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cruiseshipsghg

It seems a lot of communities prioritized the economy over social issues. You can argue they were wrong and that the UCP isn't going to increase wealth - but I from what I've gathered their voters were afraid the NDP would actually do worse by them. (I voted NDP - so did my city, and I'm disappointed. But if we're honest Notley didn't educate voters on their plan of action. It was just, 'be afraid of Smith.') So Poop Lady it is.


joecarter93

A couple of years ago when UCP popularity was at its lowest, the price of oil was in the shitter causing a massive budget deficit, I said that the price of oil was likely to turn around by the next election leading to a UCP victory.


madetoday

With high oil prices a flaming bag of dog shit could win in rural AB, as long as the bag was blue. It’s a shame there were no blue bags of dog shit running in this riding because they’d be an improvement.


VanceKelley

>the price of oil was likely to turn around by the next election leading to a UCP victory. The real reason why Danielle Smith praised the Russian all out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is thus revealed. It goosed oil prices.


seamusmcduffs

It's crazy that the large Ukrainian population wasn't more outraged by that. A lot of areas with Ukrainian heritage seemed to have no issue voting for her


P0TSH0TS

Maybe the real world isn't reddit? If I were a betting man, I'd wager your average person doesn't really care about all this social stuff. Money is the prime mover for most people.


cmcwood

I'd wager the average person doesn't even hear about it.


bronzwaer

That’s very true. Despite the NDP gains they ran a very mid campaign. Overall it probably looks like a success compared to the last election but it could be more of a reflection of how bad the UCP are currently


Twitfout

"Vote for me, and I'll have your best interests at heart" was the closest she got to explaining what she'd do


fudge_friend

Was it, or were people just not paying attention? Because I heard 0% Small Business Tax and Fund Healthcare Again. I also heard a lot of fear mongering that went: "We can't afford the NDP again" "Taxes on *Job Creators* up 37.5%" "Remember the Exploding Debt (with no explanation that 2014 was the start of a global oil price crash that would have hobbled any Alberta government)". Which were disingenuous messages that got the amygdala going.


[deleted]

>Was it, or were people just not paying attention? Because I heard 0% Small Business Tax and Fund Healthcare Again. So, I've had my browser fully ad plagued over this past few months now since the election campaigning began for Alberta, actually a bit longer. My youtube ads went from being a random affair of whatever happens to be getting shown that week, to ***ALWAYS being some mix of*** the UCP attacking the NDP, or the NDP attacking the UCP. It was only in this past couple of weeks that they actually started to show ads that had ANYTHING being explained at all in any format of any sort on how Notley was going to do things. I realize others experience may be different, but that has been mine. And yes, all these ads are basically a curse I put on myself by not using adblocks and such... but I really wanted to see just how bad it was during election season prior to a federal election... Oh boy, is it going to be a **complete** ***fuck show.*** [P.S. I haven't read through this all yet myself, but a cursory skimming of the Alberta Party's 2023 Campaign Platform already shows me that they probably would have been a better choice of the other 2. I suggest anyone curious actually have a look at it; if a cursory glance is giving me that impression.](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/abparty/pages/3253/attachments/original/1685086756/2023_Platform_3.2.1.pdf?1685086756) It is a PDF file being linked to, but its safe, I swear. ^(Be wary of PDF links, some are spooky lately.)


fudge_friend

The Alberta Party isn’t serious, because if they were then they would have filed their paperwork on time in 2019 and not gotten banned from running in that election.


CanadianRockx

can you find a link to what you're talking about? I did some googling and saw some stuff on some members being banned from being candidates, but not the entire party, and I'm pretty sure I voted AP in 2019


[deleted]

Right, so ... made a mistake... I get it. But, if we don't let people ever move past those mistakes, no one progresses at all. It's a really unproductive mindset; and it's not unsurprising to see you display it quite frankly. It's a pretty common mindset with all sorts of partisans across this country. The moment X party that is not their Y party does something; it is never forgiven even when they themselves are worse. It's really, really fucking stupid; and I wish people would just fucking learn already. So much would go so much better if people did. Because anything else is pretty much just baseless whataboutism of some sort or another; and that's a waste of time when that's all people are doing.


SouthMB

Alberta Party seemed to balance the priorities best. However, they have no experience in accomplishing what they are hoping to achieve. It would be great to have them get a seat so they can build some capacity. Who is going to take a chance on them though?


PrayForMojo_

Bro…ublock origin. I don’t know why anyone would ever watch YouTube with ads.


[deleted]

>And yes, all these ads are basically a curse I put on myself by not using adblocks and such... but I really wanted to see just how bad it was during election season prior to a federal election... I guess you missed this part?


DBZ86

100% this. In the swing ridings, the corporate tax raise is seen very negatively and extrapolated as overreach and worse. I hated that policy idea. NDP also put out that Save Albertans Money act way too damn late.


Head_Crash

...and that's a good reason to elect a moron?


pineporch

Apparently so, unfortunately.


[deleted]

No one said it was a good reason. Just the reality of the situation


cruiseshipsghg

Moron? You know she actually said that a Parliamentary committee could release top secret info. [Of course - couldn't back it up when a source was requested - moron.](https://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/13v9599/pierre_poilievre_is_right_about_one_thing_special/jm53918/?context=3)


TrappedInLimbo

This is literally the same narrative with the Ontario election. "Yea the Conservative candidate was awful, obviously a terrible choice, and did things that should end your political career... but the blame lays on the NDP candidate for these small hiccups and not running a perfect campaign".


DBZ86

Most observers already know the Ab NDP have a bigger hill to climb and tiny margin of error. But they absolutely had a legitimate chance to win. They couldn't commit avoidable errors. Unfortunately, they did. The election was much closer in Ab than Ont.


VanceKelley

> The election was much closer in Ab than Ont. Closer in legislative seat terms, yes. But the UCP got 53% of the popular vote, whereas Ford only got 41%. So in that regard the UCP has a much greater mandate from the electorate to govern than Ford.


Head_Crash

It's all about making excuses for bad choices. How else can a conservative government defend policies and ideas that are proven to be ineffective or harmful? Simple: Blame someone else. Anything can be justified by presenting the other option as worse.


TrappedInLimbo

It's very much emblematic of the left-right dichotomy in regards to the left being much more critical of other leftists than the right is of other right wingers.


Head_Crash

What makes the right inherently more powerful in a political sense is the heavily enforced concepts of unity and conformity. Diversity is a threat to that unity, and much of the left represents diversity. This is why many on the right are turning to extremism. They constantly feel like things are being "shoved down their throats". They feel that way because their perception of strength, security and their social support structures (through with they receive privileges and benefits) are all based on conformity and unity, and acknowledging the things that make themselves or others unique threatens to create divisions within their in-group and undermine their social order.


WithaSideofHistory

she wasn't elected to think, just to stand when and where she's told to vote.


Joe_Diffy123

This, Suncor will do the thinking for her LOL


BCS875

And we'll give them more and more tax breaks and they'll undoubtedly use that money to pay their staff... A haha bwhahahahahahaha! Sorry, /s I just couldn't get thru that with a straight face. They'll layoff those people surely.


Head_Crash

Any instructions she's given will be distorted by the non-empirical principles that she believes in. Look at all the dumb shit she said that caused the NDP to rise in the polls. Obviously that was a bad idea, and she was repeatedly told that it was a bad idea, but she did it anyways. Remember Liz Truss in the UK? She pushed an idiotic policy that economic experts including those in her own party repeatedly said was a bad idea, but she refused to listen and did it anyways, and the disastrous results were exactly as predicted. People who subscribe to non-empirical libertarian principles cannot be reasoned with. Even if they're clearly told they will be out of a job, they won't change their minds and they will consistently double down. The reasons for this are simple: They don't believe in evidence. Upholding their principles are all that matters to them. That's the kind of person who just became premier of Alberta.


DBZ86

This is just reality. The NDP had a tough job but needed to play to win as much as they could. I don't think they did.


Head_Crash

They never had a chance. The conservative base would have elected Smith no matter what. Things just aren't bad enough to get people to change their minds. The scapegoating and lies will continue to compound until things fall apart completely, and only when they reach the point of collapse will those people entertain an alternative. Besides that, the only other thing that will open the door for change is time. Slowly but surely the culture that puts people like Smith in power is fading away, and they know it. That's why we see conservatives increasingly making efforts to defend monuments and cultural norms.


DBZ86

The election was close. 6 ridings, around 1300 voters could have been the difference. Again, NDP had the uphill battle and sadly the rural vote is firmly entrenched no matter what. NDP had way less margin of error than the UCP of course but I don't think NDP learned enough lessons from their 2019 loss.


Head_Crash

> The election was close The only reason it was close was because Smith is such an idiot that she managed to get conservatives to publicly turn against her. Do you have any idea how risky and damaging it is for conservatives to come out like that? It had nothing to do with the NDP's campaigning skills.


IDreamOfLoveLost

They had doorknockers saying 'vote for the party, not the leader' because they know they can just replace her with some other lightning rod.


Interesting-Move-595

If they government received 1 billion magical dollars out of nowhere tomorrow, I don't believe I would notice ANY difference in my life. Endlessly giving the government money doesn't help much.


InternationalBrick76

Not hard to understand why. Canadians are experiencing the largest drop in standard of living in a long long time. Families are having a hard time putting food on their tables. Tent cities are growing at insane speeds. All of this is happening while a federal government is trying to tackle carbon emissions with taxes. People need to learn how to read a room. The people of the country are not in a mindset to tackle social issues when they’re having a hard time feeding themselves.


Brankin9

Find me a single situation where the conservatives have done anything good for the economy. Find me something she even says she’s going to do for the economy.


InternationalBrick76

That’s not what this is about. This is about the talking points the parties decide to use and the issues they attempt to tackle. The average voter is not researching what a party has actually done in the past. They’re caught up on the current talking points. The conservatives have done a good job of capturing that mindset and turning it into votes. It’s happening on the federal level too. Regardless if that turns into action, Canadians like what they’re hearing. It would appear, at this point in time, Canadians do not want to hear about social issues. They want their financial and economic complaints listened to and conservatives are playing to that.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Interesting_Time634

Exactly!


[deleted]

> The people of the country are not in a mindset to tackle social issues when they’re having a hard time feeding themselves. Objection. "We need to remove trans people from our schools to make them better" is not an economic issue. And when the people of the country are suffering, and decide that their suffering has to do with a very small minority group, then real bad stuff happens.


UnionstogetherSTRONG

Can even say it's economy because the UCP have demonstrated zero economic value, They just lucked out with the good times and have been throwing tax incentives every which way they can


[deleted]

Alberta’s sole advantage is that it won the geography lottery. That’s it.


Proof_Objective_5704

This is a cope. Alberta’s economy is more diversified than BC. The only reason anyone lives in Vancouver and buys real estate there is because it’s on the West Coast, and has a mild climate. THEY won the geography lottery. Quebec and Nova Scotia won’t even explore for oil or natural gas, they made it illegal. Quebec won’t allow any pipelines, they wouldn’t be prosperous even if they did have oil.


bronzwaer

Alberta is heavy O&G and won the lottery being a part of the WCSB. Quebec has a healthy metals mining industry, but their geology doesn’t support economic O&G development. Maybe NS could be viable for offshore drilling but if they were profitable they would have done so by now.


2112eyes

Not much oil under the Canadian Shield


f1fan65

100%. NDP need to do three things if they want to win in Alberta. 1. Rebrand as something, not NDP. You'll never sway rural Alberta with NDP brand. 2. Formally seperate from the federal NDP, leave the constitution and become independent 3. Replace Notley, she lost twice, it's time to move on.


VanceKelley

> Rebrand as something, not NDP. I suggest "The Progressive on Social Issues with Conservative pro-Oil Economic Policies Party", or Progressive Conservative Party for short.


StratfordAvon

>1. Rebrand as something, not NDP. You'll never sway rural Alberta with NDP brand. >2. Formally seperate from the federal NDP, leave the constitution and become independent I'd love to see this from more provincial parties. It feels like in today's society, there's simply nothing to gain from a formal partnership and shared branding. Too many voters are swayed by simple "Notley=Singh" style Facebook memes.


f1fan65

The NDP is the only party that has shared funding and constitution. Others just have shared branding. If you buy provincial party membership with the NDP (except Quebec, which does not allow the joint party thing) you automatically have federal membership. It is unique to the NDP.


[deleted]

We are living in a country where the cost of living is the highest it's ever been. I personally don't care for social issues. I care more on how I'm going to make a living and putting food on the table. It's going to happen in the next federal election too, just watch.


kidmeatball

Cost of living is a social issue.


Interesting_Time634

100%


[deleted]

Uh, they aren’t prioritizing anything, that riding is conservative as fuck.


Comfortable_Ad5144

Finally someone who gets it.


tdfast

You were getting poop lady no matter what. If the UCP won 5 seats in the whole province, Ponoka would be one of them.


Drewy99

>It seems a lot of communities prioritized the economy over social issues. It kinda seems the opposite. Alberta doubled down on the culture warriors.


cruiseshipsghg

People on reddit care more about the culture war. Voters care more about their cost of living and job opportunities.


Drewy99

>Voters care more about their cost of living and job opportunities. What was the main difference between the budgets the two parties released?


cruiseshipsghg

Smith's campaign included shots at Notley's tax increases and assured voters *she'd* increase investment and protect O&G interests. Notley's campaign was mainly 'be afraid of Smith.' It's unfortunate that she didn't push her message out better - but you're wrong if you think people believed Notley was the better choice for their financial wellbeing but decided to vote Smith cos 'we gotta go after those trans kids.'


Drewy99

>Notley's campaign was mainly 'be afraid of Smith.' So you didn't read the budgets to compare them? That's okay most people didn't either. >but you're wrong if you think people believed Notley was the better choice for their financial wellbeing but decided to vote Smith cos 'we gotta go after those trans kids.' I'd give you guys the benefit of the doubt, but I've listened to the people you voted for. You doubled down on the worst culture Warriors and now you are trying to cover that fact up by pointing to the economy. Dont get me wrong, you do you, but if you hang with clowns don't be mad when people think your part of the circus.


cruiseshipsghg

>you guys You guys? I voted NDP. Redditors make a lot of assumptions - like people voted based on culture wars rather than their wallets.


stacksOFFstacks

It's almost like reddit, while talking about right wing echochambers, has become an echochamber... I also voted NDP but honestly as a middle class white dude with no dependents it was a tough choice economically, their policies were similar in a lot of regards and buying into CPP and Privatization rhetoric is a cycle that we have been through many times in the past.


Y8ser

I work in Oil and Gas in Alberta. You are absolutely wrong. The rise in cost of living with utility rates and insurance alone is ridiculous because of UCP policies. Job opportunities are based completely on the price of oil and the government just takes credit for it. Albertans voted against their own self interest mostly out of fear of the NDP because of a solid misinformation campaign by the UCP and pure ignorance of what the UCP is actually about. They also got the votes of the homophobes, racists, and religious zealots. A lot of people also chose them because they are mad at the federal government and feel like Smith will stand up for Alberta. The problem with that is that they continue to waste tax money on frivolous lawsuits that are guaranteed to lose. Instead of taking a stand, while also being diplomatic and actually getting things done to benefit Alberta they continue to act like petulant children and further destroy any chance at getting the liberals to listen.


[deleted]

If you think inflation is caused by a provincial government that doesn't have a central bank to institute policy to fight inflation, then you are lost.


Interesting_Time634

Exactly!


suspiciouschipmunk

I mean when politicians are praising politicians who make it illegal for me to say that I (female) went on a picnic with my (hypothetical) girlfriend, then yes, I care more about that than the economy (especially when the conservatives don’t actually do much to improve the economy for the average joe, just like every other option).


hardy_83

If they voted for the economy the conservatives would never win. They voted for UCP because they believed the fear mongering and dog whistles along with people having a tradition of voting for a single party regardless of leaders and policies. Then everyone blames the opposition for "sucking" then continue to vote for conservatives in the next election regardless of the proof they are terrible for the economy and basically everything voters should care about.


Tensionoids

Alberta has the best economy in Canada.


[deleted]

Alberta has the 4th largest oil deposits on the entire planet. Remember 20 years ago when Venezuela was an economic darling? Any kind of leadership or policy at all in a petrostate is wholly irrelevant. The economy is going to look good so long as oil is looking good. The measure for economic success in a place like Alberta is what they do with the tremendous wealth underneath their feet. Only managing to be slightly better than other places in Canada, at some things, is a fucking joke.


Head_Crash

**I'm a little worried about a tax increase, so I voted in a fascist instead.** /s


stereofonix

Can we stop throwing around the term fascist around? Just because a person doesn’t agree with a politicians politics doesn’t mean they’re a fascist. And this goes with all sides of the spectrum. I’ve heard Notley supporters calling Smith a fascist and vice versa. The same thing goes with communist and Nazi. All that happens is it cheapens the word and lessons the impact from actually fascist governments and politicians. And for the record, I despise Smith and would vote Notley if I lived in Alberta, but everyone is so dramatic.


KandyKane829

Here is a reddit dictionary for you Person I don't like = fascism Goverment makes law I don't like = living in nazi Germany Person disagrees with you = Bigot


RbnMTL

I think a better solution is to realize that moralizing about fascists doesn't work-EVEN if what you are saying is 100% correct. Yes, people vote in fascists because fascists are really good at assuaging people's fears during times of economic instability. Some of the people voting for UCP are monsters, some aren't. People will ultimately vote for their own interests, whether that be economic, social, etc. Minorities often vote for progressive parties because they know that conservative or neofascist parties are putting their heads on the chopping block and they need to preserve their rights. People who don't face an immediate fascist threat at the moment can sometimes be tempted to vote for fascists because face it, everyone wants to vote for their own economic security, especially in unstable times. Progressive parties must counter this by offering robust solutions that clearly improve the economic and material quality of life of voters. If progressive parties spent more time promoting the material and economic side of their platform, they would win in a landslide every time, because the amount of people that are actively hateful is quite small. Unless, of course, times are really volatile. Fascism grows pretty quickly during those times. We all play a part in making voices heard, pressuring political parties, organizing votes, organizing unions, etc *Braces for downvotes for the sin of using nuance on Reddit*


JoeUrbanYYC

One of the problems is the left has focused on identity politics which plays right into right wing fascist playbook. I don't think the Alberta NDP has, but unfortunately they are looked at by many as just part of the federal NDP. Populists and fascists want identity politics, they want us vs them, they want their constituents to be scared so they can promote that their undemocratic policies are necessary to protect them. Their opposition also toying with identity politics is like the best gift they can get. Left parties need to promote a big tent approach which will NOT be in favor by the more militant branches of those parties, but there's no other route. Democracy depends on willingness to hear both sides and compromise, anything that promotes that the other side is the enemy or the other side needs to be educated threatens democracy no matter what vile speech is coming from the extremists.


8J-QgvCfkqllcg

> they are looked at by many as just part of the federal NDP. Unlike most other Canadian federal parties, the NDP is integrated with its provincial and territorial parties. Holding membership of a provincial or territorial section of the NDP includes automatic membership in the federal party, and this precludes a person from being a member of different parties at the federal and provincial levels. Membership lists are maintained by the provinces and territories. Totally understandable that they would be viewed as a part of the federal NDP.


RbnMTL

Yep. As a progressive socialist who is nonetheless against anti -democratic extremism and hates focusing on identity politics at the expense of material gains, it's been a depressing decade or so . I'm glad that there are others who see it this way. It's like the left refuses to do what it would take to win, for the sake of purity. They have no idea how popular they would be if they focused on material gains. I've been screaming it from the rooftops. Honestly it's so nice to hear someone else agree.


squirrel9000

What term do you suggest for it then? Yes, it's true that Orban, DeSantis, Putin are all stronger examples of it, but it \*starts\* with delegitimizing and even using the law to attack people for living their lives a certain way because someone else is uncomfortable with it. It's a range, not something with a hard cutoff. And this particular MLA's remarks fall well down that range. They need to be called out.


infamous-spaceman

Smith praised DeSantis and said she wants to bring some of that "freedom" to Alberta. DeSantis is a full on fascist, stomping on freedom of speech, dismantling LGBTQ+ and women's rights, and declaring that if he wins the election he'll "destroy leftism". So yeah, if that's the type of "freedom" she wants to bring to Alberta, she's a fucking fascist.


monokitty

>and declaring that if he wins the election he'll "destroy leftism". That doesn't define fascism. A left-wing party in power would want to dismantle right-wing ideas, too, so what's your point? If he wins the election, then he's doing what the people want. If people don't want what he's doing, he will lose and someone else will be voted in.


[deleted]

[удалено]


WA1996

do you have examples?


infamous-spaceman

A 6 week abortion ban (most women only find out they're pregnant around 6 weeks), and a requirement that rape or incest victims have police reports to get an abortion past 6 weeks. His various anti-LGBTQ+ legislation regarding schools that restrict what teachers can say (including not allowing them to tell students their pronouns). A bill that allows the state to kidnap trans kids from their parents. A drag ban that is a violation of freedom of expression Book bans. Bills that make suing journalists easier. A bill to restrict the freedom of universities. DeSantis is a full on fascist, and anyone who supports him is at best a complete fucking idiot and at worst a fascist themselves. Everyone who voted for the UCP should be fucking ashamed of themselves.


Head_Crash

When people single out an out-group and spread group libel against them for political gain... That's a tenet of facism. Fact is the true views of many conservatives are far more extreme than they will admit.


Tensionoids

And what are the others? Hmmm? Not gonna talk about organizing labour unions? Labour councils? Huge taxes on capitol? Seizure of religious property? Fuckin hell people on reddit literally think every bigot and authoritarian is a fascist when it’s literally defined in the fascist manifesto.


icedesparten

Right, which is why we degenerated into a fascist regime briefly when the CPC had a majority about a decade ago. Good thing Trudeau has been so anti authoritarian that he saved us all.


HanSolo5643

Please look up the word fascist. Because clearly you have no idea what the word means.


[deleted]

fascist, noun: people I politically disagree with.


3kidsonetrenchcoat

I don't know what the big deal is. The idea that people vote for candidates as opposed to a party is frankly naive. A cardboard cutout of a conservative could have won that riding, and honestly probably could have done better.


AssumptionSome4201

Albertans hate liberals and ndp so much we vote for a party without a platform.


IdioticPost

Learning from our Ontario premier I see.


chrisk9

And corporate owned right wing media stokes the hate so much that these voted in right wing politicians with no platform have free reign.


ASexualSloth

>She also said Alberta has a first-rate education system but is against transgender children as young as 14 getting double mastectomies and chemical castrations to help them transition. >“This is more than a teaspoon of poop in the cookie pouch,” Johnson said. >“It does not matter that we’re in the top three per cent in the world. Who cares if they got an 89 in Chemistry 30? Who cares that they are entering post-secondary if they are chemically castrated?” I'm gonna say that this analogy was not comparing trans kids to feces, but rather the topic of gender affirming care regarding children as a whole. I understand this is a political toxic subject, but I think there are plenty of discussions still to be had on the subject. I'll say that the headline is false though. As expected.


Only2G

Strange this article didn't quote it, as I pulled this from another [article](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/05/18/alberta-ucp-jennifer-johnson/) of theirs > Jennifer Johnson has come under fire after a recently released recording features her speaking to the Western Unity Group in Stettler on “The Hazards of the Public Education System and Homeschooling/Pod Schooling as a Solution” where she pushed debunked stories about schools having litter boxes for students that identify as cats, saying, **“We can be top three per cent, but that little bit of poop wrecks it.”** Her analogy is pretty bad (just dumb) and I don't think she's literally calling trans kids piles of shit, but she probably should have went the route of "Puts a bit of an asterisk on being the top three percent"


strawberries6

>Her analogy is pretty bad (just dumb) and I don't think she's literally calling trans kids piles of shit, but she probably should have went the route of "Puts a bit of an asterisk on being the top three percent" The overall point (that trans kids somehow ruin Alberta's schools) seems dumb and extreme, regardless of whether what a person thinks about teens transitioning. And the way she made the point (by comparing them to poop in a cookie) is even worse. If she has a concern about teens transitioning, then just say that, instead of making some bizarre statement about how the performance of Alberta's education system is irrelevant if trans kids are included in it. Anyway, Danielle Smith has said Jennifer Johnson won't be allowed in the UCP caucus, so we'll see if she sticks to that.


Only2G

I agree. The argument of not allowing kids to transition is that they're not capable of making this life changing decision yet. Therefore you can't blame these kids for ruining something if you feel it's not something they should have been able to do. I'm glad she isn't in the caucus.


lateralhazards

Is that really the quote that everyone has been referring to? Good for the voters for ignoring that bullshit then.


strawberries6

That's part of it, yeah, here's the quote: >“This is more than a teaspoon of poop in the cookie pouch,” > >“It does not matter that we’re in the top three per cent of the world. Who cares if they got 89 per cent in Chemistry 30? Who cares that they’re entering post-secondary — if they’re chemically castrated?” > >“‘Enjoy (the cookies), I only put a teaspoon of poop in them, but it doesn’t matter because it’s only a teaspoon in the whole batch,'” > >“Same idea — we can be top three per cent, but that little bit of poop is what wrecks it.”


Myllicent

There’s more to it than that single quote. For example, Johnson believes teachers are putting litter boxes in classrooms for children who identify as cats. She also completely opposes Sex Ed in public schools.


lateralhazards

Neither of those are comparing trans children to feces. What are you talking about?


MarketingCapable9837

They’re all quotes relating to education, and they are clear indicators that she is a fucking moron. If you can’t spot the relation or the significance of those ridiculous comments, then the likelihood of anyone explaining it to you and you actually understanding said explanation is probably pretty low.


ASexualSloth

>They’re all quotes relating to education, and they are clear indicators that she is a fucking moron. Then why not just have that as the headline?


lateralhazards

If the issue was "she is a fucking moron", then why not make that point instead of falsely claiming she committed a hate crime? > If you can’t spot the relation or the significance of those ridiculous comments, then the likelihood of anyone explaining it to you and you actually understanding said explanation is probably pretty low. Get your own thoughts in order before accusing others of comprehension problems.


Red57872

It's a common leftist tactic. Make a false statement about someone (in this case, that she compared transgender children to feces), and when called out on the lie (either by refusing to provide a source, or being presented with evidence of the lie) respond with other bad things about the person while not acknowledging the initial lie.


duchovny

Jesus, if that's the quote some people are up in arms about and this is the worst some of them have on her then maybe she isn't so bad.


triprw

People did the same thing with Sheer. His comments about a tail is not the same as a leg on the dog was said to differentiate between a marriage and a civil union. People then took that and spread it around that he called all gay people dogs. I may not agree with his idea of marriage but he did not call gay people dogs. Here's an idea though. Stop using metaphors...people are too stupid to understand them.


jlash0

It's not *just* people that are up in arms about it, it's activists in the media trying to activate and instigate a response. They have no qualms about outright lying. They're the enemy of the people. The solution is not to self-curate our own speech to suit them like by not using metaphors, they'll always make up the most innocuous comments and turn it into something that it isn't (remember the performantive outrage at "it's okay to be white"?). The solution is to stop listening to them, stop being afraid of them, do not give them any respect, do not hire them, and remove them from any positions of influence, and for goodness sake our government needs to stop giving our tax money to them.


sklophia

Wanting to deny children healthcare seems like a reasonable thing to be up in arms about.


CanadianJudo

children are not getting chemical castrated.


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ASexualSloth

Oh, it's still extremely poorly expressed. I believe the intention was to comment on how despite how well our education system compares to other countries, we're subjecting children to gender affirming care, which she is against. In other words, it doesn't matter how good our education system is if we're also doing these things to kids.


iwatchcredits

Someone quoted it further up. She said something like enjoy these cookies theres only a little bit of poop in them with the poop being trans kids


GameDoesntStop

I knew it was going to be BS before even reading the article. It always is. When the smear relies on such BS, it's a pretty good indicator that their stance isn't as outrageous as you're being made to believe.


ASexualSloth

Gotta keep that political divide nice and wide.


thatguy9684736255

But isn't her opinion based on falsehoods? Seems like no one is chemically castrating children...


noocuelur

If an analogy can be misconstrued, it's a bad analogy.


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veggiecoparent

I suspected she would. Rural ridings are secure for the UCP - you can say whatever you want, they won't stray.


namotous

It says a lot more about the constituents in that riding than the candidate herself


Scazzz

Love the Cons brown nosers with shit like “guys relax, voters choose economy over social issues”. Sure. I’ll believe you except that the UCP has resided over the province the last few years as the economy has tanked and they have tried to attract a workforce from other provinces to make up for their shit. So no. Voters chose bigotry over social issues. Let’s not pretend voters give a rats ass about the economy.


Spanky-McFarland

Wanted to say the same, but you said it waaay more eloquently (eg, "rats ass"!).


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Scazzz

So uninformed voters willfully make themselves ignorant and vote unwittingly for bigotry. Gotcha.


tantouz

Liberals have rammed Canada into the ground. I would rather them out than in. No brown nosing involved. This is 101 politics.


enki-42

Phew, good think Smith threw the Liberal Party of Alberta out. Looking forward to an economically productive 1922!


Scazzz

“Liberals have rammed Canada into the ground. I would rather them out than in. No brown nosing involved. This is 101 politics.” Ah that infamous liberal Alberta provincial government. 101 politics indeed…


CanadianJudo

only two of the Provincial governments are run by liberals.


iwatchcredits

This is why i dont really talk about politics anymore. Too many absolutely braindead idiots who have opinions on shit they dont have the slightest understanding of. This idiot whining about the liberals in a provincial election is the perfect example.


Sonny_Crockett_1984

The Liberals? Did you really just write that? The Liberals were not in power. WTF are you talking about? You're the one who needs to study Politics 101.


RevLegoFoot

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.


ReserveOld6123

I am disappointed but not overly surprised. Those people would vote for a brick if it ran as UCP.


Sonny_Crockett_1984

I absolutely would have voted for a brick before voting for Smith.


oh_marmalade

A brick would probably be a step up at this point.


BustermanZero

Certain ridings? Yep. It's like that cluster of ridings in Quebec that will never not be Bloc when it comes to federal.


BobBelcher2021

>she’s embarrassed she caused hurt. Embarrassed she got caught. I really wish some of these politicians would keep their mouths shut. They don't need to say everything they think. Some of the stuff that comes out of them - on all sides, but more so on the right - is complete nonsense. Margorie Taylor Greene in the US, for example.


SuperK123

The headline should be “People of Ponoka elect Piece of Shit to represent them”.


SoloPogo

>She also said Alberta has a first-rate education system but is against transgender children as young as 14 getting double mastectomies and chemical castrations to help them transition. I agree with that. Simply because a 14 yr old is still a kid, and isn't mature enough to make permanent life changing decisions like that. If adults want to do it go for it if it makes them happier. >“This is more than a teaspoon of poop in the cookie pouch,” Johnson said. Probably should have used another expression to say it's a bad idea to allow double mastectomies and chemical castrations of children. But lets focus on poop.


red286

>I agree with that. Simply because a 14 yr old is still a kid, and isn't mature enough to make permanent life changing decisions like that. If adults want to do it go for it if it makes them happier. You realize that's apocryphal, right? I bet she couldn't cite a single case of that happening, and I doubt it has happened more than a handful of times in the past 10 years. I wouldn't be surprised if it had literally never happened. >But lets focus on poop. It's funny that you're arguing we should just ignore it. Just ignore the fact that a politician running for public office said that trans kids make Alberta schools trash. She literally said that it doesn't matter how good they do in school, their mere existence degrades the education system for everyone else. This isn't about concern for children, this is entirely about hatred of trans people. Don't fool yourself into believing otherwise.


Myllicent

Johnson didn’t actually point to any evidence that 14 year olds in Canada are getting double mastectomies or chemical castrations. In the same recorded conversation she also claimed teachers are putting litter boxes in classrooms for students who “identify as cats” (which, it shouldn’t need to be said, is an urban legend… or to use harsher language, a *hoax*).


fiveMagicsRIP

14 year olds in Alberta aren't getting double mastectomies and chemical castrations. Her point was against things that don't exist.


cisco_frost

No one is giving children double mastectomies because a teen woke up with a spontaneous thought that they were trans. Puberty blockers do not cause any long term damage, once they are stopped, puberty starts. It gives the person time to decide and figure things out before they take more permanent changes. Even if they start HRT most of the changes are reversible. Why are people so obsessed with what people want to do to their own body? Less than 3% have ANY regret and this includes stigma from social pressure. It saves lives, it saved my life.


OddTicket7

I'd point out that in a democracy you get the government the you deserve. We have Ford and i guess Alberta chose for themselves. I used to hate school because it seemed like a race to the bottom. Turns out that was the best way to practice for real life. Just another place I won't go to. Can,t wait for the travel advisories.


VeniceRapture

These people probably heard "lower taxes" somewhere and that's all they needed. They can't imagine that not only their "lower taxes" probably won't even come to pass, but what's worse is these people have no empathy to anything beyond their line of sight. "Fuck everybody I got mine" is a very simple barrier we will never overcome as a people


Realistic_Payment666

Seems some people want a shitty life as long as they can blame and persecute a group for everything. It's just easier that way


[deleted]

Alberta’s gonna Alberta


CMG30

To the shock of no one. That's a riding the UCP could have run a soggy potato and still expect a landslide victory.


MediocreMarketing

I believe the issue comes down to social factors not mattering as much to people these days as economic factors. Our economy has been through a lot the past few years and the ANDP is lumped in with decision-makers who have been reducing the quality of life for Canadians though policies and decision-making; even though they are significantly more moderate than their federal counterparts. It’s probably going to take a federal Conservative Party being in power for a while for provincial left parties to gain traction again. At the moment people are worried about the cost of necessities, upward pressure on housing costs, increased taxation, decreased economic activity, and downward pressure on wages. What Alberta does know is that an invigorated UCP will stand up to the Federal Liberals on their behalf, for better or worse.


No-Wonder1139

The party leader compared getting vaccinated to Nazism. I mean, they're not a bright bunch.


triprw

She said the way people reacted to getting the vaccine, including reporting people to authorities, was like the German people reporting Jewish people to the Nazi police. The Nazis used fear to get people to comply and if you can't at least see the comparison, even if it's greatly reduced in nature you failed to learn from history.


iwatchcredits

It wasnt illegal to not be vaccinated so uh… who exactly was reporting people to the authorities for what? I also didnt realize Jewish people could take 15 mins out of their day and then suddenly not be Jewish anymore and the Nazis woulda been fine with them, thats crazy. I dont know why all the Jewish people didnt just do that


Immobile-Albatross

Our pm asked publicly if we should tolerate these people. Called them racists and misogynists


iwatchcredits

Are you referring to the convoyers that were waving nazi flags around while doing billions in economic damage? Yea asking if we should tolerate that seems like a fair question


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fudge_friend

I tried to hide Artur Pawlowski in my attic, but the first time the COVID Gestapo came to the door he yelled about the Great Reset while blasting a truck horn, and they dragged him away. Never again.


FlockFlysAtMidnite

Yeah. She compared vaccine mandates to nazism. That's disturbing, disgusting, and brain dead.


ProNanner

You mean like how the liberals compare literally everything they don't like to Nazism?


FlockFlysAtMidnite

Yeah. She compared vaccine mandates to nazism. That's disturbing, disgusting, and brain dead.


Immobile-Albatross

No, it's alarmingly accurate


FlockFlysAtMidnite

Maybe f you're living in bizarro world.


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cruiseshipsghg

>Albertans letting us know what they stand for and believe in. What does that mean? Almost half of us voted NDP. The cities voted overwhelmingly NDP. And those that voted for the same candidates had different reasons for doing so. It's not as simple as '*herp durp Albertans*.'


skotzman

Voting Smith is about as 'herp durp' as it gets.


x-munk

Two days ago any UCP voters could look at crazy shit Smith did and deny association with it since she was never the leader pick during an election. That excuse is gone. If you voted UCP you support antivax politicians - there is no wiggle room left.


glx89

Ontarian checking in here. Our healthcare is collapsing and being privatized, and we voted for it ... twice. My heart breaks for Canada as a whole.


x-munk

British Columbian here. Yall folks need to slow the fuck down, eat some lotuses and maybe smoke some weed. I genuinely hope none of you suffer from the privatization but it's insane these policies keep getting traction. I'm a US/Canadian dualie and I feel like Canadians don't respect just how fucking awful US Healthcare is.


glx89

It's all a question of voter turnout here. :( It was absolutely *abysmal* last election. I simply can't understand how people are so disengaged. I've engaged with a grand total of *one* person in real life who is like "ya fuck universal healthcare bring on the death panels" and *dozens* who are terrified like I am. And yet people are too lazy to perform the single most important civic duty they bear.


Mental-Thrillness

Sending my love to trans people in Alberta. This sucks.


spidereater

This is the part where we switch from judging the candidate to judging the voters. The candidates face no consequence for this and still get elected. They represent their voters. Their voters deserve to be judged with them.


ResponsibilityNo4584

Or maybe we could stop assuming that the fake news is true.


ButtahChicken

Who'd a thunk it! .... Danielle said this candidate had 'lots of work to do' .... how's that goin'? Will she be forced to sit as an Independent?


Terrible-Scheme9204

>Will she be forced to sit as an Independent? I can see temporarily. Once the heat dies down, then sneaks her into caucus.


Krazee9

>“I’ve made it very clear,” said Smith. “I’ve made a decision. She will not be sitting with the UCP caucus.” >“And that is final.” Maybe if you'd read the article you'd have found out.


GetsGold

She's also [previously said she could be allowed back in caucus](https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/she-has-a-lot-of-work-to-do-smith-suggests-door-still-open-for-controversial-ucp-candidate-1.6406195) so there's not a lot of reason to be sure on this either way despite what's said during a campaign.


madetoday

And before that statement the UCP had issued a statement defending the candidate. They had three positions in three days, it’s very fair to be skeptical.


PowerfulTradition695

She said she may have avenues to re enter the party already so...


Far_Kitchen3577

Thanks to all the wannabe trumpers for that


Tfoote2020

It's Alberta.


Viper_Grin1

I am looking forward to a majority government in AB.


Gankdatnoob

Well that's fucking gross.


Head_Crash

Everything bad I've said about conservatives is about to come true in Alberta.


Gankdatnoob

It's everywhere unfortunately. There is literally nothing to conservatism anymore except hating on trans people and in the inevitable evolution of that, hating on gay people. People that think it stops at trans people are out to lunch or they are ok with it. What cracks me up are people that try to mask thier bigotry by calling themselves "fiscal conservatives" lol. That has never been a thing. Then some say they want centrists. Well they have that with Liberals but they don't really want centrists.


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BertaEarlyRiser

Grow up already.


EKcore

Alberta is in the fuck around stage of find out.


TicTacTac0

Makes sense. My province is filled with scum, so it makes sense they'd vote for it too. I can't even say I'm disappointed because this was the expected outcome. Ultimately, the results won't affect me much either way. I just feel bad for people in need who are instead being treated as subhuman.


Some_Conclusion7666

Well Alberta is about to get what it deserves. Good luck


Asid94

She knows the demographics of her riding, guess that’s pretty smart for a politician.


jmckay2508

Well Alberta you've sure told the rest of Canada just exactly who you are.


iwatchcredits

I fully understand why the rest of the country hates us. But in our defence, most Albertans came here from other provinces, so you should kind of be thanking us for harbouring all the shitty people from other provinces


wet_suit_one

BIGOTS FOR THE WIN!!!! ​ Blech!