Premier Danielle Smith has announced that her government plans to introduce major changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights during the upcoming legislative session – changes that have been widely expected from the current UCP government and widely criticized by critics.
Specifically, the changes proposed will include the right to decide over vaccinations and other medical decisions, the right not to be deprived of property without legal due process, and the right of individuals to legally acquire, keep and use firearms.
“The Bill of Rights has served its purpose well over the years. But, as our society evolves, so too must our laws to ensure our rights and freedoms remain properly protected in an ever-changing world,” premier Smith said in a video announcing the proposed changes.
“It is my firm conviction that no Albertan should ever be subjected to or pressured into accepting a medical treatment without their full consent.”
Whether Smith’s decision to amend the Bill of Rights this fall is somehow related to the UCP leadership review she is facing in November is anyone’s guess.
What is known is that asserting Alberta’s “rights and freedoms” has been a big part of the current regime’s ongoing war with the federal government for many, many months.
For his part, provincial NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has no doubt that Smith’s Bill of Rights plans have everything to do with shoring up support from her far-right advocates and supporters in the run-up to the November leadership review.
“The proposed amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights are nothing but desperate virtue signalling over issues that she thinks will help her leadership review,” said Nenshi. “The premier’s constant playing to her base isn’t just irritating, it has real consequences. Albertans aren’t focused on these priorities.”
While the premier is certainly welcome to push her party’s agenda when it comes to things such as vaccines and firearms, ordinary Albertans also expect – and insist – that government MLAs focus on health care, education, taxation and the cost-of-living crisis.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
