Covid Journal, December 3, 2020

The Trainwreck That Is Alberta

Conservative governments at the provincial level have turned Covid pandemic response into a free-for-all for their corporate buddies, but none seems worse than that of Alberta.

The United Conservative Party (UCP) is lead by Jason Kenney, once MP and Minister with the Stephen Harper regime.

In 2019, they defeated a functional and viable NDP government. The Rachel Notley NDP government was on a track to bring Alberta back to its previous glory, but Jason Kenney took over and seems determined to run it into the ground.

The Kenney government has slashed education and health budgets, the latter move resulting in about $600 million in ‘cost savings’ that would likely be transferred to the oil patch. They’ve reduced corporate taxes and oil royalties to the bare minimum, choking up any potential revenue. They’re turned their back on science and remediation of the tarnished tar sands.

For more about Jason Kenney and his assault on public institutions, check out this site.

Alberta now has the most cases per capita in Canada and the numbers are climbing rapidly.

Despite all of his nonsense and attacks on public institutions, Jason Kenney is coming whining to the federal government that now is not the time to play politics and that the good people of Canada should fill their empty cup.

a federal source said Alberta has informally asked the Trudeau government and the Red Cross to supply field hospitals to help offset the strain COVID-19 is having on the province’s health-care system.

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro was scheduled to meet with his federal counterpart Patty Hadju on Wednesday to discuss the field-hospital request and other potential pandemic supports.

The federal source said Alberta would likely receive at least four field hospitals — two from the Red Cross and another two from the federal government.

The Nov. 28 draft plan states the provincial government is exploring asking for military support to help staff the field hospitals.

Well, F-U Jason Kenney.

If you want to separate, please go right ahead and take your dirty carbon-based nonsense with you.

Oh yeah … here’s the bill for repairing the damage done with the Tar Sands. If you can’t pay it, we’ll just take it out of your share of the CPP and other pension funds.

And here’s the various Treaty Agrements that identify you and your oil buddies are just living off the natural regions of our First Nations peoples.

Don’t like it?

How about a 100% super tax on any oil production that’s still taking place in the province and sign a declaration of financial responsibility that the rest of Canada has to approve in order to get any money from people that are trying to manage the Covid pandemic with a sense of decency? Or reinstate all of the people you fired? Or stop shoving religion down the agendas of public education programs?