After weeks of anxiety and rumours around a possible federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget has officially passed the House of Commons with four abstentions, winning by only the narrowest of margins – 170 to 168 .   Even in an ordinary political cycle, the policy contents of a budget almost always play second fiddle to the narrative battle around the budget, but this year, the politics behind the budget were more transparently on display than ever before.

Imagine if a hockey team’s players and coaches decided they’d rather do each other’s jobs. How effective will that team be? The centre decides he’d be a good coach, so he swaps places with the head coach. The result is that we get an untested and possibly disastrous coach, and the new coach-become-centre gets beaten to the puck every time. Whether this is junior hockey or the NHL, this position swap will turn out badly, and the team will fail. The Ineffective Team This is a m

Election season has come and gone for Alberta. Somewhat like holiday seasons, people involved are left with things that they love… and some that they may not even like. During our orientation and strategic planning sessions, we talk about the different stages of forming a new team. Forming – the forming stage is when a new team comes together (such as right after an election). Storming – The new team is getting to know each other as people. Conflicts may arise as people lea