Thanks Daveberta for the pictures of politicians participating in the Edmonton Pride Parade. The very first time Progressive Conservative MLAs showed up. I know it is not good enough for many in the GLBT community for an MLA to show up at a Pride Parade but still vote for or not show up for the vote on Bill 44 - unless of course they actually believe it is good and appropriate law. It is encouraging to me, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party who is opposed to Bill 44 opting out provisions, to see some of the PC Caucus "coming out" at least in this symbolic way.
I sense there is some continuing disquiet and perhaps dissension in the PC ranks over the ill-advised and socially harmful effects of extending and expanding parental rights. There has been no sound public policy reason given by the Stelmach government for passing a law to change a policy that has been in the School Act and working well for over 20 years. The only reasons given relate to some internal party politics to appease social conservatives in the PC Caucus.
The government's efforts to try and sell this kind of discrimination as protecting parental rights is misleading at best. Parental rights to opt out their kids from religious and human sexuality instruction within the school curriculum has been protected in Alberta for decades. It was not broke and did not need any socially destructive and retrograde fixing as Bill 44 has done.
So, here is a tip of my hat to my MLA Heather Klimchuk, and to Edmonton MLAs, Fred Horn and Doug Elniski. I say thanks for making this personal political statement by showing up at the Edmonton Pride Parade. I know it is too little too late for some, and they may be right but I think the political impact of Bill 44 is far from over. These PC MLAs, who showed up as the first Conservative MLAs to participate in the Edmonton Pride Parade, will help keep the concern over Bill 44 alive in the public and media mind. It will continue to fester in the minds of many Albertans. It has the potential to divide the PC Party itself on some fundamental principles of human rights and mutual respect. Ideally the Pride Parade attendance of Klimchuk, Horn and Elniski will continue to feed the public conversation about what kind of society Alberta is and what we aspire to become. I hope Albertans continue to consider if Bill 44 get us closer to or farther away from those societal goals and our greater aspirations.
Will the presence of the PC Pride Parade Trio make a difference within the PC Caucus and the PC Party? Perhaps, but only if progressive members in the PC Party continue the conversation at the constituency level and at the forthcoming AGM in November. Will they personally continue to press the other MLAs in Caucus and the Premier's office to repeal the Bill 44 opting out provisions, or at the very least not Proclaim them?
If progressives merely grumble under their breath and fail to take a stand, there are other questions that will have to be asked. Do the progressives still feel they still have a place in the PC Party post-Bill 44? Have they already moved on and left the PC Party? Or are they merely being compliant in this political exercise that is Bill 44 that normalizes and perpetuates a certain kind of discrimination in Alberta.
Nothing in the opting out provisions of Bill 44 serve the greater good. They sure do embolden reactionary social conservatives who are gearing up to press their social conservative political agenda with the new legal tools they can use against teachers and trustees. Those new legal tools at there thanks to Bill 44 which has created them.
The continuing political debate about the wisdom and necessity of Bill 44 now moves from the floor of the Legislature into the public sphere and into rank and file of the PC Party. The power structure in the Party wants to keep the Bill 44 controversy quiet and hope that it will "go away" by relying on the short memory of the Alberta voter to forget about it. Complacency and compliance amongst progressives in the PC Party, who chose to be quiet about their concerns over Bill 44, is what will allow a bad law to endure and be swept under the public policy carpet. That is no way to govern a province. We will soon know if there is any progressive character left in the PC Party - or not.
The opt-out section of Bill 44 is insidious. It is like the bromide that if you've done nothing wrong then why should you be concerned about your privacy? I wonder what other abominations the PCs have that they are waiting to unload, to best serve their "silent majority." Are there any protest rallies planned for Calgary? It's time to fight!
ReplyDeleteAnd if there is no "progressive character" left in this party, Ken, will you still be a member...?
ReplyDeleteI am a progressive at my core. Can't see any place for the likes of me and other progressives if the PCs continue to turn hard right on social policy...including health care.
ReplyDeleteStill in a wait and see mode and if any constituency wants the opting out provisions of Bill 44 to be debated in Resolution at the AGM in November.
Why don't you debate it at the AGM in Nov. Ken?
ReplyDeleteI respect your opinion Ken but I have been told for years that being a member of the Alberta PC's will somehow change the party and that it is better to work within than to criticize from outside. In particular, this has been the view of many teachers. One prominent PC member and teacher even suggested to me that the party might use their position in government to "get even" with the ATA if teachers were too critical. In other words, I was to fear the government if I exercised my democratic right to criticize. The voter turnout, especially among young voters, is terrible and there does not seem to be any evidence that this will change in the future. Maybe the disconnection is related to the belief that the only way to change things is to become part of the current "ruling class" and that democracy only works at the party-in-power level. The Bill 44 fiasco certainly should tell some PC teachers that their membership does not really mean that much to those in power.
ReplyDeleteI know my position on Bill 44 and my strong stance against the opting out provisions are not popular in many elements in the PC Party. The standard political operating process is to not comment and let the matter die as the public's short attention span moves on to the next "big thing" in the 24 hour news cycle.
ReplyDeleteWith the Students Against Bill 44 Facebook group having over 9200 members this is not an issue that will die. It may be dormant over the summer but by Fall it will be top of mind again as school starts with teachers, administrators and trustees grapple with the unnecessary risks that Bill 44 has created.
I also know that there are likely to be some economic consequences to my business as a result of speaking out and being critical of the government. Some subtle pressures have already been conveyed to some clients questioning their wisdom of working with me. So far my clients have been totally supportive of my position and actions on Bill 44. I have been bullied by politicians before and have learned to expose it publically when it happens. I would do that again, and now with a Blog it is so much easier to expose.
I expect some bureaucrats would rather avoid retaining my firm to do work for them because my stance and approach on Bill 44 may have upset their Minister. I understand that but consider it unfortunate because it erodes democracy as people get intimidated form exerciseing thier freedom of speech. It is also not healthy for good governance if all Ministers hear from are "yes-men."
Other politicians and administrators will see the appropriateness of a vigorous public debate on the issues and concerns around Bill 44 and see it as healthy for democracy. They have the wisdom and maturity to see the larger picture.
So far I have had no overt political pressure put on me because of my strong and vocal oppostion to Bill 44. On the other hand I have had a surprising number of emails, direct mesages on Twitter and Facebook and phone calls from progressive PC Party memebers wondering and questioning the direction and governance of the province.
Okay so three of them were in the parade. But they were booed by the onlookers. Doesn't this community preach TOLERANCE?
ReplyDeleteWhat has expressing a disagreeing with someones political position have to do with being intolerant? The three PC MLAs who showed up and participated in the parade - a first for PC politicians in Alberta. With your logic the rest of the PC MLAs who did not participate in the Pride Parade would have to be seen as intolerant. I think that is a stretch too.
ReplyDeleteBesides it is not about tolerating differences. It is about accepting them and learning from them. I think there is a chance that those PC MLAs who showed up and were booed were actually taking the flak for the government - not personally.
After hearing Iris Evans' comments yesterday, I think that whatever used to be progressive in the PC party has been well and thoroughly squelched under Stelmach.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to say it, but the balance that existed under Lougheed between social progressiveness and fiscal conservatism seems to have been lost - its erasure started under Don Getty, and took hold with Klein - Stelmach's cabinet just keeps getting worse and worse.
Whether we talk about Bill 44, Liepert's decisions related to GRS, or Iris Evans' latest comments, it's getting pretty hard for me to say that this party is even a shadow of its former self.
MgS, which comments by Iris Evans are you referring to? What she actually said, or what the media reported that she said? Because they are 2 different things. I happen to agree 100% with what Iris actually said. So let's hear your arguments against it? although please make sure you actually read her exact words.
ReplyDelete