Dear editor,
Notley’s husband Lou Arab did communications work for CUPE and also for Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan. It’s just a “coincidence” that AFL has been giving input to Bill 6, yet farmers were not given that opportunity. Only after Bill 6 was given first reading then the NDP pretended to allow farmers input by having meetings where they could not provide facts or answers to people’s questions.
On Monday Dec. 7 at the Leduc Rec Centre NDP MLS Shaye Anderson was asked how he was going to vote on bill 6, he refused to answer. Meanwhile at the Legislature Gil McGowan and AFL employees were invited into the Legislature where they did their 112 pairs of gloves propaganda campaign. Again, it’s just “coincidence” that Notley’s husband Lou Arab just happens to be friends with Gil McGowan.
On Dec. 8 I attended the anti-Bill 6 rally at the Legislature. After that I attended the afternoon sitting of the Legislature. It was very ironic that less than 1,000 feet away there is an exhibit of the Magna Carta which is a symbol of liberty and most democracies are modeled after, yet inside the Alberta Legislature I witnessed the absolute disregard for the democratic process by the NDP government. There were eight AFL people sitting in front of me in the gallery and NDP Mill Creek MLA Denise Woollard was waving and making hand gestures back and forth to them. She was also sending and receiving written messages delivered by pages to them but she was not reprimanded by the Speaker of the House. Yet when a Wildrose MLA made an anti-Bill 6 statement and some people in the gallery raised their hands in a gesture of support and he gave a slight wave of acknowledgment, he was suddenly reprimanded by the Speaker.
Whenever any concerns over Bill 6 were raised by opposition members, Leduc-Beaumont MLA Shaye Anderson and Wetaskiwin-Camrose MLA Bruce Hinkley, along with the rest of the NDP MLAs, just sat there and laughed. They and the rest of the NDP government MLA’s conduct was just disgusting. They showed their total disregard for people’s concern on Bill 6. Yet the NDP on other bills they say “We are going to take our time and get things right.” Notley and Lori Sigurdson left at 2:43 p.m. Shortly after, most of the NDP were out of the Legislature. Most of the NDP left sitting in the Legislature were playing on their iPads or phones, passing around a paper and laughing.
Brian Jean presented information that over 170 types of Alberta jobs do not require WCB coverage. Included on the list are AFL employees and Workers Compensation Board employees who do not require they be covered by WCB policies and like Brian Jean said, “Isn’t that ironic?” For years Rachel Notley complained that the WCB was a badly run organization, yet she and the NDP are forcing Bill 6 through.
Once a bill is passed the lieutenant governor Lois Mitchell must give it royal assent before it becomes law. So would she refuse to do so if enough people demand it? Worth a try!
A lot of city people do not understand that farmers were not given opportunity for input before they wrote Bill 6 but AFL was! Then Notley tries to deny things by saying “It was never our intent,” “People misunderstand,” ‘It’s what Albertans want” blah, blah, blah. The NDP has been misleading media and making it look like farmers have no concern for safety which is not so. Then you have people who have no idea what is involved in farming deciding that they are going to dictate rules. Where does it end, because the NDP is just starting?
Carbon tax, shutting down coal-fired power plants, the oil patch, also lumber industry is slowing down. Where are the jobs going to be? Farmers are at least trying to speak out with their concerns. When will the rest of you speak up?
Ron Wurban, Calmar