Alberta Premier Danielle Smith marks first anniversary

Government of Alberta

Published

1 year ago

12 minute read

Premier Danielle Smith released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of being sworn in as Premier:

“It is a tremendous honour to serve Albertans as their Premier. Alberta is truly one of the best places in the world to live, work and raise a family. Over the last 118 years, we have written an incredible story together. And I am proud that in the last year, I have had the opportunity to work with an incredible team to help write this latest chapter.

“When I was sworn into office on Oct. 11, 2022, I promised that we would not have our voices silenced or censored by Ottawa, we would address the inflation and affordability crisis driven by the fiscally destructive policies of the federal government, we would get our own fiscal house in order and balance the budget to enable us to afford to be compassionate, and we would address concerns in our public health system.

“I am proud to say that over the past 12 months, we have made significant progress for Albertans in every one of those areas.

“In the fall 2022 legislative session, we passed the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act to stand up for Alberta, Albertans and our constitutional jurisdiction. In the spring 2023 legislative session, we introduced and passed the Alberta Firearms Act to continue to strengthen Alberta’s position within Confederation. Continuing in 2023, we also released a strategy to reform the broken equalization formula, pushed the federal government on bail reform, resulting in the introduction of federal Bill C-48, and fought back against the federal government’s so-called Just Transition.

“With inflation at its worst in decades and life getting more expensive for Albertans, we provided a suite of inflation-relief measures to help families pay their bills. Because we recognized the extra difficulty on families and seniors, we provided $100 monthly payments for up to six months for every eligible child and senior, and provided an additional $10 million to food banks throughout the province to help those who were struggling most. We expanded the low-income transit pass and indexed AISH, income supports and the Alberta Seniors Benefit. We extended the pause on the fuel tax to save Albertans more money every time they fill up their tanks, while the federal government continues making life more expensive for families through their ever-growing carbon tax.

“We extended supports for Ukrainian evacuees fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine and offered disaster support for Türkiye and Syria following the terrible earthquake. We increased pay for staff who work with persons with developmental disabilities, who had not seen increases since 2014, and we improved tax credits and grants to support families pursuing adoption. We pushed the federal government to further improve the daycare deal to better meet Alberta families’ unique needs. We opened the Bridge Healing convalescence facility for Edmonton’s vulnerable citizens to ensure they have access to the health care and community supports they need to be well.

“We extended interest-free student loans to 12 months, offering students more certainty in their personal budgeting, and we capped tuition increases so Alberta’s post-secondary institutions can retain their competitive advantage when attracting students. We paused rate increases on auto insurance to protect Albertans from premium increases when they can least afford it, and we ended the Graduated Driver Licensing program, saving drivers on their licensing costs.

“For only the fourth time in 15 years, we presented Albertans with a balanced budget in February. That budget also provided Albertans with a fiscal framework to guide future government spending, debt repayment and savings so that Alberta can continue moving forward in prosperity. We paid off $13 billion in debt, significantly reducing our annual interest payments – ¬funds that are better spent on providing the services and infrastructure Albertans need. We also added $2 billion to the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, which will increase our investment income each year and provide more fiscal stability for the province in the long term.

“Our improved finances enable us to provide additional funding for schools, hospitals and roads so Albertans have access to the infrastructure they need for a growing population. We have also provided funding to close learning gaps experienced by younger students and have expanded seats at universities in high-demand programs. To improve outdoor and recreation opportunities for Albertans and visitors, we allocated $200 million to improve the province’s campgrounds and trails.

“We are continuing to build our economy by creating an Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, building strong partnerships with other western provinces to build economic corridors that connect markets across the Prairies, expanding the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program to invite nearly 10,000 newcomers, and by creating pathways for more skills training opportunities for the most in-demand jobs in our province. At the same time, we are working with Alberta municipalities by changing the municipal funding model to provide them with funding stability and by making the payment of municipal taxes a condition of wellsite transfers.

“We are also growing relationships with Indigenous and Métis communities, which includes the signing of a new Metis Settlement Agreement. We continue to recognize the important role of Indigenous Peoples in Alberta in our economy and remain committed to ensuring they are partners in prosperity. To accomplish this, we doubled the loan capacity of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation from $1 billion to $2 billion.

“We indexed personal income taxes, so Albertans keep more of their hard-earned money to spend on the things that are important to them. We are working to increase access to halal financing, so members of Alberta’s Muslim community are better able to pursue their dreams of home ownership.

“Health care remains a top priority for Albertans and we have begun the hard work of repairing and improving our health care system. We brought in more ambulances during peak hours in Calgary and Edmonton and we fast-tracked patient transfers at hospitals to ensure our highly skilled paramedics can respond to more emergencies and do so more quickly. We introduced alternative transportation for non-urgent hospital transfers and have reduced the number of code reds that occur in the province. We have fixed problems with emergency department patient flow, helping us reduce overall hospital wait times, and we have increased our surgical capacity and are projected to eliminate the surgical backlog in the new year.

“I am proud to have addressed the concerns of many Albertans in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We put an end to provincial mask mandates, and we replaced the chief medical officer of health and the AHS board. We established a public health emergencies governance review panel to examine the pandemic response and to recommend changes to improve how we handle potential future public health emergencies.

“We have stopped at nothing in our pursuit to improve health care services and supports for Albertans. We worked with our provincial colleagues to fight for increased federal health transfers, and I am proud to have signed a $24-billion health deal with the federal government. When our province and country faced supply issues with children’s pain and fever medication, we stepped up to ensure that parents would have access to these medications. And we honoured Alberta firefighters and the health risks they face by providing them with presumptive cancer coverage.

“In addition, we’ve prioritized recovery for those suffering from the deadly disease of addiction and from mental health challenges. We are progressing on the Alberta model and have opened recovery communities in both Red Deer and Lethbridge, with nine more on the way including four on First Nations land. We are investing in training more mental health professionals and are expanding mental health supports for children and youth in communities and schools, making sure no child is left behind.

“We recognize that public safety is another top concern for Albertans. We share that concern and are taking action to ensure all Albertans feel safe in their communities. This includes establishing public safety task forces in Edmonton and Calgary, committing to provide funding to hire 100 more police officers, increasing the scope and number of sheriffs, and increasing the number of prosecutors available in Alberta’s courts.

“Furthermore, we are introducing additional accountability measures in partnership with police services. We have passed an updated Police Act that will establish a new, independent body for investigating complaints against police, and have taken steps to mandate body-worn cameras for police. At the same time, we are working with municipalities and Indigenous communities that want to establish their own, local police services.

“In addition to this work, we have released a provincial emissions reduction strategy, created a regulatory framework for brine-hosted minerals, established an energy future panel, launched expressions of interest for hydrogen fuelling stations, introduced a new science and French curriculum, and strengthened free speech on campuses.

“As a united government, we accomplished all this while managing the pressures of an unprecedented wildfire season that included support for more than 38,000 evacuees from Alberta communities and more than 21,000 evacuees from the Northwest Territories.

“I could not have accomplished all of this without my dedicated colleagues in cabinet and caucus. I look forward to accomplishing even more, with the ongoing confidence of Albertans, as we begin our second chapter together, ensuring Alberta remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

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Alberta introduces bill banning sex reassignment surgery on minors

Published on November 2, 2024

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith followed through on a promised bill banning so-called ‘top and bottom’ surgeries for minors.

Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith made good on her promise to protect kids from extreme transgender ideology after introducing a bill banning so-called “top and bottom” surgeries for minors.

“It is so important that all youth can enter adulthood equipped to make adult decisions. In order to do that, we need to preserve their ability to make those decisions, and that’s what we’re doing,” Smith said in a press release.

“The changes we’re introducing are founded on compassion and science, both of which are vital for the development of youth throughout a time that can be difficult and confusing.”

Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 “reflects the government’s commitment to build a health care system that responds to the changing needs of Albertans,” the government says.

The bill will amend the Health Act to “prohibit regulated health professionals from performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors.”

It will also ban the “use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the treatment of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence” to kids 15 and under “except for those who have already commenced treatment and would allow for minors aged 16 and 17 to choose to commence puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender reassignment and affirmation purposes with parental, physician and psychologist approval.”

Alberta Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange, the bill’s sponsor, said the province’s legislative priorities include “implementing policy changes to continue our refocusing work, position our health care system to respond to pressures and public health emergencies, and to preserve choice for minors. These amendments reflect our dedication to ensuring our health care system meets the needs of every Albertan.”

Earlier this year, the United Conservative Party (UCP) provincial government under Smith announced she would introduce the strong pro-family legislation that strengthens parental rights, protecting kids from life-altering, so-called “top and bottom” surgeries as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.

With Smith’s UCP holding a majority in the provincial legislature, the passage of Bill 26 is almost certain.

While Smith has done far more than predecessor Jason Kenney to satisfy social conservatives, she has been mostly soft on social issues such as abortion and has publicly expressed pro-LGBT views, telling Jordan Peterson that conservatives must embrace homosexual “couples” as “nuclear families.”

This weekend, thousands of UCP members will gather for the party’s annual general meeting, where Smith’s leadership will be voted on along with many other pro-freedom and family policy proposals from members. Smith is expected to pass her leadership review vote with a large majority.

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Alberta court upholds conviction of Pastor Artur Pawlowski for preaching at Freedom Convoy protest

Published on November 1, 2024

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By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Lawyers argued that Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s sermon was intended to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, but the statement was characterized as a call for mischief.

An Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that Calgary Pastor Artur Pawlowski is guilty of mischief for his sermon at the Freedom Convoy-related border protest blockade in February 2022 in Coutts, Alberta.

On October 29, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Krinke sentenced the pro-freedom pastor to 60 days in jail for “counselling mischief” by encouraging protesters to continue blocking Highway 4 to protest COVID mandates.

“A reasonable person would understand the appellant’s speech to be an active inducement of the illegal activity that was ongoing and that the appellant intended for his speech to be so understood,” the decision reads.

Pawlowski addressed a group of truckers and protesters blocking entrance into the U.S. state of Montana on February 3, the fifth day of the Freedom Convoy-styled protest. He encouraged the protesters to “hold the line” after they had reportedly made a deal with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to leave the border crossing and travel to Edmonton.

“The eyes of the world are fixed right here on you guys. You are the heroes,” Pawlowski said. “Don’t you dare go breaking the line.”

After Pawlowski’s sermon, the protesters remained at the border crossing for two additional weeks. While his lawyers argued that his speech was made to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, the statement is being characterized as a call for mischief.

Days later, on February 8, Pawlowski was arrested – for the fifth time – by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak again to the Coutts protesters.

He was subsequently jailed for nearly three months for what he said was for speaking out against COVID mandates, the subject of all the Freedom Convoy-related protests.

In Krinke’s decision, he argued that Pawlowski’s sermon incited the continuation of the protest, saying, “The Charter does not provide justification to anybody who incites a third party to commit such crimes.”

“While the appellant is correct that peaceful, lawful and nonviolent communication is entitled to protection, blockading a highway is an inherently aggressive and potentially violent form of conduct, designed to intimidate and impede the movement of third parties,” he wrote.

Pawlowski was released after the verdict. He has already spent 78 days in jail before the trial.

Pawlowski is the first Albertan to be charged for violating the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA), which was put in place in 2020 under then-Premier Jason Kenney.

The CIDA, however, was not put in place due to COVID mandates but rather after anti-pipeline protesters blockaded key infrastructure points such as railway lines in Alberta a few years ago.