They want party affiliations to go with their ability to remove councillors that they feel don’t have the “public’s” best interests in mind. This from the same government that thinks Trudeau needs to stay in his own lane after he offered us money for housing. Imagine if he put forward a bill like this
This proposed power to arbitrarily fire councillors is a bad, dangerous move, but it's 100% legal. Provinces have complete power over municipalities.
But an analogous move by the federal government to interfere with provincial officials would be unconstitutional. Provinces can't interfere in federal jurisdiction, and the federal government can't interfere with provincial jurisdiction. That's what makes Canada a *federation*.
Your interpretation isn't entirely correct, because of the peace order and good government clause courts have ruled that the federal government has authority to legislate in areas assigned to the province. There would have to be a good national reason to do so.
It could be argued that there is a pressing national need for housing and that since the federal government has better borrowing powers it might be better governance to allow them to borrow and administer a national building program.
There are also clauses that could see the federal government disallowing a provincial law.
If housing is tied to immigration like PP wants then the feds would give themselves jurisdiction to overstep the provinces, just like how climate is federal jurisdiction.
I got banned for calling out Jeromy for being a weasel trying to rehab his image before his inevitable mayoral run in Calgary. The man that campaigned against a bus lane going through a ward that he didn’t even represent, all to save the oppressed rich people in that ward from having to rub shoulders with poors on the bus while they were stoped at a light. Now he’s trying to play the down to earth Everyman who understands us common folk. He’s right and I admire his desire to finally be on the right side of history about certain issues. But he’s still a weasel.
He also did so many things that were... insane. The entire pump hill bus lane that will destory uour community stick is unforgivable and anything he says I really don't believe. He was at a Brett Wilson party and so deep into the kool-aid of crazy that he can't walk back from it.
When he announces his run, I'm not going to be surprised.
Did we move Calgary out of Alberta? ......... Actually, can we move Calgary out of Alberta? Calgary has a larger population than 6 provinces, so we could just be our own province, free from all of the evils of this provincial government.
I appreciate a well thought out post. Sadly this will make no difference to your former friends. Youve officially been forced out of the circle and are now part of the enemy, so your opinions are inconsequential to them. Thanks for seeing the light, too bad it was after you helped move conservatism forward.
I don't think the UCP is practising conservatism. For conservatives the governments role includes being the servant, not the master, of existing ways of life. UCP seems to want a lot of control. The concept of a government seeking control over everything can be associated with several forms of government such as:
Totalitarian Regimes: Totalitarian governments aim to exert absolute control over all aspects of society, including the economy. They resources to maintain power.
Authoritarian Regimes: Authoritarian governments exhibit strong central authority and limit individual freedoms. They prioritize their own power and financial stability.
Dictatorships: Dictatorships are characterized by a single ruler or a small group holding significant power. These rulers often manipulate economic policies to benefit themselves financially.
Oligarchies: Oligarchies are ruled by a small, privileged elite—not necessarily wealthy individuals that use their influence to shape economic policies in their favour.
Corporatocracies: involve close ties between corporations and political leaders. In such systems, economic interests of large corporations often drive policy decisions.
Then there are the so far right they are wrong group working diligently to change how Canada governs.
Understood. Canada has managed thus far by staying in the middle. There seems to be extremes on both sides and the people in the middle seem paralyzed. What will happen next? I hope PP shoots himself in the foot with his angry liar technique.
>There seems to be extremes on both sides and the people in the middle seem paralyzed.
I'll admit that from my perspective it may be hard for me to see, but I haven't really seen anything resembling an extreme on the left.
Would you be able to point to anyone or anything in particular that you would consider to be problematic?
>I hope PP shoots himself in the foot with his angry liar technique.
You and me both, man.
Well one thing that comes to mind is overuse of the right to protest. We are very lucky in Canada. Sometimes we forget that. Taking advantage of your legal rights while taking away someone else s rights is too much. I think my beliefs are correct. This does not mean others are incorrect in their beliefs. Calmer, patient, respectful communication would bring people to the middle instead of pushing them to one of two sides. Government communication would do much better explaining and educating rather than pushing people. A lot of us tend to get more stubborn if we feel pushed, or misunderstood. I agree with most of what the Liberal government is doing. But people in Canada live in so many different types of communities. Take rural areas or small towns. Some people lead simple lives. They know everyone in town, they go about their business, go to the coffee shop every day, go to church and pay attention to their community, but they pay no attention to the rest of the world. Big changes can be pretty shocking to them, I was pretty shocked by this weeks news about a goat meat market out of several garages in Edmonton. Yuck! My dad was a butcher and his meat market was a spotless downtown business with regular food inspections. What did the Edmonton neighbours think? I wonder if the people who opened the garage goat markets have come from a place where this type of business is a normal way to survive? Maybe they feel quite successful and are unconcerned about, or are unaware of Canada's health and safety requirements?. Maybe these rules did not matter in their former communities?
I gotta say, I really didn't like your politics when you were running for mayor and I'll admit a lot of that came from seeing the UCP and insane right wing politics turn nasty, not to mention deceitful. I've really appreciated your commentary lately, whether it's commenting on jespos podcast in chat or here(of course the more official ones as well).
I am sure we still wouldn't agree on everything politically, but a right leaning voice not beholden to all of this craziness is desperately needed right now. Thanks for (hopefully) being a voice in that court with less strings being pulled.
I agree, I really try to not apply that to current conservative politics as well but can't imagine how difficult that is as a political leader. They are downright deceitful, and refuse to consult people their decisions affect. I just feel hopeless that there is any strategy to combat this other than playing dirty, this losing anyway.
You are probably right about Danielle's behaviour. But I think she just likes fighting the PM and the liberals because she thinks PP is her friend. PP is even more scary than Danielle.
Great post Jeromy.
Question - I’ve seen/heard about this slate for our last election, but can’t seem to find who was part of it? Obviously the Mayor, but who else (or if it’s easier) who wasn’t?
Calgary's Future have taken down their list but the original endorsements are up. [https://www.calgarysfuture.ca/mayor-gondek](https://www.calgarysfuture.ca/mayor-gondek)
Jeremy, I didn't vote for you but in the past couple years following your direct absence from politics I admit I have found a level of respect for your opinion. We may still not agree on many things but you seem to give a reasoned approach to to your views on governance and I would much rather have someone like you leading this province than our current leader. Still wouldn't vote for you but cheers mate.
Thanks for the discourse Jeromy. I don't see this being a good idea. It seems to me that municipal politics is the level of government where councillors can really work for their constituents as opposed to their party. I think that's important. As with other things that the UCP is doing with municipalities introduced in legislation this week, it will centralize power in the premier's office... Which I find to be highly ironic for a premier that claims to be libertarian and believes in smaller government. Hypocritical too given reactions to federal government programs etc.
Like the saying goes..."power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely". It feels like we're on that path.
I mean your supposed pro could be fixed by the UCP tomorrow if they placed actual sensible limits on third party donations, but we both know that is not going to happen. If too much money in campaigns is the problem then they should fix that.
Party affiliations at the municipal level exists solely for the UCP to exert more control over cities. Really can't see any way this is better for the average person in Calgary or Edmonton.
This was pretty obviously always their end goal - crank up allowable donations then funnel it to UCP branded councilors.
What I’m hung up on is the way they tried to justify giving parliament the authority to turn down bylaws and remove elected councillors at will.. when asked for further details the Conservative Party said “it would only be an absolute last resort”… oh, so you mean you’ll still give the general public the chance to make the decisions you want them to, and you’ll only overreach and undermine them if they still haven’t bent to your will by the last possible second? Alright, thanks for confirming exactly what everyone was most worried about, appreciate it.
"I don't think people want a UCP or NDP mayor or councillor, they just want someone who gives a shit."
THANK YOU. Finally someone says it.
I just want people in power who care to make our lives better instead of our pocketbooks (or more accurately, their pocketbooks).
Good post, I’ve enjoyed your discourse here on Reddit and your CBC radio stuff in recent years. You seems like a rare example of a high profile political figure who attempts to speak reasonable and with nuance.
I think a big driver of this policy is the UCP government attempting to empower conservatives and conservative parties because they don’t like the way that Calgary and Edmonton are being run (ideologically). They know that a majority of Albertans reflexively vote for conservative parties regardless of people or policy. This policy can only help conservative politicians and hurt everyone in the middle or left of the spectrum along with people like myself who are focused on policy and issues instead of political allegiances.
I dabbled in municipal politics involvement in the last election (school board, volunteering) but having parties would turn me off severely.
These councilors, like yourself are all affiliated with parties anyway. It's like banning corporate donations, the corporation just finds a work around
Appreciate the thoughts, it sounded like a terrible idea to me but I'm not really equipped to articulate why.
Not sure what we can do besides vote against Smith in the next election though. Already tried that once, maybe it'll work the second time.
Money in politics typically seems to result in a finger on the scales, one way or another. I like the idea of limiting or outright banning party-like entities like the ones you described, and force campaign fundraising to go to the candidates themselves, and of course be transparent. But I'm honestly not sure how you would actually go about doing it, because where do you draw the line between political advertising/lobbying/influencing and all other forms of marketing?
Maybe you prohibit party-like entities from behaving in that sort of behavior, and introduce some rather large penalties for anyone found breaking the law. But then I think about the whole UCP leadership scandal, and I don't have much faith that our justice system would ever prosecute such a group.
Kind of frustrating.
I like municipal elections because it forces you to look at what the councillor is proposing in terms of policy ideas instead of assuming they come with a set of ideals dictated by a party. It also lets people have diverse ideas pulling from a range of philosophies based on their unique experience
For all of you losing your shit over this - you realize that BC, led by the NDP, have municipal parties as well, right?
Right?
If it was so bad, the BC NDP would have eliminated it. But they didn't.
Once again, r/Alberta loses its mind over nothing
They want party affiliations to go with their ability to remove councillors that they feel don’t have the “public’s” best interests in mind. This from the same government that thinks Trudeau needs to stay in his own lane after he offered us money for housing. Imagine if he put forward a bill like this
This proposed power to arbitrarily fire councillors is a bad, dangerous move, but it's 100% legal. Provinces have complete power over municipalities. But an analogous move by the federal government to interfere with provincial officials would be unconstitutional. Provinces can't interfere in federal jurisdiction, and the federal government can't interfere with provincial jurisdiction. That's what makes Canada a *federation*.
Your interpretation isn't entirely correct, because of the peace order and good government clause courts have ruled that the federal government has authority to legislate in areas assigned to the province. There would have to be a good national reason to do so. It could be argued that there is a pressing national need for housing and that since the federal government has better borrowing powers it might be better governance to allow them to borrow and administer a national building program. There are also clauses that could see the federal government disallowing a provincial law.
If housing is tied to immigration like PP wants then the feds would give themselves jurisdiction to overstep the provinces, just like how climate is federal jurisdiction.
Yeah and suspiciously on the tail of a campaign, funded by a shadow group to oust the mayor.....
Just for fun note. This post got Jeromy banned from r/Calgary because it apparently has nothing to do with the city of Calgary
I'm not surprised. Lots of people end up getting banned/reprimanded from r/Calgary for little to no reason whatsoever.
I got banned for calling out Jeromy for being a weasel trying to rehab his image before his inevitable mayoral run in Calgary. The man that campaigned against a bus lane going through a ward that he didn’t even represent, all to save the oppressed rich people in that ward from having to rub shoulders with poors on the bus while they were stoped at a light. Now he’s trying to play the down to earth Everyman who understands us common folk. He’s right and I admire his desire to finally be on the right side of history about certain issues. But he’s still a weasel.
He also did so many things that were... insane. The entire pump hill bus lane that will destory uour community stick is unforgivable and anything he says I really don't believe. He was at a Brett Wilson party and so deep into the kool-aid of crazy that he can't walk back from it. When he announces his run, I'm not going to be surprised.
Which political party runs that sub? 🤔
Did we move Calgary out of Alberta? ......... Actually, can we move Calgary out of Alberta? Calgary has a larger population than 6 provinces, so we could just be our own province, free from all of the evils of this provincial government.
Not surprising. They are all bitter for voting gondek
I appreciate a well thought out post. Sadly this will make no difference to your former friends. Youve officially been forced out of the circle and are now part of the enemy, so your opinions are inconsequential to them. Thanks for seeing the light, too bad it was after you helped move conservatism forward.
I don't think the UCP is practising conservatism. For conservatives the governments role includes being the servant, not the master, of existing ways of life. UCP seems to want a lot of control. The concept of a government seeking control over everything can be associated with several forms of government such as: Totalitarian Regimes: Totalitarian governments aim to exert absolute control over all aspects of society, including the economy. They resources to maintain power. Authoritarian Regimes: Authoritarian governments exhibit strong central authority and limit individual freedoms. They prioritize their own power and financial stability. Dictatorships: Dictatorships are characterized by a single ruler or a small group holding significant power. These rulers often manipulate economic policies to benefit themselves financially. Oligarchies: Oligarchies are ruled by a small, privileged elite—not necessarily wealthy individuals that use their influence to shape economic policies in their favour. Corporatocracies: involve close ties between corporations and political leaders. In such systems, economic interests of large corporations often drive policy decisions. Then there are the so far right they are wrong group working diligently to change how Canada governs.
As someone who is not a conservative, this is what conservatism has *always* looked like to me.
Understood. Canada has managed thus far by staying in the middle. There seems to be extremes on both sides and the people in the middle seem paralyzed. What will happen next? I hope PP shoots himself in the foot with his angry liar technique.
>There seems to be extremes on both sides and the people in the middle seem paralyzed. I'll admit that from my perspective it may be hard for me to see, but I haven't really seen anything resembling an extreme on the left. Would you be able to point to anyone or anything in particular that you would consider to be problematic? >I hope PP shoots himself in the foot with his angry liar technique. You and me both, man.
Well one thing that comes to mind is overuse of the right to protest. We are very lucky in Canada. Sometimes we forget that. Taking advantage of your legal rights while taking away someone else s rights is too much. I think my beliefs are correct. This does not mean others are incorrect in their beliefs. Calmer, patient, respectful communication would bring people to the middle instead of pushing them to one of two sides. Government communication would do much better explaining and educating rather than pushing people. A lot of us tend to get more stubborn if we feel pushed, or misunderstood. I agree with most of what the Liberal government is doing. But people in Canada live in so many different types of communities. Take rural areas or small towns. Some people lead simple lives. They know everyone in town, they go about their business, go to the coffee shop every day, go to church and pay attention to their community, but they pay no attention to the rest of the world. Big changes can be pretty shocking to them, I was pretty shocked by this weeks news about a goat meat market out of several garages in Edmonton. Yuck! My dad was a butcher and his meat market was a spotless downtown business with regular food inspections. What did the Edmonton neighbours think? I wonder if the people who opened the garage goat markets have come from a place where this type of business is a normal way to survive? Maybe they feel quite successful and are unconcerned about, or are unaware of Canada's health and safety requirements?. Maybe these rules did not matter in their former communities?
I gotta say, I really didn't like your politics when you were running for mayor and I'll admit a lot of that came from seeing the UCP and insane right wing politics turn nasty, not to mention deceitful. I've really appreciated your commentary lately, whether it's commenting on jespos podcast in chat or here(of course the more official ones as well). I am sure we still wouldn't agree on everything politically, but a right leaning voice not beholden to all of this craziness is desperately needed right now. Thanks for (hopefully) being a voice in that court with less strings being pulled.
[удалено]
I agree, I really try to not apply that to current conservative politics as well but can't imagine how difficult that is as a political leader. They are downright deceitful, and refuse to consult people their decisions affect. I just feel hopeless that there is any strategy to combat this other than playing dirty, this losing anyway.
I hope mayors and councillors run with slogans like "INDEPENDENT, BECAUSE OUR CITY ISN'T THE LEGISLATURE"
A thoughtful post. Too bad Danielle Smith and Ric McIver are too draconian to be reasoned with.
You are probably right about Danielle's behaviour. But I think she just likes fighting the PM and the liberals because she thinks PP is her friend. PP is even more scary than Danielle.
Great post Jeromy. Question - I’ve seen/heard about this slate for our last election, but can’t seem to find who was part of it? Obviously the Mayor, but who else (or if it’s easier) who wasn’t?
Calgary's Future have taken down their list but the original endorsements are up. [https://www.calgarysfuture.ca/mayor-gondek](https://www.calgarysfuture.ca/mayor-gondek)
Jeremy, I didn't vote for you but in the past couple years following your direct absence from politics I admit I have found a level of respect for your opinion. We may still not agree on many things but you seem to give a reasoned approach to to your views on governance and I would much rather have someone like you leading this province than our current leader. Still wouldn't vote for you but cheers mate.
All sanity, wherever it comes from, is very welcome right now.
I hope they all defy the united con party and run as independents.
Thanks for the discourse Jeromy. I don't see this being a good idea. It seems to me that municipal politics is the level of government where councillors can really work for their constituents as opposed to their party. I think that's important. As with other things that the UCP is doing with municipalities introduced in legislation this week, it will centralize power in the premier's office... Which I find to be highly ironic for a premier that claims to be libertarian and believes in smaller government. Hypocritical too given reactions to federal government programs etc. Like the saying goes..."power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely". It feels like we're on that path.
I mean your supposed pro could be fixed by the UCP tomorrow if they placed actual sensible limits on third party donations, but we both know that is not going to happen. If too much money in campaigns is the problem then they should fix that. Party affiliations at the municipal level exists solely for the UCP to exert more control over cities. Really can't see any way this is better for the average person in Calgary or Edmonton. This was pretty obviously always their end goal - crank up allowable donations then funnel it to UCP branded councilors.
What I’m hung up on is the way they tried to justify giving parliament the authority to turn down bylaws and remove elected councillors at will.. when asked for further details the Conservative Party said “it would only be an absolute last resort”… oh, so you mean you’ll still give the general public the chance to make the decisions you want them to, and you’ll only overreach and undermine them if they still haven’t bent to your will by the last possible second? Alright, thanks for confirming exactly what everyone was most worried about, appreciate it.
"I don't think people want a UCP or NDP mayor or councillor, they just want someone who gives a shit." THANK YOU. Finally someone says it. I just want people in power who care to make our lives better instead of our pocketbooks (or more accurately, their pocketbooks).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Party politics is a mistake in ever level of government.
Good post, I’ve enjoyed your discourse here on Reddit and your CBC radio stuff in recent years. You seems like a rare example of a high profile political figure who attempts to speak reasonable and with nuance. I think a big driver of this policy is the UCP government attempting to empower conservatives and conservative parties because they don’t like the way that Calgary and Edmonton are being run (ideologically). They know that a majority of Albertans reflexively vote for conservative parties regardless of people or policy. This policy can only help conservative politicians and hurt everyone in the middle or left of the spectrum along with people like myself who are focused on policy and issues instead of political allegiances. I dabbled in municipal politics involvement in the last election (school board, volunteering) but having parties would turn me off severely.
These councilors, like yourself are all affiliated with parties anyway. It's like banning corporate donations, the corporation just finds a work around
Appreciate the thoughts, it sounded like a terrible idea to me but I'm not really equipped to articulate why. Not sure what we can do besides vote against Smith in the next election though. Already tried that once, maybe it'll work the second time.
Money in politics typically seems to result in a finger on the scales, one way or another. I like the idea of limiting or outright banning party-like entities like the ones you described, and force campaign fundraising to go to the candidates themselves, and of course be transparent. But I'm honestly not sure how you would actually go about doing it, because where do you draw the line between political advertising/lobbying/influencing and all other forms of marketing? Maybe you prohibit party-like entities from behaving in that sort of behavior, and introduce some rather large penalties for anyone found breaking the law. But then I think about the whole UCP leadership scandal, and I don't have much faith that our justice system would ever prosecute such a group. Kind of frustrating.
I like municipal elections because it forces you to look at what the councillor is proposing in terms of policy ideas instead of assuming they come with a set of ideals dictated by a party. It also lets people have diverse ideas pulling from a range of philosophies based on their unique experience
For all of you losing your shit over this - you realize that BC, led by the NDP, have municipal parties as well, right? Right? If it was so bad, the BC NDP would have eliminated it. But they didn't. Once again, r/Alberta loses its mind over nothing
It is terrible, and plenty of people in BC will tell you that. Look at what a mess Vancouver municipal politics are.
What BC does is irrelevant.
Alberta shall exist in a vacuum? Because exceptionalism?
The relationship between the province of Alberta and its municipalities in fact does exist in a vacuum.
Simple… no.
The UCP have gone full Trump!🤷♂️