The UCP’s Throne Speech has been delivered and Albertans should be worried. It’s a roadmap for privatizing health care and splintering education. On the economy, they want to make Alberta a centre for cryptocurrency and financial deregulation. What a toxic, ideological mess!
Also on the economy: they’re going to double-down on failed “trickledown” policies like tax cuts for corporations and the removal of protections for consumers, workers and the environment (under the guise of “red tape reduction.”) The UCP wants us to win the race to the bottom.
It’s also important to note that the UCP has clearly decided to go all-in on the oil industry’s plan for addressing the #EnergyTransition. That plan depends on governments (federal & provincial) giving industry $50 billion to pay for (so far unproven) carbon capture technologies.
They also want to let the financial sector use Alberta to “test new services.” So, Albertans will be Guinea Pigs for the next wave sub-prime/ponzi-scheme strategies?
And, did I hear them right? Did they just pledge to get rid of the provincial balancing pool for electric power? Do we trust them to not completely screw this up (especially given that they made this pledge while power prices are going through the roof?)
In short: more private surgeries & charter schools; more giveaways for corporations (esp. in oil & gas); and more red meat for the UCP base (money for churches; language about crime; attacks on teachers; pushback against MAID; and more bs on equalization and AB pension/police).
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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.