AB Today – Daily Report December 5, 2018

Quotation of the day

“It should have been on the agenda all along.”

Premier Rachel Notley explains her and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s request that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put the oil price differential on the agenda for Friday’s first ministers’ meeting in Montreal.

Today in AB

On the schedule House business is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Wednesday for the second last day of the fall legislative session. An evening session is planned, unless MLAs vote to adjourn at 6 p.m.

The government is trying to pass all of its new legislation before rising Thursday afternoon.

The following bills could be called for third reading debate: ● 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, Mental Health Services Protection Act; and ● Bill 32, City Charters Fiscal Framework Act.

The following bills could be called for debate at committee stage: ● Bill 30, Mental Health Services Protection Act; and ● Bill 32, City Charters Fiscal Framework Act.

Tuesday’s debates and proceedings

The government got a move on legislation Tuesday, passing two bills at third reading: ● Bill 28, the Family Statutes Amendment Act; and ● Bill 31, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act.

Two bills passed second reading during the morning session: ● Bill 30, Mental Health Services Protection Act; and ● Bill 32, City Charters Fiscal Framework Act.

The following bills were passed at committee stage: ● Bill 22, An Act for Strong Families Building Stronger Communities; and ● Bill 23, An Act to Renew Local Democracy in Alberta, which passed with amendments.

Alberta Party MLA Karen McPherson introduced a private member’s bill entitled Bill 209, Strategies for Unemployed and Underemployed Albertans Act.

McPherson said she hopes the legislature does not prorogue before the spring session so MLAs have a chance to debate the bill. Bill 209 calls for the assemblage of a task force to come up with strategies to get unemployed people back to work.

In the House Disabilities advocate Christina Ryan and her daughter Emily Pitchers met with Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley and Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sarah Hoffman at the legislature to celebrate the expected passage of Bill 28, the Family Statutes Amendment Act.

Last year, Ryan launched a legal challenge to fight for the right of never-married parents of adult children with disabilities to apply for child support so they still share the financial burden with their ex-partner after their child turns 18.

Alberta, Saskatchewan spar with Ottawa over first ministers’ meeting agenda

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe penned a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late Monday asking for the oil price differential to be added to the agenda for this week’s first ministers’ meeting agenda, which will be held in Montreal on Friday.

Notley told reporters Tuesday the the oil differential is worth 100 times more than other internal trade issues often discussed at these meetings.

“I’m hoping we’ll be able to get more attention paid by all first ministers across this country,” Notley said, calling for the agenda to be revised to include a specific meeting on “energy market access and the economic impacts of the price differential.”

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the meeting will include discussions on the oil price differential, but did no say whether the issue will get its own meeting slot.

“Conversations will focus on trade diversification, competitiveness, and how climate change and clean energy initiatives drive growth and job creation. The energy sector (including the differential) was always going to be part of these economic conversations,” the PMO said in an emailed statement.

UCP House Leader Jason Nixon said it’s “absolutely ridiculous” that Trudeau does not have the differential on the agenda. Nixon also lauded the NDP for co-operating with the province of Saskatchewan.

Premier Notley has shown her will at premiers’ meetings in the past. Notley skipped out on a meeting of the Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife last May because of her ongoing dispute with Premier John Horgan over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Covenant Health releases revised policy on medical assistance in dying

In the wake of a series of investigations that found patients of Edmonton-based health provider Covenant Health were being discriminated against when requesting medical assistance in dying, the Catholic health provider released a revised policy Tuesday.

Under Covenant Health’s previous policy, patients looking for assisted dying could not undergo assessments by Alberta Health Services or sign a form requesting assisted death within Covenant health’s facilities. This resulted in patients being forced to leave the building to talk with health care providers on sidewalk benches.

Covenant Health’s updated policy maintains a ban on assisted dying within any of its facilities, requiring patients to be transferred out to undergo the procedure, but it will now allow interested patients to receive assisted-dying assessments inside.

Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman was not in the Chamber on Tuesday but issued a statement calling the new policy “a good step forward.”

Hoffman oversaw the review and has previously said if Covenant Health did not update its policies, she would update them herself.

“Every patient in Alberta deserves the same level of dignified and compassionate care, no matter what health care facility they attend,” Hoffman said.

In a statement Covenant House denied any patients have been moved to benches within the past year, and said the new policy is consistent with “what we’ve already been experiencing” with medically assisted dying. “Our records show that all those who were actively exploring [medically-assisted dying] had their assessment completed in our facilities, with due attention to the patient and resident’s total care needs.”

Critics say the new policy doesn’t go far enough.

Friends of Medicare executive director Sandra Azocar told the CBC ambiguous language leaves the policy open for interpretation.

"It doesn't ensure that people in Alberta will have equitable access to a legal service," Azocar said in an interview with CBC.

Liberal Party Leader David Khan said all assessments occuring on site is a good first step, but added all procedures approved under the Canada Health Act should be available at all publicly funded facilities. He suggested Covenant Health could bring in a mobile team to provide the service.

“We’re not calling for any health professionals to be forced to participate in the procedures, but we shouldn’t be forcing Albertans out of publicly funded institutions for any insured service, and a constitutional right at that,” Khan said.

The policy is next scheduled for review in December 2021.

Today’s events

December 5 at 4 p.m. – Edmonton

The Stars of Alberta Volunteer Awards ceremony will be held at Government House. Lieutenant Governor Lois Mitchell, Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda, and MLAs representing award recipients will be in attendance.

Topics of conversation

● The day after Premier Rachel Notley said Alberta doesn’t need “Ottawa’s sympathy,” it needs its “full attention,” federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi penned an op-ed in the Calgary Herald with the headline: “Alberta, this government has always had your back, and always will.” ○ “Our government, the government of Alberta, industry, and the hard-working Canadians who work in the oil industry all share the same goal: ensuring that every barrel of Canadian oil gets its full value.,” Sohi wrote of the Trudeau administration. ○ “However, the long-term solution lies in building pipelines that allow our resources to get to non-U.S. markets. That is what our government is focused on, and that is what I’m working each day to deliver.” ○ Sohi listed off recent actions Ottawa has taken to support Alberta, including $250 million to offset the impact of low oil prices, $1 billion to support small and medium-sized businesses, $30 million for orphaned well clean-up, and $1.3 billion to extend EI benefits to laid-off energy sector workers.

● Meanwhile, Liberal MLA David Swann is calling for Ottawa to reinstate extended employment benefits. Swann said Alberta’s unemployment rate is already at 8.4 per cent and that economists are warning the oil production cut will reduce the province’s 2019 economic growth by half.

● Satirical publication The Beaverton riffed on the dual misfortunes of the oil industry and the Edmonton Oilers, joking that Premier Rachel Notley plans cut 8.7 per cent of the hockey team, citing poor performance. ○ “I believe in the free market of the NHL, but our situation is desperate,” said the fictional Notley. “This is hitting hockey fans in Alberta hard, except for Calgary fans who are loving this.” ○ A Beaverton article from last week suggested a new law forcing “Albertans to carry at least one barrel of bitumen in luggage when travelling to West Coast” is in the works.

● Canada West Foundation president and CEO Martha Hall Findlay penned an op-ed in the Globe and Mail on federal Bill C-69. Findlay says the bill should “be put on hold, be reconsidered and redrafted” in accordance with federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Fall Economic Statement promise to launch a “much-needed initiative to modernize the country’s regulatory system.” ○ Findlay notes that reforming Canada’s regulatory environment is the aim of Bill C-69, but it was drafted before Morneau’s commitment to national regulatory reform.

○ “If [Ottawa is] serious about ‘taking immediate action in response to business recommendations,’ then they should heed the call from Canadian business to pause Bill C-69, take advantage of this excellent regulatory reform initiative, and get the regulation of both energy projects and the impact assessments of major infrastructure right,” Findlay writes.

● Education Minister David Eggen told reporters Tuesday the NDP will continue to fight for students students wanting to form Gay-Straight Alliances. Eggen was responding to a column from Calgary Herald journalist Licia Corbella that claimed kids are being put at risk by GSAs. ○ “We’ll fight ‘em in court; we’ll fight ‘em outside; we’ll do whatever it takes to keep kids safe,” Eggen said. ○ A legal challenge launched by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, the organization headed by John Carpay — who recently landed in hot water for comparing the pride flag to a swastika — argues the province’s mandatory-GSA law violates religious freedom.

Question Period United Conservative Party Oil price differentials

● Question period began with UCP Leader Jason Kenney celebrating the good news that Western Canadian Select was trading at $28 per barrel following the imposition of oil curtailment, up from $10 last week. ○ “Will the premier please confirm that this appears to be the result of the very difficult but necessary decision around curtailment of production?”

● Premier Rachel Notley said Kenney is correct. ○ “Preliminary responses within the market are positive, and we are certainly seeing the differential come down.” ○ Notley conceded Alberta is not “out of the woods yet” and that the differential is “likely to pop back up,” but she called it a “good start.”

● In follow-up questions, Kenney said “heaven forbid” he be accused of lobbing too many puffballs at the government and pivoted to asking whether the province would intervene in the U.S. appeals court on the Keystone XL decision in Montana.

● Notley said her team has been in touch with Trans Canada Pipeline Limited to “offer them any and all support that we can provide.”

Gender-based analysis of construction projects

● UCP MLA Leela Aheer asked whether the government supported Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments on gender-based analysis on construction projects. ○ “Do your policies support your friend Justice Trudeau’s gender-lens analysis of our hard-working pipeline construction workers?” ○ Trudeau has been accused of smearing construction workers during remarks he made at last weekend’s G20 meeting in Argentina when he suggested that new construction or resource developments in rural communities could often have unintended consequences for the women who live there.

● Children’s Services and Status of Women Minister Danielle Larivee was careful with her words, thanking oil and gas workers in the province before saying there is a standalone ministry in the province to stand up for women.

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

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