May 15 2019 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Take a wary look at British Columbia; a shaky NDP government, supported by three Greens, fiercely hostile to the Trans Mountain pipeline. Now, imagine the same dynamic in Ottawa after the fall federal election. Try not to pass out. It’s by no means unthinkable that the Liberals will be reduced to a minority. To stay […]
Apr 17 2019 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — They arrived on a wind of change in 2015, only to be blown out of office four years later by an even more powerful gale. Rachel Notley’s New Democrats, with all their dreams and hopes and agonies, succumbed exactly as UCP Leader Jason Kenney said they would, overwhelmed by a united conservative bloc that is […]
Apr 15 2019 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — This election campaign comes to no gentle end. Rather, it slams into the finish line, brakes screeching, as hot and emotional as ever. On Sunday, Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel charged that phony robocalls were going out with a voice that sounds like his, saying that he wants people to vote for UCP Leader Jason […]
Jan 16 2019 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Some Alberta fantasists thought provincial conservatives would truly unite after the mass floor-crossings of 2014, or the formation of the United Conservative Party in 2017. It was not to be. Maybe it will never be. Our homegrown conservatives are born to brawl. They’re at it right up to the eve of a crucial provincial election […]
Dec 29 2018 — Don Braid — Postmedia — “No apology if this sounds bellicose,” says UCP Leader Jason Kenney, explaining why he believes Alberta should fight back hard against anti-oil activists. The counter-attack shouldn’t just come from government, according to Kenney. He insists that industry leaders join his battle. If he’s elected, he says, “I will call in the CEOs of major oil […]
Dec 28 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Premier Rachel Notley knows exactly where she stands on this Alberta separatism thing. “I say that my Canada includes Alberta, and my Alberta is part of Canada,” she says in a year-end interview. “We have an obligation as political leaders to find a solution. We absolutely have to find a solution. “Nobody wins in the […]
Dec 12 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — After lying dormant for nearly 40 years, talk of Alberta separatism is again boiling to the surface. On Tuesday, Premier Rachel Notley said she’s well aware of the increasing chatter about giving up on Canada. And she dealt with the question exactly as the first PC premier, Peter Lougheed, did back in the 1980s. “I […]
Dec 3 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — The imposition of oil production cuts in Alberta isn’t just the sign of a province in trouble. It’s proof of a country in trouble. The Notley government is doing this because it’s the only way to force up prices and begin closing the extreme price gap between Alberta oil and West Texas crude.
Nov 21 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — There’s long been a view in Alberta that the Trudeau government is intentionally winding down Alberta’s oilsands, and ultimately the entire fossil fuel industry. This belief has a basis in fact. Indeed, you could say it’s not a fake fact, but an honest-to-goodness fact fact. It was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself who said in […]
Nov 12 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — “Vile” is a mild word for John Carpay’s linking of the swastika and the hammer and sickle with the rainbow flag of Gay Pride. His comments at a Rebel gathering on Saturday were disgusting, demeaning and dangerous. Referring to totalitarianism, he said: “We gotta think about the common characteristics. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the […]
Nov 6 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Robyn Luff left in a huff, shocking her caucus and dealing a rare blow to Premier Rachel Notley’s image as a benign and cheery leader. By 9:50 Monday evening, the NDP caucus had voted to kick her out, saying other NDP MLAs “have lost confidence in her ability to participate as a productive and trustworthy […]
Oct 31 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — They shrunk the Games. That was one of several devices used to get an Olympic deal, announced quite literally at the 11th hour Tuesday night. It’s signed by the feds, the province and Calgary’s BidCo. The line set aside for Mayor Naheed Nenshi is blank. No signature. Council still has to accept the agreement. And […]
Oct 28 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he’ll urge councillors to cancel the city’s Olympic bid unless a funding deal is reached over the weekend. The revelation came in a letter sent late Friday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “If we cannot come to a mutually agreeable conclusion by Monday, I deeply regret that I will have no […]
Oct 23 2018 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Jason Kenney loves his big blue pickup. In return, auto dealers love Jason Kenney. Twenty-six Alberta car and truck car dealerships have donated a total of $170,000 to the UCP leader’s cause in the past three months. The Motor Dealers Association of Alberta (MDA) also pledged $100,000 that hasn’t been donated yet. The money goes […]
Oct 11 2018 — Don Braid — National Post — The candidate is gone, Odin be praised, but the aroma lingers on. On Thursday the United Conservative Party disqualified nomination candidate Lance Coulter, who had a cheery chat with Soldiers of Odin at an Edmonton nomination event. This is just the latest, and the most serious, of UCP run-ins with candidate hopefuls who appear untroubled […]