Born: Innisfail

Education: “Studied economics and political science at the U of A”

Quote: “Working with a team to achieve a common goal is no different in football than in politics”

Connections: Dreeshen is the son of Earl Dreeshen, Conservative MP for Red Deer Mountain View

Work experience: policy adviser to federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, 2008–2015, “advocating for agriculture trade, improved rural infrastructure support, and leading the effort to end the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly”; ag. consultant; farms near Pine Lake

Other experience: director, Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association; board member, Crossroads Ag. Society

Political experience: volunteered with Trump’s campaign for eight months in 2016, travelling to 28 states and shadowing Ivanka Trump

Quote: On volunteering for Trump: “It wasn’t picking a particular candidate; it was just to see how the American system worked.” (Mountain View Today, 2020/7/18)

Elected as MLA: 2018/7/12 (in a by-election; UCP MLA Don MacIntyre had resigned following charges of sexual assault and sexual interference)

Riding: Innisfail-Sylvan Lake

Sworn in as minister: 2019/4/30

MINISTRY RESPONSIBILITY

• policies, legislation, regulations and services necessary for Alberta’s agriculture, food and forest sectors to grow, prosper and diversify

• inspire public confidence in wildfire and forest management and the quality and safety of food
• support environmentally sustainable resource management

• lead collaboration that enables safe and resilient rural communities

MINISTER’S RECORD

• repealed Bill 6, the NDP’s farm safety legislation, to “reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and ranchers while still ensuring basic safety standards”; removed agricultural workers’ right to unionize; exempted small farms and ranches from safety standards

• created “Champions of Agriculture,” a committee to “break down myths and misunderstandings of our sustainable agriculture practices and highlight how Alberta leads on a global stage to feed people around the world”

• compensated cattle and hog producers, beekeepers and potato farmers for pandemic-related costs (e.g., backed up inventory), including $25-million for pork producers

• gave $40-million from the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Fund “to accelerate innovation” and “help farmers, ranchers, industry and innovators navigate the economic repercussions of the pandemic”

• deferred timber dues for six months “to help forest companies continue operating… during the pandemic” and raised Alberta’s annual allowable timber cut by 13 per cent “to provide security for forest companies” (which in 2020 saw “record-breaking prices… despite COVID-19 initially reducing demand”)

• launched Agriculture Jobs Connector, a website for Albertans to find jobs in
ag. and for businesses to find workers

• gave $27.8-million to an agri-food hub at Exhibition Park in Lethbridge “to create jobs and spur investment”

• gave $300,000 to Yellowhead County through the Mountain Pine Beetle Municipal Grant Program (part of the $560-million the province has spent since 2006 attempting to control the pine beetle)

• increased the lending capacity of the public Agriculture Financial Services Corporation by $800-million

• gave $81,000 to the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association to improve its online producer directory

• to “cut red tape,” amended Meat Inspection Regulation to allow consumers to buy animals directly from farmers, slaughtered on-site; allow licensed facilities to salvage and sell meat by-products; and allow pre-slaughter inspections by video in emergencies

• cancelled the provincial carbon credit program, which had compensated farmers for practices that reduce GHG emissions (from the Western Producer: “From the farmers’ perspective, the expiry of the protocols couldn’t have come at a worse time. The value of a market-ready carbon offset… is at $30 per tonne and scheduled to rise in increments to $170 a tonne by April 2030. With the carbon offset market gone, grain and oilseed producers [will] be expected to pay carbon taxes on non-exempt farm fuels while no longer being able to recoup their costs through beneficial cropping practices, such as low soil disturbance crop production.”)

• hired trade officers for Invest Alberta in Mexico, Singapore, the US and EU

• gave $244.5-million to irrigation districts to improve infrastructure and increase water storage (see article p 36)

• cut the Agriculture and Forestry budget by $88-million, or 9 per cent;
laid off 247 ministry staff

• transferred AB Irrigation Technology Centre and Brooks Greenhouse to Lethbridge College and three ag. research programs to University of Lethbridge

• gave $10.5-million to Olds College to house Agriculture and Forestry’s field crop development centre

• created Results Driven Agriculture Research (annual budget: $37-million), which will “lead to tangible benefits for farmers, including higher profits”

• amended the Forests Act to cut “red tape” and allow industry to “create long-term economic growth and diversification” while “preserving our forests for all Albertans to enjoy”

CRITIQUE

• Retired agronomy research scientist Ross McKenzie on UCP cuts: “It was a huge, huge surprise, when Alberta Agriculture has done such a lot of great work over the last 40–50 years with research and developing technologies to help farmers… The cuts are devastating. More than half the staff at [Lethbridge’s and Brooks’s research centres] will be cut.” (Global News, 2020/10/23)

• Farmworker advocate Eric Musekamp, on UCP safety exemptions for small farms: “We believe farm workers are the same as and equal to every other Canadian, and we’re entitled under the law to be treated as such.… One of the very big factors in retaining workers is treating them equitably, so if you take away their rights and protections, it makes them not want to work in that sector.” (Calgary Herald, 2019/11/20)

• Innisfail farmer Alana Randol, on Dreeshen: “He won’t take meetings. He has secretaries answering his emails with form letters. He doesn’t appear to be in Innisfail. He doesn’t answer constituents’ meeting requests or phone calls. He doesn’t seem to have any kind of focus on the Innisfail and Sylvan Lake area at all.” (Mountain View Today, 9/3/2020)

IN THE LEGISLATURE

Dach (NDP): “Given [they’ll] struggle to pay their bills and might well lose their homes, can you tell these 247 [ministry staff] you’re firing why they’re paying for your $4.7-billion corporate tax cut…?”

Dreeshen: “Like so many businesses across this province, government has to make sure that they can offer their services in a very efficient manner.” (Hansard, 2020/10/27)

MINISTRY CONTACT

#229, 10800 97 Ave, Edm., AB, T5K 2B6

780 427 2137

af.minister@gov.ab.ca

The post Devin Dreeshen appeared first on Alberta Views.

Profile

Born: Calgary
Education: BA in economics and political science; MBA; U of C
Prior to politics: VP of business development for Fracture Modeling Inc.
First elected: 2019/4/16
Riding: Calgary-North East
Sworn in as Minister: 2019/4/30
Responsibilities: Income, employment, disability supports; family violence prevention; other community supports
Contact: css.minister@gov.ab.ca
Deputy Minister: shannon.marchand@gov.ab.ca

Interview
Interviewed by Evan Osenton

AV: Did you grow up in a politically engaged household?

Sawhney: I actually didn’t. My parents immigrated to Canada in the late 1960s, and our household was very much trying to make ends meet. My dad is well educated, so we watched the news every night and knew what was going on. But in terms of actual engagement, there was very little.

AV: So when did you personally get interested or involved in politics?

Sawhney: Through my extended family. My cousin is George Chahal; he’s the councillor for [Calgary’s] Ward 5 and I worked on his very first campaign. [I did] a lot of door knocking with him and his family in 2007, the first time he ran. He lost by 33 votes. I helped again in 2013 and 2017. His family is more politically engaged, and I was always on the outskirts of that. But when he decided to run for councillor, we were all in—the whole family. And I found it exciting. In the last campaign I was heavily involved and became very aware of the different issues in the neighbourhoods I grew up in.

AV: When did you get interested in provincial politics?

Sawhney: I have a background in energy; I’ve been in oil and gas for 23-plus years. I was working for the Alberta Energy Regulator on methane emissions abatement regulations. I was an economist on that file. And I just wasn’t happy with government policy. I saw, with my own eyes, investment fleeing the province. A lot of major oil and gas companies exited, and I became very concerned. I have a daughter who’s a reservoir engineer. You start thinking “What kind of opportunities are going to be available for graduates or even for somebody like me?” And that’s when I thought: I’ve been in this space for a long time. I have a very articulate voice. I need to advocate for the energy industry.

AV: Public trust in politicians is low, often ranking below scientists, corporations, NGOs, the media. How much trust do you place in politicians?

Sawhney: I personally have never felt distrust of politicians. It’s a difficult job. There are many factors at play. You can’t predict what will happen with commodity prices. Some things that happened in Alberta with respect to oil and gas, nobody can do anything about them. But the UCP did a lot of public engagement. I did a ton of doorknocking. Our platform commitments are very specific, and we’re going to deliver on them. Hopefully that’ll go a long way in restoring some of that lost trust.

AV: You wrote on your campaign website that “as a working mother of four… I understand the challenges women face balancing responsibilities at home and in the workplace.” Does the government have a responsibility to help women face these challenges?

Sawhney: All employers—government, private sector, non-profit—have a responsibility to be cognizant of the needs of not just women but all parents. We have an evolving society, with lots of things at play, and they should create policies to help parents manage things a bit better.

AV: What’s something government could do or make the private sector do differently—a law they could change?

Sawhney: Let me tell you about a conversation with the premier. After the election he asked me, “How do you feel about work/life balance I didn’t know you have young children. To make things easier, you can work out of McDougall [Centre], because there’s a lot of travelling back and forth.” That conversation meant a lot. I’ve never had that conversation with an employer before, save one. So I think it set the tone in terms of a recognition that parents have a whole other life that’s equally, if not more, important.

AV: What about the gender pay gap Should the government do anything to address this?

Sawhney: I don’t think so. Awareness is important, but I don’t think the government’s role is to enforce wage parity, because that’s very difficult. I think it’s a problem. Employers need to get on board. And I don’t know what the proper mechanisms are to install. But I don’t think it’s government regulations.

AV: Do our political institutions need to change to attract more women to run for office?

Sawhney: I think attitudes moreso need to change. The UCP did a tremendous job in engaging women and encouraging them and opening doors. Just making it easier for women to be involved. Any position has to be based on merit, but we also need to remove barriers that prevent women and other minorities from making their way through certain doors.

AV: What barriers to women entering politics do you want to remove?

Sawhney: I know this isn’t true in all cases, but I was so involved in my job and my family and raising my children. You just don’t know what you don’t know. I didn’t know about the social media aspects of campaigning, and I wasn’t as networked as maybe a lot of my male counterparts were. So systemic situational barriers exist, and sometimes you just need a bit more resources to catch up. Like, how to do fundraising, how to meet people who can help with your campaign.

AV: The UCP platform says “The get ’er done spirit of Albertans means we don’t sit around waiting for government to solve a social problem. One of the first principles of conservatism is that civil society should come before government and that voluntary groups are generally more effective in preventing and reducing social problems than a big bureaucratic state.” What problems do you think charities and volunteers are more effective at addressing and which are better handled by government?

Sawhney: It’s a bit of a difficult question because I’m just so new to the portfolio. If I’m just going from intuition, and based on my own volunteer experience, I’d say frontline support workers in women’s shelters and sexual assault centres know the issues, the clientele, know what they need. Also, persons with developmental disability organizations. Having first-hand knowledge of vulnerable segments of society [makes] organizations better equipped to design programs and ensure clients’ needs are met. Government has a very, very significant role in ensuring we provide funding to these kinds of organizations so that basic services are in place. [As for when] government is better suited, AISH is legislatively mandated. It’s government’s responsibility to ensure those people have basic income to meet their needs.

AV: The 2012 report “Poverty Costs” argued that investing in poverty prevention costs less than spending to alleviate the consequences of poverty. What do you think of that idea?

Sawhney: Poverty is such a complex, multifaceted issue. There are many different elements; people are born in poverty and that cycle perpetuates. But the real-life stories I encountered… people who want to work, are able to work, but are unable to find opportunities and are down to their last 10 bucks. All you want is to be able to pay your mortgage, your rent, put food on the table. So preventing and reducing poverty—you know, investing in programs that get people to work, removing barriers that prevent them from working, creating opportunities, particularly for the disabled community, the sooner we’ll move toward the goal of reducing poverty in our society.

AV: In February, StatsCan showed that Alberta’s child poverty rate was cut in half between 2015 and 2017, from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, which is the lowest rate in Canada and means 44,000 fewer children are living in poverty. What do you attribute that to?

Sawhney: I haven’t read the report. But I’m very pleased to [hear] those numbers. Obviously, we all want to go in the same direction and we all want to alleviate poverty. I’d have to look at the report and the assumptions and the statistics and how—I don’t even know how child poverty is really defined. Maybe we need to do more. But my immediate response is bravo. That’s wonderful.

AV: In January, Alberta increased AISH and income support and indexed those to inflation. What do you think of those moves?

Sawhney: I think it’s fair. It’s compassionate. I think it’s sensible. Inflation has made life much more expensive for all Albertans, all Canadians. I’m fully supportive.

AV: Some critics of income support say eligibility is too lax—that it’s too easy to go on welfare. Others say it’s so strict you have to be destitute before you qualify. What do you think?

Sawhney: I’m still learning the benchmarks for eligibility, so I won’t comment. But, again, government’s role is to make sure we take care of Albertans. And, like I was saying, if somebody has 10 bucks in their bank account and they don’t know where their next meal will come from… We need to help out when we can. We’re a compassionate, giving society; we take care of each other; civil society has a big role to play and government has a role. We need to develop partnerships to ensure everybody has a life of dignity and has equality of opportunity.

____________________________________________

Support independent local media. Please click to subscribe.

The post Rajan Sawhney appeared first on Alberta Views.

BIOGRAPHY

Born: Oakville, Ontario, May 30, 1968

Raised: Wilcox, Saskatchewan

Education: Graduated high school from Athol Murray College of Notre Dame; studied philosophy at the University of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Institute but didn’t graduate (first all-privately-educated Alberta premier in 84 years)

Youthful indiscretion: Ran unsuccessfully for VP of policy for the federal Liberals’ youth wing (1986)

Work experience: Aide to Ralph Goodale, then-leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party; head of the Alberta and national chapters of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Federal political experience:
MP, Calgary-Southeast, 1997–2015 (Reform/Alliance/Conservative);
MP Calgary-Midnapore, 2015–2016

Federal cabinet portfolios: Citizenship and Immigration; Employment and Social Development; National Defence

Elected as MLA: December 14, 2017

Riding: Calgary-Lougheed

Irony re riding: “I never, ever heard [Kenney] speak of my father with any degree of respect.” —Stephen Lougheed

Political rivals: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (“the political depth of a finger bowl”—Kenney); former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk (“a complete asshole”—Kenney); former PC leadership candidate Sandra Jansen; former UCP leadership candidate Brian Jean; opposition leader and former Premier Rachel Notley

Likes: Curry, rural votes, low taxes

Dislikes: David Suzuki, “red tape,” RCMP investigations into the UCP

MINISTRY PROFILE

Sworn in: April 30, 2019

Responsibilities: “Manage partnerships with other provinces and the fed. gov’t; coordinate participation in national/provincial forums; negotiate agreements with other provinces and the fed. gov’t”

Bills personally sponsored (to date): Bill 1: An Act to Repeal the Carbon Tax

Staff: Jamie Huckabay, chief of staff; Howard Anglin, principal secretary; David Knight Legg, principal advisor; Paul Bunner, speechwriter;
Christine Myatt, deputy director, communications and press secretary

Mailing address: Office of the Premier, 307 Legislature Building, 10800 97 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6

Phone: 780 427 2251

Email: premier@gov.ab.ca

ON THE RECORD

“I thought very seriously since the last federal election about leaving public life.… But I ultimately saw how grave the situation is [here]. I didn’t see anybody else stepping up, offering a plan to bring together the free-enterprise coalition in Alberta, and I concluded I was pretty well qualified for that task.” (Maclean’s interview, Sep 28, 2016)

“The silent majority has spoken. Not the loud and angry voices on social media. But average Albertans who simply want their common-sense values reflected in their government, who want high quality health, education and public services, but who understand that we need a vibrant private sector economy to pay for them; who get that governments can’t redistribute wealth unless someone is creating it through their hard work in the first place; who know that we can’t tax and borrow our way to prosperity; who see businesses as job creators to be strengthened and encouraged, not as profiteers to be demonized, overregulated and overtaxed; who understand that the carbon tax is all economic pain and no environmental gain, and who want to scrap the carbon tax cash grab; who know that debt is a trap that… moves money from public services to bankers and bond holders; who believe in our tradition of school choice because parents know better than politicians what’s best for their kids.” (Election victory speech, April 17, 2019)

IN THE LEGISLATURE

Rachel Notley: “Last September the now premier met with Alberta’s Motor Dealers’ Association. The MDA then reported it had promised to raise $1.1-million to assist the UCP third-party advertising campaign… in exchange for the UCP pledging to roll back consumer and worker protections. Yesterday this government introduced legislation designed to roll back regulations. To the premier: Is his red tape reduction bill payback for a million dollars in PAC donations…?”

Jason Kenney: “Our red tape reduction action plan… is this government keeping our promise to Albertans to liberate our economy, to go from being the most overregulated economy in Canada to the freest and fastest moving. Why So that we can liberate job creators to do what they do best, create employment, a critical part of our job-creation strategy. They left a jobs crisis behind. We’re going to cut red tape in order to create good jobs in Alberta.” (Hansard, May 30, 2019)

The post Jason Kenney appeared first on Alberta Views.

Yeah, I’ve actually seen six premiers. From 2004 until 2015 was quite an unstable government situation. They were changing ministers and premiers regularly. They [the PCs] spent more time fighting each other and having leadership races than actually governing and making decisions.

AV: Is Alberta politics more polarized now than back then?

The PCs governed on the presumption they would be there forever. A lot of Conservatives still feel resentful about the fact they’re not governing forever. I think that’s part of the reason for the sense of polarization and animosity pervading the political scene right now.

AV: It seems the ideological battles are most pronounced in education.

Well, to some degree. The opposition is creating battle lines using strategies reminiscent of US adversarial politics, Trump-style politics—you know, attacking things that are, quite frankly, not even there. We’re creating a new curriculum focused on language and basic math skills, and the opposition has chosen to conflate curriculum with something completely different.

AV: For you, how is it different being in government than in opposition?

Governing is a considerable responsibility. For me, there was such a deficit in terms of building schools, I had to put on my hard hat and literally finance and start 244 school projects, of which we’ve completed 169 to date. In principle I still take the same approach philosophically—create an equitable, fair and just society, with education as the strongest mechanism by which to achieve that. Create opportunities for young people regardless of their socio-economic position, where they live. So in that sense I haven’t changed; my scope has just gotten a whole lot bigger.

AV: So there were 169 empty fields in 2015 where now there are schools?

Yeah, pretty much. We had empty fields with pictures of schools in them—and sometimes after a few years even the pictures fell down. Alberta has Canada’s youngest population and the strongest enrolment growth. You’ve got to look past this economic downturn to the longer game, where we see a very young population with kids that need schools. The previous government wasn’t just not building schools; they weren’t financing the ones they’d promised in the months before the 2015 election. And most of the schools we built are for lower grades. Guess what These kids will need high school space. So we’ll need more schools. If you want an educated population that can help diversify and create prosperity for our province, then you need to make those investments.

AV: Some 80 per cent of Alberta K–3 classes are larger than provincial guidelines recommend. Beyond building schools, what are you doing about this  

I taught for 20 years; class sizes impact both the quality of the classroom experience and the results. I’ve taken all the Auditor General’s recommendations to ensure we’re accounting for the monies we use to reduce class sizes—$297-million last year. I’ve demanded that school boards give us a full account of how they’re spending that money. And I attached a caveat to the classroom improvement fund—it must be used to hire teachers and support staff.
AV: Why do we have recommended class sizes instead of hard caps?

To allow for variation. In rural areas, say, it’s difficult to work with a hard cap. I’ve studied this from across the country, and hard caps haven’t necessarily resulted in improvements in graduation or in assessment. But they cost a lot of money. So we should target reducing class sizes in the younger grades, where it pays the biggest dividends, and have a full accounting of those monies.

AV: Why are you overhauling the entire K–12 curriculum?

Some curriculum areas were more than 30 years old—there was an obvious need to improve mathematics, numeracy, language and critical thinking skills, with computational thinking as a foundational element. We’re making sure to follow skill development at each grade level, but between subject areas as well, so that you can approach the concept of, say, financial literacy through math but also through social studies and other subjects, so that you reinforce fundamental ideas.

AV: Jason Kenney says your curriculum reflects socialist ideology and is being made in secret. How do you respond?

I find it very disappointing that Kenney is playing politics with curriculum. We’ve had the biggest interaction with the public that Education has ever seen—literally thousands of people gave us constructive feedback on curriculum and what their expectations are. The draft K–4 curriculum is up for anybody to see. It was created in a very public way. We’re getting very positive results.
AV: What’s the fairest criticism Kenney has made of how your government has gone about updating curriculum

I’d advise you to ask him what his best ideas are for education, because so far I find them completely wanting. Look, we had a lot of constructive criticism as we put out drafts, and we made revisions. I knew instinctively, as a teacher and a parent, that we needed to strengthen fundamental math skills so that kids can do mental math, math without calculators, that sort of thing. We made adjustments around that—a result of constructive criticism from experts in the field and people with kids in school. But I refuse to engage with “secret curriculum” conspiracy theories.

AV: How should we balance teaching about the existential threat of climate change with teaching about Alberta’s economic reliance on fossil fuels  

It’s important to have an honest discussion. Our energy industry is the foundation of our economy and will be for generations. We’re world leaders in various forms of energy. Many of our students will work in the industry, and we want to be sure they see the full landscape. Climate change is real. All energy companies in Alberta acknowledge this in their corporate strategy. It’s not an either-or issue. To move to a more diverse economy, we need a strong traditional energy industry. That’s why we fight for pipelines, invest in upgrading and look to diversify into renewables. All of this must be reflected in the curriculum without any distortion of reality. Kids are smart. A curriculum that reflects what’s top of mind to them helps to nurture curiosity and build confidence, which is the precursor of good learning.
AV: Pre-2015 the NDP opposed public funding for private schools, but in government you’ve continued to fund Alberta’s private schools. Why?

Well, it’s important to have different choices available and to respect parents’ choice for education. We’ve looked for stability in our education system and in our society generally and I recognize the importance of the diversity we have—public, separate, private, charters, home schooling. Together it’s a strong system. And, if nothing else, I need that capacity. Enrolment continues to grow.

AV: What would you say to someone who’s surprised that a party committed to social justice would defend private schools receiving public funds?

I’d say it’s important to create a sense of surety. And, again, I need that capacity. Let’s also not forget that a lot of private schools—it’s not like they’re elite. They provide specific special needs for kids.
AV: In 2018 we learned some Alberta schools use seclusion rooms and even restraints to discipline special needs students; you called this unacceptable. Are schools still using these methods

I convened an expert panel on this issue and I expect results soon. Clearly we need regulation on seclusion rooms. Some regions use them a lot more than others. That tells me they’re being used for different reasons. We need a coherent policy that ensures kids and workers alike are safe. It’s not easy—but I do wonder why nothing was done for so many years.

AV: Some parents argue Alberta’s education system subjects special needs children to the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” How do you respond?

The principle of inclusion is that students must have the same standard of rigour and expectation to progress in a positive way. I know there’s room for improvement. I’ve seen this in our schools. The key is to provide proper training and staffing for inclusive education. This costs money, and we’re not afraid to make those investments, as my track record shows. You don’t improve inclusive education and special needs education by making cuts. As a teacher myself, I know that inclusion without supports has a negative impact for the classroom. And you can’t just talk about these things. You need to build supports into your budget. As we move on in my second term as minister, I hope to pursue these things.

The post David Eggen appeared first on Alberta Views.

The world is looking to jurisdictions that have credible plans to fight climate change—but we’ll also be a responsible oil producer. We’re building on the legacy of Premier Lougheed. His vision and his support for innovation and technology started things like SAGD. Unfortunately, subsequent conservative governments lost that vision. We’re picking it up. Companies are looking to become more carbon competitive and we’re looking to help them. We know there are business risks with climate change. We have that vision as well.

AV: Are you sick of talking about pipelines?

Never, no. It matters not just to Alberta but to Canada that we get this right.

AV: OK, then. Why do you believe the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is in the public interest?

We need pipeline access to help pay for the public services we rely on—teachers in classrooms, nurses in hospitals. And with truck and rail transport, not only is it costlier to industry but it’s just not as safe. You only have to look to Calgary, to companies like Hifi. They’re putting in the latest fibre optic sensors for pipeline safety. A pipeline takes vehicles off the road, too, so it’s climate friendly. And it puts people to work. There are just lots of reasons—and it’s not just about Alberta getting a better return, it’s about Canada getting a better return.

AV: What is opponents’ most legitimate objection to the project?

We understand that further Indigenous consultations must be done. We absolutely support that. But at the same time we need to get off this merry-go-round and get the thing built. It’s been deemed an appropriate project because of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan. Pipelines can be safe. The feds invested a lot in marine safety and that’s important as well. We’re not saying that none of the concerns are important, but it’s also important to get top dollar for our oil and not turn our backs on the good jobs that this pipeline will provide.

AV: Investment in the oil sands has fallen for several years. What do you attribute this to Are you concerned?

Well, the price of oil has gone down all over the world, not just here. When prices dropped, Conservatives left us and our economy in the ditch. Some projects in the oil sands were shelved, but some of them are coming back now with better prices, using new technology. As I mentioned earlier, Suncor’s Fort Hills project opened recently, Nexen Long Lake is continuing, Teck is in the hearing process right now for a project. It’s a big investment up front with a long-term payback and we’re seeing companies bring back projects or start new ones.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full article in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of Alberta Views.

The post Margaret McCuaig-Boyd appeared first on Alberta Views.

Ganley: When it comes to adjudicating individuals’ fundamental rights and interests it does a really good job—as good as can be expected given the frailties of human memory. With, say, a murder trial, there’s a good system for protecting the rights of the individual, for ensuring the evidence gets presented, for ensuring the rules around the evidence are fair, for ensuring the system does the best job it can to make the right decision. In situations where an individual is facing significant jeopardy or where we’re dealing with large commercial transactions, that ability to focus and use the full court procedure is very important.

AV: You’re Alberta’s first justice minister appointed by a non-conservative party since the 1960s. Has one-party political dominance made Alberta’s justice system more conservative?

Ganley: In some ways yes; in some ways no. A few things on the books had lingered past their time. I altered the enforcement mechanism on CTrain tickets and municipal bylaw tickets so that people don’t go to jail for unpaid tickets. That had ended in other provinces and had maybe stayed past its best-before date here because of political leanings. But we’ve been fortunate in terms of our police. In Calgary, for instance, a lot of very progressive policies were already in place. Even though it wasn’t necessarily the case at the provincial level, police understand that sometimes the best way to prevent crime is to link people to services, rather than use an old-school “super tough on crime; if someone steals nail polish, lock them up and throw away the key” mentality.

AV: What’s an example of this?

Ganley: Some of my first conversations with police were around investing in affordable housing. Police services were well aware that affordable housing does a lot more to reduce crime than, say, increasing penalties on minor offences would. They were very supportive when we moved to not using jail for unpaid CTrain tickets. With respect to the opioids crisis, police constantly say “We’re not going to arrest our way out of this.” They have a good understanding of the history of the problem, of the fact that because these drugs come in such small amounts and are so powerful, we’re never going to solve the problem by only attacking the supply side. We have to work on the demand side. Folks must have access to treatment and housing and the social supports they need.

AV: How do you approach the balance between protecting public safety and protecting individual rights  

Ganley: That’s one of the big challenges of our time. The facts surrounding cases are increasingly complex. A lot of crime occurs through technological means; a lot of evidence collection deals with—somebody sent a Facebook message, or you can tell where someone’s phone has been. New technology is increasing new case law. It can increase the work. For instance, police have to apply for more warrants, more production orders, things like that. That additional evidence all has to come to court. It all has to be scrutinized, which means more court time, prosecutor time, police time. It’s a challenge because ensuring rights in each case takes longer than it used to. It puts a strain on the system.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full article in the December 2018 issue of Alberta Views.

_______________________________________

Click here to sign up for our free online newsletter.

The post Kathleen Ganley–Meet the Minister appeared first on Alberta Views.

Hoffman: Triage. My mom remarried a few years ago, and the gentleman she married has a heart condition and has ended up in emergency more than once. They always triage heart conditions—I can speak from his experience—to the top of the list. He has gotten exceptional care and he’s still here, still caring for my mom, as a result of a strong public healthcare system. The biggest value is the public component. It doesn’t matter if you have a fur coat or no coat at all; you show up to the ER and you’ll be treated

AV: What most needs improvement?

Hoffman: We’ve put significant investment over the last few years into mental health and substance use; we’d really languished behind the rest of the country. With harm reduction—especially the opioids crisis—the evidence says it’s important to bring in supervised consumption.

AV: If the evidence is clear, why did it take until almost 2018 for Alberta to open supervised consumption sites?

Hoffman: Before 2015, Conservatives in Ottawa and in Alberta let ideology drive their agenda. For us, evidence—and wanting to keep people alive—drives our agenda. It’s tough, knowing that people are engaging in illegal behaviours. But everyone who has died in the opioid crisis is loved and deserved a chance to live a full life. It took some time to get approvals from Health Canada, but the sites are now open. We did them in partnership with community. Edmonton, for example, has four sites, all driven around social agencies and healthcare facilities that reduce the risk for workers and volunteers and for the people who use substances.

AV: What’s the biggest misconception the public has about our healthcare system?

Hoffman: One of the things I was most surprised by is how many of our physicians are still paid on fee-for-service. There are a lot of salary models; each provides for a different relationship and a different encounter with your healthcare professional. Sometimes as a patient I felt things were moving quite quickly in my doctor’s office, and I didn’t totally get why, but having looked at some of the mechanisms for reward and compensation, now I get it. We’ve done some work on that and brought physicians to the table a couple of times around improving return on investment.

AV: So, for the person who goes to their doctor, what’s the difference now?

Hoffman: Not every physician has stepped up to be part of a different compensation model, but many are moving along that path. Something else that’s changed is around primary care networks (PCNs): doctor’s offices working together to do wraparound services. So, if people want dietary counselling or need to discuss medications with a pharmacist or access occupational therapy, these allied health professionals are part of this network. Not a lot of Albertans know that they can get primary care without having to go to a hospital, that their community doctor or nurse practitioner can connect them with these resources.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full article in the November 2018 issue of Alberta Views.

____________________________________________

Read Meet the Minister in every issue. Please click to subscribe.

The post Sarah Hoffman appeared first on Alberta Views.

AV: What do you see as the purpose of post-secondary education?

It serves two purposes. The first is to create well-educated citizens who are prepared to engage in public discourse and public life in the province. The second is related but separate: we have to give people the skills they need to go to work. We do a pretty good job of both in Alberta—but we need to increase opportunities for higher education.

AV: Are those purposes ever at odds?

I don’t think so. Going to work is a valuable contribution to public life. But it’s not the only contribution to public life that people can make.

AV: What should the relationship between employers and post-secondaries be?

Students need to know that the training they’re receiving will prepare them for work. Employers want to ensure that the people they hire are educated to fill the roles they have. In some cases, it’s acceptable for the oil and gas industry to have a say in what they want a welder to be able to do. But should pharmaceutical companies have a say in what’s studied in a philosophy class Maybe not. An important interplay needs to happen between universities, colleges and employers in deciding appropriate roles in developing curriculum and training students.

AV: Why are you changing colleges—for example, Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC)—into universities?

Well, the short answer is because they asked us to. The longer answer is we know from data that the farther from a university you live, the less likely you are to get a university education. We want to make sure more Albertans have the opportunity to get a university degree close to home. Making the trip from Grande Prairie to Edmonton or to Calgary is often too big a barrier for potential students to overcome.

AV: Could the changeover devalue certificates and diplomas?

No, the colleges intend to keep their current programs and just want to add degrees. This will create more pathways for students. Perhaps they’ll start in a certificate or a diploma program, and if they’re really interested in the material or want to pursue further education they’ll go on to a university degree.

AV: Why did you freeze tuition?

When we took office we had the highest average tuition in the country, and now, after three years of a freeze—we’ve announced a fourth as well—we’re in the middle of the pack. So while other jurisdictions let tuition increase, ours remained frozen, and university is now more affordable in Alberta.

AV: Newfoundland and Ontario have eliminated tuition for low-income students. Would you consider that?

Well, it’s something we had considered. It’s a bit out of reach given the province’s fiscal situation. But creating more opportunities for low-income Albertans to pursue higher education is important. That’s why we’ve expanded the student loan program, created scholarships for Indigenous students, announced another $7-million in scholarships.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full article in the September 2018 issue of Alberta Views.

The post Marlin Schmidt appeared first on Alberta Views.

AV: Does your government lose some credibility on the environment file due to its strong support for pipelines?

No, because the replacement of a 50-year-old [Kinder Morgan] pipeline with a new one comes within the context of a 100 Mt oil sands emissions cap, the context of carbon pricing, the context of the most far-reaching climate plan on the continent. I’ll even put it up against California. And our plan is realistic. It allows us to evolve over time and ensure we don’t see negative economic effects or displace emissions. Fact is, a lot of oil sands activity is happening today, which supports tens of thousands of jobs. The product is going to markets where it’s getting a significantly lower price. We’re forgoing revenue that can support healthcare, education, social services. There are issues related to safety, moving that much bitumen by rail. And we’re displacing agricultural exports.

AV: Some argue our carbon price is too low and that rebates further reduce incentives to consume less carbon.

Well, BC implemented an economy-wide price with a system of rebates very similar to ours in 2008 and they did see a reduction in fuel usage. Even if you get a cheque in January and in July, you still make still consumer decisions along the way, and when you compound these with other consumer decisions made possible by carbon pricing—that is, about energy efficiency—it has a larger effect at the level of industrial emissions. That further incentivizes. What you don’t want to do is economically disadvantage people. What you’re doing is shifting consumption patterns over time. And it doesn’t take that long. People respond to a price signal.

AV: Do you feel unfairly criticized by environmentalists?

Not really. People are always going to ask you to do more, and that’s the role of civil society—as long as people are realistic in those criticisms and don’t attack me personally. It’s democracy; people should provide analysis and push their government. Having said that, the plan we put forward is often not fully appreciated: how all-encompassing it is, economy-wide carbon pricing, the coal phase-out. We came up with our methane reduction plan, the federal government took that target and then President Obama took that target. Trump tried to undo it, which didn’t work, and then Mexico took on the target. This is how energy policy ought to be made by an energy-producing jurisdiction: lead conversations, don’t follow them in a race to the bottom.

AV: The plan is to reduce methane emissions by 45 per cent by 2025—but no regulations have been released.

Regulations are coming soon. We’ve invested about $50-million in clean tech, to push initiatives into the marketplace. We have an offset protocol; we’re seeing early uptake. Firms are doing retrofits—pneumatic devices or what have you—to reduce emissions. And we’re looking at assisting with measuring, monitoring and reporting, especially for small firms—there’s an economic opportunity in reducing methane emissions. We’ll achieve the 45 per cent target.

AV: Your government acknowledges that woodland caribou are in peril but also wants to protect jobs. How do you negotiate these competing interests?

We have 15 ranges in varying states in terms of actual numbers and health of the herds. We’ve taken the last couple of years to get a better sense of herd health and of realistic restoration opportunities, which have to come with resources behind them. That’s why we’ve asked the federal government for assistance. There’s more science to do. We’re working with industry in terms of roads, other infrastructure sharing, to minimize linear disturbances. It takes leadership to make this happen. But I will say that the caribou recovery is probably the most difficult file I handle.

AV: You created two Castle parks but at the time said a lot of work lay ahead to protect them. Is that complete?

Not at all. More capital investments are coming. Trail planning; upgrading campgrounds and other infrastructure to keep recreational activity in places where it’s environmentally appropriate and phase it out where it’s not.
AV: Is that improving?

Absolutely. We know this from the number of warnings and from what conservation officers are seeing. From social media, even just from people coming up to me. People have gotten the message; they’re seeing conservation officers, fish and wildlife officers, park rangers out on the land. They’re having more interactions. There are specified penalties now. If you’re on public land, doing something you shouldn’t, you don’t get a court appearance anymore, you get a ticket right there. It keeps my conservation officers out of court, wasting time there, and it sends an immediate message. We did enforcement blitzes in hotspots up the Eastern Slopes where we’d had a preponderance of yahoo-ism, and we saw better compliance with—how should I say this—basic standards of civility on our public lands and a reduction in the antisocial behaviour that used to prevail.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full interview in the July/August 2018 issue.

The post Shannon Phillips appeared first on Alberta Views.

AV: What does a typical week look like?

I’m out and about a lot. The year before last I put 100,000 kilometres on my truck, just getting around the province, meeting producers, meeting ranchers. Stakeholder engagement is a big part of my week. It’s very important to ensure I have their best interests at heart, that we do what we can to progress the industry.

AV: Do you see yourself more as an advocate for agriculture or a regulator?

Most certainly an advocate. That’s what it’s about, right Stats Canada data show more and more young people coming back to the farm. For sure it’s a way of life, but agriculture right now is a good business as well… commodity prices being what they are. And with the world’s population increasing rapidly, they’re going to need agriculture and appreciate what we do here in Alberta.

AV: Why was Bill 6 necessary Can you give an example of a farm practice you hope Bill 6 will change?

It was important to get Alberta farm workers in line with rights that farm workers across the country have enjoyed for decades. There’s many aspects to the bill, but a big part is health and safety. Previously, when there was a tragedy where a farm worker was severely injured or even killed, health and safety investigators couldn’t do an investigation to see what they could learn to help prevent tragedy in the future. That was fundamentally wrong. Now we have that ability.

AV: How would you like to see new health and safety rules enforced?

We’re still going through a consultation process. Six technical working groups looked at different aspects of this, two in Occupational Health and Safety. The recommendations are out now. You know, agriculture is so diverse. I grew up on a farm. I know somewhat about a cow–calf operation and seeded crops. But I don’t know a lot about how farmers raise cucumbers or bison. So we need to hear from all of those to define standards that will make all practices and worksites that much safer.

AV: You also made changes so that farm workers could join a union.

It’s just a basic human right—the right to organize, the right to associate. Canada’s Supreme Court said as much. It exists in other places. It’s existed since the 1940s in Saskatchewan. Farm workers, as a rule, aren’t clamouring at the gates to join a union. But they’ve a right to do so.

AV: It would seem a hard workplace to unionize.

Right. Not many farms have paid non-family workers. Many that do are just one, two, three [-employee] operations.

AV: Children as young as 13 who work on their family’s farm are exempt from some safety rules. How do you explain this to a non-farm audience?

I worked on the farm, as did all my friends. We didn’t think we were harmed; it was just what you did. It was a good way to learn a work ethic. But if Bill 6 raises the bar somewhat, improves the culture of safety on family farms as well as for paid workers, all the better. Farmers and ranchers want their workplaces to be safe anyway, especially for their children.

Interviewed by Evan Osenton. Evan is the editor of Alberta Views.

Find the full article in the June 2018 issue of Alberta Views.

The post Oneil Carlier appeared first on Alberta Views.