and grandparents live in Bc and I have heard this story over and over. Politicians are politicians, the NDP in BC were no different under Glen Clark in the late 90s
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the BC NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses". During these years, the BC NDP began to bleed support and activists to the BC Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the BC NDP's former voters deserted the party for the BC Liberals.New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour, Dimitrios Pilarinos, who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside. In 2002 Clark was acquitted of breach of trust and corruption charges in the Pilarinos case; Pilarinos was convicted of six charges.
Yes, certainly you're right that the NDP during that period was a bit of a mess. I didn't live in BC during most of those years but the effect seems to be far-reaching. Now we've been stuck with the Liberals since 2001 and the NDP still have to battle the "remember when...." every time an election occurs.
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
dignin - I'm also wondering what accounts for the apparently big difference in voting/polling patterns between Calgary and Edmonton? I've never lived in Alberta so I really have no idea how the areas of the province vary.
Edmonton has for many years been more progressive than Calgary. I don't really know why. From my observation Calgary is a more white collar town, big oil business, lots of money and wealth. All the big oil companies have their head offices there. Edmonton, a more blue collar town, great cultural city. But I've never lived in Edmonton and have only lived in Calgary for a year and a half, so I don't have a real pulse for the place yet. And the circles I run in are pretty progressive so I'm pretty insulated to what the folks are thinking in the burbs. I think drowned lives in Edmonton? Maybe he would be a better person to answer that question.
I come from the deep south of southern Alberta. Medicine Hat to be exact. Very conservative, always has been, always will be. It's in the bible belt. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 years and it is a University town. Much more progressive, a lot of public sector jobs... and far more open to the idea of a NDP government.
Sorry openreading, wish I had a better answer.
I think you’ve covered most of the reasons I’d come up with. The white vs blue collar is significant – Calgary has more head offices per capita than any city in Canada, and most of those are in O&G. Edmonton is the service hub for the oilfields, while Calgary has the paper pushers. Many of the people who work up north call Edmonton home. The field labourers, along with the fact that the provincial government is located here, means many many more union workers – that’s a big factor in NDP support. The UofA and Grant Macewan are also here (100,000 students) which, along with our bigger cultural/arts/festival scene, contributes to a tendency to lean left.
Really curious to see how this election plays out. Lots of con fear mongering goin on right now. Never put it past albertans to chicken out on voting ABC, even with the way the polls are looking. But then….there is def serious NDP support around Edmonton. Prentice basically opened his mouth too many times in the lead up to this election.
Drowned
Do you reside in Alberta?
yessir...why do you ask?
Just was wondering if you are "living it" in this election or an observer that follows politics in general.
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
Are you in NS or SK? I thought SK but your NS comment threw me.
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames. I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
Big news, drowned. I hope it works out well for you. I imagine Prentice will either be slinking off or booted out quite soon.
He just resigned and gave up his seat. Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
Saw a tweet: NDP already killing jobs in Alberta, but only from the PC party. Youch!
From Wikipedia, and my mother and grandparents live in Bc and I have heard this story over and over. Politicians are politicians, the NDP in BC were no different under Glen Clark in the late 90s
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the BC NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses". During these years, the BC NDP began to bleed support and activists to the BC Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the BC NDP's former voters deserted the party for the BC Liberals.New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour, Dimitrios Pilarinos, who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside. In 2002 Clark was acquitted of breach of trust and corruption charges in the Pilarinos case; Pilarinos was convicted of six charges.
Yes, certainly you're right that the NDP during that period was a bit of a mess. I didn't live in BC during most of those years but the effect seems to be far-reaching. Now we've been stuck with the Liberals since 2001 and the NDP still have to battle the "remember when...." every time an election occurs.
Once you leave a bad taste in the electorate's mouth, it can bury you. The PC's in Alberta will rue the name Allison Redford for a long time. They will probably not egain power for a generation, if ever. I am a fiscal conservative and social liberal, a typical Canadian really. Like anyone else, I don't want to pay more taxes, but really the ideologies between the parties is negligible. The WRA are slightly right of the PC's and they are the Official Opposition, so I really think this was more of an Anti-PC vote than a pro-NDP vote. The most charismatic leader won, because change was necessary. Now let's see if anything really changes.
Omar Khadr, once the youngest prisoner held on terror charges at Guantanamo Bay, has been released on bail from a Canadian prison. The Toronto-born Khadr was detained in 2002 by U.S. forces in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay at the age of 16. Khadr became the first person since World War Two to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile. After eight years at Guantanamo for eight years, he confessed in 2010 to throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier. His lawyers say his statements were illegally obtained through torture and cruelty. As part of a plea deal the United States later allowed his transfer back to Canada. Khadr will remain free while he appeals his war crimes convictions in the United States.
^^^ Thanks for posting this, Drowned. I was intending to post something about Khadr but you beat me to it. Personally, I think it's a reasonable decision to let him out on bail; he's spent an awfully long time in custody for acts that occurred when he was 15. Of course there is a massive amount of discussion about whether or not he is guilty, and if guilty, whether or not he continues to pose a risk, and if he poses a risk, how much of that might be remediable. So now, we wait and see.
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
^^^ Thanks for posting this, Drowned. I was intending to post something about Khadr but you beat me to it. Personally, I think it's a reasonable decision to let him out on bail; he's spent an awfully long time in custody for acts that occurred when he was 15. Of course there is a massive amount of discussion about whether or not he is guilty, and if guilty, whether or not he continues to pose a risk, and if he poses a risk, how much of that might be remediable. So now, we wait and see.
Not to mention the fact that he was the first person ever charged with war crimes for killing an enemy combatant in the field of battle. Kid got a serious raw deal and was locked up and tortured for far too long. Typically, Harper is still insisting he should be behind bars.
I don't think anyone here lives in his Calgary SW riding, but I could be wrong.
I believe I do actually (looking at the map), but I just moved to Calgary this past fall. Alberta gets 6 extra seats in the next election and everything is jumbled. Our riding will be called Calgary Confederation by all accounts.
There is Provincial and Federal levels for a reason. No one cares about Provincial issues. People want a party that can lead.
People don't care about provincial issues? Education and health care do not matter? They are under provincial jurisdiction.
I'm talking about polititcians at each level. Serious politicians (I use that term loosely) are in Federal because real progress can be done. Federal trumps provincial. Provincial Level is practice for the federal if they make it. Members of the Federal level will listen to provincial but will eventually insert their bills over them.
There is Provincial and Federal levels for a reason. No one cares about Provincial issues. People want a party that can lead.
People don't care about provincial issues? Education and health care do not matter? They are under provincial jurisdiction.
I'm talking about polititcians at each level. Serious politicians (I use that term loosely) are in Federal because real progress can be done. Federal trumps provincial. Provincial Level is practice for the federal if they make it. Members of the Federal level will listen to provincial but will eventually insert their bills over them.
Odd segue in this thread tho...you were saying everyone voted for Harper and won't admit it...I say I don't think anyone lives in his riding, and you then comment on provincial politics? My point was that we vote for MPs, not the prime minister.... and unless anyone here is in his riding, we couldn't have voted for him. Did I vote for a PC MP? Fuck no! And I'm pretty sure most of the Canadians here did not either. The popular majority vote was not PC.
There is Provincial and Federal levels for a reason. No one cares about Provincial issues. People want a party that can lead.
People don't care about provincial issues? Education and health care do not matter? They are under provincial jurisdiction.
Kind of a big deal right? Our oil affects the entire country so our provincial elections get national coverage....changing parties here is a big deal. I feel for ya - it would suck to see Harper signs and billboards everywhere ugh. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next election with alberta's extra seats. Also, Mulcair just made proportional representation part of the ndp platform. Could be huge. I'm hoping leadnow.ca's strategic voting campaign catches on so we can get that psycho out of office. The vote splitting on the left is really hurting us.
Comments
I don't live in Alberta but I like to follow provincial and federal politics in all the provinces.
edit - stupid autocorrect
and wanted to add this
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/alberta-election-results-2015-live
Landslide for the ndp, wow. Quite the mandate from Albertans here. 10 of 11 wildrose floor crossers voted out, love that. My riding had a 14 year PC star go down in flames.
I hope this reverberates in federal politics.
It is cool that there are other countries in this world and forum that have politics as well.
Thanks! Hope it works, too. I'm the world' biggest cynic when it comes to politics, but it gives me hope to see AB swing to the left. The whole country needs this...and I hope it starts to change the perception of our province.
And to the people who are still fear mongering about the ndp ruining the economy, like they supposedly have in other provinces:
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/04/29/fiscal-record-of-canadian-political-parties/
Saw a tweet:
NDP already killing jobs in Alberta, but only from the PC party.
Youch!
Trying not to get too excited. I remember chuckling at how happy Americans were when Obama was elected...as if things can be turned around solely on ideological grounds and hope. But it's the same here - so much better than the alternative.
I agree it was time for change, and while I did not vote NDP, I sure didn't vote PC either. 12 years too long as far as I'm concerned.
In fact, our riding voted in the ONLY Liberal candidate, interim leader David Swann.
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the BC NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses".
During these years, the BC NDP began to bleed support and activists to the BC Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the BC NDP's former voters deserted the party for the BC Liberals.New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour, Dimitrios Pilarinos, who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside. In 2002 Clark was acquitted of breach of trust and corruption charges in the Pilarinos case; Pilarinos was convicted of six charges.
I am a fiscal conservative and social liberal, a typical Canadian really.
Like anyone else, I don't want to pay more taxes, but really the ideologies between the parties is negligible. The WRA are slightly right of the PC's and they are the Official Opposition, so I really think this was more of an Anti-PC vote than a pro-NDP vote.
The most charismatic leader won, because change was necessary. Now let's see if anything really changes.
If so how will they accomplish that?
If not why?
Omar Khadr, Child Prisoner Who Claimed Torture at Gitmo, Freed on Bail in Canada During U.S. Appeal
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/8/omar_khadr_child_prisoner_who_claimed
Omar Khadr, once the youngest prisoner held on terror charges at Guantanamo Bay, has been released on bail from a Canadian prison. The Toronto-born Khadr was detained in 2002 by U.S. forces in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay at the age of 16. Khadr became the first person since World War Two to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile. After eight years at Guantanamo for eight years, he confessed in 2010 to throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier. His lawyers say his statements were illegally obtained through torture and cruelty. As part of a plea deal the United States later allowed his transfer back to Canada. Khadr will remain free while he appeals his war crimes convictions in the United States.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/omar-khadr-should-have-served-youth-sentence-supreme-court-rules-1.3073876
Everyone voted for him but no one wants to admit it.
No one cares about Provincial issues.
People want a party that can lead.
Ok. I agree. I guess?
Alberta gets 6 extra seats in the next election and everything is jumbled. Our riding will be called Calgary Confederation by all accounts.
Serious politicians (I use that term loosely) are in Federal because real progress can be done. Federal trumps provincial.
Provincial Level is practice for the federal if they make it.
Members of the Federal level will listen to provincial but will eventually insert their bills over them.
I feel for ya - it would suck to see Harper signs and billboards everywhere ugh. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next election with alberta's extra seats. Also, Mulcair just made proportional representation part of the ndp platform. Could be huge. I'm hoping leadnow.ca's strategic voting campaign catches on so we can get that psycho out of office. The vote splitting on the left is really hurting us.