Bell: In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith kicks Nenshi NDP butt
What do we have here?
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CBC News has a poll by the noted pollster Janet Brown and it hits the street with a bang.
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Well, they will be in full-blown denial or they will believe many Albertans are just too stupid to understand what's good for them.
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Back in the real world, if there was an election now, Smith and the UCP would win the support of most Albertans.
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Projected seats in the Alberta legislature?
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Smith's UCP 61 seats. Naheed Nenshi's NDP 26 seats.
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Take note. Brown, the pollster, is known for being real solid on these kind of projections.
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Now the NDP and UCP are virtually neck and neck in the provincial capital. Oh my.
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In Calgary, the NDP are also down and some NDP seats in Calgary would almost certainly fall to Smith and the UCP.
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Younger voters and not so young voters are more UCP than NDP.
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Many Albertans also appear to like Smith standing up for Alberta and taking the fight to Ottawa over Liberal anti-oil policies.
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It is Nenshi who slams Smith saying the premier likes to pick fights.
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Looks like this fight with Ottawa is considered a righteous one.
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Aside from this latest nosecount, this scribbler also notices some of the people who weren't sure about Smith a couple years back, after hearing from the opposition about how dangerous she would be in power, are now more comfortable with the premier.
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The sky has not fallen.
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They were warned turning the NDP into the Nenshi Democratic Party might not work.
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Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
In Alberta, separatism is on the ballot in a rural byelection on Monday
OTTAWA — Cameron Davies, the leader of the separatist Republican Party of Alberta and the party's candidate for Monday's Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills byelection, admits that his party's name and MAGA red branding are causing some confusion at the doors . 'It certainly has come up in conversation,' Davies told the National Post on Thursday. 'People want to know more about it, what it means and that's just an opportunity to explain why the word 'republican' and why a constitutional republic is something we want to look at.' Davies' Republican party isn't formally aligned with the more well-known one south of the border — notably swapping out the latter's elephant for a more local buffalo as its logo — but it does aspire to make Alberta an independent republic governed similarly in principle to the U.S. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The form of government Canada has doesn't work for Alberta, and the form of government we have here in Alberta doesn't work for Alberta,' said Davies. Davies, an ex-UCP organizer , is one of two separatist candidates who'll be on the ballot in Monday's byelection in the south-central Alberta riding, where the governing United Conservative Party won more votes than anywhere else in the province in 2023's provincial election . The other is employee benefits specialist Bill Tufts, running under the banner of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition. Under normal circumstances, the byelection would be a tap-in for first-time UCP candidate Tara Sawyer. But these are anything but normal circumstances, with support for Alberta separatism spiking on the heels of the federal Liberals fourth straight election win. What's more, Davies and Tufts have a fortuitous piece of Alberta election lore to point to. Western Concept candidate Gordon Kesler notched a surprise 1982 byelection win in predecessor riding Olds-Didsbury, briefly becoming the first and only separatist to hold a seat in Alberta's legislature. Kesler is still active in the area's politics and is backing Davis in the byelection . Ex-Alberta MLA Derek Fildebrandt, whose now-defunct riding of Strathmore-Brooks crossed into the riding's east end, says he expects the Republicans to place a strong second, possibly even pushing the UCP below a majority vote share. 'Based on my gut, nothing hard,' said Fildebrandt. The UCP's Nathan Cooper won in dominant fashion with 75 per cent of the vote in 2013. Davies says he'd be happy with 20 per cent of the riding's vote, around what the populist Wildrose party got in its first election in 2008 . '(Wildrose) got around 20 per cent of the vote, and that was after being a party for close to a year,' said Davies. The Alberta Republicans, formerly the Buffalo Party of Alberta, formally launched on February 11 . Davies was acclaimed as leader two months later in April. 'Anything at or above 20 per cent is a significant gain, given how short of a runway we've had,' said Davies. Davies, who lives just outside the riding in south Red Deer, says he typically gets between 12 and 18 volunteers each day and has knocked on 20,000 doors in the riding, which is home to about 50,000 people. Tufts, for his part, says he's in it to win it. 'Well, we would like to win,' said Tufts. Tufts said that the contest's timing, outside of a general election, gives him an opening. 'Byelections can be quite tumultuous events, typically because of the low voter turnout. So I think we've had an opportunity to go out there and work hard, knock on the doors and explain our position.' Tufts pointed out that both Kesler and Alberta's first Wildrose MLA Paul Hinman won office in byelections. He said he was optimistic that his party's brand recognition would propel him past Alberta Republican candidate Davies and into the winner's circle. 'The Wildrose has been around for a long time … so I think there's a lot of credibility with the name, the recognition of our brand and our policies that resonate with a lot of voters,' said Tufts. The populist Wildrose Party merged with the rival Alberta Progressive Conservatives in 2017 to form the UCP but Tufts' Wildrose Loyalty Coalition lives on as a splinter group. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith led the Wildrose Party from 2009 to 2014 before defecting to the PCs in a disastrous floor-crossing. Tufts says that a revitalized Wildrose caucus could hold the UCP to account and keep it from getting weak-kneed in seeing through the results of a successful referendum on independence, drawing a comparison to the recent Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement . 'Look at who the most powerful party in Ottawa was over the last few years: that was the NDP,' said Tufts. Katherine Kowalchuk, a separatist who lives in the riding, says she'll be voting Republican. 'The sense that I get from Cam (Davies) is that he's prepared, he has conservative viewpoints on things… and I think that he has the ability to stand by those convictions,' said Kowalchuk. 'We need to fight for our strong Alberta heritage rooted in family and freedom, and Cam is really the only candidate that's talking about this.' Kowalchuk ran in the riding for the Alberta Independence Party in 2023, winning 4.7 per cent of the vote. Pollster Dan Arnold, an executive with Pollara Strategic Insights says that Alberta's budding separatist movement could hardly have picked a better time and place for its first electoral test. He noted that support for Alberta independence among committed voters was at 24 per cent in mid-May, the highest level his firm has seen since it started polling Albertans on the topic in 2011. 'My assumption is the reason you're seeing the numbers edging up is because (separation) is now in the spotlight,' said Arnold. He said that the UCP will likely get spooked if the separatist vote breaks the double-digits. '10 per cent can grow over time to 20 per cent and then you're getting into vote split territory,' said Arnold. Arnold noted that Smith has dialled up the rhetoric against Ottawa's equalization program in recent days, likely in an effort to shore up soft separatists in the province. 'In our past polling, we've generally found that nobody really knows what equalization is but, at least in Alberta and Saskatchewan, they think it's unfair to their province.' Smith said on Monday that Quebec, the program's biggest recipient, should develop a resource 'royalty framework to wean them off the equalization that comes from western Canada.' Arnold said that 35 per cent of UCP voters see Smith as a separatist. Ironically, this could be a problem for her with polls showing that over half of UCP voters would vote 'yes' in a referendum on independence. Sawyer says she's not a separatist and believes in a strong Alberta within a united Canada. She told National Post that she's not playing the over/under game. Instead, she's focused on earning the trust of voters and winning the seat. 'We are working hard and earning every vote,' said Sawyer. Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills is one of three byelections scheduled for Monday, with the NDP tipped to win two Edmonton-area races. National Post Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Letters to the Editor, June 21, 2025
Saturday letters Photo by Illustration / Toronto Sun STILL IN BUSINESS This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Re Editorial cartoon, May 30: Provinces where the NDP is in power or official opposition: B.C., Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, N.S. and Ontario. Hardly obsolete! Roger Middlemiss Mississauga (Federally the NDP is pretty much obsolete) CANNOT FIX ANYTHING Re 'Tories urge Grits to pull plug on gas engine ban' (Bryan Passifiume, June 18): I received an email recently that says it all. 'We can't fight homelessness, hunger or poverty but we are going to fight 'climate change.'' Just let that sink in for a moment. Karen Shorter (The Liberals warped priorities will do absolutely nothing to address any of these issues) BAIL REFORM Doug Ford rants and raves about the bail system but he should understand that the system is a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments. He would be smart, therefore, to ask Prime Minister Mark Carney for support for bail reform. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Frank Cain North York (It's exactly what Ford needs to do) SPEED AND SAFETY Re 'Speed camera knocked down again' (May 24): If the intention (vociferously denied by Toronto City Hall) of the speed camera on Parkside Drive is to raise revenue, then hire security personnel to be stationed near the camera to monitor, record and report any vandalism of the speed camera. If such personnel were to be paid $40/hour for an average of 10 hours/day (for the dark hours of the day) 365 days a year, that would be an expense of about $438,000 for three years. This would reduce the three-year revenue (as reported for the three-year period April 2022 to April 2025 as $7,253,102) to about $6,815,000 — however, that would be increased for fines levied when the camera would not be down. However, if the often-cited objective of safety is the real objective, relatively high speed bumps about every 100 metres apart would do a much better job. Paul Maginn Toronto (They claim it's for safety, but it's not. Sipped cameras have always been a cash cow) Toronto & GTA World Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Bell: Graphic sex in school books — Albertans speak, Smith government will crack down
You remember the story. Article content Sexually explicit books found in Calgary and Edmonton public school libraries, including in schools teaching the youngest kids. Article content Article content Graphic books with graphic depictions of sexual acts, where a drawing can indeed be worth a thousand words. Article content Masturbation. A masturbation game. Sexual accessories. Oral sex. Child molestation. Article content Article content Article content The Smith government put out a survey Albertans could answer. Article content They now have the results. Article content When asked when children should be able to access sexually explicit materials in school libraries, these are the numbers. Article content Never. 34 percent. Article content Elementary school. 4 per cent. Article content Middle school. 22 per cent. Article content High school. 23 per cent. Article content At all ages. 17 per cent. Article content A little more than six out of 10 surveyed believe parents should have a role in reporting or challenging sexually explicit content in school libraries. Article content Parents of school age children were the most supportive of children not having any access to the sexual materials in schools. Article content Article content After duplicates and blank entries were removed, 77,910 surveys were counted. Article content Article content 'Parents don't believe this kind of material is appropriate for kids,' says Nicolaides, the minister of education. Article content He also talked to school boards and librarians. He has heard the voices on this issue.
