Alberta Minute: Federal Overreach, Price Caps, and Sick Days

Alberta Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Alberta politics.

This Week In Alberta:

• The report of the government's Blue-Ribbon Panel will be released on Tuesday. Finally, we will know just how bad things are. But balancing the budget will require more than just reports. It's time to make some difficult decisions.
  
  
• Alberta's Advanced Education Minister will be touring Alberta meeting with post-secondary board members, staff, and students. We will continue pushing for enhanced rights for students, including freedom of speech, assembly, and association, as well as increased recognition of trades skills.
  
  
• While two government engagement sessions have now closed, and the MacKinnon report is has reported back, there are still five engagement sessions underway, as well as three other panels and committees. The Alberta government website has a full list of consultations, along with details of how to participate.

Last Week In Alberta:

• Federal Bill C-69 entered into law, allowing the federal government to regulate industrial projects like pipelines and mines in Alberta and other provinces. The Alberta government immediately announced a constitutional challenge arguing that "Under the constitution, Alberta has clear and sole jurisdiction over the development of our natural resources."
  
  
• As we have long advocated for, the government allowed the NDP's auto insurance price cap to expire yesterday. While everyone would love to pay less for the same service, in reality, the government has no ability to magically make things cheaper by legislative fiat. Price caps inevitably lead to lower quality services and less innovation.
  
  
• A Canadian Taxpayers Federation report showed that Alberta government workers took an average of 14.4 sick days last year - more than any other province's government workers or federal government workers. Private sector workers in Alberta average just 5.7 days. No-one is suggesting that sick people should be forced to go to work, but these stats make it clear that well people aren't going to work.

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