Look, I know I'm a politician & anything I say is going to be seen as partisan. I get that. But up until recently, I wasn't overtly political. And today, I can't stop thinking like my pre-politician self about the govt's decision to lay off 20,000+ Albertans in a pandemic. #ableg
I'm thinking about it as someone who worked for school boards for years - who knows how much the trustees, the administration & each school's staff valued the people who worked with them delivering the best for the kids in their schools, including all the support staff. #ableg
I'm thinking about it as a spouse of a school administrator who audibly gasped when he heard that so many of the people he works with everyday - who were promised their job would continue - are being let go. By their gov't. During a pandemic. #ableg
I'm thinking about it as a friend, colleague, & neighbour of so many people who work as support staff in schools across this province, who have spent the last two weeks planning how they can continue to support the students they love in this "new normal". #ableg
I'm thinking about it as a former public servant for Alberta Education who worked for 8 years for Ministers representing political parties I didn't vote for, but yet I still believed they were acting in what they thought was the best interest of Albertans. #ableg
As cynical as I'm supposed to be now that I'm a politician, I can honestly say that today's announcement that the govt of MY province has intentionally laid off 20,000+ of its own people during an unprecedented crisis has shocked me. My pre-politician self is floored. #ableg
No matter that for most of my life, my political values have differed from the provincial govt in power, I never could have imagined any of those Alberta govts saying that Albertans are not their responsibility - that they're the fed govt's problem now. During a pandemic. #ableg
