Orange Wave Strikes Alberta
Edmonton, AB – 44 years of Tory rule has come to an end in Alberta.
The upstart New Democrats, led by Rachel Notley, cruised to a majority government in Alberta tonight.
It’s the first NDP government in the province’s history. The incumbent Progressive Conservative Party took a real drubbing, finished third in seats behind the opposition Wildrose Party.
By 9:00pm Pacific time, the NDP had won or were leading in 55 seats, compared to 19 for the Wildrose Party, and just 11 for the Progressive Conservatives.
The drop in seats for the PC Party was quite dramatic considering they entered the campaign with 72 (on the flip side, the NDP started the campaign with just 4 seats).
“While saddened by the results, democracy is always right,” said Jim Prentice, who also announced his resignation as party leader.
Some observers believed the NDP would have a difficult time winning outside of their Edmonton power base (see related story here), and even doubted whether or not opinion polls could be trusted, considering the PCs weren’t expected to win the last election in 2012.
Comments
This is fantastic! The businesses that left BC during the NDP years may come home!
I wonder if Steve is watching this ?
He’s watching the Flames win. Way more important than a NDP government. That province is messed up right now, but will soon be fubared
If you look at the riding-by-riding results, you will see an awful lot of vote-splitting between right-wing (PC and the Wildrose) candidates in ridings where the NDP won. Nationally, the dynamic is just the opposite; it’s the centre and centre-left vote which is split (Liberals, NDP, and Green). The federal Conservatives likely won’t be losing any sleep tonight.
In any event, a win’s a win. It is going to be interesting to watch from afar.
Harper Land is starting to crumble
I sure hope hart guy is okay .
The novelty and euphoria will wear off quickly. Then the new government will have to decide just what to do. And that will be just as unpalatable as it would be if any other Party was chosen to do it. Doesn’t have to be that way, but it will be. They ALL dance to the tunes of finance, and think the $ sign fronted ‘figures’ can be something different from a mere REFLECTION of actual ‘facts’.
Deep breaths cred.
The evil NDP is already killing jobs in Alberta, mostly corrupt Conservatives! Ya gotta love it!
lol, there goes Alberta… on a bright note… it will all come back to BC.
I’m ok Ataloss, like you really give a darn, haha! I think that I will be doing less work and making less money in Alberta! Less money for me to bring back to BC to support you with my taxes, Ataloss!
I wonder how much our National interests will suffer at the hands of an Alberta NDP Government? I suspect that we will see a further decline in Alberta’s economy and with it a further decline in Alberta’s contribution to our national transfer payments.
Any loss in Alberta’s contribution will have to be made up elsewhere. Any guess where that might be Ataloss?
Prentice slit his own wrists! He never should have called an election at this time. He should have taken the bull by the horns and regardless of the complaints he should have done what needed to be done in Alberta. I doubt that the NDP will have the guts to do it either.
The NDP should savour their win tonight! I suspect that their honeymoon will be over soon, very soon, probably by the weekend soon, haha!
Common, Hart Guy, say it with me now, loud as hell, proud as hell: NDP! . . . NDP! . . .NDP!
Socred are you serious? If its a matter of finance and hard choices to give global capitalists a royalty cut and tax cut that got them into this mess, while telling Albertains that they need to buck up and pay more… then how is that going to be unpalatable for an ndp government to reverse those flowed choices?
How can you say the ndp won’t be for the national interest, suggesting that the conservative were?
I think building refineries in Alberta is in the national interest, and with the ndp government elect in Alberta running on that agenda I can’t see how they go wrong. Lower gas prices with more refining capacity, value added to the resources, and royalties and taxes flowing into government from the refining value added process.
Just ripping the resources from the ground for shipment abroad, depleting limited resources from future generations, and collecting next to nothing for the prosperity fund in the process… all the while absolving the industry from the liability of clean up, sticking that with who ever is left with the mess most certainly wasn’t in Alberta or Canada’s interest.
The Albertans are on to the neo-con agenda and they no longer want to be the useful idiots that empower them. They want honest government that works for their future and if it means giving the ndp a chance to prove themselves while the right gets its globalist issues sorted out then so be it, we will all be better off for it. There is no way the ndp could do as bad as the conservatives have, their record speaks for itself.
Sorry to disappoint you Krusty, but that’s never going to happen. I find it impossible to support any ideology that wants to take my very hard earned tax dollars and give them to those that don’t feel the need to work very hard, if at all!
Deep breaths hart guy . The sun will come up tomorrow.
Prentice repeatedly shot himself and his party in the foot under his leadership. From accepting all of the Wildrose defectors to supporting a wife beater. The party was relying on conservative election tactics to win an election and by gutting the Wildrose party they handed the result to the NDP. Alberta voted against a party that was appearing to be corrupt and had only one real alternative to vote for.
If it’s any consolation HG , I was very disappointed that the Green Party did not gain inroads in ab , but hey , we made history in PEI yesterday . We’s a comin .
Eagleone, are you under the false impression that our oil customers want to buy refined products? What will we do when we have increased our refining capacity beyond our own needs? Sit on a glut of unrefined product that nobody wants to buy? it’s great that we will have lower gas prices! We will all be too poor to afford the vehicles that use the gas! Who and what will support us if we are all on welfare?
As someone else stated “Deja vu time BC. 1972 A.D., I was there! Didn’t last long!”
Ataloss, earlier today I read something about a Green Party MP or MLA who spent something like $300,000.00 to make his or her home “green” and who expects to save something like $100.00 per month on the hydro bill!
Maybe that’s one of the reasons the Green Party didn’t gain inroads in Alberta!
This aught to be fun to warch.
So Hart guy are you saying that by being irresponsible with production and the environment that Alberta will be able to increase its customer base, or maybe is it possible that the reverse is true?
If we just give them all tax cuts, eliminate the royalties and pick up all the liabilities even when they do go bankrupt… then isn’t that against your ideology of paying taxes to give money to lazy people that do nothing to collect it… then take if off shore so it no longer even circulates in the Canadian economy? Myself I support my taxes going to support Canadians, rather than global capitalists that don’t pay any taxes.
I think what bothers hart guy the most is that Rachel Notley promised to spend money into education. Hart guy does not agree with having a educated society. Keep them thinking the sands is viable and inviromently friendly. Smart people are lazy is what I’m hearing. That would cut into his pie to much.
Posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 @ 10:57 PM by Hart Guy
Sorry to disappoint you Krusty, but that’s never going to happen. I find it impossible to support any ideology that wants to take my very hard earned tax dollars and give them to those that don’t feel the need to work very hard, if at all!
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But you’re ok with the right wingers giving the money to corporations in the form of huge tax breaks and bailouts.
GREAT CHANGE IN ALBERTA. NOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD. CHANGES ARE A COMIN TO BC ALSO
We already had 10 years with those losers ice. You want to kill PG then go ahead and vote them in
So I wonder when Petronas will announce moving the head office for Progress Energy to Pouce Coupe or Dawson…
Alberta, I never thought I’d see the day that Oilberta would turn left? This will be fun to watch!
Wow, this will spur growth in B.C. A lot of people will be comeing here.
starting immediately’
Could the NDP turn the Alberta Advantage into the Alberta Disadvantage? I think they can. NDP getting in over on the other side of the Rockies could be the best thing to happen to the BC Libs when it comes time to campaign for the next election.
WR and PC split right vote It was 60 percent voted against Ndp Alberta is still right wing but left gets to rule because of our voting system Same system that let Liberals in Bc and Cons federally to win without majority support I find it ironic the posters that relentlessly complained about this before are now ok with it because their guy won Almost hypocritical
That is a thumbs up for ski51
Rachel Notely,a lawyer, brilliant speaker,and respectful and inclusive of all citizens of all political factions. She is a strOng, educated, leader. She also reflects honesty. She may do such a great job getting rid of the graft disease and self- entitlement that is pervasive in the far right leaning political parties. Look what we have here in BC….lousy leadership with a Premier who disrespects so many different groups of people in BC. Clark wouldn’t be Premier if west Kelowna kept their original elected MLA.
I hope that this election was a vote not just for the sake of making a change but rather a vote for a well thought out vision. Im not a huge fan of the NDP but given the overwhelming election results the PC had to be making some major screw ups that didnt sit well with voters.
As the old saying goes.. Time will tell.
Finning just bought Kramer out of Saskatchewan. Wonder if they will take their head office and flee to the East away from over taxation like they did when the NDP came to power in BC?
Ski51 makes a good point.
In the heat of victory people jump up and down and get excited as hell, however once the hype is over reality sets in.
You can rest assured that most of Alberta to-day is aghast at the thought of the NDP being in power. The NDP victory was more a result of a set of circumstances, ie; Wild Rose Party resurrection, Liberal demise, and PC’s inability to get the message out, than it was about good Government or policy.
Albertans are now faced with the one type of Government they like the least, ie; socialist, and you can rest assured that they will be chomping at the bit to get to the next election and get rid of these dudes.
Wow. I was just in Alberta last week and the thinking was a PC minority certainly not a NDP majority. These will be tough times for any party to govern in Alberta. I guess we’ll see what the NDP are made of. They will be under a microscope.
If I was a PC supporter, I’d be pissed at the WR results: 21 seats with less than 25% of the popular vote. PCs got 27% of popular vote, but translated into only 10 seats. Ouucchhh. That’s karma, baby. Don’t like electoral reform? You can suffer the consequences like everyone else.
It is quite funny that Prentice resign from his own seat after just winning – can’t stand the heat and a very poor loser. Took his candy away and he is now pouting!!!
I don’t expect any changes in Alberta. Anyone with half a brain and a butt would know that the best man for the job is Prentice.
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I found the above statement made by Pal highly offensive. I see he still makes predications that show just uniformed he is and I guess that will never change .
Those fat employees are the middle class who’s wages are being siphoned off by the likes of Jimmy Pattison., Lablaws and other suppliers for their need of more profit. Like a loaf of bread went from $2.00 to $4.00 in a mater of months.
Our natural resources are being given to foreign owners that take the profit out of our country. What Harper is trying for is to make Canada into a third world country and more profit for the elites.
Cheers
Don’t be a drama queen retired.
Exactly Retired 02! Ever try and get out for your fair share of halibut on the coast? Pretty hard when Pattison has it all sewn up, what with his control of the DFO and all.
@ 8, I have no issues with having an educated society and I don’t have an issue with increased educational spending, IF the spending is of benefit to the students!
Unfortunately, increases in educational spending all to often simply amounts to increased wages and benefits for our already very well compensated teachers! That I have an issue with!
Just to bad people in BC didn’t remember the Liberals lies before they cast their ballot last election. Remember the HST and how it would go back to the original gst and pst after the referendum. How do you like paying an extra 5% tax on private auto sales. Hundreds of millions in extra dollars in the liberal coffers while they support the auto dealers. Ten there was Campbell’s read my lips 500 million deficit number given out prior to the election which ballooned to over 2 billion after the election.
As residents of BC we can do no greater service than turf the Libs in the next election just like Alberta did to the Cons.
OMG you are not suggesting we bring back the NDP to BC are you “Resident”?
The only time since I was 18 that I actually came close to being on the unemployment line was at the tail end of the 90s. Couldn’t see them gone fast enough, and most of the same cast is still there
Did you see the platform of the NDP in Alberta? Will like to see if they actually institute the ban on corporate and union donations to political parties
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