Alberta’s Spectre of Trumpism

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man is threatened” – John F Kennedy

I know I promised to do an article on my perspective of the changing education system in Alberta and I will. However I will save it for my Monday meanderings post because right now I want to raise the issue of the Trumpism spectre being cast over Alberta by Premier (that’s hard to say) Jason Kenney.

To the future policy makers of our province (and possibly our country) please be aware of the power of words. I listened to Jason Kenney’s address to the Oil Sands Trade Show in Fort McMurray this week. I was blown away that a Canadian politician would find the deprivation of human rights to Greenpeace activists to be “instructive” for Alberta. I find it not only frightening but also insulting to every Canadian that believes in the protection of human rights.

It tears at the fabric of my soul as a Canadian to listen to Kenney justify human rights abuses with the same glee he proudly echoed over his success in removing spousal visitation rights for those dying of aids in California. This isn’t a leader “for all people”, this is an ideologist who will say or do whatever he has to in order to accomplish his agenda. It is truly frightening.

Kenney has back off from most of the sound bites of misinformation he expressed during the run up to this election. He not only removed the protection of anonymity that had been provided by GSA’s to vulnerable youth but also exhibited his lack of understanding regarding education. A large part of learning happens “outside” the classroom so his ignorant remark about his acceptance of kids protesting was fine but should not be done during class time, totally out of touch with the realities of experiential learning. That response was as much Machiavellian as it was absence of knowledge.

Kenney and his government put a freeze on funding to students and adults living with a disability. This left thousands of young people moving from children’s service to adult programming over the summer (a consequence of turning 18) with little or no supports. He suspended an agreed upon teachers contract condition and froze school board funding up to the last minute resulting in understaffing with oversized classes.

The creation of this “Blue Ribbon Review Committee” on education was, in my opinion, an exercise in optics. The results were a foregone conclusion. It would be like me suggesting an “independent committee” made up of the Calgary Catholic Bishop, two priest, the retired Mother Superior of the Alberta Grey Nuns, maybe an obstetrician/gynecologist (need that medical expertise) and a couple of foster parents (community balance) to determine the need to change the abortion issue. I can pretty well guarantee the results.

My main issue here is nobody should be surprised. If you followed Kenney’s time in Ottawa at all you would be aware of his operating style. Remember this is the same guy who was forced to issue an apology in 2012 to the then Deputy Premier of Alberta, Thomas Lukaszak for calling him an asshole. Kenney wasn’t always Alberta’s biggest fan.

And this brings us to today. The federal election is being called and Kenney has vowed to be on the trail helping his friend, Andrew Scheer. Well there are rules about that so I have to ask, “Premier Kenney are you doing that on the tax payers dime?”. If so are you making every Albertan complicit in contravening the federal election regulations. Have we, as citizens of Alberta become “third party donors” to an election campaign? Are we registered in compliance with the regulations? #WordsMatter and I’m not donating $1600 to a campaign I don’t support.

We are at a point in our provincial history where it has become imperative for the collective electorate to speak out for services. If we don’t by the time we get to that point where we want a better place for our kids nothing will be left. The Kenney government is busy dismantling education, human rights, labour relations and starting to tackle healthcare. If we want these protected, we have to speak out. We cannot afford to live in the spectre of Trumpism politics…