Protesters gather outside of Premier Danielle Smith's constituency office in Medicine Hat as part of a province-wide demonstration on Saturday.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Members of the community gathered outside Premier and Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Danielle Smith’s office on Saturday, calling for her resignation.
The demonstration was part of a larger collection of protests taking place throughout the province, expressing discontent with several policies and decisions that have taken place over the course of her term.
Kym Porter, who was present for the protest, says one of the largest issues that led her to stand outside the constituency office this past weekend was the model currently being used for recovery within the province.
She says she believes the number of drug-related deaths is being obfuscated behind “unknown deaths.”
“I believe that they’re hiding those numbers behind deaths where they don’t know why the person has died, and they don’t have enough coroners. So when my son died eight years ago, it was eight or nine months before I got the coroner’s report. Now it’s taking even longer,” said Porter. “We’re losing 22 people a day in Canada, up to seven a day in Alberta. What they’ve got in place is partly needed, but it’s not all that’s needed, and they’re stripping away harm reduction.”
Other issues brought up among those present included a lack of clarity on the nature of coal mining operations and the recent allegations surrounding contract procurement within AHS. Many of those attending the protest were also calling for the resignation of Health Minister Adriana LaGrange.
Medicine Hat resident Betty Aiken expressed concern at how long it took Smith and LaGrange to respond to the allegations, stating that “when you know the truth and you’re living the truth, you have the response immediately.”
The protest was initially spotted on social media by community member Brent Woods, who shared the proposed date and location with other city residents.
“This is Alberta-wide,” said Woods. “I saw a post on Twitter, and I just shared it on Facebook. I’m a fan of democracy, and I don’t think the current leader is doing a good job of being democratic.”
Woods continued to say that at this point, he would like for the election process to begin, so someone else can take on the role of premier.
“This isn’t, ‘Come forward with the truth,'” said Porter. “It’s past that.”
