AB Today – Daily Report June 4, 2019

Quotation of the day

“We certainly acknowledge that one victim of crime is too many and that the high incidence of violent crime targeting Indigenous women is particularly terrible given their often uniquely high levels of vulnerability.”

In question period, Premier responds to a question on the missing and ​ ​ murdered indigenous women inquiry.

Today in AB

On the schedule The House will reconvene this morning at 10 a.m. ​ ​

The following pieces of government business could be called for debate:

● Bill 2, An Act to Make Open for Business (second reading); ​ ● Bill 3, Job Creation Tax Cut Act (second reading); ​ ● Bill 4, Red Tape Reduction Act; or ​ ● The throne speech.

The following items could be introduced: ● Bill 5, Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act; ​ ● Bill 6, Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act; ​ ● Bill 7, Municipal Government (Property Tax Incentives) Amendment Act; and ​ ● Bill 8, Education Amendment Act. ​

Monday’s debates and proceedings Changes to the standing orders that passed last week came into effect Monday, including the UCP’s ban on Alberta’s desk-thumping tradition.

But if the government hoped for quiet in the chambers, the rule re-jig had the opposite effect. Instead NDP MLAs partook in loud clapping and cheering whenever a member of their caucus stood up.

As outlined by the same suite of changes, Speaker Nathan Cooper was tasked with being the ​ ​ only MLA authorized to introduce school groups and visitors to the gallery, for the first time.

In the afternoon, MLAs continued to debate the throne speech.

A private members’ motion from UCP MLA to require local economic impact ​ ​ assessments on all new and relocated provincially funded government service centres, offices and branches passed with unanimous support.

In the evening, Bill 1, An Act to Repeal the Carbon Tax, passed third reading (Ayes, 34; Nays ​ ​ 10).

Regulations implementing the end of the NDP-era carbon tax regime already came into effect last Thursday.

Committees this week The Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet for the first time this morning in the Rocky Mountain room of the Federal Building.

The Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members’ Public Bills will hold its first official meeting this evening in the same room.

Premier watch Premier Jason Kenney spent Sunday doing flyovers of areas affected by the wildfires. ​ ​

On Monday, Kenney met with Canadian Armed Forces personnel at the Canadian Forces Base in to mark Canadian Armed Forces Day.

Today’s events

June 3 at 8:30 a.m. — Edmonton ​ Premier Jason Kenney will hold a cabinet meeting at the legislature. ​ ​

June 3 at 3 p.m. — Edmonton ​ Municipal Affairs Minister will speak at a convocation ​ ​ ceremony.

UCP says Alberta is ‘on a strong path forward’ to addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry Indigenous Relations Minister Rick Wilson was in Gatineau Monday to receive the final report ​ ​ ​ from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

The 1,200-page report makes 231 recommendations and characterizes the thousands of Indigenous women who have been murdered or gone missing in recent decades as part of a “Canadian genocide.”

The United Conservative Party said it will respond by establishing a cross-governmental committee to examine the recommendations at a provincial level.

Wilson said the report “amplifies the voices of Indigenous women and girls” and thanked the thousands of participants for “sharing their stories and their hopes for a safer future,” but offered no direct response to the report’s “calls for justice,” which recommend governments undertake a “decolonizing approach” to Indigenous relations; recognize First Nations’ right to self-determination; expand legal aid access and address bias in the justice system; and implement trauma-informed policy.

The report also calls on all provincial governments to table action plans to address the homicides of Indigenous women and to prioritize “the measures required to eliminate the social, economic, cultural, and political marginalization of Indigenous women, girls, and [two-spirit] people.”

Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Minister said the report puts Alberta ​ ​ “on a strong path forward to take action with our partners on the high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls.”

Official Opposition Leader called the report a “call to action” and touted work the ​ ​ former NDP government did to make “real change” for Indigenous women and girls, such as increasing funding for emergency shelters and survivor counselling and strengthening Alberta’s child intervention system.

“All of these actions mean a better life for Indigenous families — but we know we need to do more,” Notley said.

Topics of conversation

● Cannabis stores are coming to Jasper, Lac La Biche and Fort McMurray following the Alberta Liquor Gaming and Cannabis commission’s announcement last week easing its moratorium on new pot shops, CBC reports. ​ ​

● Canadian Western Select crude gained $3.50 USD over U.S. crude futures (as of Monday afternoon) following the evacuation of two Canadian Natural Resources facilities in northern Alberta last week, Bloomberg reports. ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ Two-hundred and forty workers were forced to leave the company’s Pelican Lake and Woodenhouse operations due to wildfire risk, resulting in a production drop of 65,000 barrels of heavy crude per day. Cenovus was also forced to shut five wells.

● With a pair of supply bills on the order paper in lieu of a spring budget, municipalities, school boards and post-secondary institutions are forced to make educated guesses about how much to spend and how much to collect in taxes, the Edmonton Journal ​ reports. ​ ○ The fall budget will be tabled after the UCP government receives the report from its blue ribbon panel on finances, which will provide recommendations on addressing the province’s debt.

● Herald columnist Don Braid is calling on the new UCP government to use its ​ ​ ​ powers under the Municipal Government Act to fire all of Calgary’s city councillors, ​ ​ ​ ​ following a council vote last week that scrapped a small business grant.

News briefs — Non-governmental

NDP sounds alarm over cuts to special needs education NDP education critic called a news conference to slam the UCP for sowing ​ ​ uncertainty in the education system by failing to provide concrete details on its plans for student funding.

Amidst its bid to get the province out of a deficit by 2022-23, the UCP has said it will maintain or increase education funding. However, it remains unclear whether funding will continue to grow on a per-capita basis to keep up with enrollment growth or will remain at its current level.

Hoffman pointed to a decision by the Calgary Catholic School District to retract plans to allow a special needs student to attend a fourth year of high school.

In a letter dated May 7, the school board stated “the primary reason” for not allowing the anonymous student to finish high school was the district's lack of “sufficient resources and facilities to accommodate her.”

Her parents had previously been told the 18-year-old would get a fourth year of high school under the ES II (educational support) program.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange told reporters ahead of question period that she respects ​ ​ the autonomy of local school boards to make this type of decision.

Appointments and employments

● UCP MLA for Leduc—Beaumont was appointed as the government’s ​ ​ liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Question period

NDP lead-off Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

● Opposition Leader Rachel Notley led question period by asking about the final report ​ ​ from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. ○ “Does the premier regret refusing multiple requests for an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls?” Notley asked, referencing Premier Jason Kenney’s time as cabinet minister under former prime minister Stephen ​ ​ Harper, who refused to launch a similar inquiry while in office. ​

● Kenney touted his plans to respond to the inquiry’s recommendations by forming an inter-ministerial task force. ○ “All Albertans are deeply concerned about the record of violence that has been suffered by far too many Indigenous women, particularly those who disappeared and whose whereabouts are still unknown,” Kenney said.

Safe consumption sites

● Notley used her second question to ask about the status of safe consumption sites, which Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has said is under ​ ​ review. ○ “Why are you turning your back on these vulnerable Albertans?” Notley asked, referring to a freeze on new sites and a review of existing ones.

● Kenney promised extensive consultations and robust evidence-based analysis on the future of the sites.

Education Act ● Notley asked about the forthcoming Bill 8, Education Amendment Act, pointing to school ​ ​ trustees in Red Deer who are considering asking the UCP government to delay its promised revisions to the current law by one year so they can fully understand the changes.

● Kenney responded by saying the UCP was just following through on a promise the NDP made to proclaim the act (which was originally drafted under ex-premier Alison ​ Redford) when it first entered office. ​ ○ “I can’t understand how anybody would not have seen legislation adopted by this assembly a few years ago that was subject to massive public consultations, including on draft regulations, legislation that the NDP committed to proclaiming when they first came to office,” Kenney responded. ○ Instead, the NDP passed the School Act, which made it mandatory for all publicly funded schools to authorize gay-straight alliances and banned teachers from notifying parents if their students joined one. The UCP is expected to axe these rules.

● Notley questioned why the province should continue to fund schools that haven’t submitted proposals for how they will protect gay-straight alliance rights, as outlined in NDP-era law.

● Kenney said the province will protect the long-standing tradition of school choice while maintaining the strongest legal protections for GSAs in the country.

NDP MLAs also asked about support for residents of Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement whose homes were destroyed in the wildfire; climate change action; the status of Edmonton’s superlab; and the RCMP investigation into the 2017 UCP leadership race.

UCP friendly questions

UCP MLAs asked about funding for HALO Medevac helicopter service in southern Alberta, pressing the federal government to get pipeline projects approved, and school infrastructure spending.

The Nixon brothers engaged in some friendly sibling rivalry during a backbencher question. Rookie UCP MLA asked his brother, Environment and Parks Minister Jason ​ ​ ​ Nixon, about flood mitigation in Calgary. ​ Minister Nixon responding by reminding the House “that honourable member has been following me around since 1982, when my mom brought him home, and now he’s followed me all the way here to Edmonton, but I will answer his question.” The younger Nixon contended his brother was only jealous, “because I was always the favourite.” Nixon retorted, “I assure you, I am my mother’s favourite.”