Choose with knowledge, not just 'because
It’s too soon by far to pass a verdict on Rachel Notley’s NDP government in Alberta — they were only elected last month, after all. Still, while the government’s first legislative session was brief, it saw a lot of activity. With a federal election coming this fall — and with the federal NDP currently leading the polls — it’s worth recapping what we’ve seen from Alberta’s new government so far. Some of it is good, but there is much cause for concern.
To start on a good note, the province’s tough stand against corporate and union donations to political parties was welcome. Long overdue, the issue was the first the Notley government moved on. It was, quite literally, Bill 1. The law is not as tough as we’d like, with a significant loophole — unions may not directly donate to campaigns, but they may pay their members to work on political campaigns. But Bill 1 is still a big step toward cleaner, fairer politics; as we’ve written before, other provinces — we’re looking at you, Ontario — would be well advised to enact similar, tighter restrictions.
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