I watched with dismay as the government members of the Special Select Citizens Initiative Proposal Committee used their majority to delay, exclude the proponent and refuse to commit to concluding the work of the committee in time to present its report on the Forever Canadian petition before the House rises in May.
When I — as one of almost half a million Albertans — signed this petition, it was on the understanding that the question of Alberta remaining in Canada would either be brought to the House as a policy to be voted on by all MLAs or would be put to the electorate in a referendum.
Now, the premier says she is considering adding it to the fall referendum. The government clearly favours a question from separatists that will have received a fraction of Albertans’ signatures within a newly extended time frame.
I encourage the committee to opt for a vote in the legislature to adopt a policy that Alberta remain a province within Canada, and then the government can continue the oxymoronic “Sovereign Alberta within a United Canada” narrative.
If not, then they should choose to support the wording of the Forever Canadian petition in the October referendum, so all Albertans can vote on a constitutional question.
Conservatives Enable Separation Talk
The most recent federal election was the worst possible outcome for Canada. If the Conservatives had won, the Alberta separation movement would be over. Still, I’ve decided that supporting the Conservatives is a waste of money and I’m thinking others are reacting similarly. The Conservatives will be in real trouble as support from the West will dry up.
What Has PM Accomplished?
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent video to Canadians was a rehash of unfulfilled pre-election promises, not a summary of actual accomplishments. Yet, his poll numbers mysteriously remain consistently high. Puts one in mind of that old fable, The Emperor’s New Clothes, in which the emperor rides around town completely naked, while everyone raves and cheers about his beautiful new outfit. It’s baffling. When will Canadians wake up and realize Carney is basically that naked emperor?
Alberta Needs More Natural Parks
Albertans love their parks. We need more green space to hike, bike, climb, paddle, bird watch, etc. Unfortunately, the UCP is more interested in decimating our parks, whether it’s for drilling, mining, logging or unfettered development. The proposals in Kananaskis to destroy hundreds of acres of habitat is another failure in their legacy of destruction. Don’t let them pave paradise.
A Step Too Far
As a UCP supporter and a libertarian, I am not happy with the way the government has recently stepped too far into our lives. Under Bill 28, the government will ban children from taking certain books out of public libraries. While I supported the “book ban” in school libraries, parents will be with their children in those public libraries to help them choose appropriate books. There are also many other examples of how the UCP government has stepped too far beyond its jurisdiction. Premier Danielle Smith has said she is a libertarian, but I am not convinced.
