Notice of motion now up from the Opposition, urging the gov't to maintain safety requirements for newly licensed Class 1 drivers. #westcdnag #ableg
To be fair, I'm not sure what happens after this motion... Will keep you posted on what happens with it. #ableg
Renaud thanks family members stayed for QP. She says this is a serious matter. The entire country was shaken by the crash. #ableg #westcdnag
It isn't a partisan issue and something all members should be concerned about, she says. #ableg #westcdnag
She says UCP will give some people exemptions. This is deserving of a debate and very urgent, she adds. McIver now enters the house. #ableg #westcdnag
Why is this urgent? Because we could have an accident tomorrow or today, Renaud says. Put partisan thoughts aside and listen to these families, she says. #ableg #westcdnag
Members give the motion unanimous consent. #ableg #westcdnag
All right, this means the debate begins. #ableg #westcdnag
Follow along to hear what members say. Renaud says it's evident to see what happens what safety standards aren't met. #ableg #westcdnag
We saw there was a gap, she says, a loophole that needed to be filled. What was good 10 years ago isn't good enough today and that safety minimums exist for a reason. #ableg
It should never be about company inconvenience, costs, or too much red tape, she says. "That's unacceptable." #ableg
Seatbelts were once a thing of the past but people were arguing against it at one point, she says. That's a good example of seeing now that seatbelts are a no-brainer even though they were once opposed. #ableg
It's horrible it took a tragedy to have this discussion again about the changes, she says, adding let's make the changes we need to make sure this never happens again. #ableg
Transportation critic Rod Loyola says family's don't want this to happen again. That's what this issue is about, he says. #ableg
It's important we recognize here in Alberta our regs were so out of date when compared to other jurisdictions, he says. The previous gov't was trying to get Alberta on par, he adds. #ableg
He says it's true the previous gov't was providing exemptions so all drivers could get rolled into the program, but now finding out through the media that exemptions are extended for longer and probably indefinite. Is that the case? Loyola asks. #ableg
What is it that's calling you to roll back regs? Loyola asks. Is it a special interest group? Or are you here to govern for all Albertans? #ableg
I don't want to get into a he said, she said scenario, he says. But Minister is not completely transparent with conversations he had with families of Humboldt victims, Loyola says.
Now Ric McIver is up to speak to this motion. He says this is another opportunity for the opposition to take yes for an answer. He says safety is the most important thing. #ableg
He thanks families and loved ones from Humboldt for being in the chamber. #ableg
McIver says that MELT came from the U.S., not from the NDP or a conservative. #ableg
He says as of Feb next year, drivers who don't have MELT won't be able to go to cross the border. #ableg
He agrees with the motion. We have said yes before and will say yes again today, he says. He says MELT was not implemented by previous gov't, and that lots of past driver examiners were fired, which set gov't behind. #ableg
Had they one the election, they would be in this same situation, McIver says. #ableg
He says if they read the Tantus report fully, they wouldn't have cut driver examiners during the busiest testing time of the year, which is summer. #ableg
We were left with a situation to impose these standards but falling behind with road tests, because of fewer examiners, he says. He wishes they were ahead than they are. Alberta is behind by 30,000 tests, he says. #ableg
We've hired more drivers, McIver says, which took a while because they needed to ensure safety. #ableg
I find it insincere when we gave extended periods of time to farmers and school drivers to get get licenses with training, he says, because they were granted an initial extension to 2020. That extension was moved further to 2021 by the UCP. #ableg
McIver says we need MELT. The Opposition was right when they did that, he says. there are 6,500 to 6,800 people who were caught in transition, he adds. #ableg
They got their Class 1 without MELT. They would have preferred to have them get MELT but because of the few examiners, they couldn't, he says. Humboldt families not happy about this. He says UCP will re-consider this. #ableg
I'm not sure what we are going to do, McIver says. No announcement today, but they are going to look at it. He apologies for not having an firm announcement today and understands if families aren't happy with him, but they'll look into it. #ableg
It comes down to making the roads and drivers as safe as we can, McIver says. #ableg
We are going to listen to the families' advice, he says. He can't promise all of their requests, but UCP will listen, he says. #ableg
Finance critic Shannon Phillips now reads remarks from one family into the legislature. I don't have the family's name off hand... my apologies, but the gist is they say a truckload of grain shouldn't take precedent over someone's life. #ableg #westcdnag
Phillips now reading into issues from former road examiners, like bribery, sexual misconduct, etc. It wasn't a terrible mistake to remove their driver examiner's credentials, she says. #ableg
There are some easy fixes here, Philips says. Making efforts to look is cold comfort for what would be an easy answer. Will there be exemptions or not? Yes or no? Phillips asks. Let's tell these families now. #ableg
She's putting forward a slate of recommendations, like funding training for school boards, stand-up to hard-core lobbying by saying safety is first. #ableg
Be a role model across the country, Phillips says. Put this on the agenda that every province has the same standards, that there won't be exemptions, she says. #ableg
We deserve to know that school bus drivers picking up our kids have appropriate training and gov't has taken responsibility for that safety, she says. Make this announcement now. It's not that much money, get it done, she says. #ableg
Let's give these families of the Humboldt Broncos get back to business of rebuilding lives than have to advocate for trucking standards, she says. #ableg
That's not right, that's not respectful. Families are crying in the house after this speech. #ableg #westcdnag
I should clarify and say Shauna Nordstrom, the mother of the late Logan, is wiping tears during this debate. Very emotional #ableg #westcdnag
Environment minister Jason Nixon says MELT is here to stay. Side note: This still isn't clear to me if exemptions will remain forever and if those 6,800 others who are caught in the middle will require training. We'll see what happens. #ableg
It's getting a little partisan now.. This is appalling to see how NDP goes about their business, Nixon says. Renaud had said earlier to focus on the issue. #ableg
Families of Humboldt Broncos have now left the gallery. I'm not sure if they will return. #ableg
I'm heading out, too. It's clear there won't be announcement today, but we will see how the gov't addresses this going forward. You can watch more of this online if you want. #ableg #westcdnag
Ok so apparently there will be a vote on this soon, which will determine whether exemptions should be struck. Stay tuned... I'm not leaving yet. #ableg #westcdnag
Hoffman now up, saying a delay in exempting drivers is concerning. #ableg
Hoffman says this will cost money, but it's not worth the risk. Please don't make community members have that same knot in stomach. This is worth investment, she says. #ableg
We are unsure with what's happening with the 6,800 new drivers that would've been licensed but needed training, Notley says, as well as unsure with folks who work in ag who aren't meeting standards and if they won't have to take testing. Could create loopholes, she adds. #ableg
Also concerned about school bus drivers, she says. There is confusion, it's not a conspiracy, which isn't good, she says. #ableg
Now on to examiners. She says NDP made changes due to concerns that in some cases there was abuse by private operators. Some were great, she says, but enough that required the government to step in. #ableg
It happened at the same time gov't was implementing new training, she says. But what needs to be understood, she says, is most examiners work part-time and new ones work full-time. By end of April, she says, capacity to train was back to almost normal. #ableg
The change in driver examiners wouldn't have meant delays in two years, she says. I take full responsibility of some of the trainer problems, she says, but it's time to move away from it and fix this issue. #ableg
NDP required the 6,800 group to take training because of concerns bad trainers would have funnelled lots through the system, she says. (paraphrasing here) #ableg
With the ag sector, this is an area that could be abused, she says. It's a small area, but if exemptions remain in place that will become a loophole to drive big rigs, she says. #ableg
Give them a grant, Notley says. This is an investment we should be making in kids and workers and citizens who are on the roads. #ableg
There are simple solutions, she says, urging them to show who is being trained, when it's available, how many trained and how much it's costing. Be clear and consistent about what is going on, she says. #ableg
Motion was carried. Still not sure what this means. Will know after this scrum, I hope. #ableg #westcdnag
