Alberta Minute: Surgical Capacity, Plastics Challenge, and Queen Elizabeth Dies

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

This Week In Alberta:

• While the Legislature remains adjourned until the end of October, the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing will meet on Tuesday at 9:00 am for a Review of Standing Order 29.1 (Interventions).
  
  
• Alberta will begin increasing funding to the office of the Chief Firearms Officer to expedite firearm sale and transfer applications. The government will invest an additional $700,000 this year, $7 million next year, and $5.2 million in the following year to hire 40 new positions under Chief Firearms Officer Terri Bryant. Applications for transfers and new licenses processed in eastern Canada have been backlogged up to 10 months.
  
  
• Alberta will also intervene in a constitutional challenge against the federal government for labelling plastics as a toxic substance. Premier Jason Kenney noted that labelling plastics as toxic substances negatively impacts Alberta’s petrochemical industry and could create uncertainty for investors.

Last Week In Alberta:

• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. The Queen had visited Alberta six times, most recently in 2005. Politicians from both sides of the aisle - and around the world - paid tribute to the Queen. Reigning for 70 years and 214 days, the Queen was the longest reigning female monarch in recorded history and the only monarch many Canadians have ever known.
  
  
• The Conservative Party of Canada announced the results of their leadership race. Pierre Poilievre won on the first ballot with 68.15% of the vote. In a distant second place, Jean Charest picked up 16.07%, followed by Leslyn Lewis with 9.69%, Roman Baber with 5.03%, and Scott Aitchison with 1.06%.

• The Province announced that the Alberta Surgical Initiative will be expanded. The program is intended to help expedite surgeries by allowing for more private chartered surgical facilities. Alberta's Health Minister, Jason Copping, said that Alberta Health Services will fund an additional 1,250 procedures in the South Zone and 1,350 surgeries in the Central Zone, including hip and knee replacement and general surgeries.

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