Alberta's Choice

Alberta may be in line for yet another credit downgrade from its current A+ rating after DBRS reviewed the NDP's fiscal update.  Finance Minister Joe Ceci released a statement on Wednesday accompanying the update and reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring services remain available for Albertans.  Interestingly enough, the UCP caucus is also facing a deficit and is looking to borrow from MLA allowances and/or cut caucus staff.  Presumably the 38 staffers are excited to see which of them will remain employed in the disastrous economic climate their employer assures them exists.

While the NDP are still holding onto hope that oil prices will rebound it's looking less and less likely to happen before 2019 (note: the links are not Alberta specific but global forecasts).  The NDP is in a difficult position because if they raise taxes, they will be hounded by the opposition and the public for not cutting jobs and services.  By maintaining the status quo they will be hounded by opposition and the public for not cutting jobs and services.  There's always option number three: they could cut services and jobs and look like hypocrites to their supporters.  Their only hope was a resource royalty miracle.

But don't think for a second the UCP isn't in the same boat.  They need resource revenue as well because even though we can't pay for the services we currently have, they want to cut taxes further.  They, however, are not afraid to cut services and jobs.  Their active supporters, a large number of whom are 55 and older, living in rural areas with few health services or urban areas without adequate space for placement in seniors' facilities and wait lists for surgeries, are cheering for it, actually.  Everyone knows the old saying "the less you pay, the better quality you receive"... or something like that.

The NDP desperately needed resource revenues to return so they could be in a strong position to maintain government in 2019.  If they won't raise taxes to support the spending or cut the spending, they will go further into debt at what looks to be a higher level of interest if Alberta's credit rating drops again.  The credit rating agencies have said there are only two options to keep the credit rating we have and maintaining the status quo is not one of them.  While the Wildrose/UCP continues to look less like the financial stewards they claimed to be, other parties are being given the opportunity to offer a real choice in 2019.

The Real Choice

Monday started off better than last week with Brian Jean actually going so far as to make a policy proposal.  It's awful but anything that takes attention away from Fildebrandt for a bit is a blessing.   While it's likely we haven't heard the last of the expense scandals, at least there's questionable and inappropriate policy to talk about today.

Jean introduced his policy with a standard phrase designed to keep his supporters scared and angry;

The NDP government is starting us down the wrong path by imposing their ideology and eroding the choices Alberta students have so benefited from (in) the past.  They’ve launched their massive curriculum review with no indication who is leading it or where it’s going.  

The UCP/Wildrose group has had a lot of success with this narrative.  Kenney raised alarm about the curriculum review but wouldn't go so far as to say a UCP review would be transparent.  Two weeks prior to Jean's media scrum on Monday, Kenney also claimed students were being taught "fads".  The two front-runners, let's be honest, will do everything they can to make this about personality.  If they have the same talking points, then you only have to vote for the person you like better... or dislike less.

Malcolm Mayes, Edmonton Journal, June 2016

With all the discussion around the certainty that the current government will impose their ideology on students, the Wildrose/UCP are suggesting they can, and will, do the same.

We would focus on enhancing the curriculum from an Alberta perspective by improving financial, historical and energy literacy.  Alberta is the best province in the best country in the world and our students need to be taught exactly that.  

Would an "Alberta perspective" include the Wildrose/UCP whopper that Alberta makes transfer payments to our eastern provincial neighbours?   This is indeed worrisome because although it certainly is a perspective widely found in this province, it's only loosely based on reality.  Canadian citizens pay federal taxes and the federal government gives money back to provinces based on need.  It's really not a difficult concept unless you're trying to sell a lie.

There was also something Jean said that I somewhat agree with;

We do Alberta’s children no favours by giving out passing grades without them achieving their full potential.  We would end the “No Zero” policy.  If you don’t do the work, you should get a zero.  Students must complete the work and demonstrate a minimum level of achievement to advance to the next grade.  

I agree with teachers that no one should tell them they can or cannot give a certain mark; they are the professionals.  With that being said, the case for a no-zero policy actually makes sense if you consider the reasoning behind its implementation.  With children currently attending Alberta's K-12 system, I am of the opinion that a no-zero policy increases responsibility and collaboration between the child, parent and teacher.  What is easier?  Helping a student complete an assignment or giving them a zero and moving on?  The no-zero policy was brought in to enforce exactly what Jean is saying: "Students must complete the work".

Our plan to strengthen Alberta’s education system would ensure parents remain the primary educator of their children by allowing for the choice in education they want their children to receive. Commitment to diversity and choice in Alberta’s education system will ensure success for students.  

"Choice".  We should not forget that libertarian policies still want the government to pay for your children's education, they just want to ensure someone can make a profit.  Public schools don't make money but a lot of money, taxpayer money, is spent on them.  If the libertarian movement could get their hands on the money "given" to education, they would ensure a few people could profit.  That's the real choice Brian Jean wants to provide and no, Mr. and Ms. "ordinary", "average" Albertan, he's definitely not talking about you.

 

Why Would Kenney Lie?

The events in Charlottesville last weekend seem to have opened up a firestorm raining down on the head of Nazi sympathizing media outlet, the Rebel.  In turn, the heat from said fire has started to make those politicians and electoral hopefuls who support them a little uncomfortable.  On Sunday, United Conservative Party leader candidate Doug Schweitzer was the first UCP hopeful to publicly condemn both the right wing media and its contributors, commentators and guests, and the bandwagon continued filling up all week; if to a lesser extent.

Credit: Rebel Media

Other UCP leadership candidates, Brian Jean and Jason Kenney, were less emphatic in their condemnation.  Brian Jean, whose very short-lived appeal to moderates encouraged commentators for the outlet to question his commitment to conservatives, reiterated his support for free speech but claimed he was "concerned with the commentary and editorial direction" of the Rebel.  Having been on the receiving end of a clash with the Rebel before, it seems he is unwilling to say more.

Jason Kenney, claimed he was "repeatedly attacked by Rebel for criticizing them" but little evidence of this can be found.  For 5 straight pages of a custom Google search within the Rebel's site, there is nothing but articles denoting praise for Kenney. On the sixth page, there is finally a commentary with what looks as if it may offer the kind of attack Kenney claims he received.  In May of 2017, Levant produced a video in which he mentioned both Jean and Kenney and the stance they took in response to a chant of "lock (Premier Rachel Notley) up" at the Rebel's Carbon Tax rally in December 2016 saying:

"... provided the leader (of the united conservative party) has the courage of their convictions to undo the damage (caused by NDP policies).  I'm not even fully convinced of that. I see political correctness creeping into both those parties.  I mean, obviously the Progressive Conservatives are still a split personality, lots of red tories there. I know that both Brian Jean and Jason Kenney for example condemned our rally on the steps of the legislature in Alberta in December where nearly 3000 men and women were there to protest the carbon tax; many of them unemployed.  But Kenney and Jean condemned the men for a quick. light-hearted chant to 'lock her up' as if those men really meant to kidnap her and lock her up or something instead of just having a light-hearted moment to (lessen) the pain of their unemployment." May 19, 2017

There was little criticism levied against Kenney and certainly not what one could reasonably consider an "attack".  Even the articles that suggest there might be something negative about Jason Kenney within neither mention him by name nor link to anything other than another commentator's (or more of their own) personal opinions; which, again, do not mention Kenney at all.  So why would he lie?

Kenney was already called out for stating he had not appeared on the Rebel for over a year.  Now it looks as if he's crying wolf about being "repeatedly attacked".  If anything, Kenney has been repeatedly fawned over.  Is he trying to maintain public support from the conservative (but not Nazi sympathizing) voters?  Or is he simply seeking the balance that will allow the Rebel to continue to garner support from Alberta's alt-right?  Kenney can hardly be blamed for what the Rebel chooses to write about (and omit) but one has to wonder why he would lie about his long, comfortable history with Rebel media.

Note: If anyone has a screenshot of Gunn-Reid's "Who told Doug it would be a good idea to pick a fight with me?" tweet that Schweitzer quoted, please pass it on.

Fildebrandt, Past and Present

The United Conservative Party, being less than a month old, is still in its infancy but it has officially been christened by its first bozo eruption.  Derek Fildebrandt, MLA for Strathmore - Brooks, was found to have been renting out his taxpayer funded apartment in Edmonton through AirBnB for personal profit.  Claiming his actions "never cost the taxpayer anything extra", Fildebrandt released a statement claiming his subletting for personal profit was "not against the rules" and has "always been... shared openly with (his) colleagues".  While the latter ensures each and every one of his WRP/UCP mates can be regarded as comfortably complicit in Derek's stewardship of taxpayer dollars, his leave of absence from his role as "co-shadow finance minister" suggests those same colleagues weren't willing to defend him in the face of public disappointment.

Alberta MLAs are eligible to claim up to $23,160 non-taxable dollars each year ($1,930 per month) to cover their accommodation expenses in Edmonton.  Upon his arrival in the Legislature in 2015, Alberta Party leader Greg Clark called for a change in the reimbursement process when he discovered he was unable to easily claim less than $1,930 per month.  In March of 2016, Clark's recommendations requiring MLAs "to claim actual living expenses" rather than a blanket amount were approved by the Member's Services Committee.  This change in accommodation expense rules is what will likely come back to haunt Fildebrandt as Clark has now requested an investigation and review of accommodation expenses claimed by current MLAs.

Fildebrandt staunchly claims he did nothing wrong and he is receiving some public support. Personally profiting from taxpayer funded accommodation "absolutely isn't an issue" said the Strathmore-Brooks Wildrose/UCP constituency association president, Ronda Klemmensen.  Had the shoe been on the other foot, most (if not all) people who don't support Fildebrandt feel strongly that he would have thrown everything he had in his meme arsenal at the offending MLA(s).  Frankly, this double standard, although not new, is confounding.

Had he used the rental income to decrease the cost to Alberta taxpayers, his actions would have been widely applauded.  In fact, it is that type of ingenuity one would have expected of a "fiscal hawk" and "champion of the taxpayers".  Back in 2013, Fildebrandt stated expense policies should require actual receipts in order to hold public servants accountable.  While campaigning for his seat in 2015 he claimed that it was the responsibility of politicians to first get their "own spending under control".  In fact, Derek Fildebrandt the MLA is facing such acute public backlash because of Derek Fildebrant the former Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation.

Whether you support Fildebrandt now or not, if you have heard anything from him over the past 8 years, you have heard him rail against irresponsible spending by government and elected officials.  One gets the impression from Fildebrandt of old that he would be the first person to ensure his own expenses and spending were above board.  While one right wing publication suggested what he did was not against the rules, it would appear they are unfamiliar with the change Greg Clark successfully implemented in 2016.  "Actual expenses" ensure that Fildebrandt's Air BnB profits should have reduced the amount of accommodation expenses claimed by the MLA.

There is no grey area here.  Fildebrandt's apartment was paid for by Alberta taxpayers.  Fildebrandt profited personally from that apartment and still charged Alberta taxpayers the full amount.  Even though he reimbursed taxpayers after he was caught, Fildebrandt the MLA should not be absolved because Fildebrandt the Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation would never have allowed it.

Update: Greg Clark has been combing over Fildebrandt's expenses and discovered more anomalies; claiming expenses in more than one city and claiming both receipts as well as his per diem expenses (ie twice for the same meals).  Clark has once again called for an investigation into all MLA expense claims.

Back to Our Future

As we head into the final leg of what feels like an American campaign season, people have been asking to see platforms before they vote for the leader of the United Conservative Party.  Most of those people likely won't be voting in the UCP leadership race but that doesn't make the question any less important... just less likely to be answered.

An interesting point was brought up today: are businesses likely to make decisions based on a platform without substance like the one Jason Kenney is touting?  I'll admit my initial reaction was to laugh.  Businesses, especially large ones, are not a one-person operation; they have boards and shareholders to answer to.  However, after careful consideration, this may be one of those circumstances where the lack of a platform is going to be an issue.

Photo credit: Pressfortruth.ca

To begin with, the only unknown in the UPC leadership race is Doug Schweitzer and he's actually put together a fairly informative platform for businesses and individuals regarding taxes and regulations.  Both Kenney and Jean, and even Fildebrandt if he actually runs, are known in the political circles of Alberta conservatives. Certainly few have forgotten the Hail Mary from the 5 CEOs a few days before the 2015 election; Alberta businesses and jobs were at stake if voters elected an NDP government.  

Mr. Kenney managed to raise over $500,000 prior to October 1, 2016 from 2,129 donors (which is an interesting number considering he only managed to earn 1,113 votes from the "membership").  The final tally for his expenses for the leadership race was just under $1.5 million which means he raised almost another million during the five and a half months of the actual leadership race.  While many might look at it as a shady deal, his lack of policy and platform speaks to a lot of people because he says he's a conservative and he is pro-free-enterprise.   Never mind the fact that most Albertans and, honestly, all other political parties in Alberta (even the NDP) are as well.

The narrative, though, has been set and is entrenched in political discourse.  The phrase "job killing carbon tax" has been around since 2012, coined by federal conservatives against the NDP.   It worked for Kenney's team then and he has found a very willing audience in Alberta to regurgitate the same talking point.  It doesn't seem to matter to his supporters that a federal carbon tax will be implemented by 2018 if provinces don't already have one.  Add to that narrative the fact that a number of high emission industries in Alberta have been paying a price on carbon since 2007, and you have yet another red herring.  No one needs to be deceived by their political representatives but the onus is on the individual to learn the truth.

People often look for someone to blame when times are tough.  Change is difficult for a lot of people, especially those who expected their careers to take them through the rest of their lives.  The future is not the same as they thought 40 years ago and Alberta has an opportunity to keep up or be left behind.  The UCP may be the political party of new but their plans and ideas are years behind the rest of the world.  The question is: which direction will the voters in this province take us? 

The New Normal

Ralph Klein referred to "severely normal" Albertans.  Ric McIver and the Wildrose MLAs like to call them "ordinary Albertans".  This evening at Derek Fildebrandt's pig roast, Nathan Cooper, interim leader of the United Conservative Party said he'd "had to spend a lot of time in Edmonton lately and (was) happy to be in Strathmore with totally normal people".  Could he have been referring to MLAs at the Alberta Legislature as Derek Fildebrandt suggested?  Anything is possible.

Derek Fildebrandt and Nathan Cooper
Strathmore, August 4, 2017

His comments weren't taken out of context but like anything else, it means different things to different people. Personally, I think he meant it as a joke and it went over as such but after the "sewer rat" incident, is it really in anyone's best interest to give someone the benefit of the doubt?

The Wildrose caucus and their favourite right wing media monster certainly weren't willing to do that.  As the tale is now told, the NDP called "all the (Wildrose) party's supporters 'sewer rats'."  Never mind that it was one MLA and don't even think of trying to rationalize why a government minister would call provincial constituents who elected her and her party 'sewer rats'.  You would be wrong.  The Wildrose knows what she meant and both they and their supporters pushed the narrative as hard as they could.  It's an urban legend now.

I'm not about to run with a false narrative though.  Welcome to a centrist point of view: I'm reasonable.  All of the people who "got" the joke agreed; they are normal.  The problem with this narrative/rhetoric is it suggests someone else isn't and that definition is in the mind of the beholder.

The "us against them" narrative is something I find particularly concerning. Jason Kenney is running with a current theme of "us" against the "elites" in academia (which elites are under fire change but not the story).  They are a small group.  Marginalizing them is easy; people who spent half their lives paying to learn and now get paid to learn - and teach???  Who does that?  Some people have to work for a living.

Truthfully, marginalizing Edmonton is easy as well.  It's a government city and a government city has unions.  Fildebrandt has taken a stance against unions numerous times and while Kenney has as well, he's much more careful about alienating voters.  Because of unions, Edmonton also has the majority of well-paying government jobs.   It's tough to find a well-paying job in rural Alberta.  Even if you own a business, you don't have the consumer base of the cities which also makes it difficult to start a business.

Nevertheless, if it wasn't for all those decent paying jobs and successful businesses around the province, Strathmore wouldn't have a hospital, let alone upgrades to the hospital.  The tax base of ~11,000 people (a great number of whom work in Calgary) can't pay for the five elementary schools, three junior and senior high schools as well as a hospital.  Don't tell residents though - they think their taxes are too high as it is.  If this argument sounds familiar, it is: federal equalization payments perform the same function as urban to rural equalization within provinces.

"Us vs Them" rhetoric is not helpful to anyone even if it makes you feel good for a moment.  We, Albertans, are all in this together.  Will you decide your future, the future of your children, neighbours and friends based on what you don't want?  Rejecting divisive statements should be our first priority as citizens and especially as voters.