Spring 2021 Sittings Conclude - Pandemic Recovery and Turbulent Stories
A session that has been bookended by the implementation and removal of pandemic-related public health restrictions reached its (expected) conclusion last Wednesday after numerous consecutive late sitting nights in the Legislature. Since this session began on February 25th, 2020, 72 government bills and 20 private members’ bills were tabled in the Assembly which has attributed to the United Conservative Party accomplishing an estimated 83 per cent of its campaign promises. Nothing over the last 16 months can be accurately described as smooth sailing for anyone in the province; the same can be said of the provincial government as they were forced to pivot and abandon their key goal of balancing the budget by 2023.
Although it has yet to be made official, Government House Leader Jason Nixon has indicated that the current session is expected to be done, paving the way for an October 25th speech from the throne. Should the province be able to contain the Delta variant of COVID-19 over the summer and continue getting both doses of approved vaccines into arms, it is likely that our elected officials could return to the Legislature this fall in a way that resembles ‘normal’ for the first time since spring 2020. It will be exciting to watch a full house of MLAs in their seats as we strap ourselves in for the back-half of this term.
Pandemic Over? Restrictions Loosen Almost Entirely
The peak of the third wave of COVID-19 in our province happened on April 30th when the province discovered 2,390 new cases of the virus in our population (the hospitalization peak arrived on May 12th as it is a lagging indicator. Then, 550 people were in hospital). On June 19th, only 100 new cases were identified with 214 individuals hospitalized. While we are by no means in the clear, this is the best thing have looked at in some time for public health.
Last week, we learned that the province had crossed the threshold to trigger the transition to Stage 3. Other than some protective measures for continuing care facilities and continued self-isolation rules, the province is set to return to normal on Canada Day.
Indoor gatherings – check. No more capacity restrictions – check. Calgary Stampede – check.
However, the reopening raises questions (as it always does) of ‘is this too soon?’ as the population remains a blend of the pandemic-cautious and those who are ready to reopen as soon as possible. The province has been acknowledging that it is certain some individuals will continue to get sick, but that vaccines are our ticket out of the pandemic.
“People will get infected. Some people will get sick. Regrettably, a few people likely will pass away, as has been the case forever with influenza, but we don’t shut down society to deal with that kind of limited and controllable risk. We manage the risk. The vaccines give us a superpower to manage it. Let’s embrace that.”
The above statement sparked considerable division in the province as the population continues to disagree with one another about how best to balance protecting lives and livelihoods - the main talking point of the UCP throughout the pandemic.
The new Delta variant has been growing in the province and is expected to become the dominant strain of COVID-19. Like the other variants of concern, this strain is noted to be more transmissible than the original. Unlike the others, the biggest concern with Delta is that initial studies are showing that a single dose of an mRNA vaccine is not sufficient in providing protection to individuals. With that in mind, only 29 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated in the province. Alberta’s ability to contain the Delta variant will likely be the key to ensuring the province remains open beyond summer.
Political Optics Dominate Headlines
The last legislative session was, by far, the most strenuous and tumultuous of the United Conservative’s brief existence. 2021 has not been kind to the public perception of the UCP following numerous events that have created political tension not witnessed in this province since the last days of Premier Alison Redford’s leadership.
Of course, it would be misleading to say it was all bad for the UCP. The Edmonton-area will see the development of a $1.3 billion hydrogen facility that will see the province become a hydrogen hub in the country, for example. We are seeing some new businesses set up shop in the province as well. However, positive headlines like these were drowned out by stories of the party’s own making throughout 2021.
Even if you remove the events of the holiday travel scandal that resulted in the most recent cabinet shuffle, there was a great deal of negative press for the provincial government. The number of independent MLAs increased by 200 per cent recently following the public letter of Todd Loewen criticizing the government’s record and subsequently calling for the Premier’s resignation (the same events were responsible for Drew Barnes’ time in caucus coming to an end). There were also the events tied to the politically cursed ‘Sky Palace’ of the Federal Building which did not help the party, internally or externally.
The natural resource side of the coin was not much shinier. The province’s multi-billion investment in the construction of Keystone XL did not end the way it had hoped. A few months after United States President Joe Biden cancelled the pipeline’s permit, it was announced that the project would not be completed. It has been estimated Alberta stands to lose around $1.3 billion as a result.
More recently, the Joint Review Panel tasked with evaluating an application for a local coal mining project was denied last week. The Grassy Mountain project based in Crowsnest Pass was deemed to not be in the public interest due to environmental concerns. The panel concluded that it should not be approved due to the following anticipated reasons:
“Significant adverse environmental effects on surface water quality, westslope cutthroat trout and its habitat, whitebark pine, rough fescue grasslands, and vegetation species and community biodiversity; and”
“Significant adverse effects on physical and cultural heritage of some First Nations.”
The UCP has been fighting public backlash for nearly a year following the initial repealing of the 1976 Coal Policy (which has since been reinstated pending ongoing public engagements). Although many have been supportive of the panel’s decision, Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter was not as pleased as he outlined coal is key to the region’s economic livelihood.
“Right now, there's a great demand for high-grade metallurgical coal. This would have definitely given us the opportunity to diversify our tax base”.
What Comes Next?
When session starts afresh in October, the province will look a little different than it does today. Should the pandemic run its course as we all hope it does, the government will once again dive head-first into fulfilling all of the 17 per cent of remaining campaign promises. We will also see a sizeable turnover in municipal council rosters as elections will be happening on October 18th. Here are a few pieces of legislation that we could see next session (as found in the UCP’s campaign platform):
“Enacting the Public’s Right to Know Act which will require annual reporting by judicial district on a wide number of measurements such as the number of crimes committed by persons on bail, on probation, on parole, subject to a deportation order for criminality, or previously removed for criminality”.
“Introduce the End Partisan Government Advertising Act, making it illegal for governments to advertise in the run-up to an election and to use tax dollars for partisan ads at any time”.
“Convene a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Action Group with members from the financial services industry, government, and the disability community. Allocate $500,000 annually to help Albertans open RDSPs and access the thousands of dollars in federal government grants and bonds available to them”.
