Alberta's NDP

The UCP blame frontline healthcare heroes for the deficit. We would argue that it is the failed policies of this Premier and his Finance Minister, the worst in the country, that are driving our record deficit. The Auditor General found $1.6 billion in accounting errors by this government that included fudging the books on AISH payments, hiding payments for Keystone XL, and their War Room handing out sole source contracts without proper justification, documentation, or oversight. Simply put, the UCP can’t be trusted to manage the province’s finances or the economy.

"Given that ABTraceTogether has technical limitations that are unlikely to be solved, a low adoption rate, and a very dubious record of usefulness in contact tracing, the UCP’s continuing defense of it is baffling. After all, the federal app seems appealing for a government with a right-wing ideology and a fetish for freedom and budget cutsnot only it does not cost anything, but unlike the Alberta app, no human contact tracer is required and users don’t have to provide any p...ersonal information to the government. As mea culpas and U-turns go, this would be a fairly minor one. The UCP already had reversed course and said it would adopt the federal app. If you were ever going to backtrack on something, this would seem an obvious choice. But Thomas points out that if one views the situation through a partisan lens, this isn’t minor at all. Kenney would have to not only admit that his government’s approach was wrong, but concede that the federal governmentand Justin Trudeaudid it better. That’s a silly way to interpret it, but I think that’s predominantly the way they would interpret it, Thomas said. If this framing is true, it is damning. If Kenney has indeed painted himself into a corner, forced to choose between saving face or admitting fault, then his actions suggest that the well-being of Albertans during an ongoing deadly pandemic does not tip the scales for him." https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/alberta-covid-tracing-app-fai

You pay more, while his "signature jobs policy" fails to create jobs.

GLOBE AND MAIL: "Unfortunately, the response was certainly weeks too late... When the history of the country’s response to COVID-19 is written, there will surely be a chapter devoted to the Alberta government’s bewildering and, in many ways, grossly negligent response to handling the crisis. It seems becoming the epicentre of the disease in Canada, with per-capita case numbers making places such as Ontario and Quebec look almost New Zealand-like by comparison." https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-jason-kenney-end/

GRAHAM THOMSON: Kenney insists he is following Hinshaw’s advice, but at times, he has erroneously referred to COVID-19 as an influenza of this nature. He is also in a fight with Alberta’s doctors, has resumed a contract battle with the province’s nurses, and announced the contracting out of 11,000 health-support jobs. And his government seems almost petulantly opposed to signing on to the federal government’s COVID Alert app on smartphones to help warn people if they’ve bee...n exposed to the virus. Several months ago, provincial officials said they were looking for ways to transition people from the Alberta-based app to the federal app that’s being used in eight other provinces. But now Kenney, resorting to his default position of criticizing the federal Liberal government, doesn’t seem interested in adopting the app at all, saying the Alberta system is better. That prompted Prime Minister Trudeau, in a rare appearance on a Calgary radio station last week, to accuse the Alberta government of blocking use of the federal app in the province. (The app) will be a lot more useful when the province decides to give people the ability to plug in the codes, said Trudeau, pointing out that the federal app will alert people who travel from province to province. That’s all that’s missing, and we really hope that people will take on every tool we possibly can to fight COVID-19. The Alberta government denies it’s playing petty politics, but when pressed on the matter in question period by the NDP last week, some cabinet ministers shot back with a heckle, referring to the federal program dismissively as Trudeau’s app. https://ipolitics.ca//is-jason-kenney-playing-politics-wi/

ALBERTA NATIVE NEWS: Last weekend, Premier Jason Kenney’s Director of Issues Management, Matt Wolf, posted a Twitter thread denying genocide had taken place against Indigenous people in Canada. This comes after Kenney hired Paul Bunner as a speech writer and appointed Chris Champion as a curriculum advisor both have published racist articles against Indigenous peoples. NDP MLAs have also called on the Minister of Indigenous Relations several times to endorse the language of... the National Inquiry report, which specifically names this atrocity as genocide. He has evaded the question every time. The UCP Caucus voting against the amendment for the NDP to include Indigenous genocide is actually willful denial of genocide. I call on the UCP government to not just include the term genocide, but also to educate their staff, educate their caucus, and educate their ministers, said Michelle Robinson, co-chair of the MMIWG2 Committee Calgary. https://www.albertanativenews.com/ndp-and-first-nation-gro/

Watch LIVE David Shepherd, NDP Critic for Health, will respond to the release of new national COVID-19 modelling and renew calls for Jason Kenney to release Alberta-specific modelling.

INSURANCE COMPANIES PROFITS SOAR AFTER REMOVAL OF RATE CAP Profits at insurance companies continue to skyrocket after the UCP removed the cap on auto insurance premiums, according to new financial returns. Intact Financial Corporation, Alberta’s largest auto insurer, reported an increase in gross operating profits of 48 per cent, reaching an historic $411 million in the third quarter. . The company also approved another large dividend payout to shareholders, financed... by increased premiums and reduced payouts in claims. In response to Intact’s quarterly results, CIBC wrote Can it get any better than this? Things are better than ever for insurance companies, said NDP Service Alberta Critic Jon Carson. While insurance companies and the big banks celebrate, Albertans are paying higher premiums and are struggling to make ends meet in the middle of the pandemic. A cap on auto insurance premiums was put in place by the previous NDP government. After being lobbied by the insurance industry, the UCP lifted the cap, causing premiums to increase by an average of 24 per cent. Jason Kenney and the UCP continue to put the interests of big insurance companies ahead of Albertans, said Carson. These companies already benefited from the UCP’s $4.7 billion corporate handout, while the government increased taxes and fees on Albertans to pay for it. The removal of the rate cap was just the icing on the cake for Jason Kenney’s friends. If Jason Kenney and the UCP really wanted to help Albertans and reduce insurance costs, they would reinstate the rate cap.

On Page 10 of the UCP's fiscal update they levelled a deliberate smear of our frontline healthcare heroes. It basically calls these workers leeches whose primary purpose is to bankrupt our province. We would argue rather that it is the failed policies of this Premier and his Finance Minister, the worst in the country, that are driving our record deficit.... And we would encourage the Premier to look a frontline nurse in the eyes after a 12 hour shift in an emergency room full of COVID-19 and tell him or her they’re a drain on our society.

The UCP's Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer said he would "move at the speed of business" weeks ago. Yet small businesses are still waiting. We announced a 7 point plan to help small business weather the storm? Where is his?

KENNEY MUST RELEASE ALL OF DR. HINSHAW’S RECOMMENDATIONS Premier Jason Kenney must come clean with Albertans and publicly release all of the COVID-19 recommendations Dr. Deena Hinshaw presented to cabinet this week, including the public health measures he refused to implement. Jason Kenney is clearly hiding public health advice from Albertans, said NDP Health Critic David Shepherd. ... It’s obvious that the small package of half-measures Kenney announced yesterday were all that he could convince the extremist fringe of his caucus to accept. Albertans have the right to hear Dr. Hinshaw’s unfiltered, professional advice and judge Kenney’s decisions for themselves. If Jason Kenney really is putting into force all the public health advice he’s getting, then I say prove it. Kenney took no meaningful action on masks, leaving Alberta as the only province in Canada without a provincewide mask policy, despite having the highest number of active cases. Masks don’t close business, they don’t infringe on people’s freedom, Shepherd said. They are a simple and low-cost way for every Albertan to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. But we know that several UCP MLAs promote anti-mask conspiracy theories, and clearly Kenney was too cowardly to stand up to them. Kenney’s restrictions on indoor public gatherings are packed with complicated exemptions, despite the fact that more than 80 per cent of new COVID cases can’t be traced to their source. Kenney did not base these exemptions on data, because that data doesn’t exist, Shepherd said. He failed to prepare Alberta’s contract tracing system for the second wave. AHS has given up on tracing cases more than ten days old, and now it’s impossible to develop effective targeted measures. After months of insisting that Alberta schools are safe, Kenney abruptly ordered all students in Grades 7-12 to move to online learning next week, and not to return to classrooms until January 11, 2021. We presented the government with a plan for safe school re-entry in July, and Kenney ignored it, said NDP Education Critic Sarah Hoffman. As recently as last week, the Education Minister insisted that there were no problems in schools. Alberta students, staff and families have a right to see the information that Dr. Hinshaw presented that prompted this sudden decision. Albertans are tired of hearing the Premier claim he is following Dr. Hinshaw’s advice, and then refuse to back it up. It’s long past time for Albertans to be shown the full picture. We are calling on Premier Kenney to release all of Dr. Hinshaw’s recommendations, presentations and reports from the last week.

Nationally, exports increased for a fifth consecutive month, rising by 6.7 per cent , but fell 6.1 per cent ($458 million) in September in Alberta.

Due to UCP inaction on COVID-19, UCP cuts and chaos in the health care system, and a failed UCP jobs plan, Albertans have little confidence in the government’s ability to keep the economy moving. They must act now before more businesses are forced to close for good.

CALGARY SUN: "Four in ten Albertans say they are $200 or less away from being insolvent at month end. Almost half of Albertans 46 per cent say they are worried about their current level of debt." https://calgarysun.com//45b9580b-1389-4d64-8217-5e448c9c03

CALGARY HERALD: "Expenses Coun. Joe Magliocca inappropriately billed to the city now total nearly $9,000 after a council committee examined his flight costs Tuesday." https://calgaryherald.com//maglioccas-ineligible-expenses-

"(Jason Kenney's) approach is a fast-track to failure. Not only will the virus continue to spread, but the economy won’t flourish because people will still be scared." https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-jason-kenneys-b/

NDP leader Rachel Notley and Health critic David Shepherd will respond to Jason Kenney’s plan to destroy 11,000 jobs and tear down Alberta’s public healthcare system in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

CBC NEWS: "Recent news about provincial machinations to make additional changes to AISH has further rattled recipients. In response, several agreed to talk publicly, in detail, about their lives and their finances, hoping it would give Albertans a clearer picture of why they're on AISH and what it's like relying on the program's support." https://www.cbc.ca//alberta-assured-income-for-the-severel

CALGARY HERALD: "Albertans need affordable insurance, accountability for drivers and insurance companies, and consumer protections to ensure the system is fair. No-fault is none of that. Let’s hope the UCP stays true to Alberta’s roots and stands up for consumers, accountability and personal responsibility." https://calgaryherald.com//opinion-no-fault-auto-insurance

Premier Jason Kenney claimed it was worth it to blow a $4.7-billion hole in the budget because his corporate handout would create jobs and grow the economy, but it didn’t work. In fact, we lost 50,000 jobs before the pandemic and many more since.

CALGARY HERALD: This indecisiveness and lack of leadership have not only created a scenario where few good policy options remain but also a void that’s quickly been filled with confusion and nonsense. For example, amid a lack of clarity over what specific criteria are guiding the government in terms of both how and when to act, one cabinet minister over the weekend added even more uncertainty into the mix. During a virtual town hall meeting with constituents, Jason Luan, Calg...ary-Foothills MLA and associate minister of mental health and addictions, indicated that the government’s intention is to wait for hospital capacity to be pushed to the limit. Our criteria is measured against our hospital capacity to handle ICUs and hospitalizations, he said. So we’re waiting to see where that threshold will be pushed to our limit and then gradually reduce more activities that way. https://calgaryherald.com//breakenridge-kenney-government-

I think Albertans are asking themselves why is it that this great promise of job creation is leaving us in a province where it appears as if a bad situation is being made worse." https://edmontonjournal.com//ndp-calls-on-ucp-government-t

The Alberta NDP economic vision is based on the following principles: 1. ECONOMIC SECURITY: Alberta’s economic reconstruction must be focused on economic security for Albertans which means new, long-term jobs that sustain communities and support families. 2. ECONOMIC EQUALITY: Alberta’s economy must involve ALL Albertans. This means women, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities, and all the hard-working Albertans who did the heavy lifting during the last boom. No on...e can be left behind. 3. DIVERSIFICATION INSIDE AND OUT: Economic diversification will be the first priority, and include all industries. Alberta will explore new opportunities while developing and expanding our strengths, including in our non-renewable energy industry which will continue to play a critical role. 4. STRATEGIC PUBLIC INVESTMENT: Like the former government of Peter Lougheed, Alberta will recognize the role of government and the public sector in supporting private sector growth. When strategic, investments in our economy can generate new booms and create new industries. 5. STRONG SOCIETY, STRONGER ECONOMY: Alberta will not incentivize a race to the bottom, but will instead build a path to the top. Deep cuts to public services only suffocate our economy, and weakened environmental and labour standards hurt working people. Alberta will be a world-leader in building a strong economy built on a strong society where everyone gets a fair shot at success. www.albertasfuture.ca

During the campaign, @jkenney guaranteed he would protect public healthcare. That was a lie. Cutting 11,000 jobs is not protecting public healthcare and it’s ...all to pay for his failed $4.7B giveaway to big corporations. https://edmontonjournal.com//health-ministry-to-cut-11000- #ableg #abhealth

CBC NEWS: "Four months after a hailstorm battered homes in northeast Calgary, less than half of the 70,000 insurance claims have been resolved. The June hailstorm was the fourth costliest natural disaster in Canada's history, with an estimated price tag of nearly $1.5 billion. On Monday, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Coun. George Chahal, their council colleagues as well as NDP MLA Irfan Sabir toured the neighbourhood to survey the damage that still hasn't been repaired, fro...m shredded siding to smashed windows. "Our beautiful autumn weather seems to have turned, which reminds us that winter is coming. And it reminds us that there are a lot of people whose homes are not ready for the winter. And it really is incumbent on all of us, and particularly on the government of Alberta, to be doing what they can to be helping people through these very difficult times," said Nenshi. The provincial government has provided disaster relief funding to residents who experienced overland flooding, but not for hail damage or insurance deductibles, the primary issues for the majority of people impacted. Calgary's northeast is home to many newcomers to Canada, and Nenshi said many in the area already hit hard by the struggling economy have had issues navigating the insurance system, while others are underinsured. "Right now these are not ordinary times and for the governments to say, listen, if you didn't have insurance it's not our problem. And even if you did have insurance and you're trying to navigate the system, we're not really there to help you, it's not fair. It's not right," he said. He said he'd like to see the province help residents navigate the insurance process, and provide financial assistance to those in greatest need. https://www.cbc.ca//c/calgary/calgary-hailstorm-1.5759772

The UCP: Doctors are not leaving Alberta. Also UCP: Doctors have to stop quitting all at once. https://www.cbc.ca//alberta-doctors-would-have-to-stagger-

Albertans are paying more income taxes, more property taxes, more schools fees, more tuition, more camping fees and more for photo radar tickets to pay for Ja...son Kenney’s $4.7-billion corporate handout. Soon Alberta families and small businesses will be paying out-of-pocket tolls simply to drive to work, to school, or to operate their businesses. Our highways have always been available to all Albertans to freely go about their lives. Now Jason Kenney is forcing Albertans to pay twice through higher taxes and new tolls.

UCP MLAs like Milliken are so upset people have been putting pro-parks signs on their lawns, they've removed the list of parks they're delisting from the Alberta government website. Albertans are catching on to their gaslighting, though. Add your name: www.dontgobreakingmyparks.ca

"Jason Kenney's UCP government has been picking fights with doctors and sabotaging Alberta's healthcare system." https://pressprogress.ca/5-times-jason-kenneys-ucp-governm/

We take time today to be thankful to live in this beautiful part of the world. This time of celebration is also a time to acknowledge that there are people in our province who are in need, materially, socially and spiritually. For them let’s put the ‘giving’ part of Thanksgiving into practice -- having each other’s backs is a part of what makes us Democrats.

MEDICINE MAT NEWS: "Even if the United Conservatives decide not to replace the RCMP following a $2-million panel taking a look at it, Albertans who live where they patrol will soon pay 13 times what they do now. If, however, the UCP decides to go through with its plan to start up Alberta’s very own provincial police force, it will have at minimum an added $112.4 million in annual operating costs to dump in your lap. Happy Thanksgiving.... According to page 34 of the UCP’s own Fair Deal Panel report, Alberta currently pays $262.4 million a year for RCMP services, while the feds cover $112.4 million (a figure that apparently doesn’t account for vehicle costs or the operation of 117 detachment offices, taking Ottawa’s contribution north of $150 million). But here’s the kicker: At the bottom of the page, in the finest of prints, the UCP’s own information states that rural municipalities currently kick in $15.4 million, and by 2023 that figure will rise to $60.3 million. By 2024? The total contribution from small and rural municipalities will be $200. 6 million. That’s the government’s own report, and yes, that’s an astronomical 13 times what those communities pay now and that’s assuming we keep the RCMP. If we replace them with a provincial police force, someone has to cover that extra $150 million Ottawa no longer provides. Any bets on who gets the bill?" https://medicinehatnews.com//laying-it-out-what-will-it-c/

"Kenney is trapped in a vise, but, all too often, it seems he is the one who keeps turning the screws." https://ipolitics.ca//kenney-trapped-in-a-pressure-cooke/

We are calling on the UCP government to show their work and back up their $4.7 billion corporate giveaway. For months we have been asking on behalf of Albertans for the government to release the analysis they used to justify this decision to hit the accelerator on this policy. The UCP government promised its job creation plan introduced in the latest provincial budget, would improve employment rates. It has not. https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/radio-silence-ndp-calling-on-al

Why won't Jason Kenney denounce the presence of the far right and of white supremacist groups, such as the Soldiers of Odin or the Northern Guard in this province, without using equivocating language? https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/jason-kenney-racism-tolerance

The UCP's new tolls Bill 43 allows for tolls on all new projects AND widening projects. There's been talk of widening Calgary's Deerfoot Trail for decades. Will the UCP put tolls on the Deerfoot? https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-alberta-introduc/

Travis Toews is threatening to fire 750 nurses and they are simply asking him not to do that until the pandemic has subsided and proper contract negotiations conclude. To accuse nurses working double shifts, often at more than one hospital, of ‘taking advantage of a health crisis’ is despicable. It’s clear he is planning to fire these nurses regardless of case count. On the day that our Chief Medical Officer of Health reported the highest spike in cases of COVID-19 in months, Jason Kenney and his Finance Minister are picking fights with nurses; the very people who are working around the clock, in tremendously difficult circumstances, to ensure Albertans are being tested, treated and cared for in the middle of a global health crisis.

Alberta NDP Labour Critic Christina Gray issued the following statement on September’s jobs numbers: Today’s numbers show that of all the major provinces, Alberta is the furthest behind in recovering from COVID-19. Despite some employment growth, Alberta’s unemployment rate didn’t budge and jobs are still down by 142,700 compared to a year ago. These are more than numbers. Right now, there are more than 290,000 Albertans looking for work, trying desperately to make ends meet and put food on the table. Jason Kenney and the UCP owe these Albertans a real plan to create jobs and grow the economy.

Make it happen: www.albertandp.ca/social