Alberta separation rears its head again, but how likely is it to happen?
Is Alberta heading for separation?Well, no. The numbers just aren’t there.
Gillian Steward
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Gillian Steward.
Danielle Smith attacks Alberta Health Services in bid to escape health scandal
Alberta premier Danielle Smith attacked her own public health care system last week accusing it of outright resistance to her plans to expand the role of private surgical clinics.”It’s clear they would rather keep all surgeries in hospitals operated by Alberta Health Services … we will not be intimidated by AHS (Alberta Health Services) management,” Smith said.
No more being polite. Canadians must stand up to Trump
He isn’t even president yet but Donald Trump has been mocking Canadians with ridiculous taunts; the demented ramblings of an old man. I don’t know about you but I would prefer if Canadians weren’t so polite about all the insults coming our way from south of the border. How about we hurl a few insults back at Trump? Like: Most...
Danielle Smith’s party is flirting with a blatantly anti-science policy
In less than two weeks Danielle Smith will subject herself to a leadership review at the annual AGM of the United Conservative Party.She will likely get enough votes to continue on as premier so no danger there
Do Banff and Canmore need to burn before Alberta acts on climate change?
Three wildfire tragedies in 13 years: Slave Lake, Fort McMurray and now Jasper.Alberta has seen wildfire engulf and almost destroy these places and chase out the people who live there. No wonder; we are the biggest laggard when it comes to fighting climate change.
Big Tobacco once made us sick and lied about it. Now we’re letting another industry get away with the same
If you are old enough to remember when smoking was allowed in theatres, airplanes and restaurants you might also remember the tobacco industry’s advertising campaigns. Some ads claimed smoking could actually be good for a person. There were even ads claiming pregnant women “craved” cigarettes; that doctors preferred Camels. No mention of lung cancer or heart disease, even though the...
Danielle Smith’s revamping of Alberta health care system is a prescription for chaos
It’s now glaringly obvious that Danielle Smith is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to put Alberta’s public health care system under her thumb; retribution for vaccine promotion and other public health measures adopted during the pandemic. Her rural base abhorred vaccines, vaccine passports, restaurant closures and masks and they blamed Alberta Health Services for imposing them. They denounced Chief...
For Danielle Smith even federal research grants to universities are part of a Liberal plot to ruin Alberta.
So what’s next? Removing books from university libraries because they challenge Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s right wing ideology? Or is her UCP government going to establish its own university? Judging from what Smith has said over the past week it’s clear that she craves the authority to not only oversee Alberta’s universities but to determine exactly what they teach, research...
Pierre Poilievre's deceptive 'axe the tax' slogan lets him deny the dangers of climate change
There’s no question that Pierre Poilievre’s incessant call to “axe the tax” has hit home with Canadians who believe the carbon tax is the reason that everything from groceries to gasoline costs more. Never mind that most people are refunded more than they pay in carbon taxes. “Axe the tax” has a ring to it that captures the frustration of...
Naheed Nenshi is sure to shake up the Alberta NDP leadership race
The Alberta NDP leadership race got a much-needed shot of adrenalin today when former Calgary mayor, Naheed Nenshi, confirmed all the rumours and announced that he is in to win. A three-term mayor and a formidable opponent to anyone who takes him on, Nenshi hasn’t exactly been known as a leftist, in fact he used to pride himself on being...
Why is Danielle Smith shilling for Shoppers Drug Mart?
Family physicians in Alberta, as in many parts of Canada, are not happy. They are so unhappy that a survey conducted in mid-January by the Alberta Medical Association found 60 per cent of respondents are considering early retirement or moving to another province. If they follow through that would not only be devastating for patients but for Alberta’s entire public...
It’s clear the anti-science movement has a tight grip on the Alberta government
This time last year we were on the verge of seeing the end of the COVID-19 crisis. By May the World Health Organization declared the emergency over. Canadians started to breathe easy again and get back to socializing and attending large gatherings such as weddings and concerts. But while the harsh waves of the immediate crisis had broken, COVID-19 never...
Danielle Smith badly overestimated Albertans’ support for her pension plan
Retired Canadians and those about to retire will be glad to hear that Alberta’s plan to pull out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), a move that could reduce their payments, seems to be stuck in a deep snow bank of opposition. Albertans just don’t seem to like the idea of an Alberta Pension Plan (APP) despite the UCP government...
Ontario has weighed in on the Alberta Pension Plan — thank goodness
You could almost hear many Albertans heaving a sigh of relief last week when the Ontario government stepped into the fray and raised hard questions about the proposed Alberta Pension Plan (APP). Most Albertans don’t want to give up their Canada Pension Plan benefits for a risky Alberta alternative. So for them, the more opposition, the better, even it comes...