USING THE NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE IS FUELING RECALL PETITIONS

I'm sensing some dramatic changes happening in Alberta's political culture, and it's being driven by citizens more than partisans.

The Moderate Majority has woken up. And sufficient numbers of them have taken action and have signed the former Progressive Conservative Deputy Premier, Thomas Lukaszuk petition against Alberta Separation.

A growing and aggressive non-partisan part of the population has suddenly become aware of what she is doing and where she is taking Our Province.

They are angry and fearful enough to Stand Up, Show Up, Sign Up and ACT Up against her divisive separatist

s strategy.

BAD GOVERNANCE

These activated citizens are becoming even more aware of what Smith is doing to our democracy.

Her Fascistic Authoritarian approach to governance is self-evident with her brutal and unnecessary imposition of the Notwithstanding Clause against teachers’ Charter Rights.

Her musing about applying the NWS Clause against vulnerable Trans youth now seems inevitable. More fascism at play.

She has also utilized the NWS Clause to permit her staff to evaluate and circumvent gift limitations and disclosure requirements to her Cabinet and Caucus., That invites more corruption and further erodes the public trust in the integrity of her government.

BAD POLITICS

It's patently clear that the Smith UCP is being pressured to officially endorse Alberta Separation. The Alberta Prosperity Project is apparently buying UCP memberships.

That is so they can take over the Provincial Board and make the UCP the Separatist party, instead of the Republican Party of Alberta.

None of this is sitting well with the Lukaszuk petitioners. They are now shifting their energy towards gathering signatures for what could be a dozen or more Recall Petitions. They are also getting behind the Referendum Petition against public funding of private schools.

Will these additional petitions succeed? Time will tell, but I wouldn't bet against them.

The next battleground for the SMITH-UCP-APP regime is at the November 28-30 UCP AGM in Edmonton.

That's less than three weeks away. All kinds of further democracy-enhancing or democracy-destroying incidents could arise beforehand.

SOMETHING NEW

I'm hoping for a prompt and positive answer from Elections Alberta regarding the name change of the Alberta Party to the more descriptive Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. That will create a political home for Alberta moderates and former Red Tories.