Back in the Legislature: Standing Up for Albertans and Banff-Kananaskis
With only 5 weeks of session and over 15 bills to debate, fall session has been beyond busy! From the Throne Speech to the first week, protestors gathered outside the legislature each day. Many Albertans are very upset with decisions this government is making. After the Throne Speech, I went outside and was greeted by over 35,000 teachers, parents, and students protesting the Alberta government’s approach to dealing with the teacher strike. It was unlike any protest I’ve ever seen in Edmonton: Singing, drumming, dancing, incredible speeches, passionate Albertans of all ages standing up for public education and supporting our teachers through an incredibly hard time. I was inspired and motivated to stand up for our parents, students, and teachers and advocate for a better public school system with better classroom sizes and supports. The stories I’ve heard from teachers, parents, and students across our riding about their experiences have exemplified the challenges our public education system is experiencing, and I am so grateful to everyone who emailed me or stopped me in the street to share their concerns.
Our first Monday of session started with Bill 2 – the act that legislated teachers back to work. Alarmingly, the government used the notwithstanding clause in Bill 2 – never before used in Alberta’s history – in an unprecedented abuse of power. We were in the legislature until 2am as the Government pushed through this act by limiting debate. As opposition, we fought as hard we could and delayed the passing of the bill. We continue to push against this government’s heavy-handed and controlling approach that is literally limiting our freedoms. When I became MLA, I thought we would be questioning ideological approaches and how we best support our Albertans to succeed. I never considered we would debate upholding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is my honour to stand in that House and defend our democracy and our rights.
It was awfully hard to start session with the government intentionally and unjustifiably violating the Charter-protected rights and freedoms of teachers, workers, and their unions rather than use proper procedure with all its checks and balances that safeguard the rights of its citizens. From there, the Government again invoked the notwithstanding clause to limit the rights of Trans youth. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is designed to protect ALL Canadians and guarantee us rights equally, and this government is choosing to weaken that promise upon which our shared belief in democracy depends.
Water Amendment Act
As Shadow Minister, my role includes reviewing and debating pieces of legislation introduced by the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas. This fall, we debated Bill 7: the Water Amendment Act. The Minister’s direction in her mandate letter is to make more water available to Albertans and this bill does that. Though, to be honest, I’ve always struggled with the idea that we can make more water available — we can’t make it rain. What we can do is increase water use efficiency and find ways to do more with less water.
Bill 7 defined some provisions that would improve water license administration efficiency and help users work through monitoring requirements. These pieces are good in that they help improve bureaucratic processes as well as working with users to improve water monitoring and use. Yet while this bill contained some good components, I didn’t feel like it was focused on protecting Albertans’ water availability and quality for present and future generations. This bill also gave the Minister far-reaching powers without requiring consultation with experts of Albertans—the ability to act without consultation always makes me uncomfortable.
The Bill defined low-risk interbasin transfers allowing water to be transferred between adjacent basins. Prior to this Bill, interbasin transfers were allowed but only through a special act in the legislature. Interbasin transfers are inherently risky, having the potential to introduce invasive aquatic species or alter water quality and quantity in one of the basins. While the Bill contained some definitions of low-risk transfer to address these concerns, I introduced an amendment to strengthen those criteria and to increase monitoring of basin transfers to ensure we are continuing to protect our water. I also advocated for in- stream flows and ensuring aquatic habitat quality be more explicitly considered in the Bill. I look forward to working with stakeholders and the Minister to ensure forthcoming regulations protect our water, our access to it, and our rivers and streams.
Happy Holidays
Every year, I set an intention to visit a holiday market in every community in this riding. Our local artisans are incredible and all our holiday gifts to friends are family are unique, locally made, and special. From Springbank and Bragg Creek to Millarville and Priddis and into Canmore and Banff, it is always great to connect with our community and support our local artists’ great work. I’ve got 2 more markets left in the first half of December so if you see me, come say hi. Be sure to register via email for Trails Day on December 18th – I always look forward to these special days that offer a slight change to my standard MLA on Tour events. Spending time together outdoors, walking in the woods with dogs and kids, we have a great chance to chat while enjoying this beautiful place we are so lucky to call home. Check here or my social media for details on these and more MLA on Tour events in the New Year.
Please note that our office will be closed over the holiday from December 23rd to January 4th. My staff and I wish you all the brightest Holiday Season filled with great food and laughter shared with family and friends.
Sarah Elmeligi
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