Nelson: Smith proving she will be pragmatic premier

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Danielle Smith is proving surprisingly pragmatic as Alberta’s premier. Who’d have thought it?

Really, I suspected she’d shock early in her mandate; simply as I’ve a sense she’ll ultimately come a cropper as soon as this stitched-together union between these former PCs and Wildrose camps frays and the Conservative chief pays for making an attempt to bridge a chasm too far.

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However that’s a problem for down the highway. For now, Smith is proving a decisive, take-charge chief — coping with points on their advantage, not letting ideology form her authorities’s selections an excessive amount of.

That foolish moniker Smith herself typically wears, of being a libertarian, is gone. Actually, how can any rule-maker-in-chief think about they’re some residing embodiment of particular person alternative? Solely anarchists are true libertarians, and also you wouldn’t need that lot ruling your roost.

Throughout Smith’s first few months within the massive chair, the proper selections had been made on a number of of her personal early favourites — eliminating Mounties in Alberta and backing a Commonwealth Video games bid, each concepts now deservedly deep-sixed. No messing about, both: they didn’t cross the scent take a look at so — poof — on to different issues.

The thought of Alberta’s personal pension plan shall be studied, appropriately. We pay extra in than we get out. But, the temptation for future provincial governments — sure, these may embody the NDP — to mess with it for political causes are worrisome. We now have a behavior of robbing tomorrow to pay ourselves at the moment. Nonetheless, let’s have the numbers earlier than we decide.

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Then there’s the choice to briefly halt extra large-scale renewable power improvement throughout the province, because the burgeoning trade runs sizzling with few controls.

It’s grow to be the Wild West in components of rural Alberta, and there’s sufficient of a problem already with deserted oil wells that we don’t require later duplication involving damaged down windmills and surplus photo voltaic panels. (By the way, Alberta’s power trade ought to stomach up and pay for this well-cleanup mess. You need a sympathetic public and provincial authorities? Then cease shirking your tasks. Or would you slightly federal Atmosphere Minister Steven Guilbeault choose up the tab? I’m certain he’d step up, although he won’t step again afterward.)

As for the renewables moratorium, it was instantly met with howls of shock from environmental teams.

Unusual, those self same people didn’t beforehand laud our province for being the Canadian chief within the area. Such management is smart — we truly find out about power infrastructure and there’s a number of wind and solar round. However don’t dare problem the rhetoric that performs nicely in Ottawa, the place a lot funding for these global-warming messiahs originates.

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Then there’s well being care. As Hamlet mentioned, “There’s the rub.”

A number of weeks in the past I reminisced about how frozen the entire health-care equipment grew to become when amalgamated into one massive enchilada: Alberta Well being Companies. As we speak, Smith muses about splitting up that previous amalgamation, guaranteeing the same organizational freeze in reverse.

A well timed take a look at case is the lengthy wait occasions at Calgary blood clinics. Appointments stretch virtually two months after which, whenever you arrive on time, there’s one other lengthy wait as a result of so many determined people arrive as walk-ins. All the system will get blocked.

Drawing blood is a fundamental well being process — in the event you can’t resolve this essential however routine challenge in isolation how can blowing up all the system obtain improved outcomes?

One tree at a time, premier, or be consumed by the forest. Nonetheless, there are indicators she understands this. We’ll see quickly sufficient.

True, she could be a free cannon, however Smith can also be blessed with a giant coronary heart. Hopefully, one which’ll override what she as soon as thought she knew.

Simplistic, I do know, however there are worse standards for judging politicians.

Chris Nelson is an everyday Herald columnist.

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