AB Today – Daily Report December 6, 2018

Quotation of the day

“We find this whole situation very sad. I do suspect it seems to have triggered something in Mr. Gill. At the end of the day, I hate to say it, it’s sour grapes. He’s very frustrated with where he ended up, but the spot he finds himself in is his own fault.”

UCP House Leader Jason Nixon responds to former party member Prab Gill’s accusations that his former party plays “crooked and racist nomination politics.”

Today in AB

On the schedule House business is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. for the last day of the fall legislative session.

The House passed the remainder of the government’s fall legislation Wednesday — leaving nothing on the order paper but private members’ bills. With little to debate, MLAs may not sit for the full legislative day.

The Lieutenant Governor will likely grant Royal Assent to recently-passed bills.

Wednesday’s debates and proceedings

The government got a move on legislation Wednesday, passing five bills at third reading: ● Bill 22, An Act for Strong Families Building Stronger Communities; ● Bill 23, An Act to Renew Local Democracy in Alberta; ● Bill 27, Joint Governance of Public Sector Pension Plans Act; ● Bill 30, the Mental Health Services Protection Act; and ● Bill 32, City Charters Fiscal Framework Act.

In the House Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda and NDP Sherwood Park MLA Annie McKitrick raised the Franco-Albertan flag at the Federal Building on Wednesday.

McKitrick posted a blog celebrating francophones in Alberta and expressing her shock at Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s slashing of his province’s French Language Services Commissioner and planned French-language university.

Independent MLA Prab Gill says the UCP’s investigation of voter fraud omitted key witnesses; cites intimidation as reason for resigning from caucus

Independent MLA Prab Gill is accusing the UCP of forcing him to resign this summer before he had an opportunity to evaluate a report accusing him of ballot stuffing.

Gill said he had only three minutes to review the report, which was the result of an investigation initiated by the UCP because members of Gill’s constituency association accused him of voter fraud at a nomination meeting in June 2018.

Following the alleged incident, Gill left the UCP and has since been sitting as an Independent.

The ballot-stuffing issue resurfaced this week because Gill stood in the House Tuesday to deny the long-standing accusations. He raised a point of privilege against Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson and House Leader Brian Mason regarding comments they made last week questioning his ethics and characterizing him as a ballot-box stuffer.

Gill also took the time blame the UCP for not giving him enough time with the investigation report, which was written by retired Justice Ted Carruthers, saying he only had three minutes to read it before the UCP encouraged him to move on. Gill said he did not push the issue further at the time because he was under threat from the party and suffering from personal problems.

After having a chance since the summer to read the report more thoroughly, Gill said he found witnesses who were key to the investigation were not interviewed.

The ex-UCP member also accused his former party of “crooked and racist nomination politics,” saying UCP president Alan Hallman told him to “stick to ethnically Indian areas in Calgary and that [the party] would not interfere in my nomination if I did so.”

Speaker Robert Wanner ruled Wednesday to dismiss Gill’s point of privilege against Anderson and Mason.

The UCP responded by denying that the party withheld the report from Gill. House Leader Jason Nixon offered to provide the Speaker with a copy of the report, if he requested it.

Nixon called the racism accusation “completely baseless,” and said Gill’s attitude toward the party is just “sour grapes.”

In a statement to AB Today, United Conservative Party director of communications Matt Solberg called Gill’s accusations “without merit.” Solberg noted that at the time of the investigation Gill released a statement characterizing it as a “fair and independent process.”

When asked by reporters if he would cross the floor to the Freedom Conservative Party, Gill said, “no comment.”

“I have to consult with my constituents who sent me here,” Gill then said. “It’s not my decision. It can’t be my decision.”

Gill and Freedom Conservative Party Leader Derek Fildebrandt sit close to each other in the House and are often seen chatting during question period.

Today’s events

December 6 at 9 a.m. – Edmonton The Treasury Board committee will meet in the cabinet room of the Alberta Legislature.

December 6 at 1:30 p.m. – Fort McMurray Infrastructure Minister Sandra Jansen and Wood Buffalo Mayor Don Scott will tour construction sites at École McTavish Public High School and Willow Square Continuing Care Centre in Fort McMurray.

Topics of conversation

● The federal government is opposing the United Conservative Party’s application to intervene in the Saskatchewan government’s legal challenge against its incoming carbon tax. The Department of Justice filed court documents Wednesday that state the UCP’s “reference is both political and speculative.” ○ Ottawa did not oppose a number of environmental groups and Saskatchewan-based energy utilities from intervening — but it does take issue with the Canadian Taxpayer Federation’s filing. ○ In a statement to Postmedia, UCP leader Jason Kenney said, “It’s telling that the Trudeau government is happy with foreign-funded groups … fighting for a carbon tax in Canadian courts, but not the Official Opposition in Alberta that represents a significant number of Albertans,”

● Congratulations to Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda who accepted a proposal, announcing his engagement on social media. ○ “He asked. I said YES!!!   #loveislove #engaged,” Miranda posted to Instagram and Twitter on Wednesday.

● Hundreds of protestors turned out in Drayton Valley Tuesday to call for more government action on the oil price differential. The small-town has been hit especially hard since October, according to Mayor Michael Doerksen who said the oil price differential has led to lay-offs, businesses closing and people losing their homes.

● Oil prices for Western Canadian Select closed at $38.79 USD per barrel on Wednesday, remaining higher than in recent months in the wake of Premier Rachel Notley’s Sunday night announcement that there would be a mandatory curtailment on production starting January 1, 2019.

● Former PC MLA and current Petroleum Services Association of Canada president Gary Mar told CBC Canada is at risk of retaliatory “countermeasures” from U.S. President Donald Trump should oil prices continue to rise as a result of Alberta oil production cuts. ○ Western Canadian Select sells at a discount because Alberta oil is largely landlocked, exporting most of its crude unrefined to the United States. ○ Trump has previously called on OPEC countries to increase production to keep oil prices low. ○ When asked by reporters whether the incoming oil curtailment complies with trade rules, Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd said the province is maintaining volumes within pipelines while addressing over-production in compliance with USMCA trade rules.

● Old remarks made by UCP Leader Jason Kenney about his anti-gay rights advocacy during his time in San Francisco in the 1980s resurfaced, making headlines as far away as the U.K. ○ A recording of Kenney recounting his advocacy began circulating online after Kenney posted a message about World AIDS Day to his Twitter account. ○ In 1989, Kenney and other activists successfully overturned a spousal law that would have allowed same-sex couples to have hospital visitation rights and bereavement leave at the height of the AIDS crisis. ○ The scrapping of the law resulted in many men dying alone in the hospital. ○ The UCP has previously responded to questions about Kenney’s past social conservative activism by saying his views have since evolved.

● Children’s Services Minister Danielle Larivee responded to the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ arrest of a 40-year-old group home worker in Calgary who was charged with multiple offences in relation to a child who was in his care, including making child pornography. ○ “I was devastated to hear about that,” Larivee said. “No child should ever be exposed to that kind of sexual violence.” ○ Larivee said the province has extensive screening requirements for staff and that the ministry is cooperating with the investigation. ○ “Every time something like this happens we do look again at the screening processes,” Larivee said.

● A former Calgary Catholic junior high principal who said she was forced to resign from her job over her sexual orientation told CTV she was personally aware of 10 LGBTQ+ youth in her former school who hurt themselves or were the subject of offensive comments from friends or family. ○ Education Minister David Eggen said school boards hire and set the terms of contract for employees — and Catholic schools are part of the choice within Alberta, he said, adding the schools must follow curriculum and the School Act.

Funding announcements Ministry of Status of Women The Elizabeth Fry Society is getting a $700,000 grant from the government for a three-year pilot program that will provide survivors of sexual violence with free legal advice.

“For years, we have been hearing from survivors of sexual violence who have been sitting with their pain and suffering, not knowing what options are available to them or what they can do to move forward,” said Elizabeth Fry Society Edmonton executive director Toni Sinclair.

The Elizabeth Fry Society advocates for women in prison.

Question Period

United Conservative Party Energy East resurrection

● Question period began with UCP Leader Jason Kenney calling on Premier Rachel Notley to commit to speaking to New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs at Friday’s first ministers’ meeting about plans to revive the Energy East pipeline project.

● Notley provided a snappy response: “Uh, yes, Mr. Speaker.” ○ Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd told reporters Wednesday she also approves of pushing for the Energy East pipeline renewal.

● Kenney also called on Notley to speak to Quebec Premier François Legault about the fact that Legault can’t accept transfer payments while opposing projects that generate the wealth to pay for them. ○ Legault said during the recent Quebec election campaign that he was opposed to Energy East and would “completely shut the door” to Trans Canada, should the company try to revive it.

● Notley said she would open the door to conversations with Legault before getting confrontational.

Alberta Party School safety with gay-straight alliances

● Alberta Party MLA Rick Fraser asked about safety in schools following reports that a student who was in a gay-straight alliance was taken off school grounds by an adult not affiliated with the school. ○ “How is your department going to ensure that any visitor coming into a school has to register with the front office, and can you explain how that policy was overlooked in recent reports regarding GSAs?”

● Education Minister David Eggen said there is a separation between GSA policy and field trip policy. ○ “It’s my expectation that schools and school boards follow field trip policy to the fullest extent that they have built that policy, and that we make sure that kids are safe every step of the way.”

Progressive Conservative Algae-eating sheep and other research

● PC MLA Richard Starke said 24 per cent of methane emissions come from livestock and asked what the government is doing to combat that. ○ Starke referenced research from the University of California that found feeding cows a strain of seaweed has resulted in a 55 per cent reduction in methane production and asked whether Minister of Agriculture knows of any comparable work being done in Alberta.

● Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said there are exciting new research initiatives around feed practices as a way to reduce methane emissions in agriculture. ○ “Using the science in genetics, there are now beef cattle that are eating upwards of 400 pounds less feed in their lifespan than there was even a few years ago,” Carlier said when describing research that is happening in Alberta.

Nominations UCP ● Harjinder Grewal won the UCP nomination in Edmonton—Manning. ● Devinder Toor won the UCP nomination in Calgary—Falconridge.

AB Today is written by Catherine Griwkowsky, reporting from Alberta's legislative press gallery.

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