Hello Anchor readers! We are back in session this week, and as we begin to debate legislation it will be very interesting to see what the NDP Government intends to bring before us as they campaign to keep themselves in power. I have always enjoyed session, even as the Government tries to attack our character, our freedoms and our energy sector. I have learned so much from this and moreover, have learned to respect the process as frustrating as it may seem sometimes. This last election has proven the point that your vote matters, and as we head into an election year, I hope that we blow voting numbers out of the water. I hope that you cannot wait to vote, and that you are counting the days to the election for whatever personal voting reasons that you have. Consider the privilege of the vote and think about those who fought and died for us to have those rights. Think about the women 102 years ago in Alberta (the “famous five”) that fought for women to have the right to vote. We are blessed to have a voice. I hope that our youth who have the vote for the first time are reaching out to participate in the process for whatever party or person you are voting for. This next election will be dynamic, and dramatic, and historic and you will not want to miss any piece of it. I get a little excited about these things, and because I marinate in the issues and lose sleep over concerns that our constituents and our province has, I hope that translates into inspiration to participate. Many people ask us about the election and what we think may happen. You may or may not know this but the Provincial Government can take a 5-year mandate should they choose to do so. In Alberta we have fixed election dates of 4 years, but that is truly up to the governing party. A Premier can call the election any time before the fixed date or introduce legislation and extend it to a full 5 years. This 5-year mandate was also Federal as part of the Constitution Act of 1867, but in May of 2007, Bill C-16 (“An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act”) requires that a general federal election happen on the third Monday in October in year 4, so the next federal election has to be on or before October 21, 2019. However, the Liberals in Ottawa could also amend their legislation. Majority governments can amend whatever legislation they choose. So we will see what both our provincial NDP Government and their Liberal besties in Ottawa decide to do. Right now, things are not looking great for these 2 parties, and as they continue to put ideology as their priority over the real needs of our province and our country, they are losing credibility day by day. Only you can make changes to the system. That little checkmark you get to make every few years at all levels of government is your mark, so make your mark and participate with your time, energy and dollars and be a part of the democratic process. We are so blessed to have the chance to participate, and to discuss the issues that are important to us.
A few weeks ago, with a glorious pink sunrise in our eyes, we met up and began our day with our friends in the agricultural industry, and when we left in the evening, as the sun was setting, the lights of the combines could be seen and continued on well after midnight. It has been so wonderful to see our resilient farmers bringing in the crops, and with continued warm weather we hope to see things finished up fairly soon. Unfortunately a lot of the crop has lost grade and may have to be sold as feed. Let’s hope that the warm weather continues and that the crops continue to come off. Thank you to our farmers and ranchers for taking that leap of faith every spring to put food on our tables.
I would like to wish you all a very happy Diwali or Deepavali which is a Hindu celebration of the triumph of good over evil, of light over dark. It is a festival of lights, and earthen lamps are lit all over the world to signify the end of harvest and celebrate with feasts. Diwali is one of the most important celebrations in the rich Hindu culture. It is a time of introspection, so let the light shine on you from my family to yours.
As always I love to hear from you.
