It was no surprise to this writer last week as a revelation about NDP hiding facts about carbon tax from Albertans came to light.
Last week The Calgary Herald actually did something that journalists are supposed to do: dig into the statements and promises of politicians and find out how much truth is there. Well, The Herald obtained leaked documents that appear to show that Premier Rachel Notley and her NDP government either don’t really know how much the carbon tax will cost Alberta, or she does know and she’s lying to Albertans.
As PC leader Ric McIver stated in a press release, “This leaked report shows that from the very beginning, the NDP government hasn’t been honest with Albertans when it comes to the true costs of both the carbon tax and the overall climate leadership plan,” stated McIver. “We are deeply troubled by the fact that instead of coming clean with Albertans about the real economic impacts of their plan, the Minister has doubled down on her deception by denying the existence of current data.”
Last weekend, this information should have been front page news, but it wasn’t.
Instead, the Edmonton media was worried about Premier Rachel Notley’s face on golf course targets. According to the CBC there was “outrage,” although who exactly was outraged isn’t clear (mostly NDP people and organized labour spokespersons it seems). The golf target stunt was immature, but perhaps what Alberta’s government leaders should also consider, besides indignant outrage, is why organizers of an oilmen’s golf tournament dislike the premier so much.
Notley has had a disastrous first year in office: a carbon tax that’s probably going to spell the end of her time as premier, a continued recession in Alberta, 44,000 jobs lost in Alberta in May, 2016, a farm labour bill pushed through the legislature with no input from farm families, pipeline projects turned down while the premier does nothing, making sure NDP insiders get cushy government jobs, other areas of Canada attacking Alberta’s energy industry or creating outright obstructions with silence from Notley, announcing the shutdown of the coal power in Alberta only a few months into office and showing an obsession with spin-doctoring as opposed to making decisions that are in the best interests of all Albertans, not just the 4 of 10 who voted for her party.
An age-old strategy in politics is misdirection. When things are going badly, change the subject. Don’t answer an uncomfortable question. Instead, change the subject. That might explain why this past week major labour unions, looking after their government friends, spoke out about “violence against female politicians,” despite the fact there has been no violence against female politicians in Alberta. One example they used was the golf target story (no one organizing that tournament had any intention of harming the premier by the way) then also used an example of a Manitoba politician who has nothing to do with Alberta and the murder of a British politician which occurred on the other side of the planet. Strangely, they didn’t use the example of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau striking a female politician in the House of Commons a few weeks ago. Hypocrisy?
During the last federal election a fellow from Edmonton was driving around displaying a threat to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, including the “F” word. The labour unions didn’t seem concerned about that.
One question should put this issue to rest: if Harper’s face was on those golf targets, would Notley and her friends at the CBC be so concerned?