Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
It’s the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person. In the looming Alberta showdown, it’s Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.
With the May 29 election campaign just days from its official launch, the only suspense is whether Smith will continue talking herself out of power.
Never have I seen a politician so determined to sabotage her political future as Smith but, then again, she’s aways been thus since the days when I knew her as a school trustee who stirred up so much trouble, the entire dysfunctional school board was dissolved by the province.
Now she’s presiding over a majority government besieged by raging streams of controversy almost exclusively of the premier’s doing.
The latest comes just weeks after Smith promised Albertans they’d never need a credit card to pay for currently insured health care.
But Smith had written a policy paper in 2021 arguing that Albertans should be allowed to pay for their own essential health care, including an expedited trip to the doctor’s office.
There’s a relatively easy solution to that sharp incongruity: Find a microphone and declare: “That was then, this is now” and insist that a policy position of a private citizen and a political position by the premier can sometimes differ, in this case dramatically.
But Smith refused to stake a clear position, despite at least four attempts by frustrated reporters seeking clarity. She pointed to the recent federal health-care agreement, which is guided by the no-paying-for-essential-care Canada Health Act, but still can’t bring herself to renounce the pay-for-service model she wrote up in 2021.
UNNECESSARY POLITICAL GRIEF
This is but the latest open-mouth-insert-foot example of Smith causing herself unnecessary political grief.
She declared the treatment of the unvaccinated was the worst human rights violation she’d ever seen, which is just silly. She suggested the premier has pardoning powers for those convicted of pandemic violations, which the job doesn’t. And she was recorded telling an anti-masking pastor she’d raised his concerns with justice officials, a move now under an ethics investigation.
Perhaps this loose-lips habit stems from her former job as a radio host. These hosts (along with TV types like me) abhor dead air and can’t help themselves from prattling on even when they’ve got nothing to say. The result can generate confusion and controversy out of thin air.
These and plenty of other missteps since becoming UCP leader in October have turned Smith into a liability for the party and framed her fitness to lead as the ballot box issue.
A clearly unimpressed former prime minister Stephen Harper couldn’t even bring himself to say her name or the United Conservative Party label in a recent dead-eyed endorsement, meekly urging supporters merely to vote “conservative.”
HELPED BY THE NDP OPPOSITION
By rights, her conduct should be setting up the campaign as a month-long train wreck.
But she’s helped by the NDP opposition under Rachel Notley, which lacks a campaign narrative beyond replacing Smith with adult supervision.
They clearly need to goose voter support for regime change because the electoral math is not promising.
The NDP’s surprise election victory in 2015 was only possible because the governing party’s uninterrupted 44-year reign was divided between the Progressive Conservatives and Wild Rose.
Once reunited under the UCP in 2019, the collective party pool reached a million votes while NDP support remained static at 600,000.
So unless a lot of UCP voters stay home next month, Notley must gain at least 400,000 votes to win – mission impossible when competing against an incumbent government with a hefty surplus of petrodollars to roll out as voter bribes.
Consensus has it that the UCP will be wiped out in Edmonton but will dominate true-blue rural Alberta in the vote, leaving Calgary as queenmaker between the two leaders.
That much was obvious Tuesday when Smith grandstanded at the announcement of a new excessively subsidized NHL arena for the Calgary Flames. By warning the deal may be contingent on her re-election, she took shameless aim at swaying unimpressed UCP voters in Calgary to her side.
We shall see if that works - and it should be noted Notley is making negative noises about supporting the deal - but a better tactic might be to simply put her in hiding for the next month, surfacing only for heavily-scripted appearances.
If there’s one sure bet in this coin-toss of a campaign for Danielle Smith, it’s that victory or defeat is on the tip of her tongue.
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
Two billion carbon-absorbing trees to be planted by 2030 was the eye-catching Trudeau government promise from four years ago. But according to a new environment commissioner’s report, a mind-reeling list of failures makes it 'unlikely that the program will meet its objectives.'
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
A former Ontario cabinet minister is suing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and unidentified employees who he alleges leaked classified information with the intent of harming his reputation.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
Nine people were injured Monday evening when gunfire erupted along a beach boardwalk in Hollywood, Florida, sending people frantically running for cover along the crowded beach on Memorial Day.
Bangladesh should not bear the burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees alone while UN agencies are facing challenges to feed them, a United Nations official said Monday.
The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force on Monday said that 25 of its troops were injured in the clashes with ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo who were trying to take over the offices of one of the municipalities where ethnic Albanian mayors took up their posts last week.
Police fired tear gas and demonstrators burned cars Monday near the home of Senegal's main opposition leader, as tensions rise in the capital days before a court verdict is expected on charges against the politician.
Malaysia's maritime agency said Monday it found a cannon shell believed to be from World War II on a Chinese-registered vessel and was investigating if the barge carrier was involved in the looting of two British warship wrecks in the South China Sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden lauded the sacrifice of generations of U.S. troops who died fighting for their country as he marked Memorial Day with the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Monday he is starting to review the mandate for CBC and its French-language service Radio-Canada, including ways the government can bolster funding to the public broadcaster so it is less reliant on advertising dollars.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek says the Liberal government expects to have a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive by the fall.
Three national health organizations want Canada's premiers to push for initiatives to reduce smoking during settlement negotiations with major tobacco companies, years after provinces sued to recoup health-care costs.
Artificial intelligence means everyone can now be a computer programmer as all they need to do is speak to the computer, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Monday, hailing the end of the 'digital divide.'
North Korea on Monday notified neighbouring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in coming days, which may be an attempt to put Pyongyang's first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
China plans to land astronauts on the moon before 2030, in what would be another advance in what's increasingly seen as a new space race pitting the Asian autocracy against the United States and its democratic allies.
Quebec actor Michel Cote, who captivated audiences with his roles in the theatre piece 'Broue' and films such as 'Cruising Bar' and C.R.A.Z.Y.,' has died at 72.
George Maharis, a stage-trained actor with rough-hewn good looks who became an icon to American youth in the 1960s as he cruised the country in a Corvette convertible in the hit television series 'Route 66,' has died.
Turkiye's lira hit fresh record lows against the dollar on Monday, though stocks rallied, after President Tayyip Erdogan secured victory in Sunday's presidential election, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade.
Canada's main stock index ticked upwards Monday, with broad-based gains led by battery metals and energy stock as U.S. markets were closed for a long weekend south of the border.
The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Animated movies are often a child’s first exposure to media and film. And the representation of people of color in media influences how they feel about race as they mature, a study by the non-profit Common Sense has found.
From actions in their local communities to mass demonstrations, here's how Canadians from all walks of life are inspiring others to take part in helping the environment.
Authors discuss their new book, 'Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies,' which aims to demystify the process of delivering honest apologies.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
The Philadelphia 76ers went all-in with their NBA championship pursuit on Monday, selecting veteran Nick Nurse as their new coach to try to win the franchise's first title since 1983.
Fernando Alonso has five podiums in six races in a remarkable season for Aston Martin, yet still feels he's no closer to catching Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The two-time Formula One champions now head to a race with special significance for both of them.
Formula One champion Max Verstappen's lights-to-flag victory at the Monaco Grand gave the Red Bull driver his fourth victory of the season and a record 39th overall for the team as he extended his championship lead to 39 points over teammate Sergio Perez on Sunday.
A Tennessee company is refusing demands from U.S. regulators to recall millions of vehicles due to airbag inflators that can explode and shoot shrapnel into drivers. While cases are rare, there has been at least one death in Canada, where officials lack the authority to demand a similarly sweeping recall.
