Derek Fildebrandt: The Independent

Only four months ago, partisans from all parties were hoping Derek Fildebrandt would just fade away.  Many wrote off his ability to reclaim his former glory after diving headfirst into what appeared to be the largest pile of self-manufactured manure in Alberta politics.  Fildebrandt, however, seems born for the political character he plays and in Alberta politics, the stage is completely set for the next, or even former, big act.

Back in February, when Fildebrandt found out he would no longer be welcome in the UCP caucus, there were some dark days for him.  "They called me after the press release" he said, "up until literally the day before, Kenney's people told me to just pay the fine and stay quiet".  So he stayed quiet until then and for a time afterward.  Then he started talking.

"Politics is full of bullshit" he told reporters at a press conference in March.  He also said that he was told, by Kenney, he would not be allowed to vie for the nomination in his home riding as Leela Aheer, MLA for Chestermere-Rockyview and one of only two female MLAs in the UCP, was now the preferred candidate.

On April 25, Fildebrandt held a town hall meeting at the Strathmore Legion to discuss the impending pipeline issues.  During that meeting, he said the original plan was for Aheer to run in a North East Calgary riding and he would be the candidate for Chestermere-Strathmore.  That changed, he said, once Kenney won the UCP leadership in October. "What Jason said to me," he recounted, "is it's not about me challenging other incumbents; it's about me challenging female incumbents".

No one on other side of the Conservative fence thought Fildebrandt would go quietly but his reemergence from certain political death has been impressive in its steady calculations.  On May 8, he delivered an impassioned statement to the Legislative Assembly.

"When I was told that I would not be allowed to run in my own constituency because of affirmative action gender quotas, I didn’t quit, but when I was told to just keep quiet and keep my head down until all this passed, I did. It wasn’t in my character to do so, and it was a mistake. I allowed the scheming backroom operators to dictate my behaviour as they are now dictating the behaviour of others.

I was the first member of this House to call for the unification of conservatives, but I’m honestly not sure if history will judge that to have been the right thing to do anymore. 

Conditional for supporting unification was the grassroots guarantee that local members would select their own candidates and that members would set the policies of the party. If you believe in democracy, then you accept that you lose a vote sometimes on policy or on your hand-picked candidates. 

I can’t be whipped. As long as I’ve been an MLA, I have always voted freely and have broken with the party whip on more than one occasion. One of the things I’m grateful for right now is that there is no party whip telling me how to vote or even not how to vote. The only people who get to tell me how to vote are the people of Strathmore-Brooks. Party backroomers may have stripped the members in my constituency of the right to vote for the candidate of their choice, but they have not stripped me of my voice to say: I don’t quit."

For that speech, he received a good deal of applause from the members in the Assembly but not, predictably, from his former caucus.  And it was just the first indication of a return to the formerly determined and rather fiery MLA of memory.  While Fildebrandt has definitely not stopped holding the government to account on behalf of his constituents, he has also taken on a new adversary.

Rebel Media

Fildebrandt, along with the governing NDP, Alberta Party caucus, the Liberal MLA and PC MLA, has been vocal in his derision of the UCP's failure to show up and represent Albertans in the Legislature in what has been called a "disgraceful dereliction of", and an "unprecedented shunning of the opposition's" duty.  He has even gone so far as to ask the members of the UCP to stay and do their job.  On May 30, in a member's statement regarding a scheduled debate on Bill 9, the abortion clinic "bubble zone" law, he said he hoped the UCP caucus would "at least stay for the next debate and participate in that debate and vote in that debate."  Four members did stay, silent, during debate but left when the vote was called.

He may also find himself with a new obstacle to his work as he discovered that same day.  Fildebrandt had proposed a motion to open debate on the Kinder Morgan pipeline development and the Alberta government's role in the investment.  As is parliamentary procedure, he had given notice to all other parties.  Fildebrandt stated he gave his notice to the parties more than 24 hours in advance of the May 30 sitting. That morning, he discovered a near identical motion was being tabled by the UCP.  The Speaker noted the notice from the Official Opposition had been received that morning at 7:39 am but notice from the Independent did not arrive until 8:42 am.  Fildebrandt also noted that he had not received notice from the Official Opposition on that motion.

An independent MLA has little power but he does have his voice; as does every other representative in the Assembly, should they choose to use it.

"We might not get to change the final outcome of a vote, but we get to have our say. In fact, it is our duty to have our say, to speak up for our constituents on bills that we support, on bills that we oppose, and on bills that we might not even want to talk about. If they’re on the floor of this Legislature, it is our duty to our constituents to stand up, speak up, and be counted every time".

Edmonton Sun

That Fildebrandt lost some power when he was reduced to a caucus of one is of little doubt.  While he was, for a time, persona non grata he has found his voice once again and returned to what was a strength for him at the start of his career; his fierce independence. 

He campaigned tirelessly for unity of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties.  He also drew speculation about a possible run for the leadership of those parties when he launched the "United Liberty" brand.  He never intended to run for the leadership but "the idea" he says "was to help shape the party" with a liberty-conservative ideology.  Now, he is no longer helping to shape the United Conservative Party.

Instead, he is "actively consulting on founding a new, autonomist libertarian-conservative party".  And he is not doing it alone.  As an obsessive political observer, I keep up with news and events.  As Fildebrandt is my MLA, I take particular note of where his name pops up.  One relatively recent place was on a hat worn by the Rebel Media's "Alberta Bureau Chief" in their Twitter profile picture.  The next was at a Rebel-hosted rally where he spoke to the crowd in favour of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.  He was introduced by Rebel Media founder Ezra Levant as "an independent; just like us".

On May 11, he appeared on Ezra Levant's Rebel Media to discuss a number of failings he attributes to Jason Kenney and the UCP caucus.  These include the "whipped" members refusing to represent their constituents on Bill 9, Kenney's refusal to allow Fildebrandt to run against Leela Aheer for the riding nomination and the caucus voting with the NDP to provide incentives for "gender quotas" in private industry. 

Regardless of the medium, Fildebrandt does have some legitimate complaints and now that he is an independent, he will continue to raise these concerns against the UCP.  Aside from him running in the next election it's unlikely the UCP considered him to be more than a temporary nuisance. If he manages to introduce yet another new party into the Alberta political scene, that may very quickly change.  Derek Fildebrandt has pulled himself up from certain political death by being exactly who he was as at the top of his game with Wildrose; Derek Fildebrandt: the independent.

The Incredible Shrinking Caucus

Just before noon on Friday, Jason Kenney, MLA for Calgary-Lougheed and leader of the Official Opposition released a statement officially barring Derek Fildebrandt from returning to the UCP caucus.  Fildebrandt had attended court Friday morning to respond to illegal hunting charges from November, 2017 which first hit the news cycle in December of 2017.  At that time, Kenney told reporters that Fildebrandt could apply to be reinstated but "would discourage him from doing so unless or until he's resolved any outstanding issues."  (That article is a great read through the lens of recent information by the way).

It's certainly possible Derek received a blow to the ego when Kenney released his statement; for too long it seemed as if the most popular Wildrose MLA in the province could reach no low which was too low.  Flaunting fiduciary duties and the law didn't seem to take the wind from his sails.  Certainly, some conservatives had their feathers ruffled but it wasn't until the final accusation, "related to unlawful hunting practices", that this pundit feels went too far for the base.  And a cautionary tale to those who can't seem to get away with everything; when the boss calls you in for an "executive grilling" and you don't think he knows about your latest escapade; he knows.

Photo credit @UCPCaucus on Twitter

Fildebrandt, however, was already out of caucus.  Don MacIntyre, MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake gave his notice to the caucus around noon on Friday.  He then tweeted that he was leaving politics to focus on family.  A publication ban is in place but several news outlets broke the story anyway, that the (former?) MLA was facing criminal charges.  Commentary is flowing freely among the unbound public if anyone is interested in finding out more.  While neither Fildebrandt nor MacIntyre left of their own volition (really), it is unlikely they will be the last to shake off those depressing shades of blue.

Having not been seen in the Legislature and being noticeably absent from Kenney's swearing-in ceremony, it is expected that Brian Jean, MLA Fort McMurray - Conklin, will be stepping down as well.  Some might say it's sour grapes and others might say it's a simple 'F' you to the new leader.  My money's on the latter even though I am prepared for a sincere "I want to spend more time with my family" statement.

But the other unknown at this point is who will be leading the Alberta Party and whether their leadership will provide any unhappily shackled MLAs with the motivation to move on.  The successful candidate, between contenders Rick Fraser, MLA for Calgary-South East, Kara Levis, Calgary Energy Lawyer and former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel will take on the Official Opposition and the Governing Party with their version of Alberta's brighter future and who knows what will happen?

For those of you who have lost track since 2015, the PC party lost one MLA in 2016, and then technically lost seven in 2017, the UCP lost two in 2017 and four so far in 2018, the NDP gained one (from the PCs) and lost one (to the Alberta Party), and the Alberta party has gained two - one from the right and one from the left.  I hate to say it, but this could turn out to be a livelier year in provincial politics than the last.

Update: Brian Jean announced his departure from the Alberta Legislature and the UCP caucus on March 5, 2018.

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.

How Alberta's Carbon Tax May Have Made Gas Cheaper

Rick Perry is not an economist and neither am I, just so you know.  I was, however, paying attention in junior high when I was taught about 'supply and demand' (note: I was educated in the Canadian public school system which is pretty darned good).  I also live in Alberta which is only just starting to get its bearings back after a nasty recession caused by... an increase in the global supply of oil... which caused the price of oil to drop.  It's therefore entirely possible I have a better perspective of supply and demand than the Energy Secretary of the United States of America (I'm so sorry, America).

In what was termed a "Canada Day Miracle", gas prices did not increase as Canadians headed into a long weekend.  Not only did they not increase at all during the week, gas prices are at a seven year low... because the supply of available gas is higher than the demand.  When there is more supply than demand, prices go down; it's what the "law of supply and demand" is (again, I'm sorry, America).

When the Alberta NDP announced they would implement a carbon tax in an effort to get people thinking about their personal contribution to emissions, there was an uproar in Alberta.  To be fair, Albertans seem to hate paying taxes more than most citizens.  Somehow, there's a belief that Alberta is so rich we shouldn't have to pay taxes at all:

Fall 1998:  The government surveyed Albertans about their fiscal priorities in the "Talk it up. Talk it out." survey. Albertans gave increasing savings in the Heritage Fund an importance rating of 19.2 per cent, behind eliminating the debt, reducing taxes and increasing spending in priority areas. 

                                                     - Alberta Government, Ministry of Finance

In any case, Albertans were angry; still are.  I had a multitude of conversations with Kenney-Wildrose-esque conservative supporters about how they could not, under any circumstances, reduce their gas use.  Others said they would take the bus to avoid paying a carbon tax... (you can't make this stuff up).  The point of the carbon tax, I believe, was not to get everyone to reduce their use but to encourage those who could to do so.

As previously mentioned, Albertans seem to hate paying taxes more than anyone else.  There are also
a lot of Albertans who are concerned about climate change.  To my basic understanding of supply and demand, I think the carbon tax may have reduced the cost of gas for those who actually need it most.

Simplistically speaking, if people who didn't need to use as much gas stopped doing so, it would reduce the demand.  If the demand goes down, those who actually need to travel for work would reap the benefits of a lower price.  Again, I'm not an economist, but in my opinion, the introduction of a carbon tax in Alberta might have actually reduced both environmental and gas costs to everyone.

Bringing Alberta Together

This week I was fortunate enough to attend not one but two meetings about unity.  First up was Derek Fildebrandt's Unity Town Hall on Thursday which I tweeted live as best as I was able.  In a room of about 80 people, Derek's speech fell flat on the crowd.  I've seen him a couple of times in person and he's not a bad speaker.  In Question Period he's quite dramatic and often amusing, if only because of his dramatic flair.  That was not the case on Thursday and I can't help but think it's because the speech was authored by someone else.  The questions at the end were more insightful and Derek was back to his more recognizable self while answering them.

Photo Credit: Daveberta.ca

"I look around the room and see 50 and 60 year olds" one man said, "where are the 40 year olds?" As Derek scanned the crowd, I imagine he was disappointed to see me as the lone representative of the age group in question.  I've had a few interactions with Derek in the past couple of years and he is well aware I do not support his "vision" for Alberta. "The young people are at the back" Derek said with obvious relief.  And they were; the youth volunteers.

"How are you going to engage the young people?" the same man asked.  "Liberty Conservativism" Derek replied.  "I don't think anyone should go to jail for smoking marijuana" he declared to a group of individuals who likely don't agree with him at all. "I realize that may not be a popular stance in this room" he said.  I do believe he is misinterpreting Trudeau's success as being heavily dependent on that statement.  What he's missing is how the younger people in this country reacted to Trudeau's declared commitment to the environment, adequately preparing Canada for a future in a global economy and inclusion; and Derek can't offer that commitment to his supporters without alienating a good majority of them.  Welcome to Alberta's right wing.

Kerry Cundal and Stephanie Shostak

The second event I attended was the Alberta Together meeting in Red Deer.  On Friday I was told the event had sold 250 tickets.  They accepted registration at the door as well and had 50 blank cards for name tags.  They ran out of blank tags and the later arrivals used blank paper squares.  They hadn't ordered enough food for lunch and it was pushed back an extra hour as the staff at The Black Knight Inn accommodated a request for food for an additional one hundred people.

To the gentleman at Derek's Unity event, I found the 40 year olds; and the 30 year olds and the 20 year olds who were willing to attend an event about a new political vision for Alberta.  There were also 50 year olds and 60 year olds.  People from different cultural backgrounds and people from all over the province.  There were people from different political backgrounds as well.  It was an incredible mix of people who looked a lot like the Alberta I've seen while traveling around the province over the past three months.

At the beginning of the session we logged in to a wireless poll and questions were presented so we could get an idea of whether or not people agreed with statements taken from Alberta Party policy, Liberal policy and former Progressive Conservative policy.  There were also a few statements from Wildrose policy.  On Liberal, ABP and Progressive Conservative policy, people voted over 90% in agreement with the polices.  On Wildrose policy, they voted over 90% in disagreement in all but one category; "the government should provide incentives to employment for people receiving government benefits".  That was almost an even split.  Talking with attendees afterward, many said it would depend on the program.  AISH, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, for example, was not a program people believed should be "incentivized" as recipients often could not work, or could not work full-time due to permanent mental or physical disabilities.

Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark
Photo Credit: Nicolas Pelletier/Radio-Canada

While the Alberta Liberal Party was invited to speak to the crowd, they (likely politely) declined.  An unfortunate choice to make since the room was full of people looking to hear what their best options were for a party to support in 2019.  As it was, they heard from Greg Clark, leader of the Alberta Party, Stephen Mandel, a prominent (former?) Progressive Conservative, and Kerry Cundal, who must be everyone's favourite recent Alberta Liberal supporter.  The question "How do we move forward" was posed near the end of the meeting.  The options were: Start a new party, attempt a merge with another centrist party, join the Alberta Party and "other".  83% chose "join the Alberta Party".

As the former PC Party and Wildrose fight for the Wildrose supporters of late and the PC members of old, the moderates in Alberta don't seem willing to give up their progressive, or conservative, values.  Welcome to the centre; we will build Alberta together.