After the PC government voted down his motion to protect Albertans’ property rights, Lacombe/Ponoka MLA Rod Fox says he’s still here to advocate for his constituents.
Motion 501, put forward by Fox, proposed an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing the protection of property and Albertans’ rights to that property but was voted down by the majority PC government.
“What we’ve seen in the last week is there’s only one property concerned with landowner’s rights,” said Fox, referring to the Wildrose Party.
Premier Jim Prentice’s Bill 1, Respecting Property Rights Act, just passed third reading, which repeals the 2009 Land Assembly Project Area Act and offers some protection to landowners.
Bill 1 declares that the Alberta Bill of Rights recognizes the rights of the individual to the enjoyment of their property, the right not to be deprived of the property without due process and that the government is committed to consulting with Albertans on legislation that impacts private property ownership.
Fox says that is not enough.
He intends to continue with his work for constituents and will challenge issues he sees in Bill 2, the Responsible Energy Development Act; Bill 24, the Carbon Capture and Storage Act and Bill 36, the Alberta Land Stewardship Act.
Despite facing a rejuvenated PC Party, that seems to have found new life with the leadership of Premier Jim Prentice, holding the majority of members in the Legislative Assembly, Fox said he is not discouraged.
“With anything in life, it’s tenacity that matters,” said Fox.
For the past year, Fox has been the Wildrose official critic for the International and Intergovernmental Relations ministry.
“The biggest challenge is getting information out of this government. They don’t like to share,” said Fox.
Despite that Fox said he works with different groups to garner information of the workings and movements of the ministry.
Wildrose Party continues its work
With major changes in the government, and two Wildrose MLAs crossing over to the PC Party recently, the Wildrose Party appears to have a tough road ahead. Fox says it will be work as usual for the opposition party.
“Honestly, our job hasn’t changed. We’ve seen three premiers in the last year,” he stated.
Fox says the majority PC government is still running large deficits while mismanaging Alberta’s heath care system. “A strong, effective opposition in the short term is still what Alberta needs.”