Jason Markusoff

@markusoff.bsky.social

14575 Followers 602 Following

I write and yak for CBC in Calgary. DMs open, Signal, WhatsApp, and such jason.markusoff@cbc.ca

Bruce McAllister @McAllisterBruce Sorry @SPhillipsAB Requiring proof of citizenship to vote isn’t a restriction. It’s the bare minimum for real democracy. Citizenship decides who gets a say. Without upfront checks you’re inviting fraud and that’s exactly what we see when verification is weak. Look at the pattern in the US. States that don’t require ID at the polls overwhelmingly vote Democrat. California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, and the rest of that list. Is that a coincidence? Or does loose verification help one side? Premier Danielle Smith gets this right. She’s making Alberta the first province with a combined card that puts citizenship proof, photo ID, and even your health number all in one secure spot at no extra cost. It streamlines services so Albertans can access student aid, health benefits, and disability supports faster without hauling around extra documents. It builds trust and directly protects elections by making sure only eligible citizens vote. Smart move that makes life easier for real Albertans while closing loopholes. Securing elections means proof of citizenship, paper ballots only, and real scrutineers from all sides watching every step. No hackable machines that can be flipped without a trace. Anything less leaves the system open to manipulation. So why fight basic safeguards like this card? Why frame it as some partisan attack instead of common sense? The practical result is elections that can be tainted. Do you actually want that? Because fighting every layer of verification sure looks like it. Democracy needs paper, eyes on the count, and confirmed citizens only. No excuses. #Alberta #DanielleSmith #ElectionIntegrity #ProofOfCitizenship #AlbertaStrong #CanadaPolitics #SecureOurVote #AlbertaFirst What do you think Alberta? Let’s get this right for the next generation.
Dear Premier Smith, A referendum to have a referendum… after two justices told you, you could call Mitch Sylvestre’s question under Section 1 of the Referendum Act is hardly decisive or honest leadership. On Thursday you lied to everyone in Alberta when you falsely claimed you couldn’t use either Lukaszuk’s question or Mitch’s question because of “the courts”. The courts in fact said the opposite. Chief Alan Adam had his picture taken SIGNING the Lukaszuk petition. How would he oppose THAT question. The simple fact is that you promised Mark Carney that there wouldn’t be a vote on independence this year. By stabbing 301,620 of YOUR VOTERS in the back you delivered on the promise as part of the package to sell out Alberta for a Chinese pipeline to Asia. No binary choice for Albertans as you promised. Only political sleight of hand. You have lost the ability to refer to yourself as “Right Honourable” . You have lost the moral authority to lead the UCP. Please resign. Sincerely, Jeffrey R.W. Rath B.A. (Hons.), LL.B.(Hons.) Foothills, Alberta
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