Albertans Back Carbon Tax to Cut Greenhouse Gases
For Immediate Release 2013 May 7 Although little known, Alberta’s $15 per tonne carbon tax is very popular among Albertans according to a recent ThinkHQ Public Affairs survey. The poll, conducted in mid-April, reveals that fewer than 1/3 of Albertans (31%) are aware that Alberta currently has a levy on CO2 for large […]
February 2013 Eye on Alberta Excerpts
Some new provincial politics numbers from our February 2013 survey. EOA Feb 2013 Excerpts
Ralph’s Revenge: A Provincial Sales Tax Referendum
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” – George Orwell, 1984 With all the discussion lately about the upcoming March 7th budget, and the difficult financial straights our province now navigates, I find myself thinking about Ralph Klein and how history will mark his […]
Graham Thomson cites ThinkHQ poll in recent column
IN THE NEWS… Graham Thomson, Edmonton Journal 2013 February 2: “Tories taking a wrecking ball to the public trust”. Click here to read Graham’s column: http://tinyurl.com/b8k7m7w Click here to see survey results (.pdf): December 2012 Budget EJ Ex
Albertans to Politicians: Spend less before you ask for more
About 6 or 7 months ago, on this very page, I said the Government of Alberta had a budget problem – well, actually 3 problems: 1) Energy royalties would be well short of budget projections; 2) The Provincial Budget had no spending “cushion”, i.e. every nickel of revenue was slated for spending, along with […]
Provincial Budgets in Alberta: Managing Great Expectations
Crafting provincial budgets in Alberta is more challenging than one might think. We have resource wealth, no doubt, but it is revenue prone to wild fluctuation. The Government must not only manage the dollars and cents of the budget, but the public expectations that come with being as financially fortunate (and sometimes unfortunate) as we […]
The Politics of Upgraders
A curious thing happens when government gets close to an election; they become extremely “risk averse”. Inside government, it’s called “The Red Zone”: a pre-writ period where only new policy forming the election platform sees the light of day, and any old policy that could potentially be a liability is downplayed and tucked away […]
Early Days are Good Ones for Redford
They say the two most important times for any political leader are: the FIRST 100 days after an election (particularly for a new leader or government) and the LAST 100 days before Election Day. The logic here is the strength of first and last impressions – these are the times when voters tend to […]
Is there such a thing as an underdog in the lead?
What’s more difficult? Being an underdog who must overcome steep odds to achieve an unlikely win or being the “odds-on” favorite who must fend off all challengers to try to hold on to a lead? That’s a question that Premier Alison Redford may be able to answer next spring. Flashback just a few months […]
Mending Alberta’s “Rift on the Right”
There’s a popular myth circulating in Alberta’s political “chattering class” these days which can be summarized in four words – “It was Ed’s fault.” The tattered state of the governing Tories, the rise of the Wildrose, and disenchantment among Alberta voters is Stelmach’s legacy, so this theory goes. Therefore, with Ed soon gone, things […]
