I know, I know, I’ve already done an article on why I voted for Rachel, but I took this really great photo at the Calgary Rally on Saturday and I had to share it.
Ta da!!
So, now that I’ve got your attention here are my top 10 reasons to vote for Rachel Notley’s NDP as opposed to that other guy:
- She followed in her dad’s footsteps. Grant Notley was a smart political leader who cared about the public good. Kenney responded to a spiritual call from Pope John Paul II. The Pope says contraception, abortion, homosexuality and assisted dying are evil and if they can’t be banned outright, they should be curtailed as much as possible.
- She’s run a scandal free campaign. Scandals cling to Kenney like dust to Pig-Pen: the RCMP investigation into the UCP leadership race, the Kamikaze candidate, fraudulent voters, Peter Singh, the bogus Stephen Mandel robocalls, good grief Charlie Brown!
- None of her candidates have resigned or been disqualified because they’re white supremacists, homophobes, Islamophobes, or misogynists. Kenney on the other hand, well…if you’re elected by these people, you’re beholden to these people.
- She takes advice from experts and creates policies based on evidence. It’s not clear who he takes advice from but he continually trots out rehashed versions of failed policies like the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative which was supposed to reduce hospital wait times but was cancelled because it cost too.
- She wants to be Alberta’s premier. He wants to be Canada’s prime minister.
- She leads a political party. He leads an economic movement called the “free enterprise party”.
- She knows the economy and society are two sides of the same coin, he thinks governing is something you do in sequence, first the economy, then a compassionate society…assuming we don’t hit another economic speed bump…
- She’ll never stop supporting women, seniors, children and the vulnerable. He thinks those who can afford the best, deserve the best, the rest can wait (see #7 above).
- She wants to diversify the economy because the energy sector represents 24% of Alberta’s GDP, he doesn’t know what the word “diversity” means.
- She trusts in an intelligent and compassionate electorate. He believes if you make ‘em mad and scare ‘em bad, he’ll win.
- She knows it’s important to get along with those who can help you get a pipeline. He thinks yelling and threatening lawsuits will bludgeon them into submission.
- She’s fighting for all Albertans, he’s fighting for corporations and the top 1%.
Well, that was 12 points, not 10, but you know how it is when you start making lists.
If you haven’t voted already, look at the photo. Rachel and her candidates have earned your support.
Susan on the Soapbox 
Glad to see Rachel Notley is standing up to the school yard bully, because Kenney presents all the characteristics of one.
Rose, you’ve described him perfectly. I don’t know why some people are attracted to bullies but they are. If things go according to Kenney’s plan he’ll be making a run for the prime minister’s office soon and we’ll need ALL of Canada to wake up.
She certainly has my vote.
Good luck tomorrow! As much as our two provinces are at odds, a lot of people in BC are rooting for Rachel and keeping our fingers crossed!
Thanks for all you do – C
Colleen Fuller Vancouver Canada Phone: +1604 255 6601 Mobile: +1604 441 6296
I respectfully and gratefully acknowledge that I live and work on unceded Coast Salish Territory; the traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm) Nations.
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Thank you Colleen. We may be at odds but we’re similar at heart. This election has been heart wrenching for most of us. A mutual friend passed along a link that I believe you sent her entitled 16 reasons to vote for the NDP even if you’re a conservative. I’m sharing with everyone here:
View at Medium.com
Susan: You gave an excellent blog once again. I can add Jason Kenney’s dubious history in the CPC was not that great. The CPC did a plethora of bad mistakes. People’s life savings vanished instantly in an income trust scandal that was around $35 billion. Parliament was shut down. There was a robocalls issue, which has direct links to Jason Kenney. Senator corruption was not curtailed. Major amounts of money were wasted on fake lakes and gazebos. The Canadian Wheat Board was sold to Saudi Arabia, despite at least two thirds of farmers in Canada wanted it kept. There was no help with building a pipeline that went to the B.C coast, when the CPC had a majority government, and had record setting oil prices. Billions of dollars were thrown away on auto sector bailouts. Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) increased substantially in Canada. Jason Kenney was the mastermind behind that. The CPC made Canada’s debt balloon to nearly $170 billion, all on their own. This is not a good legacy, in any way. The UCP is always doing the stupidest things, which also include criminal activity. This is what Alberta does not need. The NDP are scandal free. That’s good. They have a pretty big task of cleaning up the big mess, caused by the Alberta PCs, that started when Peter Lougheed was not the premier. Rachel Notley is the best premier since Peter Lougheed. The recent Edmonton political rally with the NDP was great.
Dwayne, what’s remarkable about Kenney’s sad record with the CPC is that most Albertans didn’t care. As you’ve pointed out in this comment and many others, Kenney was a cabinet minister when the Harper government reworked the equalization formula and failed to get one pipeline approved to tide water. And now he’s standing on the other side of the line complaining about the very things he should have fixed when he had the chance. Hypocrite. I’m sure Rachel and her caucus will hold him to account all the way down the line. Thank god she’s going to be the Leader of the Opposition.
It really comes down to honesty and sincerity for me. To see someone fight so hard for the average citizen! A lot of the people who would benefit the most her wisdom, courage and conviction have been convinced to hate her and her party. So why would she bother with them? Because of the “baby and the bath water” thing …it takes a really big person to take the crap from the haters in order to fight for affordable day care, a decent minimum wage, school lunch programs, a diversified economy, a strong public health system, benefits for seniors, the environment and on and on. Rachel Notley is intelligent and intrepid and I have so much respect for her. Whatever happens tomorrow, she is the best thing that ever happened to our province.
I agree Elaine. I remember hearing Rachel speak at a rally a few months ago. She said that her government had changed the province in ways the UCP cannot take away. One example is the $15/hour minimum wage. The UCP is trying to claw some of that back but it’s here to stay.
I’m astounded at the nasty personal attacks she’s had to endure. I don’t know what’s wrong with these people, but it’s very troubling to know that they’re everywhere and will become even more emboldened if the UCP form government.
Solid.
Thanks gmacmedia!
Good article, already voted, no contest!
Perfect! Thanks Alisa! Janet Eremenko’s Get Out The Vote (GOTV) team is working out of our house today. We’re one of four home bases in Calgary-Elbow. I’m so impressed with the quality of these volunteers. They’re an amazingly diverse group and have so much energy and commitment. Simply awesome!
Awesome to hear! I’m hoping we see better than 40% turnout here in Fort McMurray. It’s historically embarrassingly low. Maybe we should adopt your Get out the Vote model next time!
Well she did have my vote as well and I have defending it on Facebook, Quora and other forums and I will do it on this one as well. Having said that, the fact that I voted for a party that tried to be as pro-pipeline or pro oil industry is pretty depressing. This fact has to do with the influence they have on our culture and Kevin Taft has written a book about it and I think it will be one my reading list in the near future. Still, there were many other issues such as labour, LBGTQ, and other rights that were won in her term. She may have also broken the barriers which will allow other political parties to win, which is a view shared by Professor Dwayne Bratt did in his book “Orange Chinook”. These last four years seem like an Enlightenment in some areas whereas the next four years maybe another Dark Ages. However dark they could be, I am going to be one of the ones who is not going to give up on trying to fight for the issues I care about and I hope others will do likewise.