Official Opposition sets ambitious agenda for spring session
Edmonton – Official Opposition Leader Raj Sherman says his approach to the spring session has one goal: to show that the Alberta Liberals are the positive alternative to the current government’s waste and mismanagement.
Sherman’s first questions to the premier today focused on her government’s broken promise to lower power bills, taxpayer money spent on partisan political activity and the need for a fair tax to cover Alberta’s revenue shortfall.
Sherman’s response to the Speech from the Throne, being delivered this afternoon, asks the government to follow Sherman’s lead and start reforms to improve access to health care, provide affordable quality care for seniors, lower power bills, eliminate school fees and post-secondary tuition and institute a progressive tax and a higher corporate tax to cover Alberta’s revenue shortfall.
“From womb to tomb, this government is the root cause of our problems,” Sherman says in his speech. “The current government is no longer a force for good in our province.”
The Official Opposition is also putting forward solid ideas in the legislature.
Sherman’s private member’s bill, Bill 203, would make it an offense to smoke in vehicles while children are present, punishable by a maximum $1000 fine on the first offence.
“As a doctor, I know that smoking is responsible for a wide range of life-threatening illnesses, including various cancers,” Sherman says. “Kids are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke, particularly within an enclosed space like a vehicle. I hope the government will pass this bill, because it will save lives.”
Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman will introduce Motion 501 on Monday, urging government to adopt a progressive income tax.
“Alberta has a revenue problem,” Blakeman says. “For too long, high-income Albertans have gotten a free ride from the flat tax. We feel it’s time for high income earners to pay their fair share of the tax burden.”
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For further information, contact:
Earl J. Woods, Senior Communications Advisor
(780) 904-5430
Denis Lapointe, Director, Southern Alberta Liberal Caucus Office
(403) 860-4330