I sincerely hope that Mr. Prentice handed the helm of two very important ministries to individuals who have never been elected to the Alberta Legislature. Mandel remains popular among many Edmontonians, and is expected to run in a by-election in Edmonton-Whitemud , the southwest Edmonton constituency made vacant following Mr. His tendency to show thin-skin when he does not get his way may prove challenging when having to compromise with his new cabinet and caucus colleagues, or his political opponents.
The appointment of the former Calgary Board of Education trustee and s Saskatchewan politician was unexpected, to say the least.
It is suspected that Mr. These former senior cabinet ministers will now occupy seats in the backbenches and have their offices relocated from prime real estate in the Legislature Building to the aging and stuffy Legislature Annex.
The resignation of Mr. Hancock last week took many political watchers by surprise. Creating safe and supportive environments for all students, including LGBTQ youth who may face discrimination in and outside of school, should be something that is encouraged by MLAs.
The motion would not have forced any school board to form student-led gay-straight alliances , but it would have compelled the elected boards to accept the existence of the groups if students in their schools chose to organize them. Anti-bullying minister Sandra Jansen voted in favour but Education minister Jeff Johnson voted against it. The divided PC government caucus also missed an opportunity to send a clear message that they embrace 21st century values by singling out the opposition Wildrose as the only party to unanimously vote against the motion — and remind Albertans of the infamous Lake of Fire.
In total, 36 MLAs were absent from the vote minus the Speaker, who abstains from votes of the Assembly. Departing on January 9, Ms. Bhullar and Mr. Bhardwaj will join Ms. Redford for her trip to India Update: No public itinerary has been released for Mr. Dallas will split off the from the premier with a visit to Singapore.
In May , the Alberta government announced plans to open new trade offices in India and Singapore , as well as in Brazil and the United States. Labour minister Thomas Lukaszuk will visit Harbin, Shanghai and Hangzhou, China from January 3 to 10, where he will sign memorandums of understanding with Chinese government science departments and attend the opening ceremony of the Harbin Ice Festival. They are scheduled to return to Alberta on January 6.
By the end of January , it will be Only mere hours after cancelling a meeting that had been arranged to discuss the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline from Alberta to BC, the two premiers announced that they had agreed on a framework for the pipeline that would allow for the easier sea export of unrefined Canadian oil to countries in Asia, including China.
This does not mean the pipeline is approved, but it does signal that Ms. Clark is unlikely to be a roadblock. A press release issued by the Ms. Clark to change her mind. The two premiers had publicly quarrelled over the pipeline project and Ms. While her party won re-election and the opposition NDP are choosing a new leader , it would be foolish to expect there will be no opposition to the pipeline in BC.
Many northern communities, First Nations, and environmental groups in BC have pledged to stall the construction of the pipeline to the Pacific coast. EcoJustice is raising concerns about how increased oil tanker traffic caused by the Northern Gateway Pipeline could impact a new Humpback whale recovery strategy and four critical habitats that have been identified for protection.
While the state-owned PetroChina initially withdrew from the proposed project in , the corporation announced in that it would bid to build the pipeline once the project was approved by regulatory authorities. Looking southward, Ms. Redford visit to Washington D. This is at least the fifteenth trip made by Alberta government ministers to the American capital since Ms. Redford became Premier in Trudeau voiced his support for the project while speaking on a panel that included former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gilliard and former U.
Alas, this price increase has little to nothing to do with our long-ruling Progressive Conservative government. Commodity prices are determined by international markets beyond the control of any individual government or ambitious politician. State Department reported the number of new permanent jobs could be as few as thirty-five once the pipeline is complete.
As the proposed pipeline would end at major Texas ports, it is widely suspected that the corporations that would own the Alberta oil refined in Texas could easily ship it overseas to China or India, rather than sell it in the United States or Canada. That decision will be made by President Barack Obama. The Wall Street Journal :. President Obama hit California for some fundraising this week, including stops with various billionaires who fervently oppose the Keystone XL pipeline.
The visit had the virtue of showing how Mr. Brussels , Bucharest , and Juneau are three international destinations where Tory MLAs were scheduled to visit during Government of Alberta sponsored trips today. Environment and Sustainable Resources Minister Diana McQueen and Intergovernmental and International Relations Minister Cal Dallas have embarked on a pan-European tour, meeting with business and government leaders in a handful of continental counties.
Here is an updated map, which includes all published scheduled government of Alberta travel by cabinet ministers and MLAs from November to February As I wrote in October, I understand the value of sending cabinet ministers on these trips to promote our province abroad and I generally believe it is in our best interest, but there reaches a certain point when return on investment needs to be demonstrated. I understand the value of sending cabinet ministers on these trips to promote our province abroad and I generally believe it is in our best interest, but there reaches a certain point when return on investment needs to be demonstrated.
Over the past eleven months, Premier Redford, cabinet ministers, and backbench Tory MLAs have traveled extensively on government business.
The trips have taken Alberta Government officials to five continents and more than twelve countries, including numerous trips to Washington DC, New York, and Hong Kong. Zoom in and click the icons to read who traveled where and when. Note : Travel dates and locations listed on this map were found in media releases published on the Government of Alberta website.
Premier Alison Redford appointed her post-election cabinet ministers today after forgoing an initial press release and announcing them on Twitter. These picks and the legislation they will bring forward over the next four years will shape the direction Premier Redford wants to take her Progressive Conservative Party into the next election.
If they have not already, the PC brain trust should take note of similar strategies that will keep the Wildrose Party at bay in urban centres. If expected patterns of population growth continue, it is the urban areas which will receive additional constituencies in the Alberta Legislature when the boundaries are redistributed.
Because Premier Alison Redford found it. Both Mr. Horne and Mr. Liepert were strong supporters of Mr. Mar in the leadership contest and would have likely ended up in similar positions had he not been defeated on the third ballot vote on October 1. It has yet to be seen what new powers Minister Liepert will hold as Finance Minister. New Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk is a cabinet lightweight who will have to be a quick study if he wants to survive in his new job.
Mar on the final ballot of the PC leadership contest. Minister Griffiths, who was defeated on the first ballot of the PC leadership contest and has never served in cabinet, comes with both inexperience and an open-mind. Despite his rural pedigree, I would not discount his ability to build relationships with the group of young municipal leaders who have been elected in recent years, including Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Edmonton City Councillor Don Iveson.
Minister Hancock is a seasoned govern0r who may be the only MLA who can help weave and organize this newly formed portfolio, which includes Children and Youth Services, Employment and Immigration except for immigration , Homelessness, Alberta Supports from Seniors and Community Supports. Johnston was the only MLA to support Ms. Redford on the first ballot of the PC leadership vote. It would not be surprising to see these now backbench MLAs and others decide to collect their million dollar severance packages and not stand in the next election.
Not to be unexpected, it did not take long for the rumour mill to start suggesting what next steps these former cabinet ministers might take. If he is not retiring, one rumour I heard today suggests that Mr. Zwozdesky may seek re-election and challenge Speaker Ken Kowalski for his position in the Assembly after the next election.
Four cabinet minister each from Calgary and Edmonton and the remaining twelve spread across the province. There is no middle ground. With the coming of a new Premier, the great game of cabinet building is underway and the politicians are jockeying for their positions. Geography, gender, experience, competency, and political loyalty are a few of the many factors that are taken into account when building a cabinet. The need to put a new face on the cabinet will certainly leave some veteran MLAs mispleased with the appointments, which are expected to take place next week.
The third group, which I will not list on this blog, we hope will be chaired by the always affable and cheery hopefully-soon-to-be-former cabinet minister Ron Liepert. Will all these MLAs make into the provincial cabinet next week? Perhaps not, but it is always fun to speculate what might come next in the increasingly interesting the game of politics in Alberta….
Public Inquiry. As a third case of doctor intimidation was made public, opposition MLAs continued their chorus calls for a full public inquiry. Close X. Click to scroll back to top of the page Back to top. By Slav Kornik Global News. Posted January 30, pm. Updated January 30, pm. View image in full screen. Smaller font Descrease article font size - A. Share this item on Facebook facebook Share this item via WhatsApp whatsapp Share this item on Twitter twitter Send this page to someone via email email Share this item on Pinterest pinterest Share this item on LinkedIn linkedin Share this item on Reddit reddit Copy article link Copy link.
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