Alberta UCP facing growing pushback following introduction of municipalities bill
It was a long time ago, but Jan Novotny still remembers the tanks rumbling through his hometown of Prague in 1968 when the Soviet Union enforced its will on the people of what was then Czechoslovakia.
On Monday, he stood outside the Alberta legislature in a gentle rain, holding a sign aimed at the province's United Conservative Party government saying, "Stalin Would Be Proud."
"I'm really concerned," Novotny said on the first day of his protest.
"Democracy is a slippery slope. It can slip into autocracy quite easily. I just find the current government very autocratic in nature."
Novotny is specifically concerned about a proposed law that would grant Premier Danielle Smith's cabinet sweeping power to fire local councillors, toss out bylaws, and allow political parties to run in Edmonton and Calgary.
The office of Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver did not respond to a question about how much feedback it has received on its proposed legislation, which was introduced April 25.
McIver has promised to amend the bill and discuss the proposed changes with municipal leaders, who say they should have been consulted before the bill was even introduced.
Like other bills and policy balloons Albertans have seen since the 2023 provincial election, it wasn't part of the UCP's campaign platform and hasn't gone before a public comment process.
Novotny is one of an undetermined but increasingly vocal number of Albertans who are concerned about what they call the government's bossiness.
"I just woke up and said enough is enough," said Glenda Tailfeathers of Lethbridge, who's helping organize "Enough Is Enough" protests in several Alberta communities for May 25.
"There's a lot of interest in people taking a stand," said Peter Oliver of Project Alberta, an offshoot of a group called Project Calgary.
In one day, the group collected 800 signatures against the proposed legislation.
"The more power they take away from our councils, the more power they put in the hands of corporations and unions," Oliver said. "It could reach a point where it's hard to get control back."
Last week, University of Alberta political science professor Jared Wesley posted an essay warning of a growing authoritarian streak in the UCP government.
"In my two decades of research, I haven't seen this sort of reaction to anything I've written," Wesley said in an email.
"It's not just the volume, but the variety of people reaching out. From the left and the right. CEOs to retirees, rural folks and city folks. All of them upset at what a growing number of Albertans are seeing: a government bent on consolidating power.
"You can feel the groundswell, and MLAs are hearing it, too."
Alberta Municipalities -- the organization that speaks for towns, cities, and villages -- has also objected.
"Albertans have been clear: they do not want political parties in their local elections," the organization said in a statement last week. "The provincial government has ignored them, too, deaf to the voices of Albertans."
Critics say the Smith government has a way of springing controversial legislation on Albertans.
In the last year, the government has: re-introduced the idea of a provincial pension; imposed a moratorium on approvals for renewable power; promised to restrict gender-affirming care for young people; and introduced legislation that would require provincially regulated organizations, including universities, to obtain provincial approvals on federal funding.
Smith has pushed back on criticisms, saying her government is simply responding to concerns from stakeholders and is committed to ensuring other levels of government don't overstep their authority.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.