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Editorial: Alberta needs UCP peace

opinion editorial stock

Hopefully, the discussion coming out of Edmonton in the future will deal with plans for getting out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, education and provincial issues and not the infighting of the government in power.  

Regardless of one’s political position, it is hard to disagree with the Opposition leader Rachel Notley’s comments that the bickering in the UCP caucus does little to provide confidence for Albertans that the present government can focus on the issues at hand.  

While the booting of MLAs Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes out of the UCP caucus and having them sit as independents isn’t exactly what their constituents voted for in the 2019 election, it might be enough to right the ship. 

Loewen, the former caucus whip and a loyal backbencher going back to the Wildrose days, publicly asked Premier Jason Kenney to step down last week and Barnes has been questioning the UCP COVID-19 policies. 

Both of the discarded MLAs  signed a letter publicly questioning the UCP’s recent restrictions due to the impact of the mental health of constituents and  their respective constituencies on April 6 — a letter signed by Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson, Livingstone-Macleod’s Roger Reid and Banff-Kananaskis’ Miranda Rosin, among others. 

Sigurdson has stated it was an expression of opinion and the Premier supports different opinions.

Well, maybe not as much as he used to.

The concern now isn’t Kenney’s leadership or the future of the UCP party, Albertans are focused on their health, getting out of the pandemic and the restoring of the Alberta economy.

And then there is the concern of the potential shutdown of the Line 5 n Michigan which would hurt the Alberta oil industry as well as the fact Alberta teachers and school boards are opposed to the UCP’s new curriculum.

The bickering in the UCP caucus has to stop now. Not for the party’s future, but for Alberta’s future.

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