Dear Editor,
Safety is paramount, everybody knows that, but when the NDP government tries to bring in long overdue protection for farm workers and bring Alberta on par with all other provinces, all of a sudden has that principle changed?
In a recent Lacombe Globe article Ron Orr claims the NDP put ‘ideology over consultation’.
He means the NDP ideology of protecting workers, in this case farm workers.
First, it is hardly only the NDP’s ideology, it is also the ideology of other political parties across Canada, the Liberals and the Conservatives, as all other provinces already implemented this bill, and Alberta is the only province that has not.
Orr goes as far as saying the ‘NDP Regina Manifesto (the founding document of the CCF written in 1933) demonstrates that Notley intends to replace the free-enterprise farm system with socialistic “economy planning.” He tells farmers that the NDP intends “to destroy you.” Orr characterizes Bill 6 as the intention to “bubble wrap farm children.”
Wildrose MLA Strankman tells farmers “who knows what happens when OH&S shows up on the farm and find a predator control device.”
Given the seriousness of this issues, compensation for injury and death, allowing for investigation of OH&S and child labour standards, the Wildrose stance is profoundly disturbing.
The Wildrose seized the moment for partisan purposes with extremely inflammatory language and half truths. They also failed to mention that Bill 6 involves constitutional and human rights-which they say they champion. Furthermore, Brian Jean, the lawyer, fails to mention that the government has to pass legislation before it can draft the regulations, as the principles of statutory drafting indicate. The Wildrose Party is scrupulously going to any lengths to serve its political agenda, including a safety bill that has been implemented across Canada.
To publish death threats on social media is an outrageous response to a bill intended to protect farm workers; and for Wildrose leader Brian Jean to leave those on his facebook site for days is irresponsible, extremely disrespectful and dangerous and did stir further anger against the Premier of Alberta. Brian Jean, the Wildrose Party and MLAs Orr and Strankman have used the incident and death threats for their partisan purposes.
Are those the people and the party Albertans like to choose for their future leaders?
Ilse Quick