It is well known that Ms. Smith’s favorite target is Mr. Trudeau. Some of these attacks are warranted but some appear to be clearly focused on personal political gain. Ms. Smith almost always claims these attacks are examples of Federal government “overreach”.
Ms. Smith’s leadership started with an ethics violation, targeted attacks to end contracts resulting in millions of dollars in severance pay, continued attacks on public health care, and now, institutionalizing provincial control over municipalities.
I’m talking specifically about Bill 20 and the introduction of party affiliation in municipal elections.
We all know that there are problems in politics and that these problems only seem to be getting worse. But we often fail to recognize what caused this ‘slippage’ until well after the fact. This is not the case in this situation. Ms. Smith’s actions clearly demonstrate that she is only interested in her own ideologically driven agenda. We also know that the MP’s never dare to speak out.
One example is Ms. LaGrange, who, when she was Education minister, threatened to fire a publicly elected board if she did not get her way. People called her actions inappropriate, an overreach of authority and accused her of being a bully. Now she is our health Minister! The only lesson that Ms. Smith seemed learned from Ms. LaGrange’s actions was that she must find ways influence and control municipal elections so she can avoid pesky annoyances like fair representation, free elections, or having to respect appropriate jurisdictional boundaries.
Does Ms. Smith understand that the majority of Albertans do not want a private health care system, an AB police force, an AB pension plan, party colours in Municipal Elections or Provincial interference in Municipal Elections? Does Ms. Smith realize the growing hypocrisy when she accuses Mr. Trudeau of “overreach” but does the same thing herself? So far it doesn’t look like it!
Please, let’s do something to avoid our elections becoming even more like the hyper partisan circus we see in the US!
Dan Cunin
Cochrane, AB
