Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Top ten A real income Black-jack Casinos inside United states to own 2025
    • Best Position Sites Uk 2025 Enjoy Real cash Online slots
    • Black-jack Online for real Currency: Top 10 Local casino Internet sites in the 2025
    • Пин Ап
    • Chatbots in healthcare: an overview of main benefits and challenges
    • What is Google Bard? Everything you need to know about ChatGPT rival
    • 7 Top Machine Learning Programming Languages
    • Casinoland Gambling establishment Evaluate Japanese
    YYC Times
    • Home
    • Latest News
    • Trending Now
    • Updates
    YYC Times
    Trending Now

    Braid: Smith’s choices seem moderate. But is she really changing?

    YYC TimesBy YYC TimesNovember 19, 2022No Comments6 Mins Read

    Breadcrumb Trail Links

    1. Politics
    2. Opinion
    3. News
    4. Local news
    5. Columnists

    The new prime minister is trying to tone down her reputation for entertaining extreme views. But is she really changing? Not likely

    Author of the article:

    Don Braid • Calgary Herald

    Publication date:

    18 Nov 2022 • 20 minutes ago • 3 minutes reading

    71 Comments

    Premier Danielle Smith speaks to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the Westin Hotel on Friday.
    Premier Danielle Smith speaks to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the Westin Hotel on Friday. Jim Wells/Postmedia

    Article content

    Dr. John Cowell, the new administrator of AHS, had an interesting response when I asked his opinion on vaccination and masking mandates.

    Advertisement 2

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    Cowell said it was a question for either Health Minister Jason Copping or the new Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mark Joffe.

    Calgary Herald Headline News Banner

    Sign up to receive daily news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

    By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

    Thanks for subscribing!

    A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.

    The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will be in your inbox soon.

    We encountered a problem signing you in. Please try again

    Article content

    “My focus is not on public health. It is laser focused on availability and robustness of the care system.”

    Good healthcare delivery would seem to be about public health, but never mind.

    The point is that everyone in government is dancing around Premier Danielle Smith’s views on these issues.

    It’s pretty certain that Cowell and Joffe, both veterans of AHS and Alberta health care, align with traditional views on the benefits of mask use and widespread public vaccination.

    Smith hired them both, and they are good picks. They also make her look more moderate than many people expected.

    Advertisement 3

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    It’s part of an effort to appease Albertans alarmed by her record of challenging expert advice in many areas, particularly health care.

    But intellectual strangeness is part of Smith’s political DNA. People who worked with her earlier in her elected career still describe spending hours talking her out of the latest outlandish theory.

    Right now she has the entire government stuck at an absurd point.

    She would not recommend mask use. Therefore neither can anyone else.

    Political people have a group mind for words from above. They hear and comply as efficiently as an ant colony.

    Advertisement 4

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    The Prime Minister says people should wear a mask if they are so inclined. But every time she’s asked if she actually recommends masking, she won’t say the words.

    She simply returns to the same point – wear one if you will – as if giving advice on a hat for the day.

    But it’s one thing to say she won’t force people to wear masks and another to refuse to say they should, especially in light of a multi-virus wave currently challenging hospitals.

    Smith has been prime minister for only five weeks. She may not yet fully realize how much power her words carry. Many Albertans actually listen to the messages of a premier and take them seriously.

    Her refusal to recommend masks is most likely reducing their use and causing some school children to get sick. Masks really do help prevent the spread of disease, as people like Cowell and Joffe have certainly known for their entire medical careers.

    Advertisement 5

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    But in Smith’s UCP there is a small but powerful core of people who think masks are part of a communist plot to subjugate us all. For them, the sight of a masked person indicates cowardice and stupidity.

    Smith plays to them, while at the same time presenting herself as a moderate on health care.

    On the economic front, her Friday speech certainly pleased a friendly audience at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

    Premier Danielle Smith and Deborah Yedlin, Chamber President and CEO, during a lunchtime speech on Friday.
    Premier Danielle Smith and Deborah Yedlin, Chamber President and CEO, during a lunchtime speech on Friday. Jim Wells/Postmedia

    But her government still seems determined to bring in reforms that most Albertans simply don’t want.

    There is little desire for an Alberta pension plan — in fact, any attempt to create one could send people nearing retirement age into a panic.

    The UCP is also pushing for an Alberta revenue agency to collect personal provincial income taxes. This means filling in two returns.

    Advertisement 6

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    Did it years ago in Quebec, don’t care again.

    Rural municipalities and politicians are also strongly opposed to the push for an Alberta police force to replace the RCMP.

    Metropolitans will still have their local powers and may not care much. But this is one expensive, complex project. Serious reform of the RCMP makes much more sense.

    Then there is the controversial Sovereignty Act, which is coming in less than two weeks.

    At this early stage, we see a prime minister who is very clever at managing the effect of her attitudes and ideas. She is a very good speaker and a genuinely friendly, pleasant person.

    But after five weeks of her premiership, Albertans are fully entitled to ask a question. What will happen if she wins a four-year majority next spring?

    Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

    Twitter: @DonBraid

    Share this article in your social network

    Advertisement 1

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Commentary

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their opinions on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications—you’ll now receive an email when you receive a reply to your comment, there’s an update to a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.



    Source link

    Previous ArticleTeam Canada’s Alphonso Davies lands as Doha heats up ahead of World Cup kickoff
    Next Article Calgary parents file HVAC complaint against CBE – Calgary
    YYC Times
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Trending Now

    TC Energy pipeline rupture sparks wildfire near Edson, Alta.

    April 17, 2024
    Trending Now

    Hearing on whether terrorism charges to be tossed to resume Wednesday

    April 17, 2024
    Trending Now

    Alberta businesses balk at federal budget’s capital gains tax increase

    April 16, 2024
    Add A Comment

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Categories
    • 1
    • AI News
    • Latest News
    • Trending Now
    • Updates
    Categories
    • 1
    • AI News
    • Latest News
    • Trending Now
    • Updates
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    Copyright © 2024 YYCTimes.com All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.