The NDP pounded UCP front lines in the legislature on Monday over allegations of corruption in Alberta Health Services (AHS) procurement.The NDP’s arguments seem convincing but in the end, allegations only become fact when incubated and hatched in court.The former CEO of AHS, Athana Mentzelopoulos, has filed a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the province, claiming she was terminated for investigating shady business deals. The province has filed its statement of defence, asserting Mentzelopoulos was fired for incompetence and poor behaviour. The controversy is convoluted, with dramatic accusations running alongside a weak defence from the UCP during question period.The NDP has little vision for Alberta beyond vociferous criticism. The UCP is in defence mode. Its budget spending items — commendable given economic conditions — are overshadowed by controversy.The conversation may change soon.A black cat rises in the east — an existential threat worse than Trudeau — ready to hammer Alberta. Mark Carney is now prime minister, and if current polls are credible, the Liberals under his leadership could win the next federal election, thanks to the stupidity and short memory of the eastern electorate.What makes Carney more menacing than Trudeau is his intelligence. While Trudeau was overt about his disdain for Alberta and its prosperity, Carney is more guarded.If Carney wins the next federal election, the consequences could be dire. The dictates of his net-zero ideology — honed in Europe with a malignant edge — will shape many aspects of federal policymaking.Like Trudeau, it’s his religion.Carney won’t abandon carbon taxes and rebate socialism, despite claims to the contrary. He may strike the oil and gas sector in a manner worse than Trudeau and Guilbeault combined.If Alberta’s economy falters, Canada will follow, with slim chances for recovery.This should genuinely concern all members of the Alberta Legislature — including the NDP — who now support pipelines to tidewater and accessing foreign energy markets.Will the NDP and UCP unite against a common antagonist? No.But they may be forced into new debates on far more serious issues.
