[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

Yup.  Danielle Smith is our new Premiere.

"No longer will Alberta ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free. We will not have our voices silenced or censored. We will not be told what we must put in our bodies in order that we may work or travel.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/united-conservative-party-to-announce-new-leader-1.6606261

[Oexmelin]

[crazy canuck]

So, Kenney only got 51% support and didn't think that was enough to stay on a leader; and she gets 53%.  How long will she last?

[Barrister]

So, Kenney only got 51% support and didn't think that was enough to stay on a leader; and she gets 53%.  How long will she last?

She'll obviously get until the next election (which is coming up in the spring).  Beyond that - good guess.

Last I heard UCP was trailing the NDP in the polls..

[Barrister]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sovereignty-act-danielle-smith-alberta-1.6612197

Senior advisor to Danielle Smith says that the Sovereignty Act will not just ignore the Supreme Court.

That's good news, but to be clear it is very different from what she was saying on the campaign trail.  And it kind of guts the entire purpose of the Sovereignty Act.

[HVC]

We'll do whatever we want! Unless someone tells us not to.

[crazy canuck]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sovereignty-act-danielle-smith-alberta-1.6612197

Senior advisor to Danielle Smith says that the Sovereignty Act will not just ignore the Supreme Court.

That's good news, but to be clear it is very different from what she was saying on the campaign trail.  And it kind of guts the entire purpose of the Sovereignty Act.

It could end up being legislation which mandates that the government consider using the Notwithstanding Clause with the consent of the Legislature in appropriate cases.

Most won't understand that is a power they already have, but it will serve as sufficient window dressing.

[Barrister]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sovereignty-act-danielle-smith-alberta-1.6612197

Senior advisor to Danielle Smith says that the Sovereignty Act will not just ignore the Supreme Court.

That's good news, but to be clear it is very different from what she was saying on the campaign trail.  And it kind of guts the entire purpose of the Sovereignty Act.

It could end up being legislation which mandates that the government consider using the Notwithstanding Clause with the consent of the Legislature in appropriate cases.

Most won't understand that is a power they already have, but it will serve as sufficient window dressing.

Except that's not really the source of Smith's complaints with Ottawa - it's that Ottawa is intruding in areas of provincial jurisdiction.  You can't use the Notwithstanding clause in a fight over jurisdiction.

[crazy canuck]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sovereignty-act-danielle-smith-alberta-1.6612197

Senior advisor to Danielle Smith says that the Sovereignty Act will not just ignore the Supreme Court.

That's good news, but to be clear it is very different from what she was saying on the campaign trail.  And it kind of guts the entire purpose of the Sovereignty Act.

It could end up being legislation which mandates that the government consider using the Notwithstanding Clause with the consent of the Legislature in appropriate cases.

Most won't understand that is a power they already have, but it will serve as sufficient window dressing.

Except that's not really the source of Smith's complaints with Ottawa - it's that Ottawa is intruding in areas of provincial jurisdiction.  You can't use the Notwithstanding clause in a fight over jurisdiction.

Sure, but her position has never made any sense.  A province can always try to persuade the court that Ottawa is in fact intruding into provincial jurisdiction.

She just wanted to cut out the courts - and she is now realizing that is never going to fly.  In truth she probably always understood that to be the case.

I was talking about what she is likely going to do now.  Most people who make up her core supporters are unlikely to understand the point we are discussing.   

[crazy canuck]

It turns out that in addition to a flawed understanding of constitutional law, the new premier of Alberta has a fundamentally flawed understanding of human rights law.

[Barrister]

There's a general outrage, at least on Twitter, when Danielle Smith stated that the unvaccinated are "the most discriminated against group" in her lifetime.  Which when you consider she's 51 means she's been alive for apartheid, residential schools, gaybashing, etc.

She has also promised to add vaccination status to the Human Rights Code.

So the thing is she is validly our Premiere, but elected with only 8 months to go and with no popular mandate for her ideas.  If she wants to take these proposals and form the UCP policy platform in the next election that's one thing.  But to try and ram them through the legislature in just a few months is another.

Plus as a more general idea - this really feels like fighting the last war.  I'm pretty sure voters are more interested in where the province goes from here, rather than re-hashing the Covid debates.

[crazy canuck]

There's a general outrage, at least on Twitter, when Danielle Smith stated that the unvaccinated are "the most discriminated against group" in her lifetime.  Which when you consider she's 51 means she's been alive for apartheid, residential schools, gaybashing, etc.

One would hope the outrage is not limited to Twitter.

[Barrister]

There's a general outrage, at least on Twitter, when Danielle Smith stated that the unvaccinated are "the most discriminated against group" in her lifetime.  Which when you consider she's 51 means she's been alive for apartheid, residential schools, gaybashing, etc.

One would hope the outrage is not limited to Twitter.

I haven't heard anyone mention it in real life yet.  I think most people disagree if they think about it, but just want to move past this debate.

[crazy canuck]

There's a general outrage, at least on Twitter, when Danielle Smith stated that the unvaccinated are "the most discriminated against group" in her lifetime.  Which when you consider she's 51 means she's been alive for apartheid, residential schools, gaybashing, etc.

One would hope the outrage is not limited to Twitter.

I haven't heard anyone mention it in real life yet.  I think most people disagree if they think about it, but just want to move past this debate.

But if they are just going to ignore this lunacy, what happens the next time a pandemic wave hits and this legislation is in place?

[Jacob]

I can say that Danielle Smith has not impressed me.

And using Beeb as a bellwether I'm guessing she's not landing particularly well more broadly speaking.