The Day After: Reflections on International Women’s Day

Another International Women’s Day has come and gone and along with it another round of clever hashtags, hopeful social media posts and frankly, hollow pledges of support. We’ve been through it before. Some of us have been through it more times than others and after a while, there’s a certain fuming cynicism that sets in. …

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Why Trudeau’s reversal on electoral reform is so risky

This past week, Canada’s prime minister announced an about-face on a major campaign promise -- electoral reform. Sadly, he barely blinked as he explained his reasons for betraying voters. Meanwhile, the world was spellbound as President Donald Trump proceeded to honour his campaign promises…one-by-one. Such is the sad, confused state of democracy in North America …

Miss Cranky Pants: Calgary Liberals try to feel the momentum

Calgary federal Liberals gathered last night at Fort Calgary for a fundraiser for the upcoming by-election in Calgary-Centre. The event was advertised on Facebook as “Feel the Momentum.” After sitting through the evening’s festivities, feeling the momentum was a bit of a challenge for this cranky Liberal. Despite an enthusiastic and reinvigorated riding association board …

Miss Cranky Pants: The problem with the middle

Facing increasingly polarized political positions, some members of the Liberal Party of Canada seem to be lobbying for a campaign that specifically brands Liberals as being in the “middle.”  The centre may be a place to govern, but it is not the campaign messaging that will help the party regain relevance. Here are five reasons …

Miss Cranky Pants: Woke up with a PC tattoo

“Oh my god! It’s the Tuesday morning after and baby, who the hell did I vote for?” (with apologies to Amanda Marshall - http://youtu.be/oxUxIDOOPg0) Albertans woke up this morning to the same thing they’ve been waking up to for the last 40 years--another Progressive Conservative majority government. How is that possible, you say? FEAR. PC campaign …

Miss Cranky Pants: The Walk of shame. Don’t do it!

This post originally appeared on http://www.changealberta.wordpress.com. To be fair, real conversation was drowned out by the noise and the confusion. You could hardly think straight, bombarded with people and the place so crowded — and hot, so hot (like a fiery lake?).  Add to that, the intoxication of the moment. Taps were flowing with liquid …

Miss Cranky Pants: Seeing STARS, feeling dazed

Today, Alison Redford announced a promise of $10 million/year in funding for STARS air ambulance per year starting in 2013. The Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service provides emergency health care service to rural and remote communities, a group of voters traditionally supportive of the Progressive Conservatives. Now, this audience is almost downright hostile to the …

Miss Cranky Pants: Who’s on first?

You say Wildrose. I say Progressive Conservative. Who best to defend human rights for all? I'm increasingly unable to tell who stands for what between the PC's and the Wildrose. The lines are extremely blurry when you look deeper. I'll give you a couple of guesses who said this in a lengthy interview: Q. But you …

Miss Cranky Pants: Stop using positivity as a weapon

This post appeared originally on the Change Alberta blog. I'll admit to a little crankiness occasionally. So, it may not be a big surprise that I'm not always fond of perky cheerleader types who think they've cornered the market on positivity. I’m also a little tired of rigid, holier-than-thou political preachers who pass judgment on …

Miss Cranky Pants: Mad as hell

The Twitterverse is in a furor today over a tweet from a staffer in Alison Redford's office. The unfortunate comment about Danielle Smith's commitment to families, questioned the Wildrose leader's reasons for not having children. It's an utterly crass and insensitive thing to say. It never should have been uttered, whether in a tweet, in …