At a Glance - December 13, 2022

New Chief Justice of Alberta Appointed

Following the retirement of Catherine Fraser earlier this year, Court of Appeal Justice Ritu Khullar has been named as the new Chief Justice of Alberta. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced her appointment as the province’s top justice on November 28th. Chief Justice Khullar was first appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench in 2017 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal shortly after in 2018.

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Chief Justice Khullar practiced in a number of different areas of law, including labour and employment, privacy, administrative, human rights, as well as constitutional law. She earned her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto with honours.

MLA Fined

Former NDP MLA Thomas Dang (Edmonton-South) has been fined $7,200 by the Provincial Court of Alberta. The sentence follows a guilty plea he entered for his involvement in illegally accessing the private health information of former Premier Jason Kenney. MLA Dang entered his guilty plea on November 4th for his breach of the Health Information Act. Criminal charges were not laid by the Crown.

Spokesperson for MLA Dang, Leah Ward said that "Mr. Dang remains relieved that no criminal charges were laid and is looking forward to putting this matter behind him so he can focus on representing his constituents for the remainder of his term and begin planning the next chapter of his career." He has indicated he will not be seeking re-election in 2023.

MNA Citizens Ratify Constitution

After the results were tallied, 96.9 per cent of Metis Nation of Alberta citizens who voted have ratified the Otipemisiwak Metis Government Constitution. It was announced that 15,729 members voted in the ratification process which began in early November.

MNA President Audrey Poitras celebrated the results, saying "We finally have the opportunity to get the respect we deserve and better respond to the evolving needs and ambitions of Métis people. And by working together, we will ensure that no Métis in Alberta is ever left behind." She also said that this constitution will “open doors with both Canada and Alberta”.

Jason Kenney Resigns

After more than two decades serving as an elected official at the federal and provincial levels of government, career parliamentarian Jason Kenney has officially ended his time as an MLA. Although he indicated his intent to resign as premier following the UCP leadership review in May, he stuck around as party leader until Danielle Smith was voted as his successor by members.

While his future has yet to be written, the outgoing MLA released a statement about his decision to resign. “I am proud to have led a government that delivered on 95% of its election commitments to Albertans. However, a different government is in place, and the next election could occur in a few months. So after a great deal of reflection and consultation, I have concluded that now is the best time for me to step aside as MLA. In the future I hope to continue contributing to our democratic life by sharing some of what I have learned on a range of issues, including immigration, national security, indigenous economic development, the state of the federation, economic growth, energy, and much more.“