Sunday, November 16, 2008

the week ahead.

- I will be posting profiles of Alberta Liberal leadership candidates Mo Elsalhy, David Swann, and Dave Taylor this week (CalgaryGrit has already posted profiles of Swann and Elsalhy). ALP members will be voting by mail over the next couple weeks and the results will be released on December 13. The final leadership candidate forum will be held in Calgary on November 28 (pdf).

- For all the folks who called me a naysayer when I shook my head as just a year ago as they boasted of a world of permanent $200 barrels of oil, take a look at it now (at $57). If you can say anything about economic booms in Alberta, it's that it really helps people who should know better lose all perspective and objectivity. Pay attention to what PC Finance & Enterprise Minister Iris Evans does in the next couple weeks to react to this drop.

- The 2006 Federal Liberal leadership race saw Gerard Kennedy elect the most convention delegates from Alberta (117), followed by Michael Ignatieff (115) and Stephane Dion (81). Bob Rae placed distant fifth with 37 delegates elected (behind Joe Volpe). With Kennedy out of the race, and some former Kennedy supporters backing Ignatieff, it should be interesting to see whether it translates into a rout for Team Iggy in Alberta. There's also no shortage of bloggers lining up to board the Ignatieff train (Scott Tribe has a living list).

- I'm looking forward to heading to a reception for Preston Manning this week at the University of Alberta, where he will be receiving an honourary degree. More comment on this Alberta political icon to come.

4 comments:

  1. "Pay attention to what PC Finance & Enterprise Minister Iris Evans does in the next couple weeks to react to this drop."

    You might have to line her up with the furniture to see if she moves at all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Er, can you count the number of times the Opposition has attacked the Government for "lowballing" the oil price forecast? Well here you are, with an opportunity to figure out why lowballing makes sense, just like the Government has told you all along. Or, just carry on being smarter than the rest of us...

    ReplyDelete
  3. "can you count the number of times the Opposition has attacked the Government for "lowballing" the oil price forecast?"

    Hard to tell if you're talking about the provincial or federal opposition.

    Keeping projections at a reasonable level is a responsible was to budget, but I doubt that the surpluses Canadians have seen from Fed Lib and AB PC governments are done in the name of responsibility, but for political reasons.

    Mind you, it was mostly PC-types who bragged to me about permanent $200 barrel of oil.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Any comments on the Speech from the Throne set for Wednesday?

    ReplyDelete