Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
banner
mitchellab.bsky.social
Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
@mitchellab.bsky.social
Informed opinion columnist. Acerbic UofC Alum, Schrodinger’s politics; may piss everyone off at some point. WomenOfABpoli on Substack. Biased against false statements & equivalencies. Canadian-Albertan political commentator.
Pinned
Now I want to get a new licence plate just to deface it.
Stoned and free
It’s a very sad day for the person who didn’t receive an Ultimate Family calendar!
(Seriously— highly recommended for people who have multiple events to manage in a single day).
December 26, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
I’m truly heartened by the array of people who got The Onion as a present this year. We got teens, we got dads, and this year we cracked the coveted Wacky Girlfriend demo.

Thank you to everyone who gifted a paper today. We really are gonna have more print subscribers than the Washington Post, huh?
Got my dad—a Recovering Republican—a subscription to @theonion.com for Christmas and he’s already cackling away.
December 25, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
“Pierre Poilievre is a weak Trumpist with no real policy ideas who floated to the top of the Conservative ranks on the strength of misinformation and endorsements from fascists and alt-right influencers.”
Observations from Montreal
An ever-changing collection of commentary and observations by Montrealers or about Montreal politics and culture.
cultmtl.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Recognize you’ll undoubtably find something you want while Christmas shopping.

Self care is unabashedly buying it, wrapping it & putting it under the tree for you from Santa.

Santa always loves you, sometimes he just needs you to help

😉
December 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
I started reviewing the Alberta Next report by looking at their polling results.

The numbers in the sample table don't add up.

Can anyone make it make sense?

If not, I'm not sure how we take the analysis seriously.

🔗 open.alberta.ca/dataset/2919...
December 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Unless I missed it somewhere, I don't see any details about the Alberta Next survey methodology.

This leaves me with a lot of questions.
I started reviewing the Alberta Next report by looking at their polling results.

The numbers in the sample table don't add up.

Can anyone make it make sense?

If not, I'm not sure how we take the analysis seriously.

🔗 open.alberta.ca/dataset/2919...
December 21, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
I wouldn't call it a great debate, necessarily.

But only because @trevortombe.bsky.social 's contribution was so overpowering.

One of the best economic defenses of equalization I've read. 👏

albertaviews.ca/equalization...
Is Equalization Unfair to Alberta? - Alberta Views
The equalization payment reflects a core value: ensuring all Canadians can receive normal public services without paying abnormally high taxes
albertaviews.ca
December 20, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Former UCP member Peter Guthrie launches Progressive Tory Party of Alberta calgaryherald.com/news/former-...
December 20, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
The new party pledges a “progressive conservative option in fiscal responsibility, social reliability and respect for democratic institutions.” #cdnpoli #abpoli #ableg
Former UCP member Peter Guthrie launches Progressive Tory Party of Alberta calgaryherald.com/news/former-...
December 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
The province receives recommendations from panels all the time, and premier & gov't take or leave ideas as they please.
But this is different.
This panel was *chaired* by Premier Danielle Smith.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta Next panel recommends referendums on immigration, leaving Canada Pension Plan | CBC News
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
www.cbc.ca
December 19, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
He makes good point throughout but none better than it’s a WASTE of time to contact your MLA as all you get is a canned AG comms reply. It’s like they’re in the cone of silence
December 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Want to help collect signatures for Corb’s Water not Coal petition? Sign up here: www.coalpetition.ca
December 19, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
It's not about representing all ABs as a centrist party. They can't represent all ABs. It's not about making a big tent any more. Now it's about taking down the UCP and providing a voice for PCs that are unhappy with the shotgun wedding that married the PCs and WR - and the subsequent WR takeover.
December 19, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Corb Lund reaching to the man himself: Peter Lougheed.
#ableg #abpoli
December 19, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Wonder if Dani might listen if a Republican says it. She's gotta go before she lets insurance companies run Alberta healthcare. #abpoli

youtube.com/shorts/hU-Y4...
Republican Chip Roy Destroys Both Parties on Healthcare #duet #healthcare #chiproy #grift #insurance
YouTube video by Hawk's Podcasts / mdg650hawk
youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:15 AM
It’s like getting a glimpse of our own future if the UCP can’t be stopped.
#ableg #abhealth
December 19, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
I’m at the Alberta Rose for “Let It Go: A Burlesque Tribute to Frozen.”

#AlbertaRoseTheatre #Burlesque #LacyProductions
December 19, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
I didn’t realize they only had until the end of the year to register their new name.

Usual #UCP shenanigans - change the rules for party names on Dec 11, a mere 20 days before party name registration closes.
December 19, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Just making things up as they go along.

If this were continuous improvement, we'd say they were building an airplane while flying it.

This populist policymaking is more like like removiny the bolts mid-flight and replacing them with duct tape, ideology, and wishful thinking.
December 19, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Progressive Tory!
December 19, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
That's good, I wish them luck. It looks like we've gone full circle from PC, Wildrose and NDP.

Alberta UCP are pretty much ... our Wildrose bozo eruptors. What a pox, so incompetent.
December 19, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Huh? They found a way around the nonsense word bans.
December 19, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean
Just going to leave this here.

open.substack.com/pub/drjaredw...
Alberta needs a few good tories
The province’s conservative movement has lost its balance, and democracy is paying the price
open.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
News in Alberta… #ableg #abpoli
December 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
The Lesson in Jordan Peterson's Law

"While we are dealing with some bad legislation, the opposition is being set up to look like they’re always hitting 11 when the appropriate reaction is sometimes a four."
#ableg #abpoli
womenofabpoli.substack.com/p/the-lesson...
The lesson in Jordan Peterson's law
This is a story of how the UCP's Bill 13 was set, built, and played out, with the opposition playing their intended roles perfectly.
womenofabpoli.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM