Today, it was revealed that departing staffers from the Premier's Office have received $2.1 million in severance courtesy of Alberta taxpayers. Premier Redford isn't coming clean on who received payments or how much each individual received - another blow to her promise of running an open and accountable government.
Earlier this week the Wildrose stood with family and staff from Brooks, AB who witnessed seniors left in vomit, suffer from untreated injuries, and be served inedible food. The Wildrose ensured the government would investigate, but more wo...rk is needed to prevent elder abuse. Wildrose Seniors Critic Kerry Towle’s Bill 208 will create an independent Seniors Advocate and will guarantee that vulnerable seniors can have a voice.
Here is Danielle supporting McHappy Day (and Colt being a mooch!) before Question Period today.One dollar from every Big Mac, Happy Meal, and hot beverage you buy will be donated to Ronald McDonald Houses and other local children's charities across Canada. For more information, visit: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/happy_meal/mchappy_day.html
On Monday, with the support of MLAs from all parties, Wildrose Culture Critic Blake Pedersen's private members' motion urging the government to restore a competitive film tax credit was passed! It is already earning high praise from stakeholders. It is now up to the government to act on the Legislature's wishes. A tax credit system, unlike a granting system, doesn’t pick winners and losers, and ...provides the same competitive advantages and opportunities for the entire film industry.
Today, Premier Redford announced she will be sending out a budget pamphlet to 1 million Alberta households at a cost to taxpayers of $300,000. But with one look at the pamphlet, it's obvious that it's nothing more than a PC party propaganda piece. See for yourself. Can you spot the difference between the PC party's election platform and the so-called budget pamphlet?
Yesterday, Premier Redford took her desperate political attacks to new lows, using a taxpayer-funded government event in a room full of school children to spread blatant misinformation about Wildrose. It was the second time this week she has taken her partisan pleas to the classroom. There is a time and place for politics, but it shouldn’t be at taxpayers’ expense in front of students.
Yesterday, Elections Alberta ruled a $430,000 contribution from a single corporate donor to the PC party during last year’s provincial election did not violate Alberta elections laws. The election-year limit on corporate donations is $30,000. Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said the ruling “created a loophole big enough to drive a billionaire through” and reiterated the Wildrose call to ban corporate and union donations.
The PC government is set to formalize a policy that will see elderly married couples in care to be torn apart form each other. It gives AHS the power to relocate seniors up to 100 kilometres away from their loved one. Read more here: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/formalize+policy+seniors+continuing+care/8307813/story.html
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta’s Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition’s BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #1, we have justice for victims of violent crime.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta’s Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition’s BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #2, we have the Wildrose Financial Recovery Plan.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #3, we have repayment of private Mayo Clinic treatment.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #4, we have discounted hospital parking for veterans.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #5, we have faster twinning of Highway 63.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta’s Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition’s BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #6, we have stronger government expense rules.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta’s Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition’s BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #7, we have transparency in illegal contributions.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta’s Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition’s BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #8, we have ensuring parental choice in education. Wildrose led the charge to have parents recognized as paramount in the new Education Act.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #9, we have the Wildrose 10-Year Debt-Free Capital Plan - a sustainable, prioritized and innovative plan to meet Alberta's infrastructure needs *without* going into debt.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #10, we home-cooked meals for seniors in long-term care!
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. At #11, we have twice a week bathing for Alberta seniors in long-term care!
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Wildrose forming Alberta's Official Opposition. To mark this milestone over the next few days, we list off 12 of the Wildrose Official Opposition's BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the last year. Today, we begin with the reversal on Bill 50 transmission policy.
This week, after Wildrose revealed taxpayers covered a senior health care executive's treatment at the world renowned Mayo Clinic, Wildrose MLAs showed examples of everyday Albertans denied the same type of coverage.
Health Minister Fred Horne continues to play games with drug coverage for all Albertans.
Today, the world lost a great leader. Danielle released the following statement on the passing of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher:
Be a part of the Wildrose 2013 policy process! The 2013 Leader's Congresses are being held this month in Calgary and Edmonton. Register today at http://www.wildrose.ca/leaders-congress/ to take part!
2012 was another record-breaking year of fundraising for Wildrose! A big thank you to all our supporters.
As Albertans prepare to bid farewell to Premier Ralph Klein at a memorial in Calgary later this week, show your support and gratitude for all Ralph did for Alberta with this Facebook cover image.
Alberta Health Services is once again preparing to hand out millions in bonuses to health care executives despite their ongoing failures to meet performance targets.
Today, Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Official Opposition announced the first Wildrose Caucus Foundation donation recipient. The $25,000 donation to Little Warriors will go towards the Be Brave Ranch. a first-of-its-kind long term treatment facility for kids who have been sexually abused in Canada.
Today, Danielle and the Wildrose Official Opposition announced the Wildrose Caucus Foundation - a registered fund that will make annual charitable donations using the extra pay MLAs received as a result of last year’s 8% MLA pay hike.
Today, the Wildrose presented its Wildrose Financial Recovery Plan to get Alberta back into cash surplus by 2014.
Today, the PC government unveiled its back in debt budget. Here are some shots of Danielle and Wildrose Finance Critic Rob Anderson talking to the media.
Ms Smith: Yes. Thank you. You’ll be happy with these questions, Mr. Speaker. I want to acknowledge all of my opposition colleagues for the great work we did by proposing more than a hundred amendments to government bills, but despite the Premier’s stated goal of more free votes, more time between proposing and voting, ...
Ms Smith: We’ll try to get an answer to another question, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I asked the Minister of Finance to make good on his October 30 commitment to give details about his meetings with the Katz Group when the government said no to arena funding and casino licences. Now, the minister brushed off ...
Ms Smith: I will aim to be brief because I have already spoken at length on this. I do just want to start by providing some context because this will be the last opportunity I have to speak in the Legislature this session before we return again in the spring. I know that there have ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, your ruling yesterday did nothing to remove the cloud of doubt that lingers over the Premier’s handling of the tobacco lawsuit awarded to a law firm that includes a number of her close associates, including the chair of her transition team. How can the Premier explain this document, action request ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government deserves a prize for fiction. Their stories on issue after issue read more like fairy tales than fact. On the budget they insist more borrowing and more debt is actually a balanced budget. On the issue of MLA pay they tried to convince us that the ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Arthur Schafer, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, has reacted to this situation involving the perceived conflict of interest and is scathing in his assessment. I will table his biography later today in the event that the hon. members on the ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, we should be talking about the fiscal deficit today, but I’m disappointed to have to be raising questions about the ethical deficit here. The awarding of a multibillion dollar Alberta government legal case to a Calgary law firm with close ties to the Premier raises disturbing questions of conflict of ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans are alarmed to hear about the Premier’s potential conflict of interest, which we will explore today in question period, but for everyone’s benefit I would like to give a chronology of events so we can understand just how troubling this case is. First, in May 2009 we have ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, here we are, finally, on third reading, and I’m pleased to speak to Bill 4. Remember that when I first spoke on this, I said that we had hoped to be able to support it, that we were going to seek significant amendments to it, and in the ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, more health expenses, more lavish spending. This time it’s the chief information officer of the former Capital health region. It’s a pattern that we’re seeing over and over. Now, the minister will say that – and I already know this – health region doesn’t exist, and he’ll also say that ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, question period is a time-honoured tradition across parliamentary democracies. The government answers questions posed by the opposition, and usually the Leader of the Opposition questions the leader of government, the Premier, about matters of policy and other accountability issues, but here the Premier rarely answers the questions that are put ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, the next quarterly fiscal update is coming tomorrow, and we hope the Minister of Finance is going to be a lot more open and transparent than he was three months ago. Oil is holding steady at around $15 a barrel below the government forecast, energy revenues are dropping, and looking ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I’m pleased to rise today to speak in favour generally of Bill 7, the Election Accountability Amendment Act. We’re very pleased that the government is bringing forward this legislation, but I think it’s worth reminding the Assembly of why we’re here. I mean, when we were in the ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Finance minister is preparing to release his next quarterly update, and we all live in hope that it isn’t another work of fiction. The minister has been insisting for months that there won’t be a deficit because he won’t have to borrow to cover operating, but that’s ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s clear that the current rules on campaign donations can lead to problems. We all know of the hundreds of thousands of dollars directed to one party by one individual with many different business interests before this government, and we’ve seen union members balk when their dues are ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the growing body of evidence that this government, rather than raising the bar on openness and transparency in Alberta, is doing exactly the opposite. Instead of a quest for truth we get stalling, roadblocks, and hiding. On the simple issue of health care expenses the only ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans deserve to have the truth, all of it, about this mess of illegal campaign donations, lavish health care expenses, and other failures and mistakes, but no matter what the problem the government has, they have a giant blind spot. Illegal donations to political parties: well, their new ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There appears to be a double standard in the way government handles health expenses and illegal donations. One health employee who made lavish but legal expense claims was fired. Another health employee who claimed expenses directly related to partisan political activity, which, of course, is against the law, ...
Ms Smith: Well, they certainly didn’t campaign on that. Mr. Speaker, in his desperate attempts to spin to Albertans that big is small, that over is under, and that here is there, the Deputy Premier apparently also believes that false is true. He told a radio audience that $156,000 is the total cost to taxpayers ...
Ms Smith: Long-term debt is not sound financial management. Another quote: we need to ensure that our actions are fiscally responsible and fair not only to this generation but also to those that follow. That is also worthwhile counsel. It could form the cornerstone of a responsible, prudent financial plan of any government, but ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. “Debt is the trap that has caught so many struggling governments. Debt has proven the death of countless dreams.” I love that quote. Those words stand as a stark warning to governments that think that borrowing is the way to prosperity, and those words should be etched into ...
Ms Smith: When we raise questions about evidence of clear contraventions of the Election Act, the Deputy Premier tells us to submit the matter to the Chief Electoral Officer for investigation. We did. Yet the Health minister, when he is presented with evidence linking a current health executive to such practices, ignores it, and ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has tried to bully doctors. It bullies municipalities into donating to their party. It bullies landowners, and now it’s trying to bully and intimidate the opposition into passing horrible pieces of legislation. This from a government led by a Premier who says: “We need to change how ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I wasn’t expecting to be in the Legislature this early in the morning. I think we’re now in our 15th hour of debate on one of what will ultimately be three bills that the Official Opposition and members of other opposition parties believe need to have significant amendments ...
Ms Smith: Now, Mr. Speaker, my debt question. This government is taking us back into debt to cover the basics like roads and schools. They have a variety of stories to cover it, but the stories keep on changing, especially when you listen to what they said before the election, what they said during ...
Ms. Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to look into the government’s horrible decision to take us back into debt in a minute, but first there are pressing issues about the health care system and the erosion of public confidence. When an employee of Edmonton’s former health region was found to have lavish ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government’s sloppy management has badly eroded Albertans’ confidence in the health care system. There is a judicial inquiry under way over the issue of health care system queue-jumping. Job expenses for a former government relations executive at the former Calgary health region indicate that her job was ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to get to the illegal donation scandal in a minute, but first, over the break the Premier officially broke her promise to balance the budget and is taking Alberta back into debt. She claims there’s been a change in the fiscal reality. The fiscal reality is ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, the political donations scandal involves more than 40 illegal donations to political parties, and then, of course, there’s the health expenses scandal, where precious health dollars are being spent on lavish dinners and car repairs. Well, now there are new revelations that bring both of these scandals together. An employee ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week a great Albertan received a long-overdue honour. Former Premier Ralph Klein was given the Order of Canada at a small ceremony in Calgary. Colleen Klein accepted the honour on his behalf while wearing one of Ralph’s old campaign buttons. Premier Klein is and always will be ...
I’d like to make to this bill in section 3 and section 8. I have the appropriate number of copies that I would like to circulate. I will get it circulated before I speak to it. The Deputy Chair: So we’ll pause for a minute while we circulate the amendment. This will be known as ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise today to speak in third reading of Bill 3, the Education Act. I will acknowledge that the process of arriving at this version of the Education Act has seemed to be kind of tortuous for all of us, but I think that in ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve seen the government avoid a number of crucial issues, from illegal political donations to out-of-control executive expenses and now the most serious matter of child abuse and sexual assaults. The Premier has refused to talk about it in the Assembly. The Justice minister then brushed it off ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re getting hundreds of calls and e-mails about the giant pay raise that the PCs pushed through under the direction of the Premier. Now she’s uncomfortable answering questions, which is understandable. It’s pretty hard to explain how $156,000 is actually less than $145,000. Maybe they’ll get it when ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to ask for an immediate, third-party investigation into the case of the Airdrie girl and several other cases where delayed prosecutions resulted in dropped charges. Even Theoren Fleury, the former Calgary Flame, himself an abuse victim and now an outspoken advocate for victims, says that the ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday PC MLAs voted themselves an 8 per cent pay raise for all MLAs. Now, the Deputy Premier issued a press release saying that it was a cut, but it’s not; it’s a raise. The full package makes us the second-highest paid provincial MLAs in the country. It ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m hoping to be able to meet with some members of CAPP and SEPAC next week. We’re lining up a meeting for early in the week to be able to go through some of the amendments that the minister has brought forward as well as the amendments that we’re ...
Ms Smith: On to another issue. Mr. Speaker, we’re glad to see Dr. Chris Eagle has decided to pay back some personal expenses that he incurred as head of Alberta Health Services. Now, the amounts are relatively small, and they came under AHS’s tough new expense policy, implemented last month. You have to wonder ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems everything this government does needs to be investigated. The latest investigation required is because of a botched prosecution of a child abuser. He is free because of an overworked, understaffed Crown prosecutor’s office – at least, that’s what a lot of people are saying – but ...
Ms Smith: Now, Mr. Speaker, I know the Premier doesn’t have an economics background, so I’m going to direct this next question to the Minister of Finance. While we wait for the minister to deliver on his promise to give us dates, times, places, and participants of the meetings the government held with the ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions about undue influence on government policies around election donations and the connection to arena funding continue to linger, especially when the Premier gives conflicting statements about whether she spoke to the individuals involved in the lobbying. She initially said that it was her policy to call all ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, I see the Premier didn’t like the first three questions; maybe she’ll take the next three. We received calls all weekend about the case of a young Airdrie girl who was repeatedly abused and then denied her day in court due to the delays in getting the accused to trial. ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m delighted to rise today to speak to the issue of Bill 202, the Public Lands (Grasslands Preservation) Amendment Act, 2012. I won’t be supporting this legislation, and I’ll go through a few of the reasons why. I share the hon. member’s appreciation for the work that our ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to speak in favour of the motion to defer this bill to committee, the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship. I think this goes back to a commitment that the Premier made during the leadership race. She talked about doing legislation differently. I think that she was ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government is patting itself on the back for another consultation and, surprise, it has delivered exactly the results that they were hoping for. Another surprise is that it’s exactly the opposite of what Albertans said about debt when they were polled this summer. In that same speech I ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Chief Electoral Officer believes he is barred from releasing the results of any investigations, and the government seems to go along with that, or at least they did up until yesterday. Originally we understood the Deputy Premier said no to releasing anything about the Katz affair, but later ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier is trying to trick Albertans, but the doubling of RRSPs is no treat for taxpayers. The government proposes to double the amount of taxpayer money going to MLA RRSPs, adding $1,000 a month to MLA pay, an 8 per cent increase. Does the Premier really expect us ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Here’s another scary idea for taxpayers, the spectre of tax hikes. The Minister of Municipal Affairs has been meeting with the big-city mayors on the issue of city charters. Now, it appears that Calgary’s mayor emerged super happy with what they’ve heard so far about their quest for new ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s fitting that we’re sitting on Halloween because it’s getting scary out there. It looks like the government has been possessed, so we’re grateful that the Chief Electoral Officer is investigating this phenomenon. But there’s another aspect beyond donations, lobbying. The Minister of Finance has described a number of meetings ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to rise today to address the issue of Bill 2, the Responsible Energy Development Act. Let me say that the Wildrose Official Opposition wants to support this bill. We hope that we will be able to support this bill because we welcome its intentions. We do ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans are honest, forthright, and upfront. These are our core values that make us who we are, so naturally we are disappointed when the government fails to live up to those values. We were promised a new approach to accountability. It was central to the arrival of a new ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, the government appears ready to use its majority to slip through another increase in MLA pay while trying to convince Albertans that an extra thousand dollars a month is actually a decrease in compensation. No wonder these guys can’t balance the budget. They clearly want to increase MLA pay despite the ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, the Finance minister likes to compare the provincial budget to a family budget, and he’s trying to soft-pedal a $3 billion budget deficit by comparing . . . [interjections] The Speaker: Hon. members, please. The Leader of the Opposition has the floor, and I think she is abundantly familiar with most ...
Ms Smith: Mr. Speaker, we’d like to know more about the government’s dealings with the Katz Group on a number of matters. The Finance Minister said yesterday: “The Katz Group asked for a change in casino licences. We said no. The group asked for direct funding for the arena. We said no.” Will the minister ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the topic of Edmonton’s downtown arena is back in the news, I thought I’d take some time to clarify where we in the Wildrose stand on this issue. The Wildrose wants Edmonton to have an arena. We like having two NHL hockey teams in our province. We like ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I rise with some satisfaction to speak in favour of Bill 8, the Electric Utilities Amendment Act, 2012, a bill which is a direct response to a key recommendation of the Critical Transmission Review Committee and ensures that all future transmission line projects require complete review and approval ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the hon. Member for Vermilion-Lloydminster for putting forward this motion, and I will speak in favour of it, the notion of exploring options to provide “support to municipalities that experience significant local road deterioration due to heavy industry/resource truck traffic, with the goal of ensuring ...
The Speaker: The Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My thoughts are also with the families and the community as they overcome this tragedy. Ms Smith: Turning to the business of the day, Mr. Speaker, Alberta’s reputation has been damaged. Our election financing process looks like it’s been broken ...
The Acting Speaker: I now recognize the hon. Leader of the Opposition. Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Now, I wasn’t going to speak to this bill because I had initially thought it was just going to be a housekeeping bill. On the surface it looks reasonable. Bill 6, the Protection and Compliance Statutes Amendment Act, ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some very serious allegations have been made today. The law governing political contributions prohibits donating other people’s money to a political party, but it appears that’s what has happened. A well-known Edmontonian made a contribution of $7,500 to the Wildrose Party legally, but his alleged contribution to the PCs ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This isn’t the only example of how the PC government completely disregards taxpayer dollars that we saw over the summer. It began with Merali’s $350,000 spending spree in Capital health. It continued through the Premier’s million-dollar Olympic junket to London and then on to Evan Berger’s $120,000 patronage plum. ...
Ms Smith: In any case, Mr. Speaker, energy prices remain low, yet this government has made no effort to adjust its spending to reflect this new, harsh reality. Regular Albertans, the people we talk to, are worried about the swelling deficit, yet the Minister of Finance said here yesterday that captains of industry are “very ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to rise this evening to speak to Bill 1, the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act, 2012, which would give presumptive coverage for posttraumatic stress disorder for first responders. This is the kind of bill that is easy for a member of the opposition to rise and speak ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with some degree of satisfaction that I rise today to speak to Bill 3, the Education Act. I sincerely hope the third time is the charm. This is the third time this bill has been presented to this Legislature for debate. Bill 18, of course, and I ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We need clarity on the government’s next cash grab for MLA pay increases. As you know, the Wildrose has opposed the increase, but we see evidence in public statements and public actions that the PCs want the taxpayers to fund all of their RRSP contributions, another $1,000 per month. ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 23 I gave a member’s statement detailing some of the things that I thought the government had copied from our Wildrose platform, and I celebrated their inclusion of whistle-blower protection, which was found on page 42 of the Wildrose campaign platform. Unfortunately, I was celebrating too soon ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I say, great to be back here in the Assembly, and I speak on behalf of our entire Wildrose Official Opposition when I say that it is even better to see how many Wildrose ideas have made their way onto the legislative agenda. From top to bottom, with ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta is in deficit trouble. That’s pretty clear now. The Associate Minister of Finance shocked his colleagues when he actually told the truth and admitted that the government would only attempt to run a balanced operating budget this year while taking out debt to pay for everything else. Then ...
Ms Smith: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Delighted to be back. Mr. Speaker, I believe people are only as good as their word. During the last election the Premier promised – promised – to end gold-plated transition allowances for MLAs, but just this past Friday PCs on the Members’ Services Committee did the opposite. They recommended ...
The last leg of the trip took us to Wisconsin, one of the centres of North American grassroots democracy in the last two years. As leader of a party that supports citizen-initiated referenda and recall, I was looking forward to meeting people who experienced it first hand. We arrived in Madison and had the afternoon ...
With all the furore surrounding the London Olympic trip I feel compelled to say again that we in the Wildrose do not oppose the Premier and minister going on international trips. These trips can be of great value. I am on one myself, hosted by the US State Department under their International Visitor Leadership Program, learning about ...
A picture of me with Lieutenant-Governor John Bohlinger and Teddy the Bull Moose. More on our visit further down. We left New Oreleans on Wednesday enroute to Helena, the capital city of Montana. Wednesday was spent dealing with matters at home including a caucus meeting and catching up on media calls. The two days we spent in ...
If you go to New Orleans for the Superbowl expect to see all new, clean, modern cabs, equipped with GPS systems, and mandatory English spoken by taxi drivers. We discovered this after it took forever to hail a cab in the morning: the cab driver who eventually picked us up told us these new city-imposed conditions ...
Alberta will likely never face a disaster or evacuation on par with what New Orleans experienced seven years ago with Katrina, but every single year we do face a test to our emergency response efforts. Flooding, fires, tornados, blizzards are just part of our annual reality in Alberta. The Walsh/Irvine flooding, the Slave Lake fire, the ...
The IVLP program leaves the weekends free for travel and sightseeing, so there were no meetings scheduled the last 2 days. That gave me some time to catch up on some reading and speech preparation since I have several speeches to do when I get back, including a debate on equalization with Michael Ignatieff on ...
I love this picture. I flew back to Calgary for Friday’s state memorial for former Premier Peter Lougheed. It was a terrific celebration of his life and impact on Alberta and Canadian politics. Afterward I thanked his son Stephen, who gave a tremendous tribute, for allowing us all to share in saying goodbye to a great ...
Visited the Senate to learn more about that chamber operates, and in particular, more about the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Though lots of legislatures may claim to be bicameral, the US Congress truly is. I got a lesson in how bills get generated and pass through committees and on through the Senate and House of ...
First a bit of American political trivia. My hotel is located right across the street from this famous landmark. Anyone know what it is? Answer at the end. Normally I like reading Dave Climenhaga’s blog, but his recent uncharacteristically inflammatory posting seems to demand a response. For the record, I think Climenhaga gets it right more often than ...
Briefings today with the Justice Department on privacy laws, and with scholars from the Brookings Institution and the American University on federalism and fiscal matters. The latter lead me to believe that regardless of who wins the US presidential elections, the Americans are going to continue facing serious deficit problems. For a Canadian, it is odd to see a ...
The day started with a State Department orientation. I was not surprised to learn that the security protocols to get in and out of federal buildings in Washington is just as cumbersome and security intense as in Ottawa. C’est la vie. Our briefing on Canada-US relations included a wide-ranging discussion on the Keystone pipeline approval process, the Border Action ...
Arrived in Washington, DC in the afternoon and met my host for the International Visitor Leadership Program, Josh. So what is this program? It is put on by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of International Visitors. Here’s why they do it: The Office of International Visitors manages and ...
The 3rd Annual Wildrose Stampede Stomp was a great success. Hundreds came out to celebrate the 100th Calgary Stampede
Copyright © Wildrose Party. Some rights reserved.
Authorized by the Wildrose CFO.
