Dear Editor,
“It shouldn’t have to happen to you, for you to care about it.” I had recently seen this plea online but that message was driven home on May 25 at the boisterous ‘Enough is Enough’ protest in Calgary (and Edmonton and other towns).
In the crowd of 500 people, as reported by the Calgary Herald, I was amazed to see passionate signs from a wide swath of groups: healthcare, education, environment, trans, CPP… everyone who had a bone to pick with the Smith UCP/TBA government -- in only year one of its term.
Likewise, the event’s organizers (special thanks to local activist Rebecca Brown) regaled us with a strong, principled group of intelligent – and, yes, emotional – speakers and musicians.
“There’s a storm brewing” to quote Dr. Joe Vipond, as indeed the sky overhead was darkening. Such a great metaphor for the plethora of grievances aired ranging from Bill 1 (Alberta sovereignty) to Bill 22 (costly AHS restructuring) and so many more, as the average Albertan grapples with the highest utility rates and inflation in the country alongside the lowest per capita spending on education.
The common theme was anger at the sheer hypocrisy and arrogance of a self-proclaimed Libertarian premier not staying in her own lane -- as she demands of the feds -- but instead justifying the unwarranted and unwanted interference with municipal governments (Bill 20), with university research funding (Bill 18), with policing (Bill 11), with the CPP and with the vulnerable trans community, which the premier/TBA is making a special effort to antagonize, with an agonizing dilemma of whether or not they feel safe enough to stay in Alberta.
So many shouts of ‘Shame!’ from the crowd. Are you listening Premier Smith? Not to mention the outright lies from the premier about who actually requested the six-month moratorium on renewable energy (no one outside the UCP did so, as reported by The Tyee) and Minister Brian Jean’s interference with our supposedly independent energy regulator on the previously-cancelled applications for toxic coal mining along our critical Eastern Slopes watershed (which also suffers from clear cut logging permits). The list goes on and on.
I think the vast majority of Albertans expect and deserve our elected officials to be honest, collaborative, accountable, science-driven, fiscally responsible and socially progressive; they must respect, listen to and rule for all Albertans, and not be beholden only to corporate and fringe influencers.
Gordon Petersen
Okotoks
