UCP not the only party that needs to be accountable
By Lethbridge Herald on May 31, 2023.
OUR OPINION
It’s over! Albertans have made their choice at the polling booths and for better, or worse, we have pretty much the status quo.
The UCP is still in charge but their majority has been reduced substantially.Will this be a lesson learned for Danielle Smith or are we facing four years of turmoil under her stewardship of the province?
In this past election, we heard from many they weren’t voting for one party, they were voting against another. This speaks volumes about how the leadership of both the UCP and NDP is perceived.
Alberta has no viable alternative to the right and left and that has caused a polarization in this province. Some say the NDP is actually more middle ground now but is that actually true? Or is it a perception the NDP wanted to portray to lure undecided or angry voters?
This is a party which promised to hire more police officers in the province – a stand which seems rather contradictory given the animosity toward the police that some NDP supporters have shown in the past. Was this a real acknowledgement of law enforcement problems in Alberta or simply grandstanding for votes?
The NDP certainly made a point during its campaign of spotlighting the UCP’s failures, focusing on Danielle Smith’s comments about Nazis, her conversations with Artur Pawlowski, her opinions on the healthcare system. It focused rightfully on the disturbing comments made by various candidates running for the party.
In many regards, the UCP is a political train wreck, that thanks to its conductor, has lost the support of many in the province who consider themselves to be true conservatives.
It is clear an extreme right-wing faction has too much influence over the party.
But to her credit, when candidates crossed the line, Smith did react quickly during the campaign. After disgusting remarks made by Lethbridge West’s Torry Tanner, that candidate quickly resigned and was replaced.
Was her resignation voluntary or was it forced? We don’t know but the UCP leader did intervene swiftly.
That can’t be said of the NDP when Rob Miyashiro retweeted a demeaning comment about the Alberta fire situation.
Miyashiro, when asked by The Herald about the retweet, simply responded with “no comment” to a private Twitter message sent to him.
When party leader Rachel Notley was in the city to rally troops and hold a media event, she didn’t address the gaffe by the Lethbridge East candidate. Not once did she apologize for it.
Miyashiro also walked out of the Lethbridge East election forum early to be with his party leader at the Galt Museum.
His departure prompted an early end to the forum which was not fair to the people who turned out to hear from the two candidates. That forum should have been his priority.
Yet the NDP had no issue calling on the UCP for accountability. That same accountability should be expected from its own members.
When Shannon Phillips held a press conference focusing on a comment made by Nathan Neudorf during that forum, the quote in her press release and repeated by her during the media event wasn’t even completely accurate.
The NDP also created a controversy over a non-event at an advance poll when media – who were actually there for an NDP photo opp – asked questions of the city’s two UCP candidates after they cast their ballots.
Neudorf and Cheryl Seaborn weren’t campaigning as they were accused of, they weren’t holding a press conference – they simply were answering questions asked of them by the media who would have taken photos of them, too if the UCP had gotten advance permission to have their own opp inside. But they didn’t so they voted without the entourage of media who followed Phillips and Miyashiro to the station.
How can the NDP expect credibility from the UCP when it shows none itself?
The NDP also continued to flog the dead horse that the doctor shortage was caused by the UCP when in reality this is a national problem that has existed for many years.
This was a nasty campaign but it’s over. Unfortunately, the mud-slinging and politicking will continue for another four years.
We deserve better and need better. We need a mainstream alternative that will appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, a party that takes the best policies of the UCP and NDP and melds them into a platform that is palatable to the majority of Alberta voters.
We need leadership that holds itself and its members accountable. We need MLAs to work for the betterment of the province, not just to keep or get their party into power.
Power in itself has no value unless that power can be harnessed for good.
In this province exists too much bitterness, resentment and alienation. Because we are too polarized.
Alberta needs a real change – we need a viable, palatable alternative to both the UCP and NDP.
29-28
Good Article!
Literally stunned!!!!! Saving this one for the “bring it up later” bank. Great article.
You say “Yet the NDP had no issue calling on the UCP for accountability. That same accountability should be expected from its own members. ”
I meant it when I said this was a good article one of the best I have seen from the Herald, period
I would like to add, not detract from that statement to help move us along
I am curious as to why the Herald decided not to post pictures of the 3AM gang fights, in our downtown early last week, and from what I understand this week? Or of the Ambulances and Police who carted people off to Hospital with knife wounds etc. Did the Herald think they may interfere with the election?
Your accountability to the Citizens of this city is just as important as party accountability. When the biggest issue to this cities downtown is cherry picked it makes people wonder why they should care, period. I have trid to waken people up to the reality not some fabrication, but reality of what is happening to our 10 square blocks of the only thing we can call downtown.
Yet, I see you have time to post a playground in Galt Gardens? Yes your job is to report the news being unbiased. But even you have to be asking yourself is Council NUTS! Whom would bring their kid down to play in a playground that has the highest number of addicts per square foot, other than the shelter? Even if not NUTS its a waste of money because it will only be used by addicts, if they can make a tent out of the structures?
So now the election is over Mr Bieber, LethHerald has to be part of this community by not only questioning the logic of what is happening like this article did but to make sure people know what is happening in this city.
I stand by the fact this was a great article, lets bring it home to lethbridge and do the same thing, more often.
The gangs now being created are doing turf wars (I told everyone this was the summer for it). With turf wars comes the first set of “intentional and undetectable murders”, I repeat intentional! Prior to this point, death by drugs could have been a charge for a Dealer but he did not intentionally kill his consumer, mind you he/she is still dead! We now move to the next stage Death by Dealer that is “intentional”. Locally its called a Hot Shot, in the 80s-90s, it was called a “Kill Pill” in Europe !
If you do not like someone, then the easiest way to get rid of them is to give him/her a Hot Shot if he/she is trying to move in on your territory. The drug content is enough to kill a horse. So when the target takes it, its over. This is an intentional Murder and a “perfect murder”, and is now in Lethbridge. So I expect higher deaths levels this year in Lethbridge and many more on the Blood due to the turf wars.
These things are the things the City Taxpayers have to know, and know early enough to stop this insanity before City Council/UCP/NDP Proceeds with the destruction of our downtown and the destruction of the Addicts it is being designed to serve. Safety and Security also applies to Addicts and what we are about to do will absolutely ensure greater numbers of deaths!
Only the Herald has that reach, my reach is limited to a bunch of Professors and NDP who sit in a SACPA meeting and roll their eyes because my facility doesn’t have Indigenous Art on its walls?? Still can’t get over how petty people can be in this city when trying to solve a massive problem. Yet they skip over 7 out of 10 deaths occur behind closed doors (SROs) as incidental, it intereferes with rental income, I guess? Wall art is far more important? My turn to roll my eyes! Minute 1:15:00 of video below
I leave you with one other shot! Marshall Smith (Chief of Staff to Danielle Smith) was at the Movie Mill for the Premier showing of Aaron Gunn’s Canada is Dying! In that video Aaron is seen interviewing Marshall Smith where Marshall took pot shots at BCs way of handling their addicts. At the end of the video everyone applauded, I did not because we just told BC we do better than they do. So watch now how many addicts get shuttled to Lethbridge! He also said that Red Deer and Lethbridge are “pilot projects” which is code for Dumping ground for Edmonton and in our Case Calgary. Gotta keep the two biggest cities in Alberta that have all the votes as pretty as possible, right? Or has no one thought of that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RaWzJUeT0o
Figure it out for yourself! If you were an addict in BC would you seek the “Alberta model”? If so whom are the pilot cities?
I am trying to solve a problem this city STILL does not get, and it is frustrating! No one here understands what is about to befall them, no one! All I get is eyerollers, hopefully Leth Herald can do better than I have! Now you know why I am always angry! The shingle holders of this city can dismiss any idea if it does not benefit them. My idea does not benefit me or them, its the ONLY way to save Lethbridge!
I repeat et nauseium , WAKE UP LETHBRIDGE, unless people and your paper, stand up, “we are screwed”!
I will gladly debate this with anyone, but of course they don’t want to debate, and the only evidence based data they produce is data that supports their position. As soon as you produce data that does not, the eyerolling begins.
“In many regards, the UCP is a political train wreck, ” The comment implies a disaster, or total failure. Really !! A party that just won another majority government. Such commentary is lacking credibility and common sense.
Re the UCP and to paraphrase Lord Durham (1839), the UCP are two political ideologies warring within the bosom of one party. I’m also reminded of a comment made by Billy Martin in regards to managing the NY Yankees, “I just try to keep the nine guys who hate my guts away from the nine guys who haven’t made up their mind yet.”
Excellent piece! Now we forge ahead in this province with a economy that is the envy of the country! Keeping the NDP at bay in a opposition roll has guaranteed we can and will do better! Hopefully but not likely, the NDP and more importantly their leader can work together with OUR woman at the helm. A win for the UCP means a robust economy (with many challenges still) at least for four more years.