[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

The new Justice Minister, Kathleen Ganley, is a labour lawyer.  Fair enough, coming from the NDP.

What her official bio doesn't state was that she was called to the bar in 2012.

To be fair she's only a couple years younger than me, so presumably law was a second career for her,  But again, her official bio doesn't state what that first career was.

Maybe she was raising kids, you know, couldn't afford a nanny, and so stayed home?

Could be.  Could be any number of things.

Maybe she has some wonderful experience they haven't told us about.  But so far we appear to have someone with a total of three years experience running the entire justice system in the province.

[crazy canuck]

Maybe she has some wonderful experience they haven't told us about.  But so far we appear to have someone with a total of three years experience running the entire justice system in the province.

She has one qualification that would be ministers in the other parties lacked.  She was able to get elected.

Also, you make it sound like there is no civil service in Alberta. 

edit:  did a bit of digging.  She finished first in her law class.  She has two undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy and her work experience appears to have been as a clerk in the Provincial court.

Not bad overall. Certainly has more brainpower then a lot of ministers who have occupied that position in other Federal and Provincial governments across the country.  She will also have the benefit of the advice of the civil service.  I see no reason to be critical of her at this point.  Lets wait and see what she does first

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/kathleen-ganley-is-the-new-justice-minister-solicitor-general

[Barrister]

Oh, I know I'm just whining here.

But brainpower very rarely trumps actual experience in my experience.  And of course somewhat ironically I'm afraid that this new government might be a little too beholden to the public service.  The new government is going to have to make some tough choices to hold the line on government spending (I have no hope of them making meaningful cuts).  I know from experience that every single government agency is going to be lining up for big spending increases (despite Alberta having the highest per capita government spending in Canada).

[crazy canuck]

Oh, I know I'm just whining here.

But brainpower very rarely trumps actual experience in my experience.  And of course somewhat ironically I'm afraid that this new government might be a little too beholden to the public service.  The new government is going to have to make some tough choices to hold the line on government spending (I have no hope of them making meaningful cuts).  I know from experience that every single government agency is going to be lining up for big spending increases (despite Alberta having the highest per capita government spending in Canada).

I am hard pressed to think of actual experience of many of our politicians.  Most seem to only have experience of being politicians although we have had some notable exceptions.  It is exceedingly rare for a gold medal winner to go the route of public service and even more rare to have a gold medal winner become a politician.   Almost all go on to highly remunerative private practices or become highly remunerated professors.

She might just surprise you.

[Barrister]

Oh, I know I'm just whining here.

But brainpower very rarely trumps actual experience in my experience.  And of course somewhat ironically I'm afraid that this new government might be a little too beholden to the public service.  The new government is going to have to make some tough choices to hold the line on government spending (I have no hope of them making meaningful cuts).  I know from experience that every single government agency is going to be lining up for big spending increases (despite Alberta having the highest per capita government spending in Canada).

I am hard pressed to think of actual experience of many of our politicians.  Most seem to only have experience of being politicians although we have had some notable exceptions.  It is exceedingly rare for a gold medal winner to go the route of public service and even more rare to have a gold medal winner become a politician.   Almost all go on to highly remunerative private practices or become highly remunerated professors.

She might just surprise you.

Being a politician tends to be very good training at being a high level politician like a minister.

Note I'm not criticizing someone like Brian Mason (now Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation) for being a former bus driver.  Clearly the bus driver part isn't much training, but he's been in politics for the better part of 25 years, first on city council and then in the legislature.  I'm sure he can handle himself.

[crazy canuck]

Being a politician tends to be very good training at being a high level politician like a minister.

Really?

How many excellent ministers have we had Federally who needed time practicing to be a politician?  Now lets think of all the terrible ministers we have had who were long time politicians.

I made a comment upthread about the very best labour minister this Province has ever had.  He had one term in office under the Barrett government.  He didn't have time to learn how to be a politician. That is perhaps why he did so well.

[viper37]

Oh, I know I'm just whining here.

But brainpower very rarely trumps actual experience in my experience.  And of course somewhat ironically I'm afraid that this new government might be a little too beholden to the public service.  The new government is going to have to make some tough choices to hold the line on government spending (I have no hope of them making meaningful cuts).  I know from experience that every single government agency is going to be lining up for big spending increases (despite Alberta having the highest per capita government spending in Canada).

when they decide that public servants are underpaid and proceed to increase your wage by 20% and decrease your working time by 5%, will you go on strike?

[Grey Fox]

I am under the impression that BB thinks that long political experience is a good thing for a minister?!

[Barrister]

Oh, I know I'm just whining here.

But brainpower very rarely trumps actual experience in my experience.  And of course somewhat ironically I'm afraid that this new government might be a little too beholden to the public service.  The new government is going to have to make some tough choices to hold the line on government spending (I have no hope of them making meaningful cuts).  I know from experience that every single government agency is going to be lining up for big spending increases (despite Alberta having the highest per capita government spending in Canada).

when they decide that public servants are underpaid and proceed to increase your wage by 20% and decrease your working time by 5%, will you go on strike?

No.  But I did vote Wildrose, which was the one party promising the most cuts to government spending (aka on civil servants like me).

I for one can look beyond my narrow self-interest, and want what's best for all Alberta.

[crazy canuck]

I like Wente's opinion piece in today's Globe.  It nicely describes the reasons why the Liberals could be non contenders in the election.

She has a great one liner about Justin:

The default for soft-core conservatives has always been the Liberals. There's just one problem – Justin. Even Liberals secretly admit that if their leader's name were Gaston Tremblant, he'd still be a high-school drama teacher. "He has good people around him," they insist. It's not clear who they're trying to reassure – other people, or themselves.

On the NDP attempting to take the soft-core conservative vote she notes a change in the NDP:

The NDP no longer mentions the "working class," a quaint label that tends to make middle-class people nervous, and is also not a very apt description for the students, academics, and other white-collar public-sector workers who make up most of the NDP's constituency. Its old working-class supporters disappeared long ago. So Mr. Mulcair's task is to persuade enough of the lumpenbourgeoisie that the sky won't fall if they vote NDP. After all, he can point out, Alberta is still pumping oil (at least for now).

And to sum up, I think accurately, what non NDP traditional voters now think of the NDP:

On the face of it, his platform doesn't sound ridiculously scary – a minimum wage of $15 for federal workers, universal daycare (eventually), tax hikes for fat-cat corporations. Personally, I think those are lousy ideas, and how we'll pay for it, who knows? But none of that may matter. As the disaffected ex-Harper voter said, "He's not crazy, and that's good enough for me."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/federal-election-lets-have-a-three-way/article24600414/

[Malthus]

Heh, if only the NDP and Libs were to exchange leaders, the Libs would likely be contenders. 

[crazy canuck]

Heh, if only the NDP and Libs were to exchange leaders, the Libs would likely be contenders. 

Or really anyone other than Justin.

[Malthus]

Heh, if only the NDP and Libs were to exchange leaders, the Libs would likely be contenders. 

Or really anyone other than Justin.

Naw, they had someone other than Justin last time, and it didn't work for them. 

The problem seems to be that they appear to be easily attracted to gimmicks in a leader to attempt to jump-start re-interest in the party. They had a leading academic, and now a political heir. What they haven't chosen, is someone with mundane leadership chops: the ability to articulate and communicate a consistent message, the ability to control a fractious party, etc.

[crazy canuck]

Heh, if only the NDP and Libs were to exchange leaders, the Libs would likely be contenders. 

Or really anyone other than Justin.

Naw, they had someone other than Justin last time, and it didn't work for them. 

The problem seems to be that they appear to be easily attracted to gimmicks in a leader to attempt to jump-start re-interest in the party. They had a leading academic, and now a political heir. What they haven't chosen, is someone with mundane leadership chops: the ability to articulate and communicate a consistent message, the ability to control a fractious party, etc.

The problem with the previous leaders had less to do with them and more to do with the timing of when they were leader.   There was no way the Country was going to forgive the Liberals all their sins so soon.  But now the backlash is building against Conservative rule.  The timing is now right for the Liberals but they have exactly the wrong leader.  And so, by default, the timing is now right for the NDP to try to capture the anti-conservative vote.

[Grey Fox]

I really hope the country follows suit & we have a change of government towards the NDP & not just a fakeout where Ontario lets everyone down again.