The Dream Front War

I awoke this morning aching all over - aches and pains I can still feel as I write. I'm in pain because last night I was caught in the shockwave of two explosions and had to swim my way out of a vehicle sinking into the Ottawa River.

The dream began innocently enough. It was late spring, and Sean and I were taking a quick stroll through the woods, crossing the border from the log cabin we were visiting into Alaska, the U.S. state that occupies just the northern coastline of the Alaskan peninsula; the rest of the peninsula, of course, belongs to the Canadian province of Yukon.

As Sean and I meandered along a thickly-wooded path, we came across the smoking ruin of a Canadian fighter jet. Before we could even really process the sight, another jet streaked above us, dropping bombs just a few metres away, destroying about a dozen rail cars. Sean and I were blasted back by the shockwave, but we were spared serious injury thanks to landing in deep snow.

Clearly, we were at war. We attempted to cross the border back into Canada, but we were stopped by American soldiers, who packed us into an Army truck and deported us to Montreal. The trip took two weeks.

The next thing I remember is being in a luxurious apartment in an Ottawa high-rise. Sean and I were discussing possible plots for the next DC Comics film. We agreed there should be a scene in which Superman and Captain Marvel are on Wonder Woman's Paradise Island, which has been enchanted so that Superman is powerless there. Captain Marvel solves this predicament by throwing Superman away from the island like a discus.

While we were having this discussion, I glimpsed a flash outside the window. Peeling the blinds back, I saw a cruise missle flying along the course of the Ottawa River, quickly joined by another in close pursuit. The first missle dove underwater and struck a Canadian submarine, but the sub suffered no damage. Unfortunately, the second missle slammed into a glass-walled restaurant, destroying an entire wall and sending dozens of patrons into the river.

Attempting rescue, Sean and I drove my car down the stairs and across the river, but a secondary explosion ruptured the car's integrity and we started to sink. We had to swim free, and suddenly I was at Andrew Fisher's wedding. Niki Atwal spotted me and called me over to his table, but then Dad showed up and said it was time to go; Mom, Sean and Sylvia were waiting in the greenhouse. As we were leaving I wound up stepping on a box with a cat inside it, tipping it over, much to the consternation of the cat; Dad righted the box. We joined Mom, Sean and Sylvia in the greenhouse lobby, and a bunny hopped around us, leading us to the exit, where it jumped up to pull the door open for us. The greenhouse owner was amazed, saying the bunny had never done that before.

Belatedly, I pulled out my phone to post a Facebook update about being apprehended by the Americans. It caused quite a stir until I woke up and realized that I was dreaming and sent out a correction to that effect. And then I actually woke up, checked my phone and realized that I'd sent out neither dream-related update.

My muscles still ache, though.

Saturday Night Cranium

Andrew and Earl vanquished Kim and Sylvia in a brutal Cranium match tonight. Film at 11! Well, not really.

Art Gallery of Alberta: Ode to Screen Tests

My friend and ex-colleague Andrew Fisher is featured in this video from the Art Gallery of Alberta. Lindsey Bond recreates Andy Warhol's early Screen Test films with amusing, if somewhat oblique, results. Andrew is the young fellow sipping on a drink while heroically managing not to laugh, although it appears he comes close at a couple of points. I can see a Hollywood career for all three gentlemen after this - they play their parts with convincing realism!

You can check out the Art Gallery of Alberta's fledgling YouTube channel here.

Reimagining Politics Alberta Liberal Party Style

This weekend Sylvia and I drove to Calgary to take part in the Alberta Liberal Party's annual convention, themed "Politics Reimagined." Less than two percent of Canadians belong to a political party, so much of what follows may seem a little arcane. But the decisions made by party members often have consequences that reach far beyond the relatively tiny circle of partisans. I think that's especially true in the case of the changes wrought by Alberta Liberals this weekend, which have made the ALP the most open party in Canada.

Leadership hopeful Bruce Payne gives fellow leadership candidate Raj Sherman a thumbs-up.

The most dramatic change is the creation of a new membership category - the "registered supporter." In other political parties, citizens must become party members and pay membership fees in order to be eligible to vote in leadership races. Not so for the Alberta Liberals! Now any Albertan can vote in our current and future leadership races, without needing to become a member.

I'm quite proud of this innovation, because it recognizes that most Canadians simply aren't comfortable tying themselves to one party or another - probably a reflection of our common desire to get along with as little acrimony as possible. This resolution recognizes that reality, welcoming anyone to participate without requiring anything more than contact information.

Some pundits are already saying that this change is risky, that it leaves the ALP prone to hijacking by hostile interests. But I don't think these fears are terribly troubling. If the Wildrose or the Progressive Conservatives wanted to stir up trouble, they have the funds to buy thousands of memberships; money is no barrier. Furthermore, these kind of shenanigans usually involve hundreds or thousands of people trying to guess who would be the weakest leadership candidate and voting for that person to sabotage the other party come the general election. But who's to say that they'll guess correctly? Perhaps they'll choose someone who really resonates with voters, despite all expectations.

Even if there were any merit to this argument, I think it's worth the risk. And shouldn't democratic principles include the right to vote across a spectrum of contests? I wouldn't mind having a say in the election of the next PC party leader, the next New Democrat Leader, the next Wildrose Leader. If we all had that power, wouldn't we all be prone to picking the best possible choice for each party? That way, no matter which party wins the general election, we wind up with the best possible Premier. I think that possibility might improve turnout considerably!

For more information on the groundbreaking resolutions passed at the convention, I invite you to read ALP Executive Director Corey Hogan's slick booklet explaining the changes. In the meantime, here are some more images from the convention:

Sylvia and I took a break to explore the shopping opportunities at Cross Iron Mills.

Raj Sherman officially launched his leadership campaign at the convention.

...unfortunately his sign started to come loose halfway through his speech. But Raj was unflappable.

Payne campaign director Neil Mackie speaks with MLA Bridget Pastoor as Andrew Fisher drops a photobomb.

Sylvia and Kim enjoy one of the hospitality suites hosted by the leadership candidates.

Connecting with Albertans

Here's a very slick new video from the Official Opposition that introduces the Alberta Liberal Caucus' new approach to social media. Our website, Twitter and YouTube pages now have a uniform look and feel, and our outgoing Public Affairs Coordinator Andrew Fisher has done a remarkable job of increasing the Official Opposition presence in the Twittersphere.

If you look closely at the video, you'll see cameos from my colleagues Kim and Andrew, who are busily tapping away on their iDevices; Andrew is leaning against the Legislature, Kim is relaxing on the grass. They look like movie stars! Or at least television stars.

A Night at the Improv

Last night Tanara, Kim and Andrew (seen here next to Sylvia) insisted that we accompany them to see a night of improv at the Varscona Theatre, just off Edmonton's Whyte Avenue. I'm glad they did, because not only are Sylvia and I struggling against our natural tendencies to become homebodies, it also happened to be a really fun show.

Improvisation is a hit-or-miss art form. Depending on the nature of the necessary audience interaction and the talent of the performers, the results can range from brilliant to painful. There was a little of each last night, but the best moment happened when one performers managed to construct a hilarious rap song about his dead mother.

The nature of improv leads to absurd situations that would never occur in real life, so naturally I'm a fan of the form. In fact, Sylvia and I have even talked about pursuing improv as a hobby in the past, and the director's announcement that Rapid Fire Theatre holds improv workshops is certainly tempting. I used to be pretty good at it in junior high school...

Opposition Parties Present United Front on Health Care



Brian Mason, Sue Huff, David Swann, Raj Sherman and Danielle Smith. Photo by Andrew Fisher.

In a huge first for Alberta politics, leaders of the Alberta Liberals, NDP, Wildrose Alliance and the Alberta Party, as well as Independent MLA Dr. Raj Sherman, are calling for a full public inquiry to

"investigate whether or not health care staff and professionals were subject to intimidation, including retribution, professional or employment discipline or the threat thereof, or attacks on their character or professional reputations, in order to prevent them from speaking about issues which affect patient care or the effective delivery of health care in Alberta."

Here are the remarks Alberta Liberal Leader Dr. David Swann delivered this morning at an unprecedented all-opposition party news conference in reaction to new allegations that the provincial government punishes doctors who speak out about problems in health care.

I stand before you at a turning point in Alberta politics. The government duly elected by the people of Alberta has broken a sacred public trust. Recent developments show that Tory mismanagement of our public health care system runs deeper than most Albertans could ever have imagined.

Under unrelenting pressure from all opposition parties, the Premier has capitulated. He’ll allow the Health Quality Council of Alberta to carry out an investigation of cancer care and ER wait times.

That’s no longer good enough. Given the severity of the damning allegations coming forward late yesterday, the investigation proposed by the Premier is not enough on its own to restore public confidence in health care.

Because of the shadow cast over this government by recent developments, Albertans have no reason to trust this Tory government. There’s every reason to believe they’ll try to use the HQCA investigation to cover up their own incompetence.

If this sounds cynical, it’s because the Tories have given us every reason to be distrustful. The depth of their incompetence and dishonesty has grown so great that the Tories have brought together all opposition parties. The need is that great.

Today we speak with one powerful voice, on behalf of all Albertans who care about public health care and financial accountability.

We now demand, on behalf of the people of Alberta, a fully independent public inquiry, one completely free of government interference, control or intimidation.

Ideally, the inquiry we propose would have these features:

• Investigate whether or not health care staff and professionals were subject to intimidation, including retribution, professional or employment discipline or the threat thereof, or attacks on their character or professional reputations, in order to prevent them from speaking about issues which affect patient care or the effective delivery of health care in Alberta

• An inquiry open to the media and the public, transparent and overseen by a current or former Justice of the Crown, with total discretion as to who is called to testify and full access to any documents deemed relevant by the Justice
• A full and open public inquiry to investigate whether the Alberta government, Alberta Health Services or former regional health authorities paid any form of compensation to any person in return for their silence on the quality of health care, or lack thereof, for Alberta patients
• All witnesses relieved of any obligations pursuant to confidential and non-disclosure provisions for the purpose of giving evidence

Premier Stelmach, if you truly care about your legacy, if you really care about public health care and the lives and health of the people you lead, call this inquiry immediately. If your party has nothing to hide, you’ll come clean about your mismanagement of public health care and give our health professionals the tools they need to prevent more tragedies.

To the people of Alberta, I say to you now that we will not allow this government to escape the consequences of its mismanagement and possible corruption. We will not allow our doctors and nurses to be threatened for telling the truth. We will not allow public health care to be destroyed by incompetence and possible corruption. We will act on behalf of every Albertan who has suffered or lost a loved one needlessly.

That is our duty to you, and we will carry it out.

***

What a fascinating time to be working for the Official Opposition. Unfortunately I was stuck behind my keyboard as all this was going down, so I couldn't be at the news conference in person. They also serve who sit and type, I suppose.

Thanks my own personal experiences in the emergency room over the past couple of years, combined with everything I've seen and heard working at the Legislature, there's no question in my mind that this inquiry is necessary. We can't fix the system until we know the whole, unvarnished truth behind the surgery delays and long ER wait times. Will the Premier allow a truly independent and transparent public inquiry to go forward? I certainly hope so. It's no exaggeration at all to say that lives are at stake.

No matter what happens, I'm very proud that Alberta's opposition parties, despite striking ideological differences, came together at this important moment, proving that public health care is important to all of us. Well done, everyone.

Here's the Official Opposition release on today's event.

Pints and Politics with Kent Hehr

Last night Kent Hehr, Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-Buffalo, hosted the first of his popular Pints and Politics get-togethers to be held in Edmonton. Somewhere between 30 and 40 people of various ideologies and affiliations showed up to eat, drink and discuss Alberta politics. MLAs, candidates for provincial and federal office, political party members, caucus staffers and politically-minded citizens from a wide variety of backgrounds gathered together for mostly cordial discussions of the issues of the day.

Even folks in the same party can disagree over specific points of policy. Actually, Kent and I are just posing here, using the "rhubarb rhubarb" trick for fun. I think he looks more convincing than I do - probably why he was elected in 2008 and I wasn't!

John Santos was David Swann's Executive Assistant, and he's transitioned to a new role as Alberta Liberal Caucus media liaison. Once again, I've forgotten to take off my security pass after leaving work. John was kind enough not to point this out, (unlike some of my former colleagues, cough cough).

Several ex-coworkers showed up last night, and it was great to see them again. Even as roles change, connections remain, and the ties of common citizenship bind us all together.

Photos by Andrew Fisher.

42

What do you get when you multiply six by nine?

Anyone familiar with the works of Douglas Adams knows that 42 is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. It logically follows, then, that "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?" is the ultimate question.

Yes, there is something fundamentally wrong with the universe. Fortunately, turning 42 today is unrelated - I hope - to ultimate questions and answers.



I found 42 balloons waiting for me at work thanks to Andrew's kindness, and many well-wishes from friends and family. Sylvia spoiled me with some very thoughtful gifts and dinner at - of course - Earl's. So I guess if there is an ultimate question and and ultimate answer, it probably goes something like this:

Why are we here?

To be nice to each other.

And to do a whole bunch of other things, of course, if indeed there's even a "why" at all. But we are here, so we may as well make the best of it even though we don't have all the answers, or all the questions.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone.