This Week in Alberta - Premier Mar?

We're under a month away from the first round of voting in the PC leadership race, and it's still difficult to get a handle on the contest. I'd assumed it was Ted Morton's race to lose, but the media has crowned Gary Mar the frontrunner, thanks to some favourable polls and the vaunted Ralph Klein endorsement.

So, like any good frontrunner, Mar has sat back, promising nothing more than sunshine and puppies and...wait...he said what?!?

Alberta Tory leadership hopeful Mar touts private health care

EDMONTON - Alberta Conservative leadership candidate Gary Mar says the province must offer private health-care options for wealthy baby boomers or risk losing an economic opportunity.

“The thickness of your wallet should not govern your access to medically necessary health services,... but that does not mean there aren’t people who are willing to pay for services themselves,” Mar said Tuesday.

“I don’t want to stand in the way between somebody who is willing to do that and a health service they feel that they need.”

Yes, a leadership front runner coming out for two-tier health care. How about that?

Most have been shocked Mar would enter this minefield, but I like this move from a purely strategic point of view (even if I disagree with Mar 100%). Playing it safe never works for front runners, a lesson everyone in Alberta learned during the Magnificent Implosion of Jim Dinning in 2006. Moreover, I'm still not fully convinced Mar even is the front runner in terms of membership sales and, even if he is, he's nowhere near far enough ahead to coast to the finish line.

The real benefit for Mar, beyond showing people he stands for something, is that it positions him a bit further to the right on the spectrum. Mar is seen to be on the Progressive side of the PCs, and he needed this to shore up his right flank - first against Morton for the leadership and, should he win, against Danielle Smith in the general election.

Vancouver Interviews: Keith Martin on Health Care

In my final interview from this spring's Liberal leadership convention, I sat down with Keith Martin, to talk about the health care system. Given all the brouhaha surrounding Obama's health care reforms, it's probably worth taking a minute to remember that our system is far from perfect itself.



See also: Ralph Goodale on Western Alienation, Scott Brison on the economy, Carolyn Bennett on the Change Commission, Justin Trudeau on youth in politics, John McCallum on the economy<

Random News Clips

1) Harper has finally delivered on the disappearing fifth priority, a wait times guarantee. Huzzah! Well, that is, he's made sure provinces will guarantee one procedure. Yes, O-N-E. I'm not a doctor but I figure there can't be more than, what, 3 or 4 known medical procedures out there so this is clearly a monumental step forward.


2) The Macleans 50 have waded into the never ending PR debate. I say this only because I know poli-sci geek types enjoy debating this sort of thing and I suspect that that demographic makes up a large percentage of my readership.


3) Bharat Agnihotri was tossed from the Alberta legislature yesterday.


4) Lucienne Robillard, one of the most low key Cabmins over the past decade, has announced her retirement. This certainly is shaping up to be a "changing of the guard" election for the Liberal caucus, win or lose.



5) My Edmonton residency may limit the Calgary content of this blog so to try and fix this imbalance, I present the national anthems from last night's Flames game. This is in the same league as Roseanne Barr. Oh, and while we're talking about music videos on YouTube, this is the greatest remix parody ever.


6) Since today seems a little news-lite, I'll simply add, on a completely off topic note, that Arrested Development rocked, and that anyone who enjoys quality television should pick up the DVDs. Oh, and while I'm off topic, let me say that I loathe people who take the elevator down one floor when there are stairs right next to it. Just thought I'd mention that.