MLA Report: Seeking your thoughts and ideas

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 17, 2020.

The definition of the word fair: As an adjective, “in accordance with the rules or standards.” As an adverb, “without cheating or trying to achieve unjust advantage.”

I mention this because today at 5:30 p.m. in the Grandstand room at the Medicine Hat Stampede grounds, Alberta’s Fair Deal Panel is holding our 10th meeting. Please come.

I would like to hear from all of you as to whether you think Alberta is getting a fair deal, as part of the Canadian confederation.

If you choose to speak (or submit electronically) please be forthright and forward thinking.

I started in Alberta politics eight years ago with one overarching focus. “Alberta should be the richest, freest jurisdiction in North America and the way to accomplish that is to embrace fiscally conservative, family and community focused, free enterprise values.”

From 50% taxation to billions of dollars of debt to suffocating bureaucracy and regulation to past Alberta governments not fighting against the implementation of the sage grouse protection order its easy to see why we haven’t reached our potential.

To this burden add investment killing carbon taxes and promised increases in the carbon taxes charged for the use of gas, oil or electricity It becomes easy to understand why young men are 20% unemployed, Alberta interest cost nears $3 billion annually and GDP growth is projected to be a minimal 1% (Alberta borrowing is about 0.5% of the economy annually, meaning almost zero growth in reality).

In addition, many wonder what $600 billion in federal transfers sent out of Alberta since 1961 and the relative financial opportunities of our own Alberta pension plan may have provided.

In southeastern Alberta we have many strengths. People, agriculture, oil and gas, sunshine, and more! If we could enhance oil, gas and coal development, more irrigation and electricity, and add needed transportation infrastructure this would allow us to compete, further diversify and create more wealth.

So I ask, are we happy with the system for choosing Alberta judges on the Supreme Court, the Senate and House of Commons representation distribution for provinces, and Alberta’s ability to get resources to markets?

Or has the current system led to an unjust advantage for some and is it time to address this?

See you tonight, Alberta needs to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Drew Barnes is MLA (UCP) for Cypress-Medicine Hat constituency.

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