Kevin Taft and Ray Martin slam the Alberta Securities Commission

Kevin Taft and Ray Martin provided Albertans with another example of their incompetence today. In an Edmonton Sun story about a private criminal prosecution against the Alberta Securities Commission, both Taft and Martin offer up premature conclusions of wrongdoing on the part of the ASC. Ray Martin also argued that these unproven allegations somehow justify replacing the Alberta-based securities commission with "a national securities regulator":

Finance Minister Shirley McClellan, said she can't comment on a case before the court, but noted the ASC hasn't yet been served with the charge.

But NDP MLA Ray Martin says it's yet another allegation against a regulatory body that has been accused of lax enforcement and favouritism.

"I have said before I thought the whole group of them should be fired and we should bring in a national securities regulator," he said.

Liberal leader Kevin Taft said the case fuels concerns about securities commission enforcement.

"The ASC can't be seen to be playing favourites or mollycoddling anybody or they will lose credibility."

Competent politicians avoid commenting on cases before the courts (as Shirley McClellan did here), given that negative publicity about a criminal prosecution can adversely affect the fairness of any future trial. Obviously, Kevin Taft and Ray Martin have little respect for this tradition, or for the rights of the persons accused.

It bears pointing out that this case involves a private prosecution. That means the Crown attorney and police have not been involved in preparing the charges. According to the story, the allegations of criminal wrongdoing are being made by two investors named Barb Trosin and Jason Cowan. They apparently lost money in a transaction, and are now seeking to proceed in criminal, rather than civil court.

Good luck with that.

As University of Alberta law professor Sanjeev Anand says, there is only a slim chance that these allegations will ever be proven:

University of Alberta law professor Sanjeev Anand says that laying the private charge may focus the Crown's attention on the case, but there's only a slim chance it will go to trial.

"Ninety-nine times out of 100, they will withdraw the charge and that will be the end of the matter."

So, here we have the leader of the opposition and another prominent opposition politician essentially accepting the merits of unproven criminal allegations against persons at the ASC when those allegations only have the slimmest of chances of ever going to trial, never mind being proven in court.

Albertans are fair-minded people who expect criminal allegations to be proven in a court of law, not used as a political football by desperate politicians in an attempt to bolster their own standing in the eyes of the public. Given this, is it any wonder Albertans won't trust buffoons like Kevin Taft and Ray Martin with the levers of power?

Kevin Taft has ideas, not answers

Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft has begun a "province-wide tour to promote his party’s vision for Alberta". According to Taft, the tour is about "ideas rather than answers":

Kevin Taft, Alberta’s official opposition leader was in Hinton on April 10 to kick off a province-wide tour to promote his party’s vision for Alberta.

“We want to start political debate,” he said, adding the timing is right after Ralph Klein announced he would step down as premier.

“There has been a big shift in the political landscape in the last three weeks,” he explained.

The ideas are outlined in a document called Alberta Horizons and it is broken down into four areas.

“Right now they are ideas rather than answers,” Taft said.

Alberta Horizons outlines the party’s plan for democratic reform and governance, economic sustainability, environment protection and enhancement, and social development.

For democratic reform the Liberals would like to see fixed election dates, the implementation of donation limits for politicians and all-party committees to make important decisions in the legislature.

As for economic stability, the Liberals would never have handed out prosperity cheques.

“That’s a $400 chunk out of a future library or road,” Taft said.

The Liberal Party’s plan for a large surplus includes more money for post secondary education, infrastructure and the Heritage Fund.

Environmental protection and enhancement rank high as a priority for the Liberals. The document starts off by saying that if a program was started now, in a decade 10 to 20 per cent of Albertans could live in homes that generate their own heat and power. Taft said a balance needs to be found between protecting our environment and ensuring Alberta’s economy remains healthy.

“Industry needs to work hard to maintain its social contract,” he said.

10 to 20 percent of Albertans living in magic homes that generate their own heat and power? That's great! How would that work, Kevin?

Oh, I forgot, Alberta Horizons is about ideas, not answers.

Source: Hinton Parklander

Confidential tips by email

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Some wishful thinking from Kevin Taft

Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft made a bold prediction today. In an interview published in the Lloydminster Meridian Booster, Taft stated that the Alberta Tories should start hemorrhaging support as a result of Ralph Klein stepping down:

“With Ralph Klein stepping down it is a new era in Alberta politics, no question,” Taft said. “It leaves a gaping whole in the middle of the Conservative party. They have really become the Ralph Klein Party, and now they don’t have Ralph Klein and they’re in turbulent times.

“I’ve heard political scientists say that in many parts of Alberta that Ralph Klein was worth about 1,000 to 1,500 votes in each constituency, and there’s some truth to that. With him gone, it’s the end of one era, and the beginning of another.”

Let's do the math. If Ralph Klein is worth 1,000 to 1,500 votes in each constituency, that means the Tories should lose somewhere between 83,000 and 124,500 votes in the next election without Ralph Klein as leader. That would represent as much as a 30% drop in support for the Tories.

But what if Preston Manning were the leader? According to a Leger Marketing poll published today in the Calgary Herald, Manning would enjoy the support of 51 % of Albertans, compared to 17% for the Liberals:

Manning's popularity would translate into more electoral success for the Tories compared with Dinning, Oberg or any of the other leadership aspirants, according to the Leger poll. When asked which party they'd vote for with Manning at the Tory helm, 51 per cent of respondents said they'd back the Conservatives, compared to 17 per cent for Kevin Taft's Liberals and seven per cent for Brian Mason's NDP.

That would in fact be an improvement over the last provincial election in 2004, when the Tories garnered the support of 46.8% of the electorate, compared to 29.4% for the party of Taft.

Oh well. Why let the facts get in the way of some shameless self-promotion, right Taft?

The politics of sycophancy and subordination

I am the postulator of a controversial political theory: the political and business elites of Ontario and Quebec represent a clear and present danger to Alberta and Albertans. Their view of Alberta is paternalistic, and offensive. They want two things from us: our conformity, and our oil.

Amongst the many weapons they have at their disposal is the Alberta Liberal Party. The Alberta Liberals are first and foremost quislings, whose loyalties lie not with the people they seek to represent, but to the elites ensconced in the centre of the Canadian federation. As such, their attempts to gain control of the provincial government are something that we as Albertans must fight against.

This blog is dedicated to recording Alberta's conflicts with the federation, and documenting Canada's ongoing efforts to dominate the politics, economy, media, and culture of Albertans. I hope to make a convincing case against the Alberta Liberal Party, and what I refer to as the politics of sycophancy and subordination.

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you drop by again.