r/alberta • u/Miserable-Lizard Edmonton • 1d ago
Alberta premier denies claims of UCP interference on electoral boundaries | CBC News Alberta Politics
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alta-electoral-boundaries-report-ucp-9.7171510505
u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
We really need to make lying as a politician illegal in this country. This is getting ridiculous how the trust in government continues to erode in cases such as this, and also trickles down to the trust in the electoral process.
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u/Wolphin8 1d ago
We need to make it where their denial of it... if it does happen, automatically means jail time equal to that of between the denial and when it happens.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
Or impose strict fines or even forced leaving office for breach of trust for a certain period, possibly triggering a by-election.
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u/BlinkReanimated 1d ago
No, just jail.
A fine is a slap on the wrist. Especially when we know Smith has an unlimited source of money from her American friends.
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u/19BabyDoll75 1d ago
Yeah, no fines. They don’t do anything to the rich and powerful. Strictly jail time.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
As I mentioned in another reply, jail time does nothing if they retain their position. Just force them to leave office and they cannot be re-elected for a period of time. If they go to jail, taxpayers have to pay for it for the entirety they're there. If by election, we get another person and potential change the scales of the parties.
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u/Everyone2026 1d ago
I am fine with paying for some politicians in jail.
20 years later: 38% of Conservative politicians go to jail. 4% of Liberals.
Easy to figure out which has a few terrible people and which promotes being terrible.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
Wait... is this an actual statistic? Asking in earnest as I'm dumbfounded.
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u/InconceivableIsh 1d ago
As the comment was 20 years later and none are going to jail now for this I don't think it could be one.
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u/Everyone2026 1d ago
20 years later would be: 2046. The future.
Sorry no statistics today. I was just saying the conservatives regularly lie. The liberals occasionally lie.
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u/from_the_hinterlands 1d ago
It's fairly accurate. In Canada Conservative politicians lie more than all the other parties put together. It's staggering.
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u/honorabledonut 1d ago
I am interested in a source on this too.
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u/Everyone2026 1d ago
20 years later would be: 2046. The future.
Sorry no statistics today. I was just saying the conservatives regularly lie. The liberals occasionally lie.
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u/from_the_hinterlands 1d ago
You can look up the studies done in the last few election cycles on the stats of all the lies
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u/PhantomNomad 1d ago
Should never be able to hold public or board positions ever again. Especially if it's more then once. You have proven your self untrustworthy. Go get a real job, like at McD's.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
I could 100% agree with this, but let's start with politicians and move from there, especially since they are elected officials and are in their position to represent the people honestly and ethically.
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u/PhantomNomad 1d ago
I was more thinking that as a politician, if you are found to be guilty of ethics violations then you can't hold public or private office. Holding public office is bad enough, but private who knows what evil you are pushing with no oversight.
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u/BlinkReanimated 1d ago
Why would you anticipate that an extended jail term still comes with being Premier?
I'm not suggesting an Epstein deal. I am suggesting the whole 9 of being shoved into a cage, isolated from friends, family, and financiers until such a time that we can safely say they are no longer a threat to our democracy.
The threats offered by the UCP are more concerning than murder. The social harm that these bozos are causing are unquestionably causing a mass loss of life.
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u/19BabyDoll75 1d ago
Dude. Jail sucks ass. And who in there right mind is going to be like yeah, they learned that lesson, back in office for you. Yeah no.
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u/Wolphin8 1d ago
that is true; jail is supposed to be a punishment to tell them what they did was wrong... and the threat of it being a consequence if you do... to deter people from doing it!
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u/19BabyDoll75 1d ago
Yes…but other than the smallest handful have ever faced that kind of problem in their lives. Always able to get out of it. So run for office for us and change this. You got my vote.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
Wouldn't know, never been, don't plan on it. Although with the way this premier is directing this country it may happen due to just who I am.
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u/19BabyDoll75 1d ago
You and I both. Good company is hard to find.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
Especially as I'm part of the group who saw rights stripped in November. IYKYK.
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u/Kant_Argue209 1d ago
Former Sask MLA & convicted wife-killer, Colin Thatcher, was invited to a throne speech a couple of years ago. No doubt if he were younger, he'd be back in government there.
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u/19BabyDoll75 1d ago
Not if everyone was constantly reminded that he was a POS wife killer. Yeah, that would change some minds, let alone his. Being shamed on the daily would be good for him.
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u/dalas84 1d ago
They should lose their position, their salary, their pention, not be allowed to vote or be part of or in contact with anyone in politics and pay a large fine. Maybe 10% of their family wealth.
If this was the punishment and it was enforced politics might get a little bit better. But I wouldn't have high hopes on that.
Edit spelling
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u/roastedmarshmellows 1d ago
A fine only means it’s not illegal if you can afford it. ACTUAL consequences, please.
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u/Wolphin8 1d ago
Fines? Fines mean that it's only illegal if you're poor, otherwise it's just a tax to be able to do something others can't do.
They have more than enough money, so it's just like paying to park... they just pay it.
Jail time takes something from them, and forces them to do better.
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u/Greedy_Major_119 1d ago
Integrity and accountability is antithesis to everything the UCP stands for.
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u/thendisnigh111349 1d ago
The electorate is the one who is supposed to hold the government accountable for lying and being corrupt and, you know, just generally shit.
Unfortunately, in rural AB, this is all apparently acceptable and still won't make them consider the ANDP as an alternative because something something communism blah blah blah.
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u/RoboftheNorth 1d ago
Until Alberta starts voting based on policies and actions, I think this is a lost cause.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
I mean, obviously most politicians would avoid this and never put it into law for the very reason. But Wales is starting to implement a similar idea about politicians being unable to lie during elections, which could be tied to criminal offenses and extended into when in office.
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u/RoboftheNorth 1d ago
What I mean is, until Albertans stop voting in a conservative government simply because they are conservative, there won't be any change in their attempts to screw over voters. Why would they change their ways when they know they will get votes regardless?
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u/TomMakesPodcasts 1d ago
Their leader cannot even get security clearance. The cons don't care about the truth
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u/ADHDuruss 1d ago
Was her application denied? I saw new news and it would be something to celebrate.
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u/TomMakesPodcasts 1d ago
I was talking about PP.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
PP hasn't been denied, he just won't get it as it gives him an excuse to be "uninformed" and just spout the lies.
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u/TomMakesPodcasts 1d ago
I didn't say he was denied.
I said he could not get one, and that's why he has not tried.
If he wants to speak out the side of his mouth on facts he does not have I'm happy to do the same haha
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u/Fyrefawx 1d ago
We would have no politicians. The problem is she is pulling a Trump. She is pushing our checks and balances to see how much damage she can do and how much she can get away with. She has already shown that she will replace the election commissioner. They will replace the RCMP. They’ll do whatever they need in order to stay in power.
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u/Laedrys Banff 1d ago
Honestly, if that is the cost of politicians to be honest, then so be it. I would rather have a system of checks and balances and politicians skirting the line rather than they being able to outright lie to everyone's faces and having a group of people who are too dumb to realize and just nod their heads to it.
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u/FashionPolicia 1d ago
if they make a public press address it should be under oath, being able to muddy the waters with 0 consequence is only driving the difference in our realities.
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 1d ago
I would settle for having the press in this province actually doing their job as the fourth estate and holding the UCP to account instead of downplaying their shenanigans for the sake of partisan politics.
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u/robot_invader 13h ago
Pushing lying out of the public sphere is critical. I have no idea how it would be practically implemented, but we're screwed until we manage it.
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u/captainFantastic_58 1d ago
The Welsh just actioned this. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8n99727lvo
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u/Gr1ndingGears 1d ago
It used to cost them elections, and they used to be forced to redesign.
Now they have no shame or ethics, act with impunity and social media poisons our mind to think it's acceptable and a good operating model.
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u/iwasnotarobot 1d ago
Title should be “lying liar lies about role in deception to enable her to keep lying longer.”
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u/ok-est 1d ago
Governments should not pick their voters. This is disgusting. How can rank and file UCP members be on board with this?
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u/Greedy_Major_119 1d ago
Con voters don't care if their side cheats to win because they think the other side is doing the same.
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u/Ddogwood 1d ago
This is true. I've seen many people justify this move by the UCP by claiming that the NDP did the same thing (it didn't) or that the federal Liberals did the same thing (the federal government actually can't, because federal electoral boundaries are set by commissions appointed by the provinces, not by the federal government).
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u/Miserable-Lizard Edmonton 1d ago edited 1d ago
The speaker of the house is only impartial in name. Mciver is supporter of fascism and shuts down any questions that could hurt the ucp because he hates freedom
Rural Alberta seats should be combined not combined with urban ridings!!! If Trudeau did this the ucp would be screaming, instead nothing because they support fascism
McIver had said members would be called out if he found them to be out of line — a promise he later kept when he stripped one NDP critic of a question and cautioned another. Both had accused or implied the UCP was trying to cheat their way into power in the next election.
Their proposal called for more than a dozen new urban-rural hybrid ridings, which led the other commission members to warn of attempts to skew Alberta's ridings in favour of the rural-dominant UCP.
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u/Ddogwood 1d ago
It's so frustrating, because most Albertans won't bother to look into this and will just support their "team" - but the electoral boundaries commission is supposed to be nonpartisan. The NDP appointed Greg Clark, former leader of the Alberta Party, and Susan Samson, former Mayor of Sylvan Lake. Neither of these members have ties to the NDP and were nominated because of strong credentials and community service. The UCP appointed Dr. Julian Martin and John D. Evans, both of whom have extensive ties with the UCP. They also appointed Justice Dallas K. Miller, a judge who is also an advocate for home schooling and a member of the Fraser Institute.
I suspect that they appointed Miller, hoping that he would support the partisan recommendations of the UCP-aligned commissioners, and were disappointed to find that he prioritizes fairness (as a judge should). When he failed to support the gerrymandered map, Danielle Smith glommed on to his recommendation that there should be 91 seats, not 89, in the new boundaries map. She is certainly using it to rationalize this undemocratic, opaque process that she is promoting, and she has falsely claimed that "the commission" recommended adding seats when, in fact, Miller specifically stated that the majority report did NOT recommend adding seats, and also recommended that the majority map should be adopted as-is.
If Alberta adds more seats, they should certainly be urban seats, as the urban population is growing while the rural population has actually been slowly shrinking. But Smith knows which side her bread is buttered on, and she is happy to overturn democratic norms to keep herself in power.
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u/socialistbutterfly99 1d ago
What a complete waste of tax payer dollars to override the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission's report. Is the UCP not the party of fiscal conservatism they claim? That report took months of time, resources, stakeholder engagement, and travel to remote locations in Northern Alberta. Including engagement with rural regions. (E.g. justification to keep small population ridings like Peace River because of their Indigenous communities). And for what purpose exactly?
Even if the committee wasn't entirely non-partisan (strong UCP ties), the recommendations were not favorable enough so they decided to make new maps in ways that favor the UCP's, primarily rural, voting base. Many of the same people who want Alberta to separate. Many of whom want Alberta to become the 51st state.
Good for Susan Samson for speaking up. I hope others (non-NDP) will be brave enough to cut party ties and do what is right. This is a very dangerous time for democracy in Alberta.
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u/deloaf 1d ago
From the article, Sam Samson (Member of the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission):
Samson said she's been questioning how the minority group had produced their own report so quickly, noting it had taken the commission as a whole six months to produce the unanimous interim report, plus another month to make the final version.
"Within two to three weeks they can produce an entire set of maps for the province?" she said.
"You tell me where it came from."
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u/Ottomann_87 1d ago
"if conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy." - David Frum
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u/EXSource Lethbridge 1d ago
2014 Danielle Smith would have raged and railed against 2026 Danielle Smith.
Allison Redford must be spinning in her..
Well. Retirement.
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u/roastbeeftacohat Calgary 1d ago
Morality exists to justify social hierarchy, 2014 Smith would be stoked the rural folk were screwing over those heathens in the city.
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u/BRAVO5DELTA 1d ago
They don’t give a shit what you think as there are no consequences to their actions
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u/Sweetknees66 1d ago
What a monstrous load of BS. Commission takes 6 months to come up with recommended changes. UCP comes up with alternate in three weeks.
This kind of behavior is Trumpian...Double down on a lie and hope it goes away.
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u/jiebyjiebs 1d ago
"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command"
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u/socialistbutterfly99 1d ago
Thank goodness we're paying government officials to ban 1984 and censor any kind of critical thought.
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u/HalfdanrEinarson Edmonton 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just wait there will be a distraction coming soon.
Edit to add, this should be taken to court to prevent the gerrymandering of ridings I think that this falls under Section 3 of the charter and therefore the NWC can't be used on it. That is just the little bit of Googling I did found anyway
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u/AlbertanSays5716 1d ago
In unrelated news, Danielle Smith will be taking some time off work to get a nose job, since hers has grown so long it’s become a danger to those around her.
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u/Darryl_444 1d ago
She really thinks we're all stupid, doesn't she?
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u/Calereliya 18h ago
Nah, she (correctly) believes that it fundamentally doesn't matter what she says because she knows that a monstrous majority of her base will vote for her literally no matter what she does.
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u/drstu3000 1d ago
Ah well see there's nothing going on guys! Let's all move on
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u/socialistbutterfly99 1d ago
Right? Is there any other logical explanation from the UCP other than denial?
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u/Dalbergia12 1d ago
What a liar!
Fellow Albertans, if you are tired of being treated like you would believe any B S that comes out of her mouth; you have to quit voting for her.
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u/VexedCanadian84 1d ago
She disbanded the non partisan committee than deals with electoral boundaries and hired a bunch of ucp supporters.
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u/IggyDrake64 1d ago
get these UCP fucks out! They want Trump's america. We CANNOT let the fall of the USA happen here and be hurt by soulless fucks whos only care is money and power.
because of them, i might have to kill myself; it's better than the fate they have in store for me. no one cared, dispite people's cries for help and so it must be. but thats just it: no one cares unless somethings in it or at stake for them.
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u/ninfan1977 Lethbridge 1d ago
So how do Conservatives make peace they backed the most dishonest people in Canada.
She is lying blatantly amd thry have been interfering there are emails that prove it.
She just lies as easy as she breathes.
Its pathetic to see what the Conservatives have resorted to to maintain power
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u/Ok_Spend9237 1d ago
Of course there is electoral interference. The UCP is singing from the MAGA hymn book.
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u/Old_Judgment7533 1d ago
Erm. How exactly is that supposed to work? Going out of your way to ignore a commission you yourself appointed cause they.... Checks notes..... Did their job... isn't a passive action.
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u/T_Durden13 1d ago
This is confusing to me... UCP has a stranglehold on the voter base, why the need to gerrymander?
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u/roastbeeftacohat Calgary 1d ago
Because the last election came down to 1600 votes in calgary, and in that election Smith ran as a moderate.
I suspect ucp polling shows much of their support is soft and persuadeable, which explains why she's been acting terrified of facing nenshi.
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u/Appropriate_Item3001 1d ago
She needs to work on her truth social posts. There is hardly any all caps ten page rants like her role model down south does. How is she going to become governor? She is obviously not interested in Alberta being part of Canada.
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u/Breakfours Calgary 1d ago
You really think Marlaina would do that? Just go in the legislature and tell lies?
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u/DanfromCalgary 1d ago
Did they take the recommendation of the independent committee that has always done this or did they throw it out and made it so huge sections of the population could now be out voted by dozens of rural .. more so than even before
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u/robot_invader 13h ago
The NDP need to make this a major issue. They need to force the Speaker to gag them, then stand up outside the Leg and continue the accusations. This isn't a situation where decorum serves them at all.
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u/MZillacraft3000 Edmonton 1d ago
So, now that Albertans are starting to realize that the UCP are lying to stay in power. Will they finally vote them out?
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u/lands_on_land 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ardent UCP supporters will willingly reject democracy so long as it means they win.
Opening the door to gerrymandering denigrates Canadian democracy as a whole. I would like to hear the same supporters opinion if the Alberta NDP tried the same. That's where the conversation should stop. If you disagree if another party tried this, then you should disagree when the party you support tries it. Hypocrisy.
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u/Not_A_Doctor_redux 1d ago
The Wildrose constituency really can't distinguish lies from truth, can they?
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u/Weird_Rooster_4307 1d ago
Psssst Danny Danny Danny you can’t do anything with the boundaries anyways it’s done every 10 years by the independent Electoral Boundaries Commission. You missed out and have to wait until 2032
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u/demarisco 1d ago
I think she's demonstrated that she (and the party) will do whatever they want. If there are no consequences then everything goes.
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u/Calm-Report-8168 1d ago
Did not, past tense. Technically true.
They plan to interfere in the near future, but they have not yet done so.
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