Gillian Steward

1 week ago | wellandtribune.ca | Gillian Steward

Pierre Poilievre has retreated to a safe Alberta seat after losing his Ottawa one to the Liberals. Of course, he will win by a comfortable majority. But in the meantime he’ll have to figure out what to do about the ticking time bomb he’s been handed by the Alberta premier. The day after the election and before Conservative party leader Poilievre had decided where to run, Danielle Smith introduced amendments to legislation that would make it easier for groups to trigger referenda.

3 weeks ago | stcatharinesstandard.ca | Gillian Steward

Is Alberta heading for separation? Well, no. The numbers just aren’t there. A recent Angus Reid Institute poll found that about 1-in-4 Albertans would vote to leave Canada. Nevertheless, a poll by Nanos Research for the Globe and Mail found that most Canadians across the country (62 per cent) think the threat should be taken seriously or somewhat seriously. So if the numbers aren’t there why are most people worrying about it?

3 weeks ago | wellandtribune.ca | Gillian Steward

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1 month ago | thespec.com | Gillian Steward

There is no danger that Alberta won’t return plenty of Conservative MPs to the House of Commons at the end of April. It’s practically a sacrosanct duty in a federal election to elect as many Conservatives as possible. So why is Premier Danielle Smith talking as if the Conservatives are going to lose? Why isn’t she boosting their chances across Canada? Why isn’t she working as hard for a Conservative victory as she did appeasing U.S. President Donald Trump?

1 month ago | thespec.com | Gillian Steward

So much for Team Canada. Mark Carney may want all the premiers united behind him, but Alberta’s Danielle Smith has other ideas: she wants to use the election as her bargaining chip to get what she wants. Her list of demands is long and she’s giving the federal government, whoever may be elected, six months to appease her or she will call a referendum. What will it be about? Sovereignty? Independence? Joining the U. S? Who knows? At this point it is the threat that is most important.