Latest news with #CalgaryConfederation
Calgary Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Braid: Carney snubbed Calgary by passing up a brilliant choice for cabinet
Prime Minister Mark Carney, a hockey zealot, refused to pass the puck to Calgary. Article content Article content He denied Calgary Confederation MP Cory Hogan a cabinet post. Article content Hogan seemed certain to get in. He's one of only two Liberal MPs elected in the province. Article content But, no, not a whiff. Article content Article content Article content He has been vice-president of communications at U of C and has served in senior roles with the Alberta government. Article content Carney could have lopped off part of her large portfolio — maybe prairie development — and given it to Hogan as a junior minister. Article content Liberals will say it's all our fault because we don't generally elect Liberals. Article content That's exactly right. It's also exactly why a Liberal who does manage to get elected in Calgary should get a cabinet post. Article content George Chahal, defeated in the recent election, was permanently barred from cabinet after his doorstep violation of campaign rules in 2021. Article content Article content Kent Hehr made cabinet after the Justin Trudeau victory in 2015. Article content Before that, there hadn't been a Liberal minister from Calgary since Pat Mahoney in 1972. Article content Nobody disputes that Edmonton deserves a full minister. But in this prime minister's mind, Calgary does not. Article content He had a chance to break the city's drought and simply ignored it. Article content Another Liberal with a background somewhat similar to Hogan's is Evan Solomon, the former CBC host. Article content He becomes minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, and minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Article content His riding? Toronto Centre, which also serves as the centre of the universe for the Liberal party.
Edmonton Journal
01-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Varcoe: 'Turn us loose' says Suncor Energy CEO, as 38 oilpatch leaders sign new letter to Carney
Article content 'This industry can and should play a bigger, more prominent role than it does today in the economy, in the country… 'It is a time for a reset and that, again, is a call to action that the group of us have put forward.' Calgary's only Liberal MP-elect, Corey Hogan, read the CEOs' letter and believes common ground exists between the industry and government. 'We are not so apart, once the rhetoric is cooled down,' said Hogan, who won the federal riding of Calgary Confederation on Monday. 'I really appreciate the tone of this letter and let's find constructive relationships — and let's find that reset.'
Calgary Herald
01-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Varcoe: 'Turn us loose' says Suncor Energy CEO, as 38 oilpatch leaders sign new letter to Carney
With the federal election in the rear-view mirror, Canadian oil and gas leaders are looking to find common ground with the Liberal government as the sector seeks to get projects built — and the new prime minister prepares to sit down with U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content Article content On Wednesday, leaders of 38 oil and gas companies signed and issued a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, touting a suite of recommendations for the next federal government to adopt. Article content Article content The Liberals are set to form a minority government after winning Monday's election, and industry CEOs say there's an opportunity for the country to attract private-sector investment and build energy infrastructure. Article content Article content 'It is a time for a reset and that, again, is a call to action that the group of us have put forward.' Article content Calgary's only Liberal MP-elect, Corey Hogan, read the CEOs' letter and believes common ground exists between the industry and government. Article content 'We are not so apart, once the rhetoric is cooled down,' said Hogan, who won the federal riding of Calgary Confederation on Monday. Article content 'I really appreciate the tone of this letter and let's find constructive relationships — and let's find that reset.' Article content Article content Last month, on the eve of the election, executives with 14 petroleum producers and pipeline operators released a letter to all major federal political parties, calling for streamlined regulations and steps to bolster Canada's economic sovereignty. Article content It came as Trump ramped up tariff threats against Canada, and as public support for new oil and gas pipelines increased. Article content The initial industry letter called for the government to declare a Canadian energy crisis, abandon the incoming oil and gas emissions cap and ditch the federal carbon tax on large industrial emitters.
CBC
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Calgary election results leave disappointed voters on both sides
Social Sharing Monday night's Liberal win left a lot of disappointed Conservative voters in Calgary and across Alberta, despite the party's strong showing locally. At Bottlescrew Bill's Pub in Calgary's Beltline district, election coverage was blaring from multiple TVs. But as the Liberals pulled ahead early, Luke Bungay was matter-of-fact. "I really used to think that the pain that Canadians feel will drive them to the right to more pragmatic politicians that care about cost of living and practical things," he said, sitting at a table with half a dozen other oil and gas workers. "But I guess we're not quite there yet. So let's see what another few years of Liberal reign does to the country.… I'm concerned about Canada's relationship with the States being weakened by a guy who plays hardball," he added. "I hope things get better here but I just don't have a lot of faith." In Calgary, the Conservatives captured 10 of the city's 11 ridings. Liberal candidate Corey Hogan won in Calgary Confederation. The rest of southern Alberta went for the Conservatives. Nationally, the Liberals were projected to win another term. By Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed to be a minority government. The crowd at Bottlescrew Bill's had voters from across the spectrum. The Green Party team claimed a large table and cheered when they got their first seat on the board. They were hoping for three seats, said party supporter Jason McKee. That didn't materialize, but at least the Conservatives didn't win, he said. At the next table, Liberal supporter Kelsey Brooks said she was nervous heading into the evening. She works in the environmental sector and worried her colleagues would lose their jobs if Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was in power. "It's great that [Liberal Leader Mark] Carney is coming in. I mean, he doesn't have a lot of political experience, but he's more fiscally conservative," she said. "In terms of climate change, he got rid of the consumer carbon tax, but he's keeping the industrial carbon tax. I think middle-ground policies like that are going to really help them." Do seats in Alberta matter to the politicians? Throughout the campaign, CBC journalists have put extra emphasis on hearing from Canadians about what matters to them and inviting them to share their stories. Michelle Spencer came to a CBC event in Pincher Creek, Alta., where she spoke about her hopes for a carefully managed pivot in the energy economy to ensure sustainable jobs for the next generation. She runs a business reclaiming building material, and while she's happy about the Liberal victory, she's disappointed more Liberals didn't win in Alberta and B.C. She's worried about what that means for Alberta's relationship with the rest of Canada going forward. "As an Albertan, I'm a little disappointed that we didn't do that just because then we would have some power and we would matter," she said. "Albertans want to have a voice in Ottawa, and if it was clear to the country that Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. had made the difference between a minority and majority government, then all of a sudden the seats here look different." As for what her friends and neighbours are feeling in her Conservative-leaning riding, she said people thought that Canada was ready for a change. "That we were finally going to turf the Liberal government.… I suspect this morning that people will be feeling kind of shocked that Poilievre has lost his seat," she said. "Conservative voters saw him as someone who has the answers." "But that's kind of a wake-up call to Albertans. The tone that Poilievre set and the brand of conservatism that Alberta is selling really isn't that compelling." A government that doesn't understand agriculture Jason Jackson was seeding peas at his farm near Olds, Alta., until midnight Monday, then came in and checked the news. He wrote a First Person piece for CBC during the campaign about right-to-repair legislation and how he wants a party that understands agriculture. "I'm disappointed. I have a government right now that I don't think understands or even really cares," he said. The Liberals didn't run a candidate in his riding of Ponoka-Didsbury. As for a future agriculture minister, if it's MP Kody Blois from Nova Scotia again, he'll be disappointed. "I've sent him a couple letters and never got a response from him," he said. "I hope somebody intelligent in the Liberal Party realizes what they've been doing here isn't working for Alberta." He said he also hopes the Liberals will move forward on promised infrastructure projects, especially an east-west pipeline or energy corridor. Carney lost Albertans with focus on a 'boogeyman' Calgary resident Kiran Somanchi also wrote a First Person piece for CBC this campaign, sharing why he felt Liberals were the strongest option to support the oil and gas industry. He's disappointed the Liberals didn't have a stronger showing locally, and thinks it's because Carney focused so much on threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. He wants Canada to use its oil to build its economy, but still supports the carbon tax 5 days ago Duration 4:57 Kiran Somanchi, 41, says he and his family do their best to keep their carbon footprint minimal, but he wants to cast his vote for a party that sees Canada's rich oil and gas resources as an opportunity for building up the economy. "I think Carney did a great job, but I think he focused a little too much on the external threats of Trump and the threat to sovereignty," said Somanchi. "I think that didn't resonate as well here, where people are more interested in resource development and growing the economy. I wish he would have leaned into that more heavily." Even in his speech last night, Carney repeated the same points around Trump and the threat to Canadian sovereignty, said Somanchi. "I'm like, 'OK, cool. But let's move beyond that. Let's go deeper: What are you going to do? How are you going to unite the county and develop the economy?' "The fall back is the external boogeyman narrative. After a while, people just tune it out." Voted Conservative but still feeling hopeful Jaime Espinosa voted in Canada for the first time this election after immigrating from Mexico 10 years ago. He works as a financial analyst for an electricity company and participated in CBC's voter conversations at a Mount Royal University event. He voted Conservative this time because he felt the country would benefit from a change in government, but he isn't too disappointed in the results. "My hope is that [the Liberals] put the effort into reaching out to the provinces that voted Conservative and pay close attention to making concessions that can make people from the Prairies feel more included in federal politics." "I'm feeling hopeful," he said. "Alberta's relationship with the rest of the country is damaged. The fact that Carney is Albertan, and the fact that the Liberals decided to backtrack some of their most divisive policies like the carbon tax, that gives me hope." "I've lived here three years after living in Toronto and I recognize there needs to be some healing between Albertans and the feds."
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
MP-elect Corey Hogan hoped for more Liberals in Calgary
Corey Hogan was bleary-eyed and a little nervous the day after winning the only Liberal seat in Calgary. Hogan, who was named a replacement candidate in Calgary Confederation a week into the campaign, said he has no idea what he's supposed to do next as a new member of Parliament. "I am the deer in the headlights," Hogan joked Tuesday in an interview with The Canadian Press. "I refused to look up anything about the nuts and bolts of being an MP out of superstition, so last night I'm sitting there at 2 in the morning Googling 'How do you get sworn in as an MP?' "What's the process? When am I supposed to go to Ottawa? Am I waiting for a phone call from somebody?" Hogan was brought into Calgary Confederation after the previous candidate was removed from the ballot. Thomas Keeper was running for the Liberals, but his name was removed amid reports of an old domestic assault charge that was stayed but not disclosed to the party. Hogan, 43, has been a lifelong Liberal and was once the executive director of the Alberta Liberal Party. He was a deputy minister under former NDP premier Rachel Notley and former UCP premier Jason Kenney. Hogan is currently the vice-president of communications and outreach at the University of Calgary. Hogan said he has an extensive background working in the oil and gas sector and that there wasn't a major pipeline project in the past 15 years that he wasn't involved in, such as Northern Gateway, Energy East, TMX and KXL to a lesser extent. He said it's disappointing that he was the only Liberal elected in Calgary but added the popular vote for the party has increased up to 27 per cent, so he believes something is happening beneath the surface. "I'm a little bummed out," he said. "I was looking forward to having a few colleagues where we would share flights to Ottawa. "On the other hand, more people voted for the Liberal party in Alberta this year than any year since 1968." Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams said Hogan brings a lot to the table and expects he could be offered a cabinet position by Prime Minister Mark Carney. "He's worked with Liberals and Conservatives and he's an Albertan and he's got a lot of strategic insights. I think he could be part of Carney's outreach to Alberta," she said. "Even the folks here who voted Liberal, many of them want a stronger voice in the federal government and they want to be treated fairly and that's just a reality that needs to be dealt with." Hogan said he's not lobbying for cabinet. "I'm focused right now on being the best MP for Calgary Confederation that I can be," he said. "If the prime minister has an expanded role for me, that's great.
