Alberta
Alberta Conservatives pass slew of anti-woke, pro-medical freedom policies at annual meeting
From LifeSiteNews
UCP members voted to ‘protect an individual’s right to informed consent decisions regarding their own body.’
Over 3,800 grassroots members of Alberta’s ruling United Conservative Party (UCP) voted to pass a slew of pro-family, medical freedom, and anti-woke policies at its annual general meeting over the weekend, including one calling for a bill to support “comprehensive parental rights” in education.
In total, UCP members debated some 51 resolutions, with 30 of them pertaining to official party policy, on November 3 and 4 at the AGM, which took place in Calgary. The resolutions are non-binding.
Most important, UCP members voted to “protect an individual’s right to informed consent decisions regarding their own body.”
“No government, business, corporation, entity, non-profit, or any other organization, institution or society has the right to mandate, force, or coerce an individual into a medical intervention or procedure, regardless of the societal benefit or otherwise,” resolution four reads.
This resolution pertains to how COVID jabs were pushed on the population without proper consent taking place in many instances, such as when workplace jab mandates were enacted.
The many pro-medical freedom resolutions came about after former leader of the party and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney backtracked and enacted COVID vaccine passports in the province for a time, as well as allow health officials to enact jabs mandates for staff. This resulted in him eventually being turfed as party leader, with Danielle Smith taking his place.
Other votes in favor of medical freedom included UCP party members voting to “Protect an individual’s right to free expression” and as well as “Protect a medical practitioner’s right to research, speak, and write; and protect Medical Doctors and all healthcare professionals from having their licenses to practice threatened for publicly expressing professional medical opinions in any public setting.”
Resolution 16, which calls for the party to “enshrine the doctor-patient relationship” by “protecting Alberta physicians from undue third-party interference,” was also passed by members.
Smith, who now leads the UCP and is Alberta’s Premier, told reporters that her government is not bound to follow the UCP’s decision should the motion be passed but noted she does support the party’s grassroots process.
Party members vote to mandate parental consent for parents concerning pro-noun use
In a speech to delegates to start the AGM, Smith made it clear she stands with parental rights, saying to delegates, “I want every parent listening today to hear me loud and clear: parents are the primary caregivers and educators of their children.”
Later in the day, UCP members voted in favor of a resolution mandating parental consent for children to “change” their pronouns at school.
Resolution 8, which passed, read that the UCP should “require teachers, schools, and school boards to obtain the written consent of the parent/guardian of a student under the age of 16 prior to changing the name and/or pronouns used by the student.”
The rationale behind the passing of this resolution reads, “Conservative governments of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick recently implemented the requirements for parental consent for schools to use an alternate name or pronoun for a student.”
“Parents, not schools, are the legal guardians of their children. As was noted by Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan, schools require a signed permission slip to take children on a field trip so it’s unclear why schools should not require parental consent for identification changes. Schools should not be in the business of going behind parents’ backs.”
UCP members also passed resolution 17, which calls for the party to support a comprehensive Bill of “Parental Rights which ensures that all legislation will recognize and support parents’ rights to be informed of and in charge of all decisions to do with all services paid for by the province, including education and health care.”
Party members also passed resolution 20, which calls for the party to ban pornographic materials from being allowed to be used by teachers.
“The United Conservative Party believes that the Government of Alberta should … h) Ensure that teachers, schools, school boards, and third parties providing services to kindergarten to Grade 12 schools do not provide access to materials of a sexual, racist, or abusive nature, including, but not limited to: books, handouts, online materials, and live events that are not part of the Alberta Program of Studies,” the resolution reads.
In September, Smith refused to expel a caucus member who attended the Million Person March against LGBT indoctrination, adding that she is “sympathetic to parents” who do not want their kids taught explicit sexual content in school.
UCP members call for party to ‘oppose’ expansion of euthanasia
At its AGM, UCP members also passed a resolution calling for the party to stop the expansion of legal euthanasia.
Members voted for the party to “Oppose the federal expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) qualifying criteria to include those suffering solely from mental illness and oppose the future legalization of MAiD as a care option for minor children.”
The resolution also calls for the party to “establish protocols for provincial implementation of the federally legalized MAiD program,” wherein healthcare workers in “any facility” shall not be allowed to “present or promote MAiD to a patient as a care option.”
“The procedure must be considered a tragic last resort and only be discussed with a patient of legal age upon request by said patient or their proxy,” the resolution reads.
“Individual healthcare workers and private hospice facilities must have their rights to freedom of conscience honored when deciding to participate in administering MAiD.”
On March 9, 2024, euthanasia in Canada, or MAiD as it is known, will expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. Pro-life advocates and Conservative MPs have called for this expansion to be stopped.
When it came to issues of free speech, UCP members voted to “ban post-secondary institutions from using race as a factor in any admissions program or procedure,” along with voting to “protect an individual’s right to free expression.”
Also passed was a resolution calling to ensure the post-secondary institutions be “places of free thought and learning of employable skills by eliminating all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices at all public universities, colleges, technical institutes, and trades schools and all adult education institutions.”
“They are not places for indoctrination of identity politics, reverse racism, or radicalization. Any postsecondary institution that maintains a DEI office, policy, or equivalent shall lose government financial support,” the resolution reads.
Additionally, the party also passed resolutions calling for it to support the use of “cash” as a payment method to be protected and to “oppose” the promotion of “digital currency.”
UCP members also voted to protect Alberta’s autonomy from federal government overreach by passing resolution 1, which calls for the party to “defend Alberta’s economy and autonomy by opposing all attempts by the Federal government to impose net zero by 2035.”
Alberta has repeatedly promised to place the interests of their people above Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government’s “unconstitutional” demands while consistently reminding the federal government that their infrastructures and economies depend upon oil, gas, and coal.
Alberta
Lesson for Ottawa—don’t bite the hand that feeds you
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
The Alberta government has launched a campaign to inform Canadians about the negative impacts of the federal government’s cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the oil and gas sector, which exempts the other three-quarters of the economy that emit including transportation, buildings and heavy industry.
According to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the cap will “kill jobs” and lead to “economic and societal decline” for all Canadians—and she’s right. Any policy that damages Alberta’s economy comes with consequences for all of Canada.
Of course, this isn’t the first Trudeau policy to damage the sector. The list includes Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48, (which bans large oil tankers off British Columbia’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), “clean fuel standard” regulations, numerous “net-zero” targets, and so on.
Again, while these policies disproportionately impact Albertans, they have consequences for all Canadians from coast to coast because of Alberta’s role in the federation. In our current system, Ottawa collects various taxes from Canadians across the country and then redistributes the money for programs including equalization and employment insurance.
For perspective, from 2007 to 2022 (the latest period of available data), Albertans contributed $244.6 billion more in taxes and other payments to the federal government than they received in federal spending—more than five times as much as British Columbians or Ontarians. The remaining seven provinces received more federal spending than they contributed to federal revenues. In other words, Albertans are by far the largest net contributor to Ottawa’s coffers.
Albertans’ large net contribution reflects the province’s comparatively young population (fewer retirees), higher rates of employment, higher average incomes and relatively strong economy.
Alberta’s relative economic strength isn’t new. From 1981 to 2022, the province had the highest annual average economic growth rate in Canada. In 2022, Alberta accounted for 17.9 per cent of Canada’s total economic growth despite being home to just 11.6 per cent of the country’s population. That same year, Alberta contributed nearly one in every five private-sector jobs created in Canada. In fact, Alberta was one of only two provinces (alongside Nova Scotia) where private-sector employment growth (including self-employment) exceeded government-sector employment growth over the last five years (2019 to 2023).
Alberta’s prosperity, which helps finance other provinces, may help explain why 56,245 more Canadian residents moved to Alberta than left it in 2022—a much higher net inflow than in any other province. For decades, Alberta has provided economic opportunities for Canadians from other provinces willing to relocate.
Albertans continue to contribute more to the federation than Canadians in other provinces due to Alberta’s relatively strong and prosperous economy. And Canadians benefit from the economic opportunities Alberta provides. With this in mind, the Trudeau government should stop imposing economically damaging policies on the province—as it costs not just Albertans but all Canadians.
Author:
Alberta
Business owners receive court approval to proceed with COVID lawsuit against Alberta gov’t
From LifeSiteNews
A judge ruled that businesses impacted by COVID lockdowns are allowed to claim compensation for harm and losses incurred due to the provincial chief medical officer’s illegal orders.
A class-action lawsuit on behalf of dozens of Canadian business owners in Alberta who faced massive losses or permanent closures due to COVID mandates has been given the go-ahead to proceed by a judge.
Lawyers representing businesses from Alberta-based Rath & Company announced in a press release on October 30 that it was “successful in its application for certification on behalf of Alberta business owners impacted by Covid-19 restrictions and closures imposed through Chief Medical Officer of Health (“CMOH”) Orders.”
“Justice Feasby of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta released his decision today certifying the class action in Ingram v Alberta, 2024 ABKB 631,” Rath & Company said.
Lead counsel Jeffrey Rath said the Alberta government has been placed on notice for its actions against businesses during the COVID lockdown era.
The Rath lawsuit proposal names Rebecca Ingram, a gym owner, and Chris Scott, a restaurant owner, as “representative plaintiffs who suffered significant financial harm due to (former Alberta Chief Medical Officer) Dr. (Deena) Hinshaw’s Public Health Orders.”
According to Rath, the class action seeks to certify that “affected Alberta business owners who suffered losses due to the CMOH orders, which were found to be ultra vires — outside legal authority and therefore unlawful — under Alberta’s Public Health Act (“PHA”).
“As a result, the Court Certified multiple claims, including negligence, bad faith and misfeasance in public office. The Court allowed affected businesses to claim compensation for harm and losses incurred due to the illegal CMOH Orders including punitive damages,” Rath said.
Any business operator in Alberta from 2020 to 2022 who was negatively impacted by COVID orders is now eligible to join the lawsuit. Any payout from the lawsuit would come from the taxpayers.
The government’s legal team claimed that the COVID orders were put in place on a good faith initiative and that it was Alberta Health Services, not the government, that oversaw enforcement of the rules.
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench’s Ingram v. Alberta decision cast into doubt all cases involving those facing non-criminal COVID-related charges in the province, allowing the class action to get this far.
As a result of the court ruling, Alberta Crown Prosecutions Service (ACPS) said Albertans facing COVID-related charges will not be convicted but instead have their charges stayed.
Thus far, Dr. Michal Princ, pizzeria owner Jesse Johnson, Scott, and Alberta pastors James Coates, Tim Stephens, and Artur Pawlowski, who were jailed for keeping churches open under then-Premier Jason Kenney, have had COVID charges against them dropped due to the court ruling.
Under Kenney, thousands of businesses, notably restaurants and small shops, were negatively impacted by severe COVID restrictions, mostly in 2020-21, that forced them to close for a time. Many never reopened. At the same time, as in the rest of Canada, big box stores were allowed to operate unimpeded.
-
International2 days ago
IRS whistleblowers confirm agencies knew the truth about Hunter Biden’s laptop
-
Brownstone Institute24 hours ago
They Are Scrubbing the Internet Right Now
-
Addictions2 days ago
New documentary exposes safer supply as gateway to teen drug use
-
Daily Caller2 days ago
Trump, RFK Jr’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Pledge Signals Major Shift In GOP Priorities
-
Business2 days ago
Public Accounts Committee Reveals Taxpayer Dollars Funneled to Liberal Insiders with No Accountability
-
Censorship Industrial Complex2 days ago
Australian local council calls for ‘immediate suspension’ of mRNA COVID vaccines
-
Energy1 day ago
Ottawa’s plan to decarbonize Canada’s electricity by 2035 not feasible and would require equivalent of 23 Site C hydroelectric dams
-
National1 day ago
Committee Hearing Exposes Trudeau’s Political Spin on Foreign Interference