MLA report April 26

Hello Chestermere! We hope you are enjoying this mild weather. It has been so nice to people outside in T-SHIRTS! As our farmers break open the frozen ground, our thoughts are with those who are challenged with overland flooding. I would like to thank Dalroy for inviting us to attend their Pub Night, and as always, I feel so lucky to have great conversations with folks who care so deeply about this province, and have so much wisdom to offer. I would especially like to thank Blaine and Carol for inviting us us to their farm on Saturday to feed one of the calves that was rescued from the cold. The Aheer and Tindall clans descended upon the farm, grandchildren, nieces and nephews in tow, and we enjoyed seeing the herd, playing with this beautiful calf, and brushing the horse. We had a great discussion about property rights, and historically about the movement of water in that area. As more and more development occurs it creates challenges with runoff in many rural areas and as Legislators we have to remember to talk to the people that live there. They are the experts.
So, last Sunday, our Premier met with BC Premier Horgan and the Prime Minister, they each hold a press conference, and we wait with bated breath to see if we are going to get this Pipeline built. Remember, and I had mentioned this last week as well, PM Justin Trudeau had to fly back to Canada to wrangle these two just to hear them say…exactly what they were saying before. Premier Horgan is going to use every tool to stop pipelines, and our Premier is going to enact legislation to be able to turn off the taps. This sound great right? A strong move! Then our Premier says that she probably will not use the power of this bill. What? OK. Here is the thing. Turning off the taps needs to be the last resort, I get that, and I also know that they need to enact legislation, or they should to make this work should they decide to enact any part of the Bill 12 which can slow down volumes to shutting off the pipeline. I also realize that the Minister of Energy would have had to meet with oil and gas corporations to hash out with them what this will look like for our industry as well, as we will also be impacted by shutting off the taps. But here is the thing, our Premier has so many tools she can use. She can put tolls on products coming from BC in Alberta, she could have pushed the Prime Minister to take back 4.1 billion dollars in infrastructure dollars from BC that was just approved even though BC is behaving badly in confederation. She could have pushed the Prime Minister to enforce the law, but instead our Premier’s only solution at this time is to buy the pipeline! Yikes! Just to be clear, the Prime Minister said they may put a Bill on the table to restate the authority the Prime Minister has over the Pipeline dispute. Authority that the Prime Minister already has! Yes that is correct he has the authority already. Bill 12 here in our Province gives the Energy Minister an extraordinary amount of power, for anyone one who wants to export products anywhere in the confederation. She will get to decide what company gets to export and whether or not they get a license for this export. She can literally pick who gets to export energy! Even better, if some company appeals this it does not go to the court, it goes to cabinet for the final decision. Hints of the twilight zone a little huh? And, this is not just through pipelines, this is rail, and any other means of transportation. Ultimately we support the aims of this Bill, but there is no sunset clause to end the powers of the Minister. That is concerning. Also Premier Horgan has now gone to court again challenging Alberta’s legislation. Monty Python could not have written a better script. They don’t want us to build a pipeline to bring more products to BC or to the coast, but when we threaten to slow things down, he wants an injunction to force us to keep products flowing into BC. Kind of makes you shake your head. What is interesting about this is that none of this has changed the way Kinder Morgan feels, and they are still saying that this pipeline is untenable. Did you know that more than 60% of British Columbians in the interior are onside with the pipeline, and 50% on the coast? Interesting for sure. Are you surprised? The BC government would have you believe that all of BC is against this pipeline, when in fact well-funded eco-activists are the ones that protest and put up barriers along with their activist government. Of course, the activists receive millions from American foundations. The biggest beneficiary of land-locking Alberta’s resources – the Americans! The question we have to ask ourselves is why would anyone want to invest here, and when are we going to start cheerleading the amazing processes and responsible resource stewardship of this province? We need to show the world how fantastic we are. As I write this Trudeau’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau has gone on the record saying that he has “no timeline” for getting Trans Mountain built. Kind of shows you where Alberta and Canada’s prosperity ranks on their priority list.
I had the privilege of attending the first Rocky View High School Rodeo. I want to thank the amazing board of directors for such an excellent event, and for allowing me to participate with my dancing horse in the Grand Entry. Thank you to Jake from Gleichen for my lovely horse, who was supposed to be calm and easy for me. He decided to dance through the beautiful rendition of Oh Canada. We managed just fine, but he wanted to play, go figure. We have some incredible talent, and some extremely dedicated volunteers and families. Congratulations to all the participants. We will post the pictures soon. Also, I would like to thank Indus for the invitation to the 41ST Annual Indus Men’s Auction. The money raised this year goes to help kids with their fees for ice time, and also to help a local resident who is suffering from some serious health issues. Our love goes out to the family, and once again this amazing and successful event is a testament to our small communities and their big hearts.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of the three people who lost their lives in last Friday’s accident on Highway 9 near Irricana. I know the families and community will do everything they can to help the surviving child who has lost her Mom and Dad. Please remember her in your prayers.
Finally, please make sure you have your UCP membership so that you can vote in the upcoming nominations. I am running for the nomination as the UCP candidate in the new riding of Chestermere-Strathmore. Your membership will need to be purchased for the bargain price of $10 so that you can vote. Visit www.VoteLeela.com, email voteleela@gmail.com, or text 587-429-6465. Remember that anyone 14 years of age or older can join the UCP vote in the nomination, so it is a great way to flex your voting muscles. We will keep you updated as to when that will be. As always, we love to hear from you.