A referendum on whether Alberta should have a referendum? This isn’t leadership. It looks a whole lot more like political survival... with the rest of Canada stuck holding the bill if things spiral.
Another informative article, Fred. What worries me a lot is that the Trump regime (I refuse to call it an 'administration') looks for discord in Canada as leverage against us. The upcoming CUSMA negotiations are going to be hard enough without this sh*t show from Alberta. Smith, IMHO, is a closet Maple MAGA supporter who panders to that large base within the UCP.
Absolutely right on Fred. All this is making Canada look unstable at a time where the country is looking for investments. Danielle Smith is just kicking this down the road a year or more. And the referendum question is so convoluted that many people might have trouble deciphering it. Here in Alberta there are rumblings of her support being tested. I honestly hope people will take a look at the damage she has already done to the province and not allow her to do it to our beautiful country.
Danielle Smith ought to be recalled. Plain and simple. She is incompetent, and a danger to our national security. She has committed treason. She needs to go. Albertans, should they separate, will find that what they had as part of Canada is MUCH, MUCH better than what they'll be getting as the 51st state. I truly hope that the Albertans who wish to remain in Canada speak up loudly, and put this speeding train on the right track.
I am so frustrated with DS and the separatists in our beautiful AB. The Forever Canada petition made it pretty clear that most of us want to be part of of Canada. I believe this inappropriate use of the voters list (possibly stealing the list) is something the perpetrators should go to jail for! Can I say I'm angry! DS is ruining our province with her shenanigans!
Helllooooo is there any body outtttt there??? Like, can we have a vote about having another vote? Looks like we can separate in likeeee only 50 years? Is that good? Naheed Nenshi had plans to spend time with her, pleading for Canada to stay together, maybe he had this meeting already & shook her up a little? HE should be Alberta's Premier, in my opinion, someone who knows economics & knows what he is doing. Enough with someone who doesn't know their head from their...asssssssssssssets, or a hole in the ground! Thanks Fred for an awesome space to vent LOL
Fred, this is similar to Scotland and Wales wishing to leave the United Kingdom. The SNP have strong backing , but perhaps the separatists don’t realise that without the Whole of the Country their defensive capabilities would be nil. Same as Wales, sounds good. Welsh speaking taught in schools, but what about the money from Central Government? Within the current framework both Scotland and Wales have had relative freedom to do what they want. Scotlands welfare legislation is probably better than Englands, I may be old and daft, but I cannot see why they cannot carry on being Scotland and within the United Kingdom? Canada, Australia , New Zealand etc are all part of the Commonwealth. So is Scotland. What on earth are those separatists wanting from the USA? Privatised healthcare, rotten education ? Can’t they see what is happening down there? I can and I live in England! Sorry, rant over.
Fred, it occurs to me that Smith has taken a page out of the Trump playbook.
Her new pipeline is increasingly looking like a pipe dream. Global customers are not lining up to commit to signing long term contracts to buy Alberta’s dirty and expensive oil and consequently private lenders are reticent to finance the pipe line.
Those nations, particularly in Asia, who lack their own petroleum resources are increasingly looking to cheaper, faster and more nimble electrical energy using renewable energy technologies to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels both from a cost and dependability of supply basis.
The illegal US-Israeli War on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz is accelerating the movement away from fossil fuels from a trot to a sprint!Meanwhile, China, the world’s most advanced producer and installer of renewable energy technologies is only too happy to help out with its advanced technologies and their hub and spoke development model which includes financing using Chinese currency. And why not!
More and more countries are comparing the cost of the construction and on going operational costs between fossil fueled and renewable energy technologies and are concluding that it’s a mugs game to stay with the fossil fuel option.
This of course makes the international lenders yet more antsy about investing in what could quickly become stranded assets which further hastens the demise of the fossil fuel option and the presumed supremacy of the US dollar.
Smith is watching the penny drop and cannot come up with a saleable explanation before the penny hits the floor. And so like Trump she is pushing the referendum issue in the basis of emotional fear in the hopes that it will stave off having to answer for the unfolding economic reality.
Smith will no doubt blame the lack of corporate support for the pipeline not on the unsustainable business case for the reluctant financing but rather disingenuously suggest that their nervousness over the pending referendum accounts for their financial reticence and will pitch separation as the best case scenario to re-establish corporate confidence in a pipeline.
She is using the referendum to deflect from the absent business case for the pipeline.
Smith is simply one of the best politicians the petroleum industry can buy!
Danielle Smith is focussed on one thing and one thing only - WHAT DANIELLE SMITH HAS DECIDED IS BEST FOR DANIELLE SMITH - and in her mind, what’s best for Danielle Smith is remaining in control, as a despot, of everything in this province. That she is the one to whom everything goes for decisions - on everything. That she has sole purview over everything. Everyone answers to her and her alone.
Another informative article, Fred. What worries me a lot is that the Trump regime (I refuse to call it an 'administration') looks for discord in Canada as leverage against us. The upcoming CUSMA negotiations are going to be hard enough without this sh*t show from Alberta. Smith, IMHO, is a closet Maple MAGA supporter who panders to that large base within the UCP.
You nailed one of the bigger risks, Jerry.
Internal division becomes leverage... and timing matters.
Walking into tough CUSMA talks while looking politically fractured isn’t exactly ideal.
Appreciate you reading.
Absolutely right on Fred. All this is making Canada look unstable at a time where the country is looking for investments. Danielle Smith is just kicking this down the road a year or more. And the referendum question is so convoluted that many people might have trouble deciphering it. Here in Alberta there are rumblings of her support being tested. I honestly hope people will take a look at the damage she has already done to the province and not allow her to do it to our beautiful country.
That’s the part that worries me too, Shelagh...
stability matters when you’re trying to attract investment.
And you’re right, the wording feels complicated enough that a lot of people may not fully grasp what they’re actually voting on.
Appreciate the Alberta boots-on-the-ground perspective.
Danielle Smith ought to be recalled. Plain and simple. She is incompetent, and a danger to our national security. She has committed treason. She needs to go. Albertans, should they separate, will find that what they had as part of Canada is MUCH, MUCH better than what they'll be getting as the 51st state. I truly hope that the Albertans who wish to remain in Canada speak up loudly, and put this speeding train on the right track.
I hear your frustration, Leslie.
The stakes here are bigger than normal politics, and I agree...
Albertans who want to stay in Canada need to make their voices heard.
You're absolutely right. I just hope that they do. I have several friends in Edmonton.
Exactly! Let's start with the Healthcare they WON'T have!!!!
No kidding; and that is just the beginning.
I am so frustrated with DS and the separatists in our beautiful AB. The Forever Canada petition made it pretty clear that most of us want to be part of of Canada. I believe this inappropriate use of the voters list (possibly stealing the list) is something the perpetrators should go to jail for! Can I say I'm angry! DS is ruining our province with her shenanigans!
I hear the frustration, Sandi.
A lot of Albertans seem deeply worried about the direction this is heading.
And yes... plenty are making it clear they believe Alberta belongs in Canada.
Appreciate you weighing in.”
The list was provided by DT, through a 3rd. party, charges are possible with Police investigating. They have proof!
If there’s evidence, the investigation will sort it out, Patsy.
Either way, this whole thing has created a lot of frustration and distrust.
Helllooooo is there any body outtttt there??? Like, can we have a vote about having another vote? Looks like we can separate in likeeee only 50 years? Is that good? Naheed Nenshi had plans to spend time with her, pleading for Canada to stay together, maybe he had this meeting already & shook her up a little? HE should be Alberta's Premier, in my opinion, someone who knows economics & knows what he is doing. Enough with someone who doesn't know their head from their...asssssssssssssets, or a hole in the ground! Thanks Fred for an awesome space to vent LOL
😂 ‘A vote about having another vote’ really does sound like something cooked up after too much coffee and not enough clarity.
Alberta deserves a whole lot more certainty than this.
Always appreciate your comments, Patsy.
Fred, this is similar to Scotland and Wales wishing to leave the United Kingdom. The SNP have strong backing , but perhaps the separatists don’t realise that without the Whole of the Country their defensive capabilities would be nil. Same as Wales, sounds good. Welsh speaking taught in schools, but what about the money from Central Government? Within the current framework both Scotland and Wales have had relative freedom to do what they want. Scotlands welfare legislation is probably better than Englands, I may be old and daft, but I cannot see why they cannot carry on being Scotland and within the United Kingdom? Canada, Australia , New Zealand etc are all part of the Commonwealth. So is Scotland. What on earth are those separatists wanting from the USA? Privatised healthcare, rotten education ? Can’t they see what is happening down there? I can and I live in England! Sorry, rant over.
No apology needed, Penny 😊.
I think a lot of people are weighing the practical realities...
what’s gained, what’s lost, and whether the frustration matches the risks.
Appreciate the perspective from England.”
Fred, it occurs to me that Smith has taken a page out of the Trump playbook.
Her new pipeline is increasingly looking like a pipe dream. Global customers are not lining up to commit to signing long term contracts to buy Alberta’s dirty and expensive oil and consequently private lenders are reticent to finance the pipe line.
Those nations, particularly in Asia, who lack their own petroleum resources are increasingly looking to cheaper, faster and more nimble electrical energy using renewable energy technologies to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels both from a cost and dependability of supply basis.
The illegal US-Israeli War on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz is accelerating the movement away from fossil fuels from a trot to a sprint!Meanwhile, China, the world’s most advanced producer and installer of renewable energy technologies is only too happy to help out with its advanced technologies and their hub and spoke development model which includes financing using Chinese currency. And why not!
More and more countries are comparing the cost of the construction and on going operational costs between fossil fueled and renewable energy technologies and are concluding that it’s a mugs game to stay with the fossil fuel option.
This of course makes the international lenders yet more antsy about investing in what could quickly become stranded assets which further hastens the demise of the fossil fuel option and the presumed supremacy of the US dollar.
Smith is watching the penny drop and cannot come up with a saleable explanation before the penny hits the floor. And so like Trump she is pushing the referendum issue in the basis of emotional fear in the hopes that it will stave off having to answer for the unfolding economic reality.
Smith will no doubt blame the lack of corporate support for the pipeline not on the unsustainable business case for the reluctant financing but rather disingenuously suggest that their nervousness over the pending referendum accounts for their financial reticence and will pitch separation as the best case scenario to re-establish corporate confidence in a pipeline.
She is using the referendum to deflect from the absent business case for the pipeline.
Smith is simply one of the best politicians the petroleum industry can buy!
You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this, Jef.
Whatever people think about pipelines, markets are changing fast and long-term investment decisions are getting more complicated...
especially with global instability layered on top.
Appreciate the thoughtful perspective.”
Danielle Smith is focussed on one thing and one thing only - WHAT DANIELLE SMITH HAS DECIDED IS BEST FOR DANIELLE SMITH - and in her mind, what’s best for Danielle Smith is remaining in control, as a despot, of everything in this province. That she is the one to whom everything goes for decisions - on everything. That she has sole purview over everything. Everyone answers to her and her alone.
I hear the frustration, Patricia.
A lot of Albertans seem deeply concerned about the direction this is heading right now.
Appreciate you weighing in.
Always appreciate your comments and responses Fred. Thank you my friend.