Governor Palin Well Received by Canadian Audience

Governor Palin’s appearance in Calgary, Canada on Saturday night was well received.  A number of local and regional media sources wrote about the event.

Shannon Montgomery, from the Canada Press, reported:

Sarah Palin drew a straight line from Alaska to Alberta as she told a sold-out, largely adoring crowd in Calgary that the province gets her message of less government, lower taxes and development of natural resources.

In what was billed as her first Canadian appearance since stepping down as governor of Alaska last summer, Palin’s trademark folksy charm was on full display Saturday night.

She joked that her distinctive accent means she’s often mistaken for Canadian and that she has two great-grandfathers from Canada, including one from Moose Jaw, Sask.

“That must be where my love of moose came from,” she said to laughter and applause.

Palin, who shot to national prominence after being chosen as running mate for U.S. Republican Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign, also mentioned the Olympics, suggesting that the bobsled is all in a day’s commute in Alaska.

She paid tribute to Canada’s men’s hockey win, noting that the U.S. men’s silver is nothing to sneeze at.

“Second place isn’t that bad. I’ve been there.”

Palin grew serious when the talk turned to politics, thanking Calgary-based company TransCanada Corp. for its bid to build a pipeline to connect Alaska to Alberta.

She noted the areas have several things in common: good hunting, good fishing and a commitment to developing energy resources.

“We understand how important it is to do responsibly.”

She touched on climate change, saying that her skepticism has been proven by several recent controversies and that money shouldn’t be spent on “pie-in-the-sky, snake-oil ideas.”

The vocal opponent of health care reform in the U.S. steered largely clear of the topic except to reveal a tidbit about her life growing up not far from Whitehorse.

“We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada,” she said. “And I think now, isn’t that ironic.”

[...]

She has become a regular paid commentator for Fox News and gave a high-profile address at the first national convention of the “tea party” coalition last month. The anti-establishment, grass-roots network is formed on a premise of anger over the growth of government and President Barack Obama’s policies.

She denied any kind of leadership ambitions for the movement, saying that she’s told organizers that politicians will always let them down while ideals remain true.

“It’s a beautiful movement, it’s a conservative movement that’s sweeping our nation,” she said.

[...]

Tickets for the Calgary event were pegged at about $150 to $200. About half of the 1,200 people in attendance gave Palin a standing ovation.

Petti Fong at The Star wrote:

Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who has become the de facto leader of the U.S. Tea Party movement advocating smaller government and fiscal restraint, found a welcoming crowd for her first speech in Canada Saturday.

In her opening comments, Palin spoke of similarities between Alaska, where she was governor before resigning last year, and Alberta.

Both, she pointed out, have a long history of independent thinking and an economy heavily dependent on energy production. “We understand the importance of developing our energy resources,” she said. “We understand how important it is to do it responsibly and keep our energy resources safe and secure.”

Palin found a receptive audience in the crowd that filled the BMO Centre in Calgary to capacity; more than 1,000 attended, paying $150 to $200 a ticket. Last year, the same organizers brought George W. Bush to Calgary for his first speech after leaving office, paying him a fee estimated at $100,000 to $150,000.

While Bush’s speech drew hundreds of protesters, who tossed shoes and burned the former president in effigy, Palin’s talk was more low-key – one lone protester turned up outside the centre.

Palin, who spoke without notes, made frequent references to her ill-fated run for the Republican Party as the vice-presidential candidate.

At one point during her question-and-answer period with former broadcaster, Senator Pamela Wallin, she held up a bare palm. During her widely publicized talk to the Tea Party convention in Nashville, Tenn. this year, she had apparent crib notes written on her palm.

On Saturday, Palin referred to Biblical passage Isaiah 49, about names written on the palm of God’s hand.

[...]

She drew applause from the crowd when she said those who advocate sound science, not “snake-oil science” in discussions about climate change will win the debate. “What’s going on right now is vindication for us that we’re dealing with sound science, not politics,” she said. “People’s eyes and ears are open.”

Palin didn’t take questions from the audience, but told Wallin her focus is on getting politicians elected who share her beliefs in free enterprise and free markets, smaller government and letting the private sector do everything possible.

“The answers aren’t easy, but there are some simple answers,” said Palin, who added she supports the “common sense values” of former president Ronald Reagan.

Richard Cuthbert Son at The Calgary Herald wrote:

[...]

While the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate’s speech in Calgary dealt in part with her push for more domestic energy development, her doubts over climate change science and her view that environmental issues needed to be balanced by economic progress, Palin’s talk was also interspersed with jokes that drew laughs from a packed house. 

She noted that soon into her run on John McCain’s presidential ticket that her patience wore thin with the “mainstream media.” She noted a reporter said Palin had a bit of a Canadian accent. Palin said she responded, “So.” 

“That interview didn’t go very well,” Palin told Saturday’s crowd of more than 1,000. “Not many of them did.” 

She talked of Canadian connections to her family, lauded Vancouver’s hosting of the Winter Olympics and noted the men’s Canadian hockey win over the Americans. 

But some of her best-received comments to the Calgary crowd came with her thoughts on energy and environment. She said traditional forms of energy must continue to be developed along with renewable resources as part of an “all-of-the-above approach.” 

Her concern, she said, is waiting for unfriendly regimes to develop their resources. Relying on those puts the United States in a less safe and less prosperous position, she said. 

“We’ve got the become more energy independent,” she said. 

She also brought up the East Anglia climate change e-mail scandal, saying it made “settled science feel a little unsettled.” Cap-and-trade proposals to reduce emissions would lead to job losses and a heavier tax burden, she said. 

She also participated in a question-and-answer session with Senator Pamela Wallin.

CTV Calgary reported:

Palin played to a full house at the BMO Centre.

1200 people collectively shelled out nearly a quarter of million dollars to hear her talk about oil and gas, climate change, and big government.

Senator Pamela Wallin, a former journalist, moderated a short question and answer session. Wallin says if Palin wants to run for president, she’s going to have to take a stand.

“It’s hard to be the critic of your party and its voice and its persona, so I think her intention right now is to see her party, the Republican Party, get back on track,” commented Wallin.

Wallin says it’s clear Palin has learned a lot about big politics since the U.S. election.

Wallin says Palin also seems to know more about Canada than most American politicians.