More promises kept during fall session

This fall, an ambitious legislative agenda and a budget built for the times helped government meet more campaign promises to get Albertans back to work, renew our economy and make life better for all Albertans.

“We're only 12 per cent of the way into our four year mandate, but we have already delivered on 43 per cent of our commitments. We scrapped the carbon tax. We passed the Job Creation Tax Cut. We are cutting red tape and unnecessary regulations. We created the Indigenous Opportunities Corporation to ensure our First People are real partners in prosperity. Promises made, promises kept. We are just getting started, and we won’t stop until Alberta is once again the engine of prosperity in Canada.”

The eight-week fall session saw new legislation to cut red tape, restore balance and fairness to workplace laws for Alberta’s farms and ranches, better protect people at risk of domestic abuse, and put the costs of reducing emissions on large industrial emitters instead of families. In total, 16 government bills were passed.

With input from the MacKinnon Panel, Budget 2019 takes bold action to get Albertans back to work while stopping the reckless dive into debt. A moderate 2.8 per cent spending reduction is paired with maintained or increased funding for health, education, children and seniors, so resources go where they’re needed most.

“We’re moving at full tilt to implement a robust legislative agenda on behalf of Albertans, taking action on the economy, environmental protection, public lands, rural crime, and many other issues. I’m pleased to note that we passed a remarkable 16 government bills over the fall sitting and we continue to push hard to fulfill our ambitious blueprint for change.”

The 94 promises kept through late summer and the fall session are on top of the 68 promises kept during this government’s first 100 days. Government made 375 platform commitments during the 2019 election campaign.

Backgrounder

Fall legislation highlights

Legislation passed during the session delivered on a number of government commitments to Albertans. Some highlights include:

• Bill 14, the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation Act, backstopping Indigenous financial participation in major natural resource development projects.
• Bill 17, the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Clare’s Law) Act, empowering Albertans with information about potentially dangerous partners.
• Bill 18, the Electricity Statutes (Capacity Market Termination) Amendment Act, returning Alberta to an energy-only market to restore investor confidence and certainty in Alberta’s electricity system. Since the decision was made to return to an energy-only market, four companies have invested more than $2.3 billion in solar and wind projects.
• Bill 19, the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Implementation Act, helping energy-intensive facilities find innovative ways to reduce emissions, invest in clean technology, stay competitive and save money.
• Bill 25, the Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act, amending 11 pieces of legislation to speed up regulatory approvals, attract investment and eliminate unnecessary rules and regulations.
• Bill 26, the Farm Freedom and Safety Act, restoring balance, fairness and common sense to workplace legislation for Alberta’s farms and ranches by repealing and replacing the previous government’s failed Bill 6.
• Bill 27, the Trespass Statutes (Protecting Law-abiding Property Owners) Amendment Act, better protecting law-abiding property owners from civil liability for injuries to trespassers where a trespasser is believed to be committing, or about to commit, a crime.

Four motions also passed during session:

1. Expressing support for
   • Alberta’s oil and gas, agricultural, forestry and renewable energy industries and technology sector;
   • continued responsible development of best-in-class energy resources in accordance with the highest ethical and environmental standards; and
   • individuals who show their support by wearing their pro-Canadian oil and gas apparel when visiting the Alberta Legislature; and
   • urging government to continue its efforts to advocate for the reversal of federal and provincial policies that have negatively impacted workers in Alberta’s oil and gas industry.
2. Denouncing the federal government’s decision to reduce the rates at which it reimburses the costs of providing health care services to Canadian Armed Forces members, and calling on the federal government to immediately and fully reverse this decision, commit to no future changes, and provide the highest level of treatment for these members who bravely and willingly risk their lives for our country.
3. Denouncing all federal political parties that would enable a provincial government to unilaterally prevent the construction of inter-provincial infrastructure projects of national importance, including natural resource pipelines.
4. Recognizing and supporting the ability of Albertans to lawfully and in a responsible manner own and possess firearms and to engage in permitted activities involving the use of firearms including, but not limited to, hunting and sport shooting.

Promises kept through Budget 2019

With Budget 2019, government delivered on its mandate to bring spending under control while protecting core services. Some key promises kept include:

• Maintaining funding for health and education
• Investing in Alberta’s skilled workforce to help get Albertans back to work
• Taking action on rural crime and security
• Supporting first responders and their families
• Introducing the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation
• Standing up for Alberta by funding the Canadian Energy Centre to proactively and assertively defend Alberta’s energy industry

Additional budget highlights are available on the Alberta government website.

Promises kept

Since taking office, government has met 162 of its commitments to Albertans. See the details of those commitments here.