The United Conservative Party (UCP) proposal to cut the minimum wage for some restaurant workers has strong critics within the industry.
Tag: alberta politics
Appropriating the Alberta Advantage: a podcast profile
Alberta Marxists are trying to reclaim the meaning of the “Alberta Advantage” via their podcast of the same name.
At the time of its creation in September 2017, said host and producer Kate Jacobson, there were not really any leftist podcasts in the Prairie region. Now, they have been nominated for two Best of Calgary awards: Best Podcast and Best Twitter Personality.
“We’ve been really pleased with how receptive people have been to this project,” said Jacobson.
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Why I’m voting No to Calgary’s 2026 Olympic bid
Calgary city council may have kept the 2026 Olympic bid on life support, but Calgarians should still pull the plug on Nov. 13.
Catching up with retired Liberal MLA Harry Chase
He has been officially retired from politics since 2012, but ex-MLA Harry Chase begins the interview at his Calgary home talking about his current efforts against a law in his second home in Parksville, B.C.
After being asked about how much time he splits between the two homes, Chase starts talking about how he’s fighting against a proposed speculation tax in B.C. that he described as “just a cash grab.”
It is an example of Chase’s political career in general: always with the knowledge that being even a lone dissenting voice can be satisfying in and of itself.
Fourteen years ago, Chase, previously a teacher for 34 years, won an upset victory as Calgary-Varsity’s first Liberal MLA. The district was thought to be deeply conservative.
After his retirement, Chase was succeeded by another PC MLA in Donna Kennedy-Glans. But in 2015, the seat was taken in the NDP wave by Stephanie McLean, now the minister for the Status of Women and Service Alberta, proving that his original progressive victory in Varsity was no fluke.
Reflecting on his electoral wins, legislative career, and the current state of Alberta politics, Chase remains proud of his progressive record. He has much he would like to offer young progressives as the province possibly heads towards another conservative government in 2019.
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Ties to anti-abortion groups dog the UCP
Originally written January 2018.
As it forms a platform and prepares for the 2019 provincial election, the United Conservative Party (UCP) and its leader, Jason Kenney, may face controversy over perceived anti-abortion policy.
Minister of Status of Women Stephanie McLean sees the UCP’s abortion policies as potentially dangerous because of these ties.
An abortion rights group, Alberta Pro-Choice Coalition, and the head of a progressive non-profit group, Progress Alberta, also are concerned about Kenney, pointing to his long record of approval by anti-abortion groups.
Should Kenney become premier in 2019, they do not trust his pledge not to cut access to abortion.
On the opposing side, an anti-abortion group recently tied to the UCP said that their aims are modest, and even supported by Albertans.
In an email interview, McLean said “it’s becoming clear just how extremist and reckless Jason Kenney and the UCP really are” on women’s reproductive rights.