MLA report March 22

Hello Chestermere! It was a crazy week up at the Legislature, and I want to take a minute to thank all the amazing staff we have both here and in Edmonton. Peter and Wendy keep things running here while I am absent, and thanks also to our wonderful folks in Edmonton who seem to have an unbelievable amount of energy and focus.
We hope the “luck of the Irish” rubbed off on you, and that Spring will actually make an appearance this week. The first day of Spring is March 20, and based on the weather forecasts, it looks like Winter may win out again…sigh…
We are going to be holding an Open Mic at the former Waiting Room Café on March 28th. We are looking for some acts for that night, so please contact us if you are interested in performing 1-2 songs. Please text Akesh (587-586-5504) or Malkeet (403-710-8110). The evening will start at 6 pm, and it is geared to youth, to help inform kids who are 14 and older about the upcoming election and the nominations. Did you know if you are age 14 – 17, with your parent’s permission, you can buy a membership for the United Conservative Party for $10 and you can vote in the nomination? This is a wonderful way to flex your young voting muscles. You are not allowed to vote in the general election until you are 18, but you can vote to help get your favorite candidate elected in the nomination race. As you know I am running for the nomination, so we hope you will come out and see us, enjoy the performances, and stay to find out more about the United Conservative Party I have the honour to represent. We will be selling memberships so you and your family can swing by and pick those up as well. We look forward to seeing you there. The capacity is only 80 people so let us know as soon as you can as the space will fill up fast. Our youth is our future, and we want them to have their say.
Did you know that the Calgary Women In Need Society may be temporarily closing four of its Family Resource Centres due to the downturn, increased need for services, and increased taxes and wages. These centres provide women and their families help with donated clothes, furniture, etc. and a very successful job search and counselling program. Many women are enjoying happy, productive lives thanks to help from WINS. Their donations are down, and there is an increased need for services. In fact, demand for their programs has increased 70% since 2014. If you are interested in helping please visit their website at http://www.womeninneed.net/ and donate.
Finally, this past week I asked some very straightforward questions about the curriculum. My questions were originally crafted around increases to the bussing costs, and the increase in the carbon tax to the schools. What was most interesting was that the Minister of Education answered that people and kids were coming up with ways to be more efficient and learning about what they could do help with climate change instead of simply answering the question. The following day, I asked the Minister why the government was not providing a balanced education, providing not only education on environmental stewardship but also on the benefits to Alberta of our responsible resource industry, and also the disastrous policies like the carbon tax that have hurt the people of Alberta. My questions were met with rhetoric that somehow the United Conservative Party and I do not care about the environment. He claims that we are politicizing climate change and that we are diminishing the process by asking questions about the process! Well for the record that is my responsibility and one that I take very seriously. I can not tell you how unbelievably frustrating it is to have this government not acknowledge the damage it has done to our families, our communities and our not for profits like the Women In Need Society as a result of this carbon tax. I look forward to following up this week. Please follow me on my Facebook pages, and listen to the questions for yourself. The election is probably only a year away. Let’s get ourselves organized to take back our province, inspire our communities, and make it known that Albertans know how to take care of their neighbours. As always we love to hear from you.