I’ve had it with all the sanctimonious gaslighting spewing from Alberta conservatives about a damn mug. And the false equivalence! Here’s a thread giving examples of what UCP supporters have done to “political discourse” in our province. #AbLeg#abpoli
Unprecedented number death threats against a sitting Premier. Targeted not only because she was NDP, but also because she’s a woman.
Here’s a particularly awful one...
They used a cutout of her face as target practice
Misogynist attacks against left wing women have become “the new normal” in Alberta.
And it’s not just right-wing randos posting from their basements. The misogyny is coming from sitting UCP MLAs ... while actually sitting in the Legislature.
Of course, women are not the only targets. Any politician who isn’t conservative enough will do.
And, of course, implied violence seems to be just fine.
In fact, attacks on left-of-centre politicians and citizens is so popular among centre segments of the right, it has spawned a cottage industry of nasty decals.
Honestly, who in Alberta hasn’t seen stickers and decals like this? On any given day. In any given corner of our province.
So spare me your fricking pearl clutching about one fricking mug!
Oh, one last thing. Here’s the mug that spawned the outrage of Kenney’s supporters. It’s locally made right here in Alberta. You know what to do. Bottoms up! majestyandfriends.com/products/subtl…
I was hesitant to post this one. But it really shows how bad things have become at the bottom of the right-wing echo chamber.
Acting with a group of parents, we asked for three things 1) a judicial review of the UCP’s decision to lift mask mandates in schools 2) a return to masking until the review is heard 3) nullification of the UCP’s prohibition on school boards setting their own mask policies.
The court threw out #3 because we’re not school boards. The judge said he’d have to hear directly from school boards themselves if they are treating LaGrange’s letter prohibiting school boards from setting their own mask rules as binding on them.
Kenney & his lapdog Staples are at it again: using the pandemic as a pretext to justify health care privatization. Why don’t we have enough ICU beds and staff? B/c of years of conservative underfunding! Why are staff leaving? B/c conservatives treat them like crap! #abpoli
Staples says: “Changing approaches is also in order. Any number of new programs and processes are worth a try if they increase the drivers of systemic efficiency, such as transparency, accountability and competition.” This is a privatization dog whistle.
And it’s pretty rich when Kenney says he’s “done everything possible” to increase capacity in our health care system during the pandemic. The truth is, he’s chase doctors and nurses out of the profession and out of the province.
Covid has entered our household. My partner, who is a nurse, recently tested positive. She’s fully-vaxxed and only experiencing mild symptoms. But it’s been an anxious time for all of us. 1/n
We had a family Covid plan which I hoped we’d never have to use. But here we are. Jen is isolating in our room. We’re bringing her all her meals. I’m sleeping in the basement. The kids and I are wearing masks around the house and limiting contact. 2/n
We’ve had family members bring us groceries, and we’re lucky enough to have three full bathrooms, so Jen can have one for herself. For the time being, we’re eating separately and we’ve stopped sharing things like towels and toothpaste. 3/n
The UCP’s Justice Minister is speaking in the Legislature right now saying the @ABFedLabour spends “tens of millions of dollars in funding for the NDP.” This is going to be convenient when we kick his ass in court. He’s lying to justify silencing workers. #FireTheUCP#AbLeg
The reality is we spend exactly (checks notes) zero dollars on the NDP. Instead, we spent $550k on what had to be reported as “political advertising” in 2017, $616k in 2018 and $650k in 2019. These were NOT campaigns in support of the NDP. Instead, they were ISSUE campaigns.
The 2017 campaign was called “Unstack the Deck”, and was aimed at lobbying the NDP government of the day to bring Alberta’s workplace laws out of the dark ages. How, exactly, is it inappropriate for a workers’ group to advocate for workers’ rights?
With oil companies and the provincial government suddenly flush with cash, why does it not feel like a boom in Alberta? Because it’s not. Despite bluster from the UCP, investment, growth, wages and jobs (in many sectors) are down. #AbLeg#abpoli#cdnpolitheglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl…
“Alberta will continue to lag Canadian average GDP growth for the foreseeable future.”
“Oil and gas investment is forecast to remain markedly below previous highs”
A UCP caucus member just called me to ask if there was anything the UCP could do to address the concerns of workers in Alberta. I told him the UCP has lost the moral authority to govern and that the best thing they could do for Albertans is to resign & call an election. #AbLeg
I also told him that his government’s reckless COVID policies are literally killing more than 100 Albertans a week, with a COVID mortality rate 4X higher than the Canadian average. And I told him to listen to doctors and experts calling for a #FirebreakAB.
I also told him that it’s clear that the UCP caucus is hopelessly paralyzed by the fight between anti-vaxxers and those who actually want to listen to doctors and experts. I said if they’re incapable of taking action to save lives, they should step aside for someone who can act.