Just so we’re clear: Alberta is a place where a landowner can’t legally say NO to O&G development, but also can’t say YES to renewables. Strong and free, right? What a sad joke.
#ableg
Me: Alright I’ve seen enough.
#ableg
’s conservatives are on the verge of electing a tyrant.
You: Woah man. Don’t you think you’re exaggerating a bit? 🙄
Me: No. And here’s a relatively short Twitter thread for why
@ABDanielleSmith
is indeed a wannabe tyrant. 1/10
I’m not sure how to respond. Thanks for your interest, I guess? Hope you find a sexier man to satisfy you? (Or just “you seem scared of something. I wonder what.”?) Here’s a nice memory for you. (Plus it annoys my sister so bonus!)
In case anyone is keeping score, that’s three recent court decisions — from AB, SK, and ON — dismissing challenges to COVID-related health measures. 3:0
#ableg
#cdnpoli
Probably a good time to log off but, as the flood of "this is good comms by the Premier" punditry keeps flowing, I hope that most Albertans come to understand that it was total bullsh!t. A velvet glove on a punch to the face to placate a small & terrified constituency.
Poilievre taking the “I didn’t read it” pledge…
The leader of the federal conservatives & the leader of the provincial conservatives are claiming they lack the competence to read a lime green shirt but they’re totes ok to run things.
#abpoli
#cdnpoli
That
@ABDanielleSmith
is trying to minimize & spin her contravention of the Conflicts of Interest Act is outrageous & further disqualifying. It suggests a total inability/refusal to understand the damning points made by the Commissioner ⤵️. Ms Smith is a menace, full stop.
#ableg
As of this am, YYC did break for the NDP — just not enough. The urban/rural split is undeniable.
No reasonable person can deny the turmoil that has been
#ableg
the past 4 yrs, & it’s clear — from the UCP’s own campaign dynamics — that we’re headed for 4 more yrs of the same. 1/3
Former Reform Party leader Preston Manning announces in Ottawa that organization is underway for an independent, citizen-led inquiry into the federal government’s response to the
#COVID19
pandemic.
#cdnpoli
Is anyone going to ask
@ABDanielleSmith
if the Energy Futures panel report that Albertans paid for but isn't being made public said anything about throttling renewables?
#ableg
I’ll admit to some video fatigue (another one!?) but this one provides imp. context re: Pawlowski-gate. Listen to what Smith is saying: this isn’t about pardons — she wants politicians telling police how to do their jobs, to dictate to police who does/doesn’t get charged. WTF?
Here is the longer clip from Danielle Smith from last Sept 19th, in which she suggests police officers could be charged for arresting pastors, says pastors were kept in solitary confinement for weeks, and the military- not doctors- should lead next pandemic.
#yeg
#yyc
#ableg
If you’re wondering why what
@ABDanielleSmith
said today is problematic, imagine
@JustinTrudeau
calling the Director of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, prodding her whether prosecutions against some segment of his perceived base are still in the public interest. 1/2
My kingdom (such as it is) for someone in the media to ask Nixon why the GoA won't compel O&G companies to clean up their $260 billion in liabilities, which wld create tens of thousands of good $ jobs & has the added bonus of being their legal obligation in any event.
#ableg
I’m talking to the media to demand that
@JustinTrudeau
give Alberta per capita funding for housing, and end his attacks on the men and women in our oil and gas sector. The Prime Minister must stop hiding from Alberta’s government and come to the table to talk about these
This is as stupid as the
#SovereigntyAct
. This is not a thing
#ableg
can do anything about. Federal employees derive the power of lawful entry from federal laws. The only thing AB can do is challenge the validity of those laws. Good luck with that, stupids.
Here's government house leader Joseph Schow talking about a new bill that would see federal employees charged if they trespass on private property, citing water testing as one example.
#yeg
#yyc
#ableg
Here's Danielle Smith explaining that her comments comparing the vaccinated to Nazi sympathizers came during a difficult time for her when she let her frustrations get to her.
But adds she vowed to leave those dark times behind when she was elected.
#yeg
#yyc
#ableg
Is this going to be funded by the
@Alberta_UCP
? Or is Smith proposing to use public money — *taxpayer dollars* — to pay would-be politicians (i.e., partisans) to give her advice about Edmonton — until they can run again??
#ableg
Brian Jean is wrong. In the event of a conflict between valid federal and provincial laws, the federal law is deemed paramount. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
#ableg
In the newser, I asked how this changes anything and whether it's political theatre as law experts say this wouldn't stop someone who has a legislated right of access from accessing property.
Brian Jean shakes his head at my Q and provides clarification.
#cdnpoli
#abpoli
#ableg
Since BIG NUMBERS seem to be a thing suddenly, I am once again reminding
#ableg
that the O&G sector has an estimated $260 BILLION in environmental liabilities, w/ less than 1% set aside in security, & no credible plan to address the problem:
In the onslaught of radical policies likely to come from a Smith gov’t, it will be more critical than ever for those w/ knowledge & expertise — our doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, scientists, etc. — to continue to speak out & help the rest of us get our bearings.
Premier Smith can claim victory but she was basically hidden away for the campaign. The UCP won on the strength of a conservative brand that no longer matches reality to keep fighting a fight that too many Albertans still think is just w/ Ottawa (climate change). It’s not. 2/3
@ABDanielleSmith
@JustinTrudeau
@PremierScottMoe
@HStefansonMB
I hate to break it to you Premier (again), but the Supreme Court of Canada has twice confirmed that firearm regs are a valid exercise of the federal criminal law power. Overlap b/w fed & prov authority is actually quite common. Yours is a policy dispute, not a constitutional one.
So a senior member of
@ABDanielleSmith
’s cabinet does not understand the basic mechanics of the Sovereignty Act. A resolution under that Act would give Cabinet authority to amends laws. Just another day in
#ableg
!
You are wrong. Under the Alberta Sovereignty Within Canada Act, a passed motion of the Legislative Assembly authorizes cabinet to act. If it requires a new statute or amendment, then it then goes through the normal cabinet process and ultimately a bill will be tabled.
For now, I look forward to the legislature sitting & the Ethics Commissioner exercising her right to recommend sanctions re: the Premier’s violation of the Conflicts of Interest Act. I hope
#Ableg
adopts her other recommendation too. I can’t think of a more appropriate start. 3/3
A self-proclaimed libertarian politician using the power of the state to coerce private citizens to conform. Just another day in
@ABDanielleSmith
’s Alberta!
I am going to wait until we know that all those kids are going to be OK, and then we're going to have (another) conversation about "gatekeepers" and why we have to stop vilifying regulation in the public interest.
#cdnpoli
After the E coli outbreak, AHS investigators found (stomach fitness warning) live cockroaches, cold foods out of temperature control for 90min, critical utensil sanitaton problem.
Duane is right. This policy appears based on 2 assumptions that don't add up:
1) that thoughtful parents & their healthcare teams can't be trusted w/ these issues;
2) that potentially non-supportive parents can be trusted w/ these issues -- b/c Child Protective Services exist?
If those under 18 already can't get gender-affirming surgery and if those 16-17 can't get hormone treatment without extensive consultations with doctors/psychologists (which Smith acknowledged in press conference)....what problem is Alberta trying to solve?
I see the Premier still thinks most of
#ableg
is dumber than bricks so here again is the Ethics Commissioner’s most important & damming finding (whether her staff emailed prosecutors is irrelevant at this point):
[taps mic]
Dear
@Alberta_UCP
&
@albertaNDP
,
In the wake of
@ABDanielleSmith
’s breach of the Conflicts of Interest Act, the Commissioner recommended mandatory training re: the structure of gov’t & separation of powers for incoming
#ableg
MLAs. Do you support this recommendation?
Alberta, where the technology to effectively remediate 1.4 trillion L of tailings is always just around the corner, but energy storage is an intractable problem that will never be solved.
#ableg
I’m no Charter expert, but I’m pretty sure its exactly this kind of absolutist, ideological, devoid-of-evidence approach that tends to get hammered in litigation.
💯. She didn't say "I'm sorry, I can't interfere." She *lamented* the formal constraints & then said "leave it with me." In the last few minutes of the recording, she is essentially talking about micro-managing COVID prosecutions thru Anderson:
#ableg
If Albertans roll over on O&G liabilities, then we’re a province full of patsies, full stop. We should change our motto from “strong & free” to “simple suckers” and adopt a white flag. Just embarrassing.
"Smith said things like the pension plan and replacing the RCMP can be revisited after the election."
So not campaigning on those (or
#RStar
, sovereignty, etc) but they're fair game after the show. No one shld doubt she'd consider herself as having a mandate. Fair warning
#ableg
BOOM! — as the kids say these days. Much gratitude for
@DrewYewchuk
’s FOIP skills, and
@row1960
for tenacity.
#ableg
— y’all are being lied to.
Internal documents suggest Alberta Energy Regulator underestimated oil well liability [by 263%]:
Dear
#cdnpoli
,
The “Tell the Feds” campaign isn’t about feasibility, affordability or reliability, but rather a thinly disguised attempt to enlist ordinary Canadians in
#ableg
’s unyielding service to the fossil fuel industry.
Receipts ⤵️
Ugh, I hate to ask like this but can folks ‘like’ & RT the sh!t out of Ryan’s tweet so that there is no doubt that we want him to ask her clear & pointed questions re: the O&G sector’s hundred *BILLION* dollar liability problem?
#ableg
Real Talker "Will" wants us to ask Premier Danielle Smith about Alberta's orphan wells when she joins
@ryanjespersen
on Thursday's show.
Watch/listen live at 8:30am MT or later on demand:
📺 FULL:
🎧 FULL:
Powerful & timely reminder for why we have the separation of powers b/w the legislative, executive & judicial branches of gov’t,
#ableg
.
Run — don’t walk — from politicians who try to undermine that bedrock of democratic governance.
"I am satisfied that the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Pawlowski incited people to commit mischief... I find Mr. Pawlowski guilty," Justice Krinke.
When we think of tyrants we usually think of terrible atrocities. I am *not* predicting those here. But history is clear: bad things tend to happen when we follow leaders who reject constraints on their power. Danielle Smith is such a person. Albertans shd reject her accordingly.
@ABDanielleSmith
Hi Premier, 👋
We *still don't have* proven technologies for treating nearly 1.6 trillion L of oil sands tailings ponds. Funny how that didn't stop their development two decades ago, hey?
#ableg
This is going to sound trite or naive but whatever: it’s really not OK that we have politicians who very clearly and deliberately attempt to mislead & misinform the public. We should demand better.
#ableg
#cdnpoli
Well, that clears that up at least:
It's not just
@ABDanielleSmith
that doesn't see the problem in taking Pawlowski's call -- it's the whole
@Alberta_UCP
caucus!
#ableg
Dear Severely Normal Albertans,
In the current debate re: trans kids, there are folks like
@LawyerBuchanan
, trying to be thoughtful.
And then there are those who shout “groomer”. They don’t want *any* debate. Ponder that.
This is a test
#ableg
— a pretty easy one to boot.
This, on the other hand, is news you can use: "Opposition NDP, First Nation chief want public review of Alberta Energy Regulator". What's good for the goose shld be good for the gander. Renewables get a public inquiry -- why not O&G? What is there to hide?
Hey
#cdnpoli
👋🏼,
Next time you see a “Tell the feds” ad, feel free to “Tell Alberta” to get its act together re: O&G liabilities. Canadians have already forked over $1.7B towards clean up. If we’re worried about costs, there’s >$60B more in liabilities where that came from. 😬
For f
#ck
sakes
#ableg
/
#abpoli
— regardless of you partisan leanings ask yourself why your government would do this. There is no good answer. Demand better.
Taxpayers funded a report for the Alberta govt about the cost of a net-zero grid, but the govt is refusing to release said report to the public, thus keeping the cost hidden. Nor will the premier’s office release its report on Alberta’s energy future. Cool!
#ableg
#cdnpoli
“This is essentially now an industry subsidy. What we’re talking about here is subsidizing well cleanup that should have been done and should be the responsibility of the operators of those wells.”
#ableg
#cdnpoli
Because the CPC’s problem isn’t a state broadcaster — it’s that it’s not *their* state broadcaster.
Doubt it? AB Premier Danielle Smith has:
- an energy “war room” that churns out & buys media;
- a weekly radio show;
- a weekly YouTube show.
This is absurd, and dangerous. It’s a bad policy, but A) it’s the policy of most news orgs, not just the CBC, and B) what the hell are politicians doing micromanaging CBC news coverage?
To the journalists — both from
@CBC
& private media — stepping up & setting the record straight on journalistic integrity in
#cdnmedia
:
In a healthy democracy, you wouldn’t have to. But in this time of populists & wannabe-authoritarians:
📢: Until successfully challenged in court, saying the proposed Clean Electricity Standards “won’t be implemented in Alberta” is vacuous. It means *nothing*. Under our constitution, their implementation does not depend on provincial consent.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. 🙏
My Statement on Proposed Clean Electricity Regulations:
The draft federal 2035 net-zero power grid regulations are unconstitutional, irresponsible and do not align with Alberta’s emissions reduction and energy development plan that works towards a carbon-neutral power grid by
Also: handy reminder that preserving democratic norms sometimes falls on the individual — and that’s when professional ethics & character matter.
Dr. Manns & Dr. Tailfeather are champs.
Dr. Cowell is a chump.
#ableg
Context: whether you’re a Hinshaw fan or not. AHS (AB health services) was created to be the apolitical management arm of health care. AB Health is the ministry. Smith’s direct involvement in their open hiring process is an ethical violation and subverts any institutional trust.
So… some “conservative” academics didn’t get grants for their projects, or don’t even bother applying (b/c “wokeism” in the academy!), and complained to the Premier?
No $ model will be perfect. But political vetting of the funding process? The worst by a country mile.
#ableg
Despite being corrected that grants are determined by academic panels and not Justin Trudeau, Smith not only doubles down on that…
She then says that with the powers of Bill 18 she will block renewals of grants if they don’t align with UCP views.
#abpoli
#ableg
#cdnpoli
I’m old enough to remember when Albertans didn’t have to fight against gov’t grift & corruption on a weekly basis — b4 the parks sell-off fiasco, the coal-mining debacle, COVID shenanigans, sovereignty acts, &
#Rscam
moral hazards.
I’m also tired of it. Elections matter.
#ableg
ICYMI, Alberta's controversial proposed oil well cleanup program delayed until at least the fall. Eligibility could also be extended to orphan wells, though gvt insists no decisions have been made. With my pal
@KellyCryderman
#ableg
#cdnpoli
#cdnecon
Historic in its meaningless I suppose.
Memo for ya
@PremierScottMoe
: your problem is not w/ the scope & breadth of your own legislative authority, which this bill largely just restates, but w/ the fed’s authority. Alas, try as you might, you can’t change that — no prov. can.
This is misinformation. The proposed regs ban "unabated" peaker plants by 2035 -- & even then exempt plants brought on before 2025 for 20 yrs.
We're constantly hearing how the O&G sector is about to make huge investments in carbon capture & storage (CCS) -- is that a lie then?
Hi
@s_guilbeault
, your regulations ban natural gas “peaker” plants by 2035 unless they only run 450 hours per year (that’s 18 days) and can only have minimal emissions- who on earth is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in efficient natural gas facilities that run
@TheBreakdownAB
Danielle Smith will leave a mountain of constitutional, Charter, and administrative law litigation in her wake. We’ll be able to organize whole casebooks & courses around it!
Morning
#Ableg
!
A new poll puts the NDP ahead, pointing to Smith’s various gaffes:
Smith insists we focus on what she does, not what she says. So grab your morning ☕️ & join me for “Danielle Smith: What Have I Done?”
#SovereigntyAct
ed (🧵starts ⤵️).
This story starts in June 2022, when Danielle Smith & Rob Anderson pinned Smith’s UCP leadership bid to the idea of Sovereignty Act and, recognizing its clear unconstitutionality, suggested ignoring or threatening the courts if they so declared: 2/8
A final note: we shouldn’t be finding out about this from the Premier. If she has in fact been calling Crown prosecutors, they should have disclosed this, just as Edmonton’s Chief of Police should have blown the whistle on the Madu calls (but didn’t). It’s a problem.
.
@ABDanielleSmith
will try to freak everyone out about 3% increase in corp tax.
@BrianJeanAB
will accuse anyone critical of O&G of disloyalty. But if you ask them re: $260B in environmental liabilities, which wld 3X AB’s debt, they will offer no solutions — except more public $.
@drdagly
Same for the rule of law. Canada has not seen a prov. gov’t more hostile to democratic & legal norms, from McCarthy-esque inquiries, war rooms, unconstitutional laws that usurp the courts, interferences w/ crim prosecutions — w/ special deals for their friends all along the way.
BREAKING X2: Premier Danielle Smith to use Sovereignty Act to do what Premier Scott Moe did without one (which must have been embarrassing 😳). Both efforts are unconstitutional. Enjoy the weekend y’all! ✌🏼
BREAKING: Danielle Smith will make good on repeated threats to use Sovereignty Act next week, invoking act against Ottawa's clean power regs, CBC News has learned:
“I think there is an extremely powerful oil & gas lobby that has the ear of government & somehow has convinced this government taxes are a bad thing" -- Rural Municipalities of Alberta chair Paul McLauchlin.
💯
#ableg
via
@reddeeradvocate
Minister Steven Guilbeault’s 2035 agenda makes no sense.
Here is an example of what we would have to build here in Alberta in the next 12 years in order to meet his unrealistic demands…
#cdnpoli
#abpoli
Hi Minister 👋. Can you please point us to where the federal government -- who bought and is about to complete TMX for our province -- has stated that it wants to "shut it all down"?
#cdnpoli
Here’s the facts: The majority of the world’s CO2 emissions come from China, Russia, and India.
The top 3 global emitters were state-owned Saudi Aramco, Russia’s state-owned Gazprom and state-owned Coal India….but our “Shut it all down” government says Canada is the problem?
Four open investigations into Alberta's current government by three of our independent officers of the legislature (h/t
@DebatingChris
): Ethics Commissioner, Information Commissioner, and Auditor General.
I don't know
#ableg
... seems like a lot?
If anyone thinks AB spending $8M fighting clean electricity regs is a big deal, I’ve got $260 billion in O&G liabilities that the govt is totally planning to eat to show you: . This campaign is a rounding error in
#ableg
’s servitude to O&G.
#cdnpoli
B/c Danielle Smith is blasting
#cdnpoli
w/ various propaganda, a reminder that
#Ableg
is not a political monolith. Every riding in
#YEG
& a majority in
#YYC
rejected her. It’s not helpful to lump all Albertans together — not for us here, nor for any national conversation. ✌🏼
What to make of all of this? 1st, the golden rule: haste makes waste. 2nd,
@PremierScottMoe
& his crew are either painfully incompetent or recklessly cynical (& don't think very highly of their constituents). None of this is good for the fine people of the province I grew up in.
If I (& others) are correct that the proposed Clean Electricity Regs are constitutional, then
#ableg
&
#skpoli
’s threats to thwart their implementation are undemocratic — full stop. Our federal gov’t gets its mandate from Canadians through the ballot box, not through Premiers.
[LISTEN] Prof
@molszyns
joined
@cbcwhatonearth
on Sunday to talk about Alberta's pressing pause on renewable energy projects. Was it undemocratic? (segment starts at 26 minutes)
@LawDeanHolloway
@nu11g00ru
No, I am saying we are the best place on earth, I don’t care how others rank us. This is just some external evidence that validates the already well documented fact that it does not get better than Alberta. We have an incredibly high GDP per capita with food and energy security.
Good thing we’re bringing this asshole to Alberta, right
#ableg
? Maybe he & the Premier can hash out this “white genocide” theory on stage together. What harm could it possibly do? 😒
Tucker Carlson goes full on antisemite, claiming that rich Jews are funding the completely "white genocide" while only caring about Israel.
This is the kind of stuff you used to only read on 4chan and Stormfront. Now it's everywhere.
In defending the
#rstar
/
#rscam
pilot (in response to an excellent Q from
@CGriwkowsky
),
@ABDanielleSmith
said: “we have to try something different.”
But that’s the point: the province has never actually tried to enforce O&G’s clean-up obligations. W/ record profits, let’s go!
I’ve said this b4 & you’re going to hear me (w/ others) say it again: one of the main reasons the O&G sector’s environmental liabilities are such a goddamned mess ($230B+) is that Albertans have been totally cut out from the discussion. This is more of that. Bad news bears
#ableg
Alberta's energy future panel gave Premier Danielle Smith its report June 30.
The report won't be released publicly.
Smith says it's to avoid perceptions govt will enact all the recommendations.
It is classified as advice to the Premier, so it can't be FOIP'D.
#abpoli
#ableg
Alberta continues to mishandle end-of-life rules that govern inactive wells. The system needs an independent public inquiry to avoid financial & environmental catastrophe, according to a new analysis from the U of C School of Public Policy
#ableg
#cdnpoli
#Breakingnews
for the stupidest gov’t in Canada: even with an EV tax, my EV is exponentially cheaper to operate than our ICE vehicle. The end for ICE is nigh; your bleating nonsense won’t change that.
#ableg
Good to see the soft denialist camp here in Alberta moving on from faking concern about birds killed by wind turbines to some innovative thinking on transport
It’s not a pivot, it’s BS. If they wanted to tightly bind the s 4 powers to the s 3 resolution they cld have. Instead we have “measures” identified in the resolution and then a host of powers limited only by what Cabinet deems “necessary or advisable” to carry out those measures.
PIVOT!
The Alberta government clarifies that the Sovereignty Act DOES NOT allow cabinet to unilaterally amend legislation without the legislature first authorizing them, differing from what the Premier and Justice Minister said during Tuesday's press conference.
#yeg
#yyc
#ableg
🚨 “Former Alberta attorney general [& card-carrying conservative] condemns Smith over ethics breach”
I’ve said it b4 —
@BankesNigel
,
@JenniferKoshan
& I say it again tomorrow
@ABlawg
: democratic norms & rule of law matter
#ableg
.
This was master-class comms re: climate change & how it's affecting
#bcpoli
. 👏 And all that & the heat pump bit while sitting right next to
#skpoli
Premier Scott "it's all ideology" Moe. 👨🍳😘
#cdnpoli
"For us the carbon tax has been an effective mechanism to reduce carbon pollution. Since 2017 our emissions have gone down despite a dramatic increase in population," says B.C. Premier David Eby of federal carbon pricing policy following meeting with other premiers.
#cdnpoli
@PremierScottMoe
Genuine question: What is the ideology you reject here? The science of climate change? You don’t think
#skpoli
has any role to play in reducing GHG emissions?
What was that, less than 48 hrs??
Hey all y’all
@Alberta_UCP
Smith supporters 👋🏼: you got duped. We tried to tell you — to warn you — that it wouldn’t fly, that she was exploiting you. Now she’s premier & y’all are back to gnashing your teeth. 🤷🏻���️
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has released an expert report re: reclamation liabilities for renewable energy projects. I’ve only skimmed but it appears robust — and a further & damning indictment of GoA’s approach to O&G clean-up costs. From the exec summary ⤵️:
#ableg
@maxfawcett
I am listening to the CBC segment and can't overstate how wildly wrong Danielle Smith is about everything -- but especially the Constitution. This is all going to blow up in her face, and the question is just how much collateral damage the rest of us will take on.
Prediction after today’s
@SCC_eng
IAA decision:
- Feds will amend to conform to ruling;
- AB won’t be placated; it wants no fed EA except for interprov. pipelines/railways/transmission lines (not what SCC said);
- AB will use Sovereignty Act;
- Courts will nuke it;
- Status quo
Here it is -- share far & wide
#cdnpoli
. We took pains to make it as clear/accessible as possible for non-lawyers.
#SCC
deemed
#IAA
unconstitutional but affirmed *shared & overlapping* enviro jurisdiction & rejected immunity for "prov projects":
#ableg
I’m just gonna keep saying it:
No agency can be this consistently incompetent by accident — and certainly not when upwards of $60 billion in liabilities is at stake (just the conventional O&G wells & infrastructure). Do something
#ableg
.
We will. And I’ll lay down a marker here:
@ABDanielleSmith
is currently, predictably & grossly overstating the effect & meaning of the
@SCC_eng
ruling in Ref. Re: Impact Assessment Act.
An oil sands mine like Tech Frontier can absolutely still be subjected to federal EA.
#ableg
@JennyYeremiy
@molszyns
ABlawg will have extensive coverage over the next few days. SCC decisions tend to have to many details and implications for Twitter...