Alberta Minute: Leadership Review, Court Ruling, and School Choice Advocacy

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

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature won't be sitting due to a scheduled constituency week. Sittings will resume on Tuesday, May 24th, after the long weekend.
  
  
• The Select Special Information and Privacy Commissioner Search Committee meets twice this week. The first meeting is this morning from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. On Wednesday, the Committee meets at the same time. No agenda has been posted for either meeting yet.
  
  
• The results of the United Conservative Party leadership race are expected on Wednesday. Jason Kenney, whose leadership is up for review, has vowed to remain at the helm of the party as long as he receives 50%+1.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Alberta Institute was very pleased to be involved in helping to launch a brand new grassroots school choice organization in Alberta - the Alberta Parents’ Union. It's a new organization of Alberta parents advocating for the best possible education for all Alberta students - whether that be public, separate, francophone, alternative, charter, independent, or home education. They're planning a province-wide tour over the coming weeks, including in Cochrane this week, so check them out.
  
  
• Health Minister Jason Copping announced a pause on the previously announced plan to end the insulin pump therapy program. When the strategy was announced, the goal was to put the roughly 4,000 Albertans who depend on the program on either their employer’s plan or Alberta Blue Cross. The government said the move would allow Albertans to access more technologically advanced insulin pumps, but many users said their employers don’t cover pumps or they couldn’t afford the Blue Cross premiums. Copping said more consultations are upcoming.

• The Alberta Court of Appeal announced, in a majority 4-1 decision, that Bill C-69, the Impact Assessment Act, was unconstitutional. The ruling said that, “If upheld, the (legislation) would permanently alter the division of powers and forever place provincial governments in an economic chokehold controlled by the federal government.” While the Alberta Court of Appeal decision is a win for Alberta, it's expected to be a short-lived victory, with the Supreme Court likely to overturn it again. If we want to make progress, Alberta needs to take much more significant actions than just another court case.

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