End of Session 2017 Fall Session
COALDALE – 2017’s Fall Session of the Alberta Legislature started on October 30th. Session ended on December 13th. 34 Bills were passed, but not all have received Royal Assent yet.
Like any session of the Provincial Legislature…it had its ups and downs. This session showed that the Government wasn’t prepared to legislate. Since the fall session began, the NDP adjourned debate early 11 times in the first ten days. They then introduced five bills, which totaled more than 565 pages, in the last seven days. The NDP had little to no legislation at the beginning of the session, but successfully rammed significant bills with hundreds of pages in new laws through the Assembly in the last few days.
The UCP caucus had serious concerns about the level of consultation and public engagement conducted by the NDP on these bills. Particularly Bill 32, which will have a major impact on how elections are conducted in Alberta. The fact that the NDP didn’t see fit to contact Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer before introducing these changes shows just how unready they are. We had hoped this government would do the right thing and send Bill 32 for further study to a standing committee of the Legislature. Unfortunately, the NDP chose to rush this important legislation through without thorough study and consideration.
We also dealt with an Appropriation Bill, an Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis, An Act to Reduce Cannabis and Alcohol Impaired Driving, An Act to Protect the Health and Well-being of Working Albertans, A Better Deal for Consumers and Businesses Act and the Electoral Divisions Act.