MLA Report October 27

Hello Chestermere! We hope you have had a wonderful week and have had a chance to enjoy the lovely weather. We had a very eventful week that included everything from the Word Up event put on by the Northern Tap House and Arnold Henry, the open mic at the Chestermere Landing, to having the pleasure of meeting you and hearing your wisdom on the issues that you have brought to our attention. We have had a tremendous influx of emails the last month, and I would like to apologize if you have written to us and we have not had the chance to respond as quickly as we would like. Please bear with us and if you do not hear from us in a timely manner, please let us know by emailing us at Chestermere.rockyview@assembly.ab.ca, or please call at 403-207-9889.
This past week I had the pleasure of attending the University of Calgary “Ask First” event. The event was described by the event organizers as an opportunity to create a campus culture where victim blaming is no longer tolerated and the concept of consent is understood and practiced in the community so all students feel safe and respected. They look to empower students to create change in their own communities by starting conversations that challenge negative stereotypes and myths about sexual assault and finally to facilitate collaboration among campus groups to ensure there are no gaps in sexual assault prevention and support services. I felt very privileged to participate in discussions that will hopefully lead to safer campuses, increased awareness, healthier relationships, and stimulate more discussion around this very serious issue. Natasha Kornack (a graduate of Springbank High School) was one of the presenters at the event and we are so proud of her and the work that she has put into bringing this important issue into the light. I had the privilege of attending the Springbank High School Career days and had some very interesting conversations with some very bright youth about the future of their province. One very courageous young lady piped up and asked if I would be involved in cutting funds to front line workers including teachers and doctors. She was referring to a false Government narrative as they try to demonize the Wildrose Opposition. I was so incredibly proud of her for asking me about this and heart-broken at the same time. I explained to her that we in the Wildrose Opposition were concerned about the management of the hard earned dollars of her and her friends’ parents. We are concerned about the bureaucracy that takes tax dollars that are supposed to follow the student. Far too often, by the time it ends up in the hands of the institution, the funds have been wasted and misspent. The Premier’s “State of the Province” address was such a disappointment. Here in Alberta it seems ideology, not people, is the priority of this government. The Premier is trotting out the same tired old “straw men” by saying Wildrose are, and I quote the Premier, telling “the lie that looking after only the fortunate helps everyone else has been proven wrong”. Albertans know better than to fall for this. We have proposed sensible policies to save billions of dollars while preserving front line services and the Premier knows that. This slap in the face to Albertans will continue to be the legacy of this government and it is shameful to me that people in this province are looked upon with such disrespect by their government.
I was privileged to attend the 48th Annual Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast and the PJVA (Petroleum Joint Venture Association) Luncheon which opened up many ideas on how people in oil and gas can help mitigate this carbon tax that we are being penalized with. We have a great deal of information regarding the event if you are interested in pursuing the avenues we learned about at this meeting. Please call us and we will happily send you the information. I also attended the Artful Bench Gala put on by CLERC (Children’s Legal and Educational Resource Centre) which supports litigation on behalf of children. The “Lunchbox Talks” at Prairie Waters were as always an awesome event and we had a great chat about politics, music and what we want to be when we grow up. As always, I learn more from them than they do from me. The 25th anniversary commemoration of the Paris Peace Agreement for Cambodia, was an eye opening experience. These lovely passionate folks spoke about Canada’s involvement in the peace talks in 1991, and the pressure that needs to be brought forth by our Federal government to make sure that democracy prevails in Cambodia. It makes me so unbelievably grateful to live in this province and this country. I am proud to represent you and remember, we love to hear from you.