Saturday, July 18, 2009

Stelmach boots out MLA for speaking out on an unkept promise.

Fort McMurray MLA Guy Boutilier got a phone call from Premier Stelmach Friday informing him that he was being kicked out of caucus for speaking out about a long term care facility that was promised for his riding and approved 18 months ago but which has now been put on hold.

You can read the story here.


Classy move Mr. Premier; not only have you not kept a promise which would improve the health system overall by freeing up much needed hospital beds occupied by elderly patients with nowhere else to go, but you couldn't even meet the man face to face to fire him and had to do so over the phone. That sure is some leadership you are showing there. If you take this latest example added along to some of the other great moments of your governments record such as reckless and now deficit spending, the total disregard for rights and fairness with your support of the AHRC, your regulating what a private business can charge their own customers for product, and other such nanny state ideas, I can see it is going to be a banner year for the Wildrose Alliance Party and all thanks to your great leadership.

Keep it up Mr. Premier and you could go down in history as the man who destroyed a dynasty.

14 comments:

Jason said...

This man has failed to impress from day one of his leadership win. You might be right about the Wildrose Alliance. What they need is a dynamic individual who can articulate their vision to the province as a whole. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Ardvark said...

They seem to be what the PC's once were.

Paul M said...

If I were this MLA, I'd turn around and join the Wild Rose Alliance.

Ardvark said...

I think Mr. Boutilier is quite the popular MLA so if he did decide to become the first WRA MLA, I would bet the mortgage that he would also be re-elected under that banner. It is too soon to say what he is going to decide, after all this must be a shock, but the WRA option is a very viable one.

Jane Morgan said...

Thanks for all the positive comments. Things do seem to be coming up "roses" for us; too bad it has come at a great cost to most Albertans.

Jane Morgan,
Executive Director,
Wildrose Alliance Party

Ardvark said...

Truth be told I do not see much from the Stelmach Government that screams conservative,and in no way have they earned my vote.

So I am keeping an open mind and will pay much more attention to the alternative in the near future. I hear there is a leadership race going on right now as a matter of fact.

Anonymous said...

Stelmach is a bumbler.

Stelmach can't manage the economy and he can't manage his own caucus.

maryT said...

The results of a decision he made as transportation minister, several years ago, re a section of the canamex highway, are causing much distain in the community affected. That is one reason Paul Hinman was elected there.
Stelmach, like Dion, is the result of coming up the middle to win.
Send Ed a message by electing Mr Himnam in the upcoming by-election in Calgary.

hunter said...

I will not vote conservative next election, Stelmach is in way over his head, anyone ever heard of Peter's Principle?

I emailed him about our HRC's and told him I would not vote for them again unless they fixed it. He instead gave them more power. He should step down, but he won't so Wild Rose here I come.

Brian Dell said...

I'm a Wildrose member, and while I'd welcome any and all refugees from Stelmach's authoritarianism, including a guy with a Harvard degree like Mr Boutilier, I'm not sure this would help the party.

A reason why I finally soured on the federal Conservatives was the rising shamelessness of their populist pandering. Attacking Ignatieff for having ties to an ally was bad enough, but this week's cave-in to union interests at the expense of Canada's reputation with international investors was the last straw. John Manley has done more to confront the protectionists in this country than Harper ever has.

And Boutilier seems to be "conservative" in the same sense, which means populist and not, in fact, conservative. He says he is going to help a Friends of Medicare rally, this while a former president of Friends of Medicare is campaigning in Calgary Glenmore under the Alberta Liberal banner. If the real issue is, in fact, that Boutilier wanted more spending in his riding and Stelmach, for the first time ever, actually refused in the name of fiscal discipline, the Wildrose Alliance is not the most obvious choice for the Fort McM MLA.

More importantly, as the party's only MLA, he'd go from a small, or ignored, fish in a big pond to a big, or only, fish in a small pond. He might attract attention and influence that the Wildrose Alliance would better reserve for its party leader.

ptr said...

Wild Rose Alliance seens like an opption as compaired to the Global Warmest Liberal leader. The first leader of any political party in Canada that publically states that Global Warming is not proven scientifically will get my vote - and all the rest of us deniers will support him/her.

When the Alberta premier has to get rid of one of his trusted cabinet members for basically stating the truth, and no other reason, is bad for Alberta. The only reason that he called an election when he did was because the Wild Rose Alliance was gaining popularity and he had to stop them before they got better organized, like the next election will be.

Almost makes me want to join the Wild Rose Alliance.

maryT said...

ptr, come on in the waters fine.
I don't think Guy should switch to Wildrose now, but join and run as a candidate for them next election.

Northern Ontario Tory said...

As a long suffering Ontario Conservatiive, I have often wondered how the Stelmach government could be described as "conservative" .....they remind me so much of the McGuinty Ontario Liberals. My sister and her husband are in Alberta, but going by their formerly lefty opinions, I would think that you guys either need to vote in the Wild Rose Alliance or give the Liberals < big shudder > a 1-term shot to wake up the conservatives. I would prefer that you bring in a solidly conservative government to give the rest of us reason to hope though .....

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

Hey AA.. sorry, but I can't agree, and the comment actually of Brian Dell is perhaps the best reason.

Boutilier didn't like the play called in the huddle, and so decided he wouldn't run it, and sat on the sideline and complained. He publicly attacked his own party, in the midst of a massive recession, for refusing to continue on all their spending promises raised during times of massive surpluses.

While I have my own concerns and complaints which I raise with government, the reality is still that Alberta and the government which has lead this province for most of my life still is, in my mind, the only viable choice for government in this Province.

My take on the Wild Rose is that it's a party with no clear agenda. It's guiding principals are vague and general, and leave one asking, "so, what distinguishes you from the Conservative party?" Fixed election dates, right of recall and citizen initiated referenda?

Ok. So, with a right of recall, basically, whenever the government makes a tough decision, such as, oh, not proceeding with a capital project - in theory, the citizenry gather's up to assure that their MLA get's booted out unless he stands and yells loud and long demanding pork in his costituency.

Yes, that will certainly reduce pork, by making it very clear that in a very direct way, the electorate controls the public purse.

Or - maybe - what we are supposed to support the Wild Rose party is their position that we should "have timely and affordable access to healthcare."

Huh. Funny, right now my health care is free - but they are promising under their watch to make it "affordable".