Ray Strom Found Guilty

[farmers_son]

I am left wondering just how much you feel the PCs can ignore rural Alberta before the voters should consider changing their vote. I believe your answer would be to always vote Conservative. And we have since the late 60s, early 70s.

I personally do not recall a time during that period when rural Alberta was so totally ignored as it is right now. We did get good government during the Lougheed years but I think any objective observer would have to say that during the Klein years the focus was not on rural Alberta, preferring instead the cities and the oil and gas sector. Now after nearly 40 years of Conservative rule our young people are leaving the farm in droves, our rural communities (beyond the Hiway 2 corridor) are dying, farm debt is skyrocketing, the oil and gas industry is running rough shod over the men and women on the land.

You say we should lobby the rural caucus. I am thinking there must be an oil and gas caucus somewhere because they are calling the shots in this government, not rural Alberta.

I agree, send a letter. For most of the province that is about all a voter can do. However in Shirley McClellan's former constituency those voters can decide to send a clear message to Edmonton in the upcoming by-election or else keep on hoping someone in Edmonton actually opens those letters because the impression I get is that our Government is Edmonton is just throwing any concerns from rural Alberta in the waste basket.

[coppertop]

I don't agree with you on much of your comments FS, but I do respect your right to them.
For one thing, the young people leaving the farm in droves are likely getting an education and making their own decision to work in whatever industry or profession they choose. In Alberta, any young person who wants to make a decent living can do so, thankfully that opportunity is here for them. I know many such young people in this area and across the province that have chosen to take courses that are agricultural related because their goal is to work in some area of the Ag industry, be it value added or developing Ag Policy.
I don't know exactly what you expect the government to do for the agricultural industry. If you want the government to act on your behalf they will need good sound proposals, and that will not matter which party is in power.

I am not suggesting that voting for the PC party is the only option, I am merely stating the facts which are that it will be a Tory that gets elected in the Stettler/Drumheller constituency, so those who have issues they wish to have addressed will get their best results by choosing a Tory candidate that understands the issues facing agriculture and rural Alberta.

[JD4ME]

biy thats spoken like a true blue tory, why do I get the feeling that conversations like this took place when the UFA and then social credit parties where in power. Alberta has a long history of suddenly abruptly tossing out the old gov't. Stelmach needs to pay heed to the ones that brought him to the dance or he'll pay for it. And striking another commitee to develop a plan then won't cut it then.( And I'm not saying we'll go liberal)

[JD4ME]

Sorry the spelling stinks long day.....

[coppertop]

At this point in time, I don't see any alternative to a Tory government. I think our new Premier is well aware that his government needs to be accountable, provide good open honest government or there will be other parties that can get a toe hold in this province.

I have been going over the resolutions for the upcoming PC Convention, and what a sorry lot of resolutions they are.

No mention of land use issues, several mentioned the Water for Life strategy, and one even went so far as requesting that the government put the wheels in motion to charge for water !!!!

Many of them are requesting specific infrastructure projects vs doing things for the good of all Albertans. I feel we are fortunate to have a cabinet with a good understanding of rural Alberta, at least we won't get lost in the shuffle because each of the rural cabinet ministers wants to get elected next time round, so paying attention to their electorate is going to be extremely important.

There are ways to lobby government, it takes time, requires a lot of factual information etc. but I have seen firsthand how successful a good lobby effort can be.

[farmers_son]

To be clear, in no way was I suggestiong a change in government. Just pointing out that by-elections offer an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the government of the day if the voters so desire.

[coppertop]

FS,for a constituency that encompasses Special Areas to have an opposition member representing them would make absolutely no sense at all. Sending messages to government is best done by a good lobby process, meeting with MLA's, Cabinet Ministers etc. to get ones concerns in front of the decision makers.
If the government of the day is not responsive to concerns of large groups of citizens, then change will happen.

All too often I have seen special interest groups try to make their point by negative dialogue vs good solid facts and proposed solutions to issues. Municipal councils face the same sort of process, and believe me, a good, well thought out proposal for change or implementation of specific policy gets the attention of elected officials. In the case of the issue of landmen, what seems to be the desired result will entail legislative change which does not come about overnight.

Changing legislation must be done during a sitting of the legislature. Any proposed changes must be written, vetted through Legislative Council to ensure the wording is appropriate etc., then it must go through the rest of the process which culminates in it being debated on the floor of the legislature. If there is the will in government to change the legislation which applies to landmen, I would venture to guess that there is no possible way it could be in front of the legislature until the spring 2008 sitting, and that is only if the wheels start in motion ASAP.

It is highly doubtful that an opposition member could move this process forward with any more expediency than a government member !!

[farmers_son]

The Progressive Conservative Government charged Ray Strom (as a result of lobbying by the energy sector) in late 2003 or early 2004. They have known about this problem for a long time and have chosen to do nothing about it. However the Land Agents Licensing Act Regulations are still in review awaiting approval by Cabinet Policy Committee. Landowners could be exempted from the Act in the regs. with basically little more than the stroke of a pen.

When you point out the benefits of lobbying we need to bear in mind that the energy sector is lobbying government too. Many stakeholder groups lobby government. I do not think the issues I listed earlier are a result of a lack of lobby effort on the part of rural Alberta. Those problems arise as a direct result of a government that as of the last ten years has ignored rural Alberta. The rural Alberta vote is taken for granted.

This government is way too closely aligned with the wishes of the energy sector. You say "If the government of the day is not responsive to concerns of large groups of citizens, then change will happen.” I agree. The Progressive Conservative Government of Alberta has not been responsive to the concerns of rural Alberta whether those concerns center around water, rural school closures, rural hospital closures, CAIS payments that were supposed to be based on loss of equity in the cow herd which the province now wants to say was a loan that needs to be repaid, scaleback of enforcement of the energy sector by the EUB, the free hand given to the energy sector to run this province as it sees fit not to even mention gerrymandering the vote away from rural Alberta to the cities.

Voting for anyone but the PC candidate in a by-election is probably the ultimate way to lobby government. If Shirley McClellan could not get the government to listen to rural Alberta I doubt if any of the other potential candidates for the PC nomination can do better. The only way to get the PCs to not take the rural vote for granted is to withhold that vote from them and a by-election is a good place to do that so that change will happen.

I really think that the actions of the Progressive Conservative Government of the Province of Alberta in concert with their bosom buddies the energy sector who for three years chose to drag through the court system one small person whose only crime was he helped rural landowners deal with the oil companies will become a lightning rod and a icon for landowner dissatisfaction with the way rural Alberta has been treated by this Government. The proverbial straw that broke the camels back.

[skhadenuf]

Full marks to you farmer-son, I am not totally up to par on this particular issue, however as you mentioned in earlier posts the rural decline is a real thing happenning and as I have said in other threads it's about time that those who need our vote federally or provincially actually give rural people a fair representation for that vote. We should not just be satisfied with voting for the power of the day we need to be getting some mileage out of our vote. I agree totally especially in a situation where there is a by-election give those that are taking us in the rural areas for granted a boot up the ---.

[coppertop]

It will be very interesting to see what the majority of the electorate decide in the two by-elections.

In my constituency the candidates that ran for parties other than the PC's were a dismal lot to say the least.

We do have an excellent fellow who will run for the Green Party in the next provincial election, however, his chances of winning are slim.

FS, what do you envision Alberta would look like on an economic scale if we did not have the resource industries at work here ? I will await your answer before I make further comments on the subject.