Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is also the first anniversary of me being ejected from the government caucus for standing up for Albertans.
During the leadership campaign the Premier unconditionally promised a public inquiry.

She said, quote: my call for an inquiry is about finding out the truth and putting a stop to practices that go against my personal and political values. Unquote. Now she has broken her promise and is towing the party line. Why is the Premier putting her political fortunes ahead of the truth?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, it was a wonderful day to be able to have the legislation tabled with respect to the Health Quality Council. It’s going to strengthen their ability to do exactly what I would like them to do. You know, what’s great about this is that they’re going to do it independently, they’re going to do it in public, they’re going to be able to compel witnesses, protect witnesses, and it can be judge led. That’s transparent, and that’s the commitment. I’m very proud of that.

Dr. Sherman: Given that exactly a year ago today my expulsion happened for standing up for public health care, positions the Premier supported in her own leadership race – the Premier was quoted as saying that failing to hold a public inquiry for fear of harming the government’s re-election chances is cynical politics; that’s her quote – why was the Premier silent on health care when Albertans needed her the most, only to speak up when she needed their votes the most, only to reinvent a different public inquiry and delay the truth?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, Albertans care about public health care. I care about public health care. This government is committed to public health care. This caucus is committed to public health care and will continue to be committed to public health care.

The Speaker: The hon. leader.

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that several mem-bers of the government caucus who are against a public inquiry and, in fact, caused the health care crisis that we faced last year and still face today may not be seeking re-election, is delaying a public inquiry the Premier’s way of avoiding the tough questions that Albertans want answered before an election?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, I’m not quite sure I understood the question, or maybe it’s that I don’t understand the hon. member’s reality of politics. But I’ll tell you that we are committed to moving ahead on this, to answering those questions, to ensuring that the Health Quality Council will have the ability to do exactly what we want them to do in the best interests of Albertans.

The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.

Fixed Election Dates

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me ask another question and offer another reality. The Premier’s performance on keeping her promises is the same as the government’s record on health care: only about 30 per cent, a failing grade. Half measures, flip-flops, and backtracking have defined this government. The Premier promised democratic reform with fixed election dates. Now she proposes fixed election seasons. Why is the Premier breaking yet another promise to Albertans?

Ms Redford: It is wonderful to come to the House again today for question period and to be able to see what the work of this House was yesterday: Bill 21, Election Amendment Act, 2011; Bill 23, Land Assembly Project Area Amendment Act, 2011; Bill 25, Child and Youth Advocate Act; Bill 26, Traffic Safety Amendment Act, 2011. This is a government that keeps its word, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker: The hon. leader.

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question was about fixed election seasons.
Given her work with great world leaders, the Premier must have learned the importance of true democracy. How can the Premier call her leadership open and transparent when it only seems to be about power and control, the very democracy those world leaders fought against?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, my recollection is that within two hours of me being elected leader of this party, I heard comments from many people in the hon. opposition saying: we need to make sure we have a fall session. We have a fall session. We have legislation that represents work done by a caucus that is committed to serving Albertans. I can’t think of anything more transparent than being in the House debating legislation that matters to Albertans, having question period, and knowing that any issue the opposition would like to raise, they can raise. That’s transparent and accountable.

The Speaker: The hon. leader. Hon. leader, I’ve called you.

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that it’s question period. It would be nice if it was also answer period.

Given that this Premier seemed to be more concerned about polling than democracy and fairness, why does the Premier insist, with these fixed election seasons, on having a 50-yard head start on what is a 100-yard dash when it comes to the next election?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, Albertans want to know there’s going to be an election every four years. We think this legislation, that’s before the House and can be fully debated in a fully transparent manner, represents what Albertans want to see. They want certainty. They want security. I’d suggest that if the opposition is concerned about ensuring that they have a head start, they can read the legislation to get ready for a provincial election. That’s democracy.

The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.

Fiscal Accountability

Dr. Sherman: Mr. Speaker, we all want certainty and security, yet with this government we get uncertainty and insecurity. Yesterday the government painted a gloomy picture – a very gloomy picture – of a $3.1 billion deficit, setting up yet another Conservative public relations election strategy saying no to the people. How can the Premier ask her subjects to trust the government to balance the books by 2013 when their own forecasts jump so wildly based on the math skills of whomever is sitting in the Finance minister’s chair?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, I find the hon. Leader of the Opposition’s comments quite interesting. Last time I checked, this was a democracy. I don’t have subjects; I have people that can choose who to vote for, and they’re going to be able to do that in the next election.

The Speaker: The hon. leader.

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The subject that the government needs to worry about is math.

Given that the government has a history of massaging the numbers, can the minister tell us how much better the deficit will be just before the next election?

Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, I’ve got news for the hon. member. What we presented yesterday was not a lot different than what was presented and debated in this House six months ago. Our projec-tions are that our budget deficit is . . . [interjections] If they would have allowed us to yesterday, we would’ve tabled these documents. They could’ve read them for themselves. I’ll repeat: our projected deficit is what we said in the House on the budget.

The Speaker: The hon. leader.

Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that when you plug in the current oil price and the Canadian dollar figures, which are near a hundred bucks a barrel, you arrive at an actual deficit that’s about a half billion dollars less than the minister claims, did the Minister of Finance intend to mislead Albertans by making the deficit look worse, or can he simply not add?

Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, I think what this particular member has to realize is that what we’re projecting is what the price of oil will be for the entire year, not what it is today. If the member just takes a look back in history, a very short two or three months ago the price of oil was about $80 a barrel. So what we’re projecting is what the average price of oil will be. Quite frankly, if it’s higher at the third quarter, we’ll report that it’s in a better position than at second quarter.

Alberta Hansard, November 22, 2011

[direct link to this article]