At A Glance
Anti-Energy Report Released
The anti-Alberta energy campaign inquiry has come to a close as commissioner Steve Allan has tabled his final findings report. The $3.5 million inquiry produced 657-page document outlining the players and the impact found to have had some influence over various energy projects and the sector as a whole. Commissioner Allan found that approximately $1.28 billion of foreign funds were invested in Canadian environmental non-profits and charities, $54.1 million of which was designated towards “grant descriptions specifically prescribing funds for ‘anti-Alberta resource development activity’”.
Of note, the report addressed findings made surrounding activities carried out by environmental groups. “No individual or organization, in my view, has done anything illegal. Indeed, they have exercised their rights of free speech.”
The report also prescribes six key recommendations from Commissioner Allan. Among them are calls for the province to create meaningful opportunities for First Nations to be more involved in the energy sector as a form of economic reconciliation, develop strategies for non-profit transparency and accountability, and work towards creating a new “brand” for Canadian energy.
Alberta Will Add New Seats in House of Commons
The House of Commons will add 6 new seats to the lower house when the next federal election takes place. As a result, Alberta will see an increase of 3 new seats added to its electoral roster. The timeline outlined by Elections Canada suggests that the entire process will conclude by April 2024 at the earliest. The new electoral quotient (the number of people that should live within each electoral district) will be calculated at 121,891 as a result of population growth across the country.
The number of seats a province receives is determined by dividing the province’s population by the quotient, then rounding up to the nearest whole number. As new seats are being added, electoral districts will need to be redrawn to accommodate the change.
Alberta MP Appointed to Liberal Cabinet
After not winning a seat in the province in 2019, the Liberal Party was able to win two seats in Alberta in September’s federal election. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed his new cabinet on October 26th which included the appointment of Edmonton-Centre MP, Randy Boissonnault. The second-time Member of Parliament was appointed as the Minister of Tourism and the Associate Minister of Finance where he will work closely with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland.
Minister Boissonnault’s appointment represents the first time an Alberta MP has had a seat at the cabinet table under the Liberals since 2019. Then, Amarjeet Sohi was Minister of Natural Resources. During his last stint in office, Minister Boissonnault served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. He also was named special advisor on LGBTQ2 issues to the Prime Minister.
COVID-19 Downturn Projected
A CBC report shared the finding of new modeling from British Columbia’s independent COVID-19 modelling group that is projecting that Alberta will continue to see hospitalizations and ICU admissions drop. This modelling operates under the assumption that current pandemic-related health measures implemented by the Government of Alberta continue to be enforced.
The group clarified that the methodology for this recent round of modelling differs from previous projections as they had to account for changes to Alberta’s testing and contact tracing. Dean Karlen, a member of the modelling group, said that “in Alberta, the last wave was significantly larger than the previous waves, even though you don’t see that in the case counts. It’s just that a smaller fraction of infections were identified as cases”.
Equalization – Yes; Daylight Savings Time – No
At the same time Albertans went to the polls to vote for their municipal councils, they were also asked to have their say on two referenda questions. According to Elections Alberta, nearly 1.1 million residents voted on questions about removing the principle of equalization from the Constitution and whether the province should adopt year-round Daylight Savings Time.
On the equalization question, 61.7% of voters said “yes” to removing the principle from the Constitution. In order for the constitutional amendment to be made, Alberta will require the support of both the House of Commons and Senate along with the consent of seven provinces that make up for at least 50% of the national population.
