The announcement made by Jason Kenney on Friday was a slap in the face to the 2.6 million Albertans who are already fully vaccinated. It was also an unwarranted blow to the food and beverage industry which is struggling to recover. Attempted bribery and actions without supporting evidence is not practical policy and does little to improve our current situation.

Albertans deserve to know all the facts. We trust most Albertans to be responsible and make informed decisions. Jason Kenney’s secrecy has polarized pandemic response, causing many Albertans to give up or resist efforts to protect our healthcare system.

The Alberta government should release ALL information it is basing its decisions on; all the data, all the modeling, and all the reports so Albertans can make informed decisions. Transparency and consistency are key to allowing as many Albertans as possible to become fully informed and buy into efforts to protect themselves, our services, and our communities.

“As the leader of the Alberta Party, I can assure you, through this pandemic our government would have released ALL of this information to the public. All the data and the modeling would have been made transparent so that Albertans could best understand where we were medically as a province and why we needed to act. We would have worked collaboratively with all partners within the province to develop and execute a concise, understandable recovery plan. “

 

“Political slogans like “The best summer ever” have helped no one.  There is nothing to be gained by the newly imposed limitation of hours in bars and restaurants when most Albertans and potential paying customers have been vaccinated.  All the UCP have done is lose credibility with most Albertans.   Bribery is not a practical policy and will do little to improve the situation we are in.”

 

“I will never sacrifice the principles of accountability and transparency - The foundation of good governance.” Barry Morishita, Alberta Party Leader.

Without data to back up the decisions, there is nothing gained by limiting hours in bars and restaurants and then granting exemptions for other events. There is much to be lost, including credibility and trust. Our government must start communicating with and listening to businesses, municipalities, and other stakeholders. Those impacted by changing policy must understand why decisions are being made, and be included in the process aimed at creating better outcomes for our health and our economy.

The Alberta Party believes freedom to make personal choices is important. The Alberta Party also believes we have a responsibility to support and protect our families, our neighbors, and our communities. Balance and fair consideration are difficult but that just means we must work harder.  For those who have chosen vaccination, a simple system to allow them to resume a normal life with proof is the answer.  For those who cannot be vaccinated or are currently not convinced that they should be vaccinated, rapid testing would be a reasonably effective means to allow our recovery to move forward with fewer restrictions.

An Alberta Party government will never sacrifice the principles of accountability and transparency. Most importantly, during a time of crisis and uncertainty, we will always be available to Albertans. 

The Alberta Party calls on the government to immediately release all forward-looking projections on the status of our health system and the pandemic so that Alberta’s, business and local leaders can make collective informed decisions based on data. The Alberta Party also calls on the government to develop a system to allow all the fully vaccinated to resume normal activities and support local businesses.