Government to be Prorogued [It's Official]
CBC has the document here. Governor General Jean has proclaimed that the next session of parliament is to start on March 3, 2010.
Suprisingly, people are reading this blog… [2009's Stats] + End of Year Statement
As somewhat long term readers likely know–this blog has been online and in action for the last six months. The expansion in readership has been, quite simply, surprising. This most recent month, December, has seen a rather large jump in readership. In fact, the 1,227 page views completely eclipsed the previous three months before it. The blog has received a little more than the sum of visits in the months of September, October, and November.
This means that people are actually reading this blog. And more than just a few are.
It seems like I have some form of a soap box now to broadcast my message in the new year.
Most blogs, at least by gauging my regular haunts (daveberta, calgarygrit, and the random hodge podge of bloggers I am following on twitter), are having year end posts extolling the man of the year, such as calgarygrit, or some other venture, like Dave’s MLA-centric list of what has gone on with who in Edmonton. Glancing back at the past hasn’t always been my forte, however. Nor has it even been in my interest.
What interests me most is not what has gone on before but, in fact, what is about to happen. Of course to have an understanding of the past is important to gaze into the future and is fundamental to understanding the world around us, but that echo in one’s heart and a flutter of one’s mind of the future, whatever it may hold, is an instant draw for me.
The draw of looking forward to 2010 is cemented by the fiasco of Nopenhagen (misspelling is on purpose), the threat of another winter prorogation by Harper, the rather unharmed Conservative support even though scandal after scandal has marred the Conservative name, and, last but not least, there was the tumbling economy. Looking to the future, in my humble opinion, is better than staring at a rather terrible year.
And what a year is in store for us!
We have the Reboot Alberta movement kicking things up into high gear. Partially lead by daveberta through his blog and Ken Chapman also through his blog, the movement espouses not to political ends of changing policies or being elected but rather to change the public discourse in Albertan politics. There is a democratic deficit, as shown by the low turnouts in the last several elections along with the dwindling trend therein as well, to be solved and the progressives of the province can push for a ‘reboot’ of Alberta. The New Year, being fraught with promises of a better future, may have a lot in store for Alberta as this movement gets of the ground.
More information about RebootAlberta can be found at their blog here.
We have Ed Stelmach in the dumps at 14% approval… and a party out of nowhere, the Wild Rose, being the go to party to park one’s support as the Progressive Conservatives become more progressive than conservative. This division on the right and the willingness of Albertans to want either change or a clear vision place Alberta at a threshold. Albertans have never, ever been a group of people who have lent their votes to a set of parties. It is always all or nothing with Albertan voters. Either your win big, a new dynasty is made, and the other parties are pushed out into the wilderness–or you yourself are pushed out into political exile.
To see the Stelmach government jump to and fro for the next two years in order to woo the love of Albertans and the rebounding economy retuning the confidence of entrepreneurs will likely prove an interesting game to watch. Noting the royalty fiascoes of the last year, and how the Stelmach government just can’t seem to get it right, the repeat of Getty’s numerous economic screw ups in the 80′s seems likely, thus spilling gas on an already brewing fire.
Next, we have a conference on the Federal level in Montreal in March called “Canada at 150: Rising to the Challenge“. Liberal leader Ignatieff will be walking around Canada in preparation for the conference. By the way, if you’re in Calgary on January 14th consider slipping by the University of Calgary for Ignatieff’s town-hall-esque event.
Following the line of thought of Liberals we can turn to the Alberta Liberals with the yearly report. More than half of the debt of the Alberta Liberal Party has been removed, fundraising has gone up, the party has developed a twenty-first century grasp of technology and of communication, and, of course, has a charming and cool headed leader to boot. The yearly report is here.
Things are changing and there is an opening for Canadians of all stripes. The future does show some decent promise and, of course, it can only go up from what has happened in 2009.
Warren Kinsella on the Anywhere But Copenhagen Fiasco
Kinsella with the CTV and a Conservative pundit.
EDIT: My submission to the contest is here. Note the family theme and the lack of arms a gun.
