At a Glance - January 24, 2023

Alberta Intervenes in Firearms Lawsuits                       

The Federal Court has granted Alberta permission to intervene in six ongoing lawsuits related to the federal government’s firearms ban. The federal government did not oppose Alberta’s application to intervene on the non-constitutional matters. Written arguments will be filed in February with the matters heading to court on April 11th.

“The federal firearms ban criminalizes hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadians who are in possession of firearms that the federal government has arbitrarily banned – simply because the ‘style’ of the firearm was deemed to be aesthetically displeasing by bureaucrats in Public Safety Canada. I am pleased that Alberta has been granted an opportunity to defend the tens of thousands of Albertans who are personally affected by this ban in a court of law.”

Province Exploring Health Spending Accounts

Premier Danielle Smith has indicated that the provincial government is taking next steps towards implementing health spending accounts for Albertans. She suggested she should have an update from her staff “in the next couple of weeks” as she has directed Minister Nate Glubish to develop the digital architecture required for a health spending account.

There has been plenty of division on the subject given past statements from Smith prior to her re-entering politics. Although it is not entirely clear how the proposed health spending account would work if it is moved forwards, she has previously indicated that “my view is that the entire budget for family practitioners should be paid for from Health Care Savings Accounts” and that it would incentivize people to add funds to their own accounts through fundraising, corporate contributions, and family donations.

Her more recent statements seem to take a different position. “Politicians have Health Spending Accounts, the public sector has Health Spending Accounts, energy executives have Health Spending Accounts, it does seem to me that if this is a mechanism that people are using to manage all the costs that are not covered by healthcare, we should make that available to everyday Albertans too. I’ll have more to say about it after the budget is released.”

Chair Appointed to COVID-19 Review Committee

One of the most well-known faces of the conservative movement in Canada has been hired to chair a committee that will review how the provincial government responded to the pandemic. Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party will be paid $253,000 to lead this panel’s review of Alberta’s COVID-19 response. The panel’s mandate includes evaluating how the province can better respond to public health emergencies in the future while mitigating the impact on the population and the economy.

The panel’s full mandate and terms of reference are available on the provincial government’s website. The full report, including any recommendations provided, must be submitted to the government by November 15th, 2023.

Allegations Emerge About Staffer Contacting Prosecutors

A CBC report revealed allegation of a staff member in the Premier’s Office sending emails to crown prosecutors related to cases from the Coutts blockade last year. It has been alleged that, following her election as leader of the UCP, someone in her office requested a briefing on the Coutts cases which were followed up by additional emails that “critiqued the prosecutors’ assessment of the charges and pushed back on the characterizations of the protest.”

In response, the Premier’s Office issued a statement denying the allegations. “Premier Smith has not been in contact with Crown Prosecutors and has no knowledge of anyone on her staff having done so. This is a serious allegation. If a staff member has been in touch with a Crown Prosecutor, appropriate action will be taken.”

Affordability Payment Portal Launches

On January 18th, eligible Albertans were able to apply for the province’s inflation relief payments. In the first 24 hours of operation, Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish indicated that more than 140,000 applications had been submitted and approved, impacting more than 250,000 Albertans.

Payments are expected to be delivered to successful applicants on the last day of each month between January and June. Minister of Affordability and Utilities Matt Jones has indicated that the government is exploring inflation relief to post-secondary students in Alberta who may not currently be eligible for payments.