We Choose Freedom organizer Stephen Campbell and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes outside the UCP member's constituency office in March.--PHOTO Courtesy of Stephen Campbell, Facebook
As positive cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat continue to near a threshold for added restrictions, opposition from the city’s two government MLAs continues for current measures imposed last month, and local enforcement action appears non-existent.
But Premier Jason Kenney showed up Monday at the provincial COVID update announcing Albertan’s can expect further restrictions to be announced Tuesday. And he went further in describing those who organize events such as the rodeo in Bowden attended by hundreds of people over the weekend as, “people who don’t care.
“They don’t care about COVID and apparently they don’t care about the sacrifices that millions of Albertans are making every single day,” said Kenney.
But while neither Medicine Hat’s two government MLAs have openly advocated for defying public health restrictions, both signed an April 7 letter opposing the additional restrictions imposed last month.
Since that letter, cases of COVID in Medicine Hat have gone from 44 to 231 as of Monday.
Barnes has continued his vocal opposition to increased public health restrictions. Glasgo did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Opposition NDP MLA Shannon Phillips was blunt in her assessment of the actions of the city’s two government MLAs.
“They are terrible at their jobs,” she said, adding she is sympathetic in a limited way to their opposition of their own government’s actions and the unclear COVID response from the premier.
“We see (Kenney) has put public health second to his own political considerations and the fact his own MLAs don’t respect him,” said Phillips. “A lot of the rules are confusing, they seem slap-dash, haphazard, too late, somewhat arbitrary – that annoys people.”
She called the government’s move to suspend the current legislature sitting not about keeping people safe but, “keeping Jason Kenney safe from both the opposition outside his caucus … and also the opposition within his caucus.”
Opposition in Medicine Hat to additional public health restrictions is also set to continue, according to Stephen Campbell, spokesperson for We Choose Freedom – Medicine Hat.
“We’re our last really, our last line of defence – if you will – to stand up,” said Campbell, whose group opposes mandatory public health restrictions and has organized public protests for the past year. “If Kenney wants to get upset over the fact there is opposition to what he is doing in place, I think it’s fair game for everybody what we do at the rallies which for the most part is constructive opposition.”
With no visible enforcement of public health restrictions, which are being ignored, Campbell was asked what freedoms are being curtailed.
“We don’t have our freedoms infringed upon,” said Campbell. “You look at J Rocks, he is open and free to run his business the way he feels fit.”
J Rocks has continued to advertise in-person dining, live music and even dancing despite those activities breaching public health restrictions.
It’s an option Campbell says he believes should be available to otherwise healthy Albertans.
Details on the latest round of health restrictions are expected to be announced later today.
