A few of the government of Alberta’s consultants, policy advisors, Web developers and canapé rollers. (Actual contractors may not be exactly as illustrated.) Below them: Fred Lindsay and a mountain pine beetle. Either way, be afraid, very afraid…Competition Act?
The first “competition act” of this sitting of the Legislature shouldn’t be Bill 1 – whatever the heck that’s about – it should be to improve our province’s competitive position by shrinking the size of the cabinet!
Well, don’t look for that to happen – and Fred Lindsay is the reason why.
Even before Lieutenant Governor Norman Kwong could ease himself into the throne at the head of the Legislature this afternoon to read his last speech from that location, Mr. Lindsay had rudely busted into the news cycle by announcing that he just might run for the Wildrose Alliance next time around.
Furious at being dumped from Mr. Stelmach’s cabinet on Wednesday the 13th last month, the MLA for Stony Plain announced, thank you very much, that his fond Wildrose musings notwithstanding, he wouldn’t be vacating the government benches any time soon, seeing as voters elected him as a Progressive Conservative.
This leaves Premier Ed Stelmach in a decidedly sticky position. He can deal with Mr. Lindsay’s rebellion by consigning him to Independents’ Corner with Ft. McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Guy Boutilier and look like he’s even closer to losing control of his caucus, after which the two independents can beat it to the Wildrose benches. Or he can stick it out with an open rebel within caucus ranks, and look like a patsy. No good choices there!
Not much chance of shrinking that cabinet either, when cashiered ministers act that way.
Speaking of Lindsays, even before that blabbermouth Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett had let the cat out of the bag by predicting a 15-per-cent “haircut” come next Tuesday’s budget. That was enough Lindsays in one news cycle for the premier, one is certain.
Amid all this, the Speech from the Throne, usually an occasion for some snoozy self-congratulation, canapés and non-alcoholic drinks all ’round, had a decided buzz to it this time. Presumably this is because the Alberta chattering classes have decided that, for once, a Conservative re-coronation a year or two hence is no longer a Sure Thing.
The official Opposition, probably, could have taken more advantage of this if they hadn’t all just come from an intramural slugfest of their own – something to do with oil policy. Meanwhile, unofficial opposition leader Danielle Smith attracted a huge media crowd. All the opposition parties agreed that Mr. Stelmach oughtn’t to be allowed to have it both ways – as the Throne Speech tried to do.
With new taxes off the table, either the Premier is going to give us more of everything, or our government is going to, as the speech put it, “live within its means.” As NDP Leader Brian Mason poetically described the situation: this government is trying to “suck and blow at the same time.”
On the way from the public gallery, a Legislative security guard gloomily remarked that one in 10 Americans are now surviving on food stamps, and pleasant speeches about being increasingly competitive in a global economy would not prevent some of those troubles from blowing this way.
That’s when the terrible epiphany struck: If this Tory government does go down to defeat any time soon, something like one in 10 Albertans will also be in deep financial trouble – that is, all of Mr. Stelmach’s friends and relations, the brothers, sisters and cousins of Conservative cabinet ministers and backbenchers, not to mention leftover Klein loyalists, all occupying lucrative advisory posts and senior partnerships in ad agencies, Web development companies and canapé suppliers to official receptions.
Only former health region executives will have enough ready cash on hand to keep body and soul together!
The only solution, obviously, is for the entire Conservative caucus to cross the floor and join the Wildrose Alliance. A few additional positions would have to be found, presumably, for Smith and Hinman cousins, but the impact on the economy of this would amount to nothing more than some reasonable economic stimulus!
The alternative is almost too appalling to contemplate, though certainly less confusing than a “word cloud.”
Other than Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett’s surprisingly shaggy haircut – quite suitable for a person bound for the wilderness, if indeed that is the case – there was precious little to report in today’s Throne Speech.
The only tidbit of actual news was this: “We will continue to fight the mountain pine beetle!”
Hold Page 1!
2 comments:
I said it before, and I'll say it again, Alberta Politics always seems to need an 'enemy' real or imagined in order to stir our Alberta sprit. It seems like unless we are fighting against rats, Ottawa (EAP/equalization/health care funding), environmentalist, or the pine beetle, Alberta does not seem to be whole.
I can’t wait for a Premier that could inspire me concerning what Alberta could be as a Province as opposed to the next fight that we are going to pick.
You are right, Stelmach should start economizing by cutting back his bulging cabinet--but he can't afford all the resulting defections.
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