New Cabinet

[ASRG]

I think it is going to be pretty hard to balance a budget with oil dropping everyday and NG going nowhere? Oil companies are already cutting back sharply on budgets due to the projections oil will fall to the mid $60s and stay there for the next year or so. That doesn't signify a boom.....it means in all likelyhood a bust!
Meanwhile spending is going through the roof? Both Redfords campaign promises and Stelmach spending money like a drunken sailor in the dying days of his leadership.
How do you do balance a budget if you have falling income and increased spending?
If they slash spending on all the goodies how would that work out in a snap election? It worked for Ralph Klein back in the early 90's but I doubt it would work very well today? The new generation of Albertans want their entitlements and if you try to stop the gravy train.....out you go!
As far as a new cabinet goes, we can only hope the most useless hogs get kicked away from the trough....the ones Stelmach put there because they were his pals?

[farmers_son]

Check out the Alberta Budget at:

http://www.finance.alberta.ca/publications/budget/budget2011/pdf.html#documents

At some point Albertans need to understand that the province could be better managed.

It is rediculous that Alberta cannot afford to put teachers in the classroom. Or support agriculture. It is a matter of priorities. Look at where the priorities are now... incentives to oil companies to drill. What BS. If we did not give away the province to big oil there would be money to provide the essential services that governments are intended to provide.

I will throw out a statement here but I think it is fair although I recognize it controversial. Why doesn't Alberta have a sales tax? I would argue we do not receive any benefit from no sales tax because prices are jacked up to what the consumer will pay anyway. Whether it is Walmart (who really do not have the lowest prices by the way) or A&W these companies benefit from no sales tax by charging higher prices.

It is nonsense that Alberta cannot provide necessary services because there is not enough money.

[wilagro]

While it wouldn't save a helluva lot of money, I would like to see "Air Alberta" eliminated.

What it amounts to is "air limousine service" for frivolous use by AB government officials using it for political purposes in many cases.

[per]

Does anyone know Dianna McQueen? I heard she was a Ag Minister Possibility.

[farmers_son]

Not McQeen.

Just having fun...here are my picks. I went with Fred Horne for Ag due to experience with business and dispute resolution. It would be interesting.

Hope this list pastes OK.

Alison Redford (Calgary-Elbow) Premier, President of Executive Council
Doug Horner (Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert) Minister of Advanced Education and Technology
Len Webber (Calgary-Foothills) Minister of Finance and Enterprise
Janice Sarich (Edmonton-Decore) Minister of Education,
Dave Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud) President of the Treasury Board
Iris Evans (Sherwood Park) Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations
Ron Liepert (Calgary-West) Minister of Energy
Jack Hayden (Drumheller-Stettler) Minister of Transportation
Heather Klimchuk (Edmonton-Glenora) Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
Dave Rodney (Calgary Lougheed) Minister of Justice and Attorney General,
Jonathan Denis (Calgary-Egmont) Minister of Environment,
Gene Zwozdesky (Edmonton-Mill Creek) Minister of Health and Wellness,
Yvonne Fritz (Calgary-Cross) Minister of Children and Youth Services
Fred Horne (Edmonton Rutherford) Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Teresa Woo-Paw (Calgary-Mackay) Minister of Culture
Thomas Lukaszuk (Edmonton-Castle Downs) Minister of Infrastructure
Mary Anne Jablonski (Red Deer-North) Minister of Seniors and Community Supports
Cindy Ady (Calgary-Shaw) Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation
George Rodgers (Leduc Beaumont) Minister of Municipal Affairs
Art Johnson (Calgary Hays) Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security
David Xiao (Edmonton McClung) Minister of Aboriginal Relations
Carl Benito (Edmonton Mill Woods) Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs
Lindsay Blackett (Calgary-North West) Minister of Employment and Immigration

[perfecho]

Diana McQueen is the MLA for a neighbouring riding and seems to be very involved. Attended many functions in our area and has invited me to have a "chat" on ag in Alberta. Seems open, involved and doesn’t seem to take her job for granted, like some.
Formerly mayor of Drayton Valley.

[wilagro]

farmers_son: Remove over half of those selections of yours and I might agree with you. Liepert would have to go IMHO (preferably permanently) and Iris Evans should be dropped as well.

The talent pool for the CONS is drying up...so sad but its true.

[farmers_son]

I have read newspaper columns suggesting Liepert should go, you may be right. I read Liepert's bio and thought he would be one that stayed. There is need for experience. Plus he is from Calgary.

And there is talk about Doug Griffiths being in cabinet. Might happen. He got his picture taken with Redford on Tuesday if that means anything. However I was questioning how much room there would be for rural MLAs in the new cabinet.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Braid Alison Redford brings playbook/5504140/story.html

I thought it was interesting Redford's new chief of staff was Danielle Smith's chief of staff after she won the Wildrose leadership.

[wd40]

I just sit in abject aw reading these posts. How soon we forget. I can't believe that a bunch of red neck conservative think tankers like fellow blogers could consider this bunch as being worthy of anything. Like Horners slogan "doing it right this time". What have they all been born again?

They've lost the right to rule for their royal track record of abuse of the electorate and floundering leadership. Let be real.

[per]

The pragmatist in us like to speculate who she is going to pick for a
Cabinet and why. That doesn't mean we agree or disagree with the Government or the change or lack of change. Those are conversations for another thread. Certainly her choices of jobs for Horner and Hancock show that any change will be minimal. In any political think tank it is useful to figure out how all sides view the landscape.