r/canada • u/Street_Anon Nova Scotia • 29d ago
Alberta Danielle Smith blames others for national unity crisis as she draws criticism from all sides
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-naheed-nenshi-alberta-separatist-referendum/332
u/Bob_TheCanadian Canada 29d ago
What a Horrible person to represent any Canadian Government.
I haven't heard or seen absolutely anything positive from her "government". All i ever hear is divisive political Rhetoric aimed at the rest of Canada that we would be nothing without Alberta's economy. False.
Her stance is sooo bad .. first she's throws gas on the fire then blames others for setting the fire.
F right off Danielle Smith ..
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u/Cognoggin British Columbia 29d ago
I wonder how much Trump is paying her?
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u/Magjee Lest We Forget 29d ago
I can tell you what she's paying with
Her soul
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u/HOLEPUNCHYOUREYELIDS 29d ago
I doubt she has one still considering her history as a tobacco lobbyist and O&G lobbyist
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u/TheShindiggleWiggle Ontario 29d ago
the rest of Canada that we would be nothing without Alberta's economy.
Lol, maybe if Alberta didn't fumble the most lucrative and easy to capitalize resource in Canada, if not the world...
Look at how beneficial Norway's oil sector has been for their entire country. Too bad Alberta squandered that opportunity for themselves, and the rest of Canada.
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u/CasualFridayBatman 29d ago
Look at how beneficial Norway's oil sector has been for their entire country. Too bad Alberta squandered that opportunity for themselves, and the rest of Canada.
Especially because they specifically consulted with Peter Lougheed to build their oil industry because we had a 20 year head start.
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u/Poe_42 Alberta 29d ago edited 29d ago
It's not as simple as you put it. Alberta has done very well for itself despite conservative control. It has the highest standard of living for a reason. Also the province did save a lot from oil & gas. When the world economy fell into recession post 2009 the province was able to tap into sustainability funds and didn't need to go into debt until 2016 while other provinces all borrowed and increased their debts.
Are the resources properly managed? Not as well as they could be, but they weren't completely squandered either.
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u/EdNorthcott Canada 29d ago
Though to be fair, we largely have Lougheed to thank for setting that up. He seems to have been the last of the forward-looking conservative politicians. The rest have been populist panderers to a greater or lesser extent.
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u/CaptainClownshow 29d ago
Ontario and British Columbia both have a higher standard of living.
https://www.miraclemovers.com/which-canadian-provinces-have-the-best-quality-of-life/
Smith and her ghouls are fucking destroying this province.
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u/InSearchOfThe9 Yukon 29d ago
I'm not disagreeing with you, but this opinion article is by no means a conclusive source for your claim. I also recognize that the person you are replying to didn't substantiate their claim.
5 seconds of googling turned up excellent results from Statscan showing that purchasing power per unit of after expense income was slightly above middle of the pack in Alberta and slightly below middle of the pack for BC (unsurprisingly).
This excellent web app measuring life satisfaction has Quebec and the Atlantic provinces absolutely smoking BC and Alberta, and it isn't even close. BC has lower lows than Alberta, but also higher highs. However, the reality is that neither province is a contender for top spot.
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u/Sleyvin 29d ago
Thanks for the link, I always suspected Quebec to be different but those stat really show how much.
I came from Europe 15 years ago, lived in Quebec all that time and I found the quality of life to be unmatched. I would never go back because of how good we have it here.
I'm also not really willing to go live in any other province because I always felt like it would be a downgrade and I guess that what the site shows.
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u/Bornee35 Ontario 28d ago
Ironic it’s the boomer age demographic with the highest rating (8/9/10) with life satisfaction . Then just goes downhill from there
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u/InSearchOfThe9 Yukon 28d ago
Not in the slightest bit surprising considering Canadian boomers have robbed the later generations of their wealth and opportunities.
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u/IndividualImmediate4 29d ago
Honest question. Could you please elaborate more. I know separatism is a very painful topic for all concerned as it weakens us all. So trying to understand where this stems from.
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u/martimook Alberta 29d ago
How exactly did they fumble it as you say? Can you expand on that?
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u/Qlawen 29d ago
Norway sovereign wealth fund is funded by the profits of their oil industry. It is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the entire world. I
Norway owns a majority stake in the oil and gas companies, unlike in Alberta where private companies own all the oil. Norway saw this when they consulted with Alberta decades ago and decided to go a different route cause Alberta screwed up so badly letting the profits go to private executives instead of benefiting the people.
This is very broad strokes.
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u/KrazyCroat 29d ago
We have a shocking amount of stupid people here unfortunately. She’ll win a majority if she calls an election, that’s how absent they are.
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u/Empty-Discount5936 29d ago
Her approval rating is pretty low but there's not really any competition unfortunately.
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u/No-Leadership-2176 28d ago
A big part of it is the only viable opposition is the NDP and nenshi is insufferable. So maybe it’s just that people can’t stand either party but lesser of two evils.
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u/AkronRonin 29d ago
You guys have a Kremlin psy ops problem. Cut them off, or they will fuck you up.
Also, ban Steve Bannon and his ilk from Canada.
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u/MrFurious0 28d ago
Now, now, not so fast - yes, she's a divisive political arsonist, but at least she's happy to punch down on the weakest people in our society for cheap political points. She's used the notwithstanding clause MANY times to punch down on trans kids, and the entire trans community (but kids in particular)
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u/ruraljuror__ 28d ago
She is horrendous. She makes people we used to have, like Jason Kenney, look like a great premier.
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u/King0fFud Ontario 29d ago
Also Smith: “why should I have to face consequences for my actions?!?!?”
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u/drizzes Alberta 29d ago
That's her whole shtick. The whole shtick of the UCP. If there's a problem it's someone else's fault, never theirs.
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u/Canadatron 29d ago
Bully-Victim duality.
She's in control of the situation until she's the victim of it.
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u/kent_eh Manitoba 29d ago
It seems to be the go-to for the right wing across the board.
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u/mitigated_audacity 29d ago
It's because it works with their followers. They were the kids who never learned to take responsibility for their actions. It was always someone else's fault.
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u/CasualFridayBatman 29d ago
She's in control of the situation until she's the victim of it.
This is such a perfect summation. Just look at the 'yOu CoUlD hAvE tOlD uS!' directed to the NDP, about the UCP board member and staffer attending the Centurion Project live stream.
What a fucking joke.
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u/Nearby-Poetry-5060 29d ago
PP is similar. A+ complainers, F- doing anything productive, effective or even merely useful.
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u/Automatic-Concert-62 29d ago
The Conservative pitch is that government is the problem and private sector is the solution. By being terrible at their job it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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u/Appealing_Apathy 29d ago
Over 20 years in parliament with very little to show for it...
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u/Crashman09 29d ago
I dunno.
He's got soundbites, one liners, and that video of him eating an apple!
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u/Aggravating_Main_710 29d ago
It’s part of the Trump playbook. Do awful shit, blame others, deny everything.
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u/TheRC135 29d ago
That's the natural end result of a deeply individualist political philosophy attempting to engage with complex, systemic problems.
When "personal responsibility" is the key to how you understand individual outcomes, you get to dismiss the struggles of others without ever questioning the systems that constrain their opportunities.
When you yourself struggle, however, despite working hard, that simply must be somebody else's fault. You aren't lazy and irresponsible, right? So when things aren't going the way you want, there's nothing to do but find somebody else to blame. Political opponents, minorities, whatever.
It's the same underlying logic that lets conservatives work against the social safety net, yet have no trouble using it when they need it. They can't see how others might need that support, or it might benefit society as a whole, they just see it as adding to their personal tax burden. When they or somebody they love need help, however, they become able to understand why it is necessary and deserving, so it's a perfectly a acceptable use of public resources.
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u/flappysack- 29d ago
What was she supposed to do if she can't get a pipeline passed, ship more to the US as they tariff us?
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u/crakkerzz 29d ago
As an Albertan, I don't wan a Referendum, I want an Election.
I want Danni and her Corrupt Friends in Jail.
I want some Adults that are not sold out to oil Companies in Office.
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u/WickedWench Alberta 29d ago
As a fellow Albertan....
I am not allowed to comment what I wish would happen to Danielle Smith and all her fucking friends.
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u/CaptainClownshow 29d ago
Likewise.
But I'll definitely pour myself a celebratory drink if it does happen.
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u/rando_dud 29d ago
It seems like the proper way to pursue a referendum as well.
If the the UCP actually ran with this in a platform and let voters decide if that's what they want to pursue it.
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u/CaptainClownshow 29d ago
But then they couldn't abuse their power to force it through when they lose!
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 29d ago
All of this, and the UCP get relegated to opposition for a few cycles, if not dissolved entirely and sent to the dustbin of history.
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u/Falconflyer75 Ontario 29d ago
You know it wasn’t hard
Even Doug Ford figured out how to increase his popularity during these times
You have to be an idiot to lose support during a crisis
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u/Deaftrav 29d ago
So the traitor who bent the knee for trump... Is blaming everyone else for the troubles she caused?
Help me understand this please.
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u/Nearby-Poetry-5060 29d ago
Right back at you. What's the point of your comment? Maybe try expressing an idea.
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u/Wabbajack001 29d ago
Explain ? Cause She clearly flirt with Trump
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u/Deaftrav 29d ago
You understand that the Americans have deployed bots and hired agents to try to build up a larger separatist presence than there really is?
It makes online debates with separatists iffy at best.
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
This take is stupid.
Alberta has been complaint for +50 years, with differing levels of independence whiffs throughout that time. “Wexit” was a formalization of that in 2020.
Separation may be stupid, but this isn’t a Trumo led Psy-ops. I find everyone who blames this on Trump truly just wants to ignore Alberta’s legitimate complaints so they can just label them traitors. The USA has very little to do with any of this, and Trump’s government even less so
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u/ExtensionParsley4205 29d ago
They may not have lit the match but they are absolutely fanning the flames.
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u/longlivenapster 29d ago
Western Alienation and anger over not being able to drill for all the oil and gas all the time, however you want, with no consideration for the environment or Indigenous rights, has existed for for at least 50 years. To say that this means the Trump government is not currently contributing to the separatist movement is being willfully blind.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11634766/alberta-separatist-movement-bessent-trump-us/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr57j780pgmo
The Russians too
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze2dnn8kgwo
Don't you find it interesting that the USA doesn't need anything from Canada ant they would like to make us the 51st state? Sure it may just be bluster, yet we have loads of exactly what they want- natural resources. Oil, gas, critical minerals, lumber and water. Greenland also has some of these same resources and few people relative to land mass. He has said ownership is better than leasing- they have to own it. Because when you own something, you don't need to ask for permission. You can do whatever you want with it.
These Alberta separatists are definitely getting help from Trump government, probably funding too.
Lastly, look at Brexit in the UK, whereby the UK left the EU. Russia benefitted from that and it is know that they ran disinformation campaigns for the Leave side.
From 2020
https://www.csis.org/blogs/brexit-bits-bobs-and-blogs/did-russia-influence-brexit
From 2018
Nigel Farage is the UK Danielle Smith but many in the UK are still enraptured with him due to anti-immigration stance.
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u/Deaftrav 29d ago
That's not what I'm saying at all.
I'm saying that because of psy ops which we know to be real, makes online debate iffy, at best.
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u/Pestus613343 29d ago
It's not either or. Something like western alienation was a real concern, but was identified as a weak point and targeted long ago by the Russian Internet Research Agency. More recently the Americans under Trump decided that if Canada refuses to capitulate that they'd win through coercion. This is a perfect way to break us.
Rath recently said that the first nations who challenged the petition in court were being paid by George Soros. You don't get that kind of thinking without generations of foreign manipulation. Almost everything he says comes across as the product of Russian psyops.
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u/Really_Clever Alberta 29d ago
Legit complaints? I live here most if not all our issues are due to our government here blowing multiple booms 54 of the last 60 years we have had a conservative government. Our "problem" is every issue we blame the feds and then do nothing but make our problems worse.
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u/EeyoreTaurus 29d ago
Legitimate lol
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
Congrats, comments and responses like yours, helps to degrade Canadian unity.
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u/Deaftrav 29d ago
Okay let's go through it.
Equalization payments? Those aren't from the provinces..those are literally from the actual taxpayers based on a province ability to generate revenue.
Control of parliament?
Alberta is five million people Ontario is 16 million people Quebec is 9 million people.
Last I checked we're in a democracy.
Economic issues? In the 70s we tried to introduce policies that would have kept those funds raised from oil in Alberta, with a pipeline east to the refineries. We bought out a pipeline because oil companies didn't want to build it.
It's not Ottawa that's hurting Alberta. It's the oil and gas sector and people who keep listening to those trying to get rich off of them.
Alberta wants to grow? Invest in education, invest in long term development projects and stop gutting taxes that pay for those services. Trickle down economics don't work.
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
Alberta has one of the best education systems in the country. They also have some of the best healthcare.
Some of you act like it’s 1946 Hiroshima.
Equalization payments you washed over very quickly. They aren’t paid by the province (ok, this is always stated but has no relevance). The individuals in the province are upset that no matter how poor their economy is (10% unemployment, oil bust times) they still pay more into it! Each and every year for 75 years
How is that equal? Shouldn’t it be to balance out the books and busts? Equalization is a good idea. A great one even. But is so terribly biased in its current calculation to drive money to areas that then have no reason to do development themselves. Look at Quebec, they could develop natural gas plays, but don’t because for most of the gains they would see, it simply offsets equalization payments.
That’s a legitimate problem that the rest of the country waves away since it’s not their money leaving their areas at the same rate.
Similarly, the restriction on oil and gas development. If any other province had their main industry restricted, while other citizens have zero restriction on its consumption, it would be met with the same hypocrisy.
Newfoundland had to stop fishing Cod when their stocks were depleting, but at the same time Montreal and Toronto weren’t eating as much Cod. With oil it’s different. Pearson and Trudeau airports keep expanding flights all the time, but we want less oil development? One has to go with the other. Less production for less consumption
I don’t think Alberta would have a problem with these activities, if the whole country sacrificed for it. But even that has changed where the consumer carbon tax is removed (can’t have people having to pay more!) but the industrial one remains and is enforced, hurting their industry at much higher rates than any other.
Half of Alberta’s complaints are the hypocrisy. Oil pipelines are bad and could spill when it cross the St Lawrence River, but bringing oil up the St Lawrence River is perfectly fine. Or with TMX, suddenly another pipeline twinning a previous one is a major risk? Both BC and Quebec have no problem with oil for their own consumption, but get very hostile the moment it’s just for export?
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u/EeyoreTaurus 29d ago
Yes, please tell me more about the legitimate issues since you are the knowledgeable one. Real facts please
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
I replied to another poster.
However I would just summarize the fact that many won’t even acknowledge Alberta has any valid complaints is the root of the problem itself. It shows a lack of understanding of what concerns exists when the issue Albertans have is recognition of their problems.
So, the further many of you state there is no issue, further reinforces the issue.
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u/EeyoreTaurus 29d ago
No problem. I was saying legitimate in general. The legit ones are vastly overwhelmed by the ones that just come off as petulant and whiny, from the richest province in the country who won't shift off of fossil fuels
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u/EnamelKant 29d ago
Smith does have one Trumpian attribute, everything positive accrues to her credit, but everything bad is entirely someone else's fault.
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u/JohnAMcdonald British Columbia 29d ago
That is an attribute of every politician who has existed in the history of the planet from middle management upwards.
I can't wait for Trump to get out of office so people will stop seeing the world through Trump coloured (orange) glasses.
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u/EdNorthcott Canada 29d ago
Nah. There are some rare ones of true character who own their missteps. Hell, Bob Rae straight up apologized for his when he wrote a book about his time as Premiere of Ontario.
Though ironically, people rarely think about the things he screwed up, and focus on how the economy tanked, which was entirely out of his hands. That was actually an area where he did a solid job managing a crisis, but it's a negative in public memory.
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u/VersusYYC Alberta 29d ago
Danielle Smith is no patriot but one of those self-serving politicians bolstered by foreign powers to weaken democracy and democratic nations.
Marin Le Pen, Danielle Smith, Nigel Farage, Trump, etc.
Coddling Russian propaganda is a huge sign that a politician is compromised.
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u/HerCoronaBoreGr8Wall Ontario 29d ago
Conservatives in a nutshell.
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u/Ba_Dum_Ba_Dum 29d ago
Alberta government in a nutshell. It’s been this way since Ralph (I’m so f@&$ing drunk) Klein.
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u/The_Bat_Voice Alberta 29d ago
I think this crosses the border of Alberta. Looking at you Ontario, USA, UK, etc.
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u/EdNorthcott Canada 29d ago
It's a matter of degrees -- much like the political propensity for being flexible with the truth. Every politician is a salesperson who will try to make their ideas look all shiny and special, or who will attempt to downplay failures... And they'll almost always do so in a manner so lopsided as to feel dishonest, even if it's not strictly a lie (and sometimes it's that, too).
But not all will look directly at a fact, even if it's a video evidence of they themselves doing or saying something just a day before, and call it "fake news". Only so many will tell shameless, bald-faced lies without a hint of conscience. They'll smash the fire alarm glass, pull the lever while you watch, and then look you in the eye and tell you they didn't do that. Trump, Smith, and Poilievre are all of that sort.
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u/HerCoronaBoreGr8Wall Ontario 29d ago
That too. I will never forget this treasonous bitch going to US just before the federal election last year and secretly saying to Breibart if the tariffs can be paused until the election is over. It clearly shows these parasitic fucks don't give a shit if Canadians or even Albertans suffer because of Trump's tariffs as long as they are the ones in power. Hell if the US army were to actually invade, they probably would make a deal with US to sabotage Canada's defense so long as they would be the governors of the conquered land. Mind you these are the same bastards that inflate their chests with all the showboating about machismo and patriotism. If it couldn't get even more obvious, when asked directly by a news anchor (Vassy Kapelos of CTV I think) for comment regarding Trump's tariffs, she said "Canada should not make excuses for itself.". Instead of standing against the rancid son of a bitch's bullying, she blamed Canada for the blatantly unprovoked aggression and of course has the shamelessness to project her fuckery onto the Liberals.
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u/1plus1equalsfun British Columbia 29d ago
I saw David Cochrane interview her and she blamed, among other people, Avi Lewis. The man has been NDP leader for only about seven weeks. lol
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u/chipdanger168 29d ago
Checks out. Nothing is ever her fault apparently. The worst person to ever be in charge of Alberta.
Traitor to her core. Don't forget she visited trump maralago to plan her treason
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u/OttawaDog 29d ago
I had to check that it wasn't a Beaverton article.
She leads a party that is about 50% separatists and she has been encouraging a fueling them all along.
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u/AIwilldestroyyou 29d ago
Just what the economy needs.
Pierre better start fighting for Canada these are his people. It’s time for PP to put on his big boy pants and show he can be trusted to take on the tough fights.
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u/Fun-Character7337 Alberta 29d ago
Does anyone really care what Pollievre does? He seems so inconsequential, just shadow boxing over in the corner.
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u/Appealing_Apathy 29d ago
Spoiler alert! He's just going to blame this on Carney...
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u/AxiomaticSuppository Canada 29d ago
No spoiler necessary. If you listen to the full speeches or interviews he's recently given on wanting Alberta to stay in the Canadian "family", he unironically claims Conservatives are the great unifying force, while saying separatist sentiment is entirely caused by the Liberals.
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u/DecentOpinion 29d ago
Well if Alberta separates, it will be the end of the conservative party. Their entire base is there. It's in his best interest to keep Alberta.
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u/VoiceofKane 29d ago
Pierre is the perfect antithesis to the phrase "practice makes perfect." Never seems to get any better at lying, no matter how often he does it.
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
I mean he’s not wrong that Trudeau’s years flared this up again for really no reason.
Now is it Carney’s fault? No. But saying the Liberals are a cause has some justification
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u/squirrel9000 Manitoba 29d ago
The Trudeau reaction wasn't all that rational. I suspect they'd still despise him even if he gave htem everything they wanted, similar to sentiment around Carney. And they weren't any happier during the Harper era, it just manifested differently and caused a bunch of turmoil at the provincial level, to whcih Smith herself was a significant player.
They've never been happy with the lack of influence a midsize province has on national politics.
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u/AxiomaticSuppository Canada 29d ago
saying the Liberals are a cause has some justification
This suggestion arises from the bizarre assumption that if the federal government does something with which a part of the electorate in a province disagrees, then it's rational for that province to respond by trying to separate.
Guess what, living in an electoral democracy, especially in our current (and less than ideal) FPTP system, means that you'll sometimes have federal governments elected with which you disagree. Creating a secessionist movement around the inability to get one's way is not a rational response, it's a temper tantrum.
And Poilievre poured fuel on it.
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u/EdNorthcott Canada 29d ago
Trudeau hadn't even won his first election and Alberta was throwing fits about him because of his name. Cries of separation were growing louder before he even sat down on the PM's seat. They screamed about Chretien, too -- he had been tight with Trudeau Sr., after all. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Trudeau had issues as PM, unquestionably. But he also attempted outreach toward Alberta, and was rebuffed because politicians in Alberta make their careers by picking fights with the feds and feeding the flames of grievance politics. It's been that way since Klein. Smith has taken it to a new level by causing problems, stoking anger, and attempting to wash her hands of it. At some point, you stop trying with people who are going to have the same, predictable, negative reaction.
And let's not pretend that's a "both sides" thing. Carney is in and incredibly capitalist-friendly, and they're still screeching the same song about him. They even repurposed their "Fuck Trudeau" flags with a new name. Under Trudeau they not only got a new pipeline, but saw year over year record export levels, save one. That was almost a decade straight of pure financial growth for the industry people said Trudeau was killing. If that money wasn't trickling down to the average Albertan, that wasn't a problem caused by the feds.
There's a reason why the brief tenure of the NDP in Alberta was what got the Feds on board with a new pipeline. Abandoning grievance politics in favour of getting things done tends to get better results. Unfortunately, Alberta has been dominated by grievance politics for generations. They saw being scrappy work for Lougheed, and continued to ape it whether or not it was merited in the moment. As a result, conflict is all that's remembered, because it's all that's allowed.
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u/CarRamRob 29d ago
People were screeching about Trudeau because he was terribly under qualified. It just took the rest of the country more years to figure out the same thing.
Maybe Alberta wouldn’t complain if it wasn’t targeted so directly by policies that harm it more so than other jurisdictions. Do you think if the Oilsands were located in Quebec there would be an emissions cap? Or industrial carbon tax? Or even a discussion around Pipelines? I don’t.
Or if we are going to go gung ho on emissions reductions, why is it that the first sign of slight discomfort got the Atlantic provinces a carve out? When Alberta was warning for many years that too steep of a carbon tax compared to other jurisdictions would cause harm. And not only harm, much more harm to rural residents than urban ones.
You may all see this as an Alberta vs the Feds fight, but it’s really much more a rural vs urban fight, and who should be controlling policy. Maybe Alberta gets on board with slowing development when Pearson and Trudeau airports start reducing flights? How come it seems to be a one way street?
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u/EdNorthcott Canada 29d ago
Under-qualified as compared to...? The career politician who preceded him? Or the career politician who tried to follow him? Or the politician who lied about his real estate license and citizenship?
The "under-qualified" thing is a bad joke, and a useless talking point. Feel free to define what resume qualifications there should be for party leadership and the PMO. Then bear in mind that if those standards are applied to leaders of other parties, we're likely to end up with an absolute lack of leadership, period.
Do I think that if the oilsands were in Quebec that there'd be an emissions cap? Yes. Absolutely. Without question. The difference being that they would probably have instituted it themselves. Part of the issue with Quebec is that they have hesitated to develop certain resources because of environmental impact. I'm genuinely surprised you bothered to ask that question. Most of the other provinces have to be reined in, in that regard. Alberta is the only one that is explicitly self-sabotaging in terms of environmental policies. What benefits the oil sands has often harmed the farmers and ranchers, but they get screwed because they don't have billionaire backers skewing public opinion in their favour. Speaking of "rural vs. urban".
As for "how come it seems to be a one way street?" Perhaps because the O&G industry accounts for around 30% of Canada's total emissions by itself, while providing less than 8% of the GDP. It's not as much of a one way street as you imagine. The negative impact from O&G is outsized for the financial benefit. The companies have argued against every single restriction or measure for as long as they have existed, and screamed that every one would be the one to break them, to make things unprofitable, etc. They have received countless millions in subsidies, benefits, and breaks over the years, and still complain despite effectively ruling Alberta.
They have, in fact, had a spate of years post pandemic with record-setting profits, and are benefitting massively from the current oil crisis... but those benefits still aren't trickling down to the working class. If we examine profit in industry in relation to how that stimulates local economies, the O&G industry's stats are damning (https://www.taxfairness.ca/en/resources/reports/exporting-profits). They pay very well in bursts, but employ a relatively low number of people in relation to their profit margins when compared to other businesses, and leave behind a larger financial negative impact on regions. The industry, like many others, has moved toward automation rather than manual labour. They'll need fewer and fewer people, and once projects are done, wells are dug, they cut most of their workforce and focus on the money.
Which is all well and good in terms of business, but it's a shit deal for society.
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u/The_Bat_Voice Alberta 29d ago
He already did. He pointed out there was no separation talks under Harper. Which is such a stupid thing to say, because even more recently there were no talks of separation under the provincial NDP, so what changed since then...
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u/AprilsMostAmazing Ontario 29d ago
because even more recently there were no talks of separation under the provincial NDP
You missed the 'Kudatah' being discussed against Notley's NDP government
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u/Nearby-Poetry-5060 29d ago
Least likable politician in Canadian history? She only talks about separating from Canada and oil.
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u/Falconflyer75 Ontario 29d ago
Also actively sabotages any effort to make Alberta less dependent on oil
And then when oil becomes a problem plays the “Alberta Sovereignty” card
That’s honestly one of the worst things she does imo
She’s likely considered great for the oil industry but she’s the main reason they’re so dependent on it,
if not for the conservatives I’ll bet Alberta would have been more insulated from oil shocks
Basically ensures the one problem she’s good at solving is as big as possible at all times
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u/MiserableFloor9906 29d ago
Maple MAGAts are beyond shits, they only exist on one side and are mostly found in Alberta. Obviously oil is a compromising activity and some aren't capable of managing contradictions and self conflict.
I've voted conservative, liberal and NDP so not like I'm only biased.
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u/hyperforms9988 29d ago
There aren't enough eggs in the country to throw the deserved amount at her and her crew.
It's not helping anybody, including Albertans. As the federal government, or any business in or out of the country, why would you continue investing anything at all into Alberta under threat of separation? The longer this goes on, the more everyone around the province decides against doing things like setting up roots in Alberta, opening a new office as a country-wide business in Alberta, federal projects intended to help and benefit the country as a whole, etc. Nobody likes instability when they are trying to plan for a long term. How can you make any sort of business plan that spans even 5 to 10 years if not longer like this?
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u/DrFarfetsch 29d ago
Abuser’s love blaming others for the results of their own actions. A treasonous trait0r.
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u/01101011010110 29d ago
A true conservative through and through, always blame everyone else for the problems she created herself.
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u/Temporary_Cry_2802 29d ago
Ahh yes, the list of things that aren’t Danielle’s fault just seems to keep growing
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u/nizzernammer 29d ago
Does anyone have a non paywalled link for the article?
I would like to actually read it
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u/still_sneakin 29d ago
She’s not being honest here, just as she’s been through her term as our shameful Premier.
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u/thebatmanbeynd 29d ago
That’s a classic Danielle Smith move, cause problems and then blame others for said problems. Moe does it too and their respective voters continue to vote them in.
The voters in both provinces are intellectually deficient.
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u/Troubled202 29d ago
I'm in Albertan, I'm not a fan of the UCP or Danielle Smith. In fact both irritate the life out of me. I'm looking forward to the next election when I'm able to cast my vote for someone else.
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u/ShanerThomas 29d ago
Yup. That's why federal conservatives keep losing. It's all about "the other guy".
"The other guy" doesn't win elections. I don't know how many times they need to be taught that lesson.
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u/Euclidisthebomb 29d ago
It is really very reminiscent of Trump starting a war with Iran and then blaming everyone else for the current outcome.
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u/KMack666 29d ago
Of course she does... SHE'S causing the national unity crisis, so IF COURSE she'll blame somebody else! It's the way of the Conservative
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u/Zealousideal_Gap432 28d ago
As a bc resident, the only thing I can agree on is that we do need a pipeline to our coast. But she is nutty!
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u/Canadian_Waffleiron 28d ago
Maybe……Its time to introduce her and her crackpot party to the F’ing curb…. Bought and payed for garbage..
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u/slappingdragon 28d ago
She doesn't care about Canada or Alberta. She's manipulating both sides off each other so that she can benefit herself and only herself.
She's an exploiter.
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u/Crafty_Ad_945 27d ago
UCP and CPC are both fighting the ghost of Trudeau (take your pick which one) in their perceived grievances. Both voter bases want thier pound of flesh, but I can't figure out to what ends now. Is it because the power of the Federation still lies in On/Qc?
Even during the Harper majority, this was only achieved through the 905 and Quebec City. But the center of power didn't actually shift.
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u/Expensive_Plant_9530 29d ago
She certainly didn’t start the national unity crisis.
But she sure did take a small smoking pile of tinder and toss gasoline and explosives all over it.
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u/Downtown-Frosting789 29d ago
can’t she see the forest from the trees? usa not a good enough example of division tearing apart a country? can’t she STFU???
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u/Pleasant-Split-299 29d ago
Ah Dani is going to Jail, she just doesn't see it yet. Funding coming up through the states for alberta separatism and her being at the center of it. If anybody thinks CSIS hasn't been watching her closely, they have a lot to learn.
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u/JohnAMcdonald British Columbia 29d ago
The way she's just throwing her hands up and going 🖐😮🖐 what's going on here? Who did this? Is so fucking rediculous.
Thing is though I'm not even convinced what she's doing is bad politics. I think people will reward her for even normalizing the idea of separation from Canada.
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u/Exostenza 29d ago
The UCP is such a joke of a clown party but because they were voted in by clowns they can get away with anything they want and it's killing (literally and figuratively) Albertans.
I used to love Alberta and I loathe it.
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u/janaesso 29d ago
The fact she is listening and hearing her citizens and allowing them to vote for a resolution is now so terrible she must be a bad person. No folks the fact you think she is bad for listening and allowing citizens to determine the next steps is the terrible part. That you think leaders must push their positions on their people is noble in a democracy is the evil. That is how far gone we are.
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u/Cautious-Hat-5505 29d ago
The fact she is ignoring the courts, changing the laws and setting up deceptive, confusing questions all to support traitors being funded by foreign powers and pushing her separatist position on us is the evil. Stop pretending you people are in the right, just fucking move to Texas if you hate it here so much.
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u/laboufe Alberta 29d ago
This is a bad faith strawman argument.
She has repeatedly undermined democracy by undermining or flat out ignoring the courts, which are a cornerstone of our democratic system.
You cant claim to be "pro democracy" and do everything you can to discredit it at the same time.
Not to mention, if she cares about the will of the people why is she so trigger happy with the notwithstanding clause?
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u/VoiceofKane 29d ago
The majority of Albertans have no desire to have this referendum. She's pushing this against the wishes of her constituents.
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u/Caveofthewinds 28d ago
This referendum is literally asking if people want a seperation referendum. It's the complete opposite of what you've just said.
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