For my Alberta Council and Mayor Colleagues: today, I submitted Nomination paperwork to become the next President of Alberta Municipalities. I hope I can earn your support!
More information about my priorities and experience is at https://t.co/ODzfQ7QLW3
RMA members strongly oppose the introduction of political parties into municipal elections and the regulatory changes that now allow for expansive spending on campaigns. These changes – currently limited to Calgary and Edmonton – risk undermining the core strengths of local government: accountability, accessibility, and the ability of elected officials to represent their communities free from party ideology. Municipal councils are most effective when councillors are empowered to debate and decide based on local needs, not party lines.
Through Resolution 4-24S, RMA urges the provincial government to reconsider this direction and commit to keeping partisan politics out of Alberta’s local governments.
Learn more: https://t.co/8LnKnkXlAb
@abigbluebird @SarahLongwell25 Yes, recent cases under the Alien Enemies Act show immigrants with legal status (e.g., protected status) and no criminal records deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison, notorious for torture, rape, and dehumanizing conditions, often without due process@abigbluebird@SarahLongwell25 Yes, recent cases under the Alien Enemies Act show immigrants with legal status (e.g., protected status) and no criminal records deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison, notorious for torture, rape, and dehumanizing conditions, often without due process.
“Good government is guided by the foundational principles of conservatism: fiscally responsible, socially reliable, limited government, and a belief in the strength of personal responsibility.
When government does its job well, it doesn’t need to be in your face – because people see the results in the reliability of their services, the confidence of investors, and the strength of civil society.
A truly conservative government is steady and competent. It manages taxpayer dollars with discipline, keeps its promises and focuses on delivering tangible results, avoiding political theatre.
And above all, it means putting pragmatism over ideology-governing for all, not just the few.
That is the conservative vision.
Responsible. Capable. Grounded in values that have stood the test of time.
A government that serves - not rules.”
#ableg #abpoli
Danielle Smith now has a 27-member cabinet among 47 MLAs. Take out Speaker and the departing Nate Cooper, and 60% of her caucus is in cabinet.
Those poor 18 backbenchers.
Literally none of this is true.
Where does he get this fake news from?
▪️Canada receives $0 in subsidies from the US
▪️If his alleged “$200 billion subsidy” is the US trade deficit vs Canada, the actual trade deficit in 2024 was~ $45 billion USD, 1/4 of what he claims (source: US Census Bureau)
▪️Until January, he frequently referred to the “$100 billion Canadian ripoff.” Somehow the fake number doubled over Christmas.
▪️Canada has the second smallest trade surplus vs the USA within the OECD, accounting for only 4% of the global US trade deficit
▪️The USA has a trade *surplus* with Canada on manufactured goods (and his primary focus seems to be on manufacturing)
▪️Canada’s trade surplus is made up *entirely* of our $170 billion in oil and gas exports to the US. Remove that, and the US is running a $45B USD trade *surplus* vs Canada.
▪️He says “we don’t need Canadian oil.” But 63% of US oil imports come from Canada. The ~4 million barrels / day we sell them = 25% of crude oil processed in US refineries, and ~20% of the 20M BPD consumed in the US. Many US refineries require the kind of heavy crude we produce. The US does not have significant reserves or production of heavy crude. The only other major alternative sources are Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
▪️The US typically buys our energy at a steep discount. Their imports from Canada are refined and some sold on the global market. It is estimated that the US economy generates a ~$19 billion windfall from this arbitrage, thereby reducing their global trade deficit.
▪️In other words, if there is some kind of “subsidy” in the trade relationship, it’s Canadian energy “subsidizing” the US economy.
▪️He claims the US has “more oil than Canada.” But Canada has ~170 billion barrels in proven and probable oil reserves, four times more than the USA’s 43 billion barrels.
▪️Canada has the 3rd largest proven and probable oil reserves on Earth. The US isn’t in the top ten.
▪️Trump himself has said repeatedly that he wants to buy much *more* Canadian oil by building another pipeline. Just last week he said again “we want to build the Keystone XL Pipeline.” A project of that scale would increase Canadian exports to the US by ~800,000 BPD, or ~20%.
Independent MLA Peter Guthrie penning an open letter to his constituents, in which he criticizes the UCP on its handling of the procurement scandal and its lack of fiscal discipline- and saving his last salvo for Premier Danielle Smith, who he believes may ulterior motives.
A friendly reminder.
Yes, Carney will be Prime Minister without a seat as the Liberal party members alone elected him, just as Danielle Smith became Premier without a seat as the UCP members alone elected her. It's how our system has always worked, it's not new.
So to recap:
▪️the USA’s closest ally gets a 25% tariff on national security grounds,
▪️ China, the USA’s biggest strategic adversary and ultimate source of fentanyl ingredients, gets hit by *lower* tariffs,
▪️ While Trump pursues an economic partnership with Putin’s murderous Russian regime,
▪️and Trump muses about opening negotiations with the Iranian theocracy, the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism.
To the very online MAGA North crowd: stop embarrassing yourselves by defending this lunacy.
The tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are an unjustifiable economic attack on Canadians and Albertans. They also represent a clear breach of the trade agreement signed by this same U.S. President during his first term. These tariffs will hurt the American people, driving up costs for fuel, food, vehicles, housing, and many other products. They will also cost hundreds of thousands of American and Canadian jobs. This policy is both foolish and a failure in every regard.
This is not the way it should be between two of the world’s strongest trading allies and partners. We would much rather be working with the U.S. on mutually beneficial trade deals than be caught in the middle of a tariff war.
Alberta fully supports the Federal response announced today by the Prime Minister. I will be meeting with my Cabinet today and tomorrow to discuss Alberta’s response to these illegal tariffs, which we will announce publicly tomorrow.
Now is the time for us to unite as a province and a country. We must do everything in our collective power to immediately tear down provincial trade barriers and fast-track the construction of dozens of resource projects, from pipelines to LNG facilities to critical minerals projects. We must strengthen our trade ties throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas for all our energy, agricultural, and manufactured products. We also need to drastically increase military spending to ensure we can protect our nation. There is no time to waste on any of these initiatives.
I will have more to say tomorrow.
Disliking Trump’s attack on Canada doesn’t automatically mean you like Trudeau.
It’s possible to be like “hey actually, I’m tired of both these clowns”. Hard concept, I know.