Alberta Minute: New Judges, Leadership Ballots, and Ethics Commission Recommendations

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

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature will continue this week with its usual sitting schedule from Monday afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Amongst the things on the agenda for consideration is Bill 19, the Condominium Property Amendment Act, 2022.
  
  
• On Monday, from 8:15 am to 9:45 am, there will be a meeting of the Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members' Public Bills. The Committee will be discussing a review of Bill 207, the Traffic Safety (Tow Truck Warning Lamps) Amendment Act, 2022. On Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet from 8:00 am to 10:00 am to discuss the Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Annual Report.
  
  
• Mail-in ballots for the United Conservative Party leadership review must be received by Deloitte Canada by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 11th. The outcome of the vote will decide the fate of Premier Jason Kenney. Several UCP MLAs and Independent MLAs have called for the Premier to be ousted. Kenney says a simple 50%+1 majority is enough to keep him in the leadership position.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Government of Alberta introduced Bill 23, which they say aims to modernize the governance of Alberta’s self-regulating professions and will provide a standard way for self-governing professions to conduct discipline and registration of members. It will also make it easier for associations to recognize out-of-province credentials, something that is sorely needed. Currently, rules regarding self-regulating professions are spread over 9 different acts and 22 supplemental regulations.
  
  
• The government-controlled committee tasked with reviewing the Lobbyists Act has refused to implement a large number of law changes - many of which were specifically recommended by Alberta’s Ethics Commissioner. Among the rejected proposals were the establishment of a registry to track meetings between lobbyists and elected officials, and a requirement for lobbyists to publicly file the hours they spend lobbying every month. Independent MLA Drew Barnes and the NDP plan to each prepare their own dissenting reports.

• The Government of Alberta has announced the addition of 4 new judgeships, the first additions to the Provincial Court since 2013. The government also appointed 8 new judges to fill vacancies across the province. The new judgeships were created in response to justice system delays and the 12% increase in criminal cases in the last two years.

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