It seems that these days Canada is governed by the Supreme Court of Canada: Ottawa has started ruling with unrealistic directions, and provinces have to reach the Supreme Court Court of Canada to cancel them. In this context, how much time and money is costing us, Canadians, to reverse the economically destructive ideology from Ottawa?!
Two months, two Court decisions slapping the federals
This past week, Albertans celebrated as the courts confirmed, once again, that the federal Liberals’ climate policies are both unreasonable and unconstitutional.
A little over a year ago, Alberta intervened with the Federal Court to argue that the federal government’s decision to unilaterally label plastic as a ‘toxic substance’ is an unconstitutional intrusion into provincial jurisdiction and a threat to our economy.
In a ruling released Thursday, Justice Angela Furlanetto wrote that it was “unreasonable and unconstitutional” to list all plastic manufactured products as toxic in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, adding that the federal government “acted outside of their authority.”
The court also had to educate the federal government on what exactly their job is, reminding them that “cooperative federalism recognizes that the provincial government and federal government are coordinate – the provinces are not subordinate to the federal government.”
For those keeping score, this is the second time in only two months that the Liberals’ climate policies have been slapped down by our country’s highest courts. In October, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Bill C-69 was also unconstitutional. We hope this latest decision marks a turning point in the federal government’s approach, but we won’t hold our breath.
Alberta is proudly home to Canada’s largest petrochemical sector, a sector with more than $18 billion in recently announced projects that were needlessly put in jeopardy by a virtue-signaling federal government with no respect for the division of powers outlined in the Canadian Constitution.
Federals must start listening
Soon after the decision, Premier Danielle Smith and Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz highlighted how Ottawa’s policies have put “thousands of jobs and billions of investments at risk. To echo our Premier and Environment Minister, it’s time for the federal government to listen to the courts and Canadians, act within their scope, and acknowledge their continued pattern of overreach and the wide-ranging consequences this behavior has had on the provinces.
Wolfs and sheep – the NDP makeover
While our United Conservative government continues to focus on standing up for everyday Albertans against damaging federal policies, the Notley NDP is falling apart at the seams.
Only a few hours after the major court decision on plastics, half a dozen former NDP candidates announced a plan to rebrand their party, hoping to win more seats by making sure Albertans don’t know they’re NDP. Not only are the NDP convinced that Albertans are that gullible, but they are clearly delusional in blaming their recent election loss on their name, rather than, as senior political columnist Lorne Gunter put it, their “economically punitive and environmentally alarmist policies.”.
The NDP’s attempt to disguise their disastrous history and economically devastating policies won’t fool Albertans, but it will remind them why the NDP cannot be trusted to lead this province.
Premier Smith and our entire United Conservative team are listening and responding to the needs of Albertans. Alberta is back, leading the nation in economic prosperity, freedom, and opportunity. And we will work tirelessly to ensure this does not change.
Sincerely,
Shane Getson
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PLEASE NOTE:
If you have any comments to this blog post or others, please write to me at LacSteAnne.Parkland@assembly.ab.ca and I will respond to you personally as soon as possible.
For any further question on the constituency of Lac Ste Anne Parkland feel free to connect with your MLA Shane Getson by calling the phone number : 780.967.0760 (click2call), by email LacSteAnne.Parkland@assembly.ab.ca or by mailing us to:
Constituency Office
#18, 4708 Lac Ste. Anne Trail North
P.O. Box 248 “Onoway PO”
Onoway, AB
Canada T0E 1V0
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MLA Shane Getson (UCP)
Shane Getson was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland on April 16, 2019.
Engagement
I currently serve as Deputy Chair on the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and as a Member of the Standing Committees on Resource Stewardship.
Check often my Engagement page to discover my Focus Projects for 2021, among which I want to introduce you to the importance of Utility Corridors. I have the firm belief that the usage of these corridors will contribute immensely to Alberta's future so, for more details please contact me at your convenience.