News
EXCLUSIVE: New poll shows UCP collapse as NDP & Wildrose surge
The Mainstreet poll puts UCP support lower than Jim Prentice’s PCs in 2015.
A new poll commissioned exclusively by the Western Standard shows Jason Kenney’s UCP would face decimation if an election was held today with the NDP’s Rachel Notley returned as premier, and a strong possibility of the new Wildrose Independence Party breaking into the legislature.
The Mainstreet Research poll was conducted January 6-7 and shows 41 per cent of Albertans would vote NDP, and only 26 per cent would cast a ballot for the UCP. The Wildrose Independence Party would take 9 per cent of the vote.
The Alberta Party was supported by 3 per cent, the Liberals and Greens 2 per cent each, and another 2 per cent for other parties. Another 16 per cent were undecided.
“This is horrific news for the governing UCP and for Premier Jason Kenney,” said Mainstreet President and CEO Quito Maggi. “It’s absolutely terrible.”
At 26 per cent, the UCP are polling lower than the 28 per cent received by the Progressive Conservatives under Jim Prentice in 2015.
Maggi noted it was a whopping 28 point drop in popularity for the UCP, leaving them 17 per cent behind Notley’s NDP.
He said the NDP have an unprecedented 50 point lead in Edmonton and 15 per cent lead in the former Tory fortress of Calgary. The UCP has also dropped 30 points in rural Alberta.
And the NDP currently leads in support among men, something Maggi said was unheard of before.
“Right now we are looking at a sweep similar to the 2015 election which brought the NDP to power,” Maggi said, predicting Notley’s party would likely regain seats in Lethbridge on their way to a majority government.
The drop in rural support opens the door for the Wildrose Independence Party, currently polling at nine per cent. Maggi said the WIP could start to win seats right now with its concentrated support in rural areas.
He said WIP would likely see its support continue to climb if it gets a high profile leader.
While Wildrose polled a distant third in Calgary and Edmonton, its strength was clearly in rural Alberta at 13 per cent support.
The new party was constituted from a merger of the Freedom Conservative party and Wexit Alberta last year, opting to reclaim the Wildrose mantle, which Maggi says is still a “very, very strong brand” in the province, and has already endured its near extinction after mass floor crossings in December 2014.
Based on how respondents voted in the 2019 election, the party appears to have consolidated support from the former FCP and smaller right-leaning parties and pulled significant support from both the UCP and Alberta Party.
“There is a residual dislike for Notley in the province, and when you have an unpopular leader versus an unpopular leader, people will look to a third party,” Maggi said.
Despite its attempts, the Alberta Party appears to have dropped back into the range of the largely moribund Liberal Party at 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
According to Maggi, the Alberta Party is in trouble because they don’t have a leader in place, nor a professional team behind them. Maggi added the centrist vote is largely parked between the NDP and UCP.
“For another centrist party to enter the space, and take away oxygen, is almost impossible,” he said.
But Maggi said it’s way too early to count the UCP out with the next election not scheduled to occur until 2023.
“There is a way out. A week is an eternity in politics – two years is forever,” he said, adding the NDP was hardly on the map before the 2015 election while the Tories were widely expected to sweep.
Removing the undecided vote, the NDP would get 48 per cent, the UCP 31 per cent, Wildrose gets 10 per cent, Alberta Party four per cent, Liberals three per cent, Green two percent and others two per cent.
The poll of 1,003 adults has a margin of error of +/- 3.09 per cent and a 95 per cent confidence level.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
News
UPDATE: GraceLife Church protesters tear down part of fence
A large protest, and possible outdoor service, are expected at the site Sunday morning.
Authorities have put a third fence around the GraceLife Church hoping to keep out crowds expected to gather Sunday morning.
AHS, with the help of RCMP, raided the church, in Spruce Grove, Wednesday morning erecting the initial barricades. The third level of defence was put up Saturday.
On Sunday morning, about 300 people gathered at the furthest barricade which was manned by more than as dozen police officers.
Protesters sang songs and hymns and yelled at the police.
One woman asked for her son to be allowed to go into the church to use the washroom. She was refused and launched a torrent of abuse against the police.
At one point, protesters tore down part of a chain link barrier. RCMP quickly put in make up. Some of the protesters even helped the police put the fence back up.
Dozens of RCMP cruisers blocked access roads for kilometres surrounding the church.
The church, through their lawyers at the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, issued a statement Sunday afternoon
“Grace Life Church appreciates the public outpouring of support to fully open churches in Alberta. Grace Life Church congregants were not at the protest that occurred on Sunday, April 11, 2021 near the church’s facility. Grace Life Church recognizes the place for peaceful protest within the context of a democracy.
“Grace Life Church has no control of our Church or grounds at this time. The Church grounds are fully under the responsibility and control of the RCMP and Alberta Health Services. The closing of the Grace Life facility has understandably resulted in significant public outrage and caused even larger crowds to gather in one place. Albertans have a constitutional right to assemble, associate, and worship. By taking the measures the government has, while the matter is still pending before the Courts, the Alberta Government has created an even more divisive situation.”
The church, under Pastor James Coates, had repeatedly violated COVID-19 laws by holding packed services with hundreds of people.
Coates turned himself into the RCMP and served more than a month in jail before being released with a $1,500 fine and a tongue-lashing from the judge.
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro personally approved the AHS-RCMP raid and barricading of the Grace Life Church according to a UCP MLA that spoke to the Western Standard on condition of anonymity. Shandro has denied the story.
A large protest, and possible outdoor service, are expected at the site Sunday morning.
This story will be updated as the Sunday events happen.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
News
Jivraj admits planting fake stories with Press Progress, CBC
Under oath, Jivraj admitted he was a long-time informant for Press Progress, the de facto media arm of the NDP.
Western Standard News editor Dave Naylor has spent two weeks investigating the story of Caylan Ford. Ford seemed a rising political star – intelligent, photogenic and a working mother. She was recruited by Jason Kenney to run provincial for the UCP.
Ford seemed to be on the path to stardom when she was shot down in flames by rumours and planted news stories in a NDP-linked news site.
Ford blames one man for her downfall – Kiram Javrij.
Over the next week, Naylor will tell their story backed with court documentation and interviews.
Karim Jivraj, under testimony during a deposition, detailed just how complex his undercover harassment of UCP candidate Caylan Ford, and other women was.
Under withering questioning by Ford’s Lawyer, R.E. Harrison, Javrij admitted to planting fake stories with the NDP-linked Press Progress and the CBC.
In October 2018, Jivraj wrote a letter accusing Ford of committing “residency fraud” and claimed she was ineligible to stand as a candidate for election in the riding of Calgary Mountainview.
“He asked nine members of my constituency association board to sign the letter, but did not sign it himself,” said Ford in an exclusive interview with the Western Standard.
“Then he sent it to the media, and invited journalists to report on his allegations. Press Progress did.”
The following is a portion of the Q and A between Harrison and Jivraj.
Harrison: You say that you helped author the letter?
A: Yes.
Harrison then ask Jivraj who else on the board helped author the letter to then UCP Executive Director Janice Harrington.
Q: Now, after authoring the letter, you circulated it to the other board directors to seek their signatures?
A: Yes. I — I and others circulated it.
Read Javrij’s letter to the Mountainview board
Harrison then got Jivraj to admit he didn’t sign the letter he letter. Jivraj then detailed how he was the one who sent the letter to the NDP-linked news website, Press Progress.
Q: The October 13, 2018, article from Press Progress is entitled “UCP Constituency Association Accuses Jason Kenney’s Handpicked ‘Parachute Candidate’ of Breaking Party Rules.” Do you see that.
A: Yeah.
Q: Do you recognize this article?
A: Yes.
Q: Now, do you know who sent the October 1, 2018, letter to Press Progress?
A: I believe I did.
In November 2018, Jivraj purchased Google attack ads on searches of Ford’s name. These ads included a fabricated quotation, which Jivraj attributed to Ford. Harrison asked Jivraj who bought them.
A: I’m not sure if “purchase” is the right word. I received a free $50 budget on Google Ads, and so that was used for this. So there was no monetary investment.”
Q: Okay. So these ads were posted by you?
A: Yes.
In November 2018, Jivraj used a pseudonymous email account to send defamatory statements about Ford to 1,300 of her electors. The emails included another fabricated quotation which he attributed to Ford.
Q: You see the last attack ad has a quote: “My family has lived in southwest Calgary for generations. I could never live in north Calgary. Anywhere above the Bow is basically a suburb.” Do you see that quotation?
A: Yes
Q: Did you create that quotation?
A: I don’t believe so.
Q: Where did you get that quotation from?
A: I’m not sure. I think Ms. Ford may have said something along those lines when I was looking for a place in Calgary.
Q: You’re aware that Ms. Ford has lived in the neighbourhood of Sunnyside?
A: I became aware of that afterward.
Q: And why did these attack — why did these ads link to Press Progress?
A : That’s a good question. I don’t know.
Under oath, Jivraj admitted he was a long-time informant for Press Progress, the de facto media arm for the NDP.
Q: Did you email or call PressProgress to disclose this conversation?
A: I can’t recall. I don’t — I can’t recall if I reached out directly to Press Progress. I think the — what initiated the cycle of events was my meeting, my physical meeting at (Calgary coffee shop) Vendome.
Q: What I want to know is whether you phoned Press Progress to provide them with the contents of the conversation or provide them information
A: I can’t recall.
Q: Why did Press Progress call you out of the blue as you’ve insinuated.
Jivraj admits he has been in contact with Press Progress previously to discuss provincial and federal politics.
Q: OK, How many times would you have spoken with Press Progress previously to their phone call to you?
A: Again, I don’t want to guess, but several, several times.
Jivraj admits he has been in contact with Press progress since 2015. Ford herself then jumps into the questioning, asking Jivraj about his dealings with the CBC.
Ford: Did you disclose additional private messages between yourself and me to the CBC?
A: Yes
Ford: Have you created any other pseudonymous Twitter accounts?
A: Yeah. In my various political activities, yes, I’ve created many.
Ford is suing Jivraj, Press Progress and several media outlets for a total of $7 million.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
The saga of Karim Jivraj’s campaign against Ford and other conservative women is just too incredible to be told in a single feature article.
That’s why the Western Standard decided to break it down into a series, which will dive into several of the actions taken by Jivraj. It’s a story we did not believe until we obtained the evidence.
COMING NEXT: Tap on back leads to assault allegations from Rivraj against Ford
PREVIOUSLY:
How a Conservative candidate worked with the NDP to bring down star UCP candidate
Tory candidate admits using a fake Twitter account to spread false sexual rumours
Jivraj admits to undercover online campaigns against women
News
EXCLUSIVE: UCP MLA says Shandro approved barricading GraceLife Church
But a spokesman for Shandro denied any involvement by the minister.
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro personally approved the AHS-RCMP raid and barricading of the Grace Life Church according to a UCP MLA that spoke to the Western Standard on condition of anonymity.
RCMP and Alberta Health Services conducted a Wednesday dawn raid on the church in Spruce Grove, Alberta after it repeatedly refused to comply to lockdown and capacity orders from the government.
“Shandro directly signed off on the raid,” said the MLA.
The MLA said the public backlash against the raid has rocked the government, and they are considering removing the wall before an expected large service is held there Sunday.
But a spokesman for Shandro denied any involvement by the minister.
“Minister Shandro did not direct or sign off this action. The law gives AHS independent authority to carry out such an action. The Minister is not required to sign off on enforcement activity such as seen at GraceLife, nor did he sign off. “
The move against the church came the day after Alberta Premier Jason Kenney threw the province back into a COVID-19 lockdown for the third time, discarding the policy of phased reopening based on measurable targets.
The move infuriated even members of his own caucus, with 17 UCP MLAs signing a public letter denouncing Kenney.
Another UCP MLA told the Western Standard they are “100% certain” Kenney will be the subject of an early party leadership review.
“Caucus is in total chaos,” said the MLA, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A new Angus Reid poll this week showed a whopping 75% of Albertans oppose Kenney’s handling of the pandemic, including those that believe he has gone too far in restrictions, and those who believe that he hasn’t gone far enough.
Former federal Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day the Alberta government for barricading the GraceLife Church, saying it would bring “gleeful howls” from dictators around the world.
The church’s pastor, James Coates recently spent 35 days in the Edmonton Remand Centre after refused to agree to stop preaching as a condition of his bail.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
UPDATE: GraceLife Church protesters tear down part of fence
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