Last week brought a close to very divisive and combative sitting of the Alberta legislature, with key issues fought over during the past two months, including the UCP government’s handling or mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether the sitting was a great success, as Premier Jason Kenney and his ministers claimed last week, or a disaster for Alberta communities big and small as the official Opposition argued remains an open question.
What is known is that with the next provincial election now a little more than a year away, the high-stake political battle fought during the recent sitting is sure to carry on when MLAs return following the Christmas break.
For his part, Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA and Government House Leader Jason Nixon says the recent sitting was a fine example of good governance, with a total of 15 bills passed.
“Alberta’s legislature has passed legislation that will strengthen Alberta’s workforce, diversity the economy, build for the future, grow our resources and help everyday Albertans all while protecting lives and livelihoods as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” said Nixon.
On the other hand, the official Opposition says many Alberta families and individuals continue to be very hard hit by mounting costs directly tied to Kenney government actions.
“Alberta families are coming up shorter every month as the UCP hammers their household budgets with more income tax, more property tax, more school fees, more tuition, more interest on student debt, more camping fees, more car insurance and more for utilities,” says NDP House Leader Christina Grey.
“I’m sure UCP MLAs are getting an earful from their constituents about soaring bills.”
With its comfortable majority, the UCP will no doubt be able to pass additional legislation in the new sitting once it gets underway early in 2022.
However, any such legislative success will mean very little to voters if daily living costs continue to climb and mount, jeopardizing the financial well-being of many families and individuals, including right here in rural central Alberta.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.