Alberta Minute: Paid Plasma, Carding Banned, and Ongoing COVID Debates

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

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature is in session again this week with sittings in the afternoon and evening on Monday, all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and morning and afternoon on Thursday.
  
  
• The Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members' Public Bills and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts will both meet on Tuesday morning.
  
  
• There are a large number of government bills currently before the House, including ten at Second Reading, three at Committee of the Whole, and one awaiting Royal Assent, as well as several other Private Members' and Private Bills.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The provincial government continues to come under fire for their COVID response, with many calling for further restrictions, while many business owners are struggling to stay afloat under the existing restrictions. Record numbers of new cases in recent days will mean the pressure on the government will intensify, though three other provinces - Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan - are also seeing record numbers of cases despite having much harsher restrictions.
  
  
• We were very pleased to see 'carding' banned in Alberta - this is something we've been pushing for, for years. Justice Minister, Kaycee Madu, pushed the change, saying: "There's no question in my mind that this is a complete violation of citizen’s constitutional rights… and it serves no purpose."
  
  
• The Alberta Legislature passed Bill 204, repealing the previous government's ban on paid plasma. Now, instead of our province buying plasma from America, Albertans can be compensated for donating plasma. This is a huge win for both donors and patients in Alberta.

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