'They're not good protesters': Alta. MLA defends the message at Coutts, but not the blockade

Police officers at the scene of a blockade near Coutts, Alta., on Feb. 1, 2022.

A UCP MLA who drove his dump truck in a vaccine mandate protest through Edmonton says he supports the Coutts protesters, but not the act of blockading a border crossing.

"As far as blocking the access, no. They're not good protesters because they've never done this before, so they've gone over the boundaries," Shane Getson said in an interview with CTV News Edmonton Tuesday afternoon.

"I think what you're seeing, and why it's taking so long, is the RCMP is cognizant of that too. They understand that there isn't malicious intents here, there's folks whose emotions might be high and hopefully they can diffuse it and they can get things moving once again."

Getson represents Lac St. Anne-Parkland west of Edmonton.

He does not support a federal rule mandating that cross-border truckers be vaccinated to avoid testing and quarantine requirements.

Getson has also spoken out against his own government's pandemic rules.

He refuses to say if he's vaccinated, and he announced on his website that he does not use the Alberta QR code out of protest.

"I didn't tell people what my vaccination status is, just because I don't believe in it. I'm not saying I don't believe in vaccinations," Getson said.

The Alberta NDP has called on Premier Jason Kenney to kick Getson out of caucus because of his social media posts.

'FRANKLY DANGEROUS RHETORIC'

"This MLA is undermining the public health effort. He is spreading misinformation that could ultimately cost lives. He must go," NDP Leader Rachel Notley tweeted Tuesday.

"This is utterly irresponsible and frankly dangerous rhetoric from an elected official and one has to question why the premier would choose to let it stand from a member of the UCP Caucus," David Shepherd, the NDP health critic, said, including a post where Getson suggested the air force may need to fly supplies due to a "fragile" supply chain.

CTV News Edmonton reached out to the premier's office Monday to ask if Getson will be removed, but a response was never received.

"I'm not worried. Quite frankly, this is the fourth or fifth time the NDP has asked for my resignation. That seems to be their mantra," Getson said, adding that he wants to stay in the UCP because he's able to voice his opinion.

Getson, meanwhile, called the protesters involved in the convoys "good people" and said it felt "like winning the Stanley Cup" when he was driving in one.

Getson again called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to exempt truckers from vaccine rules.

"The supply chain has been running non-stop for two years. The vaccines are not very effective at all for the Omicron variant, so to all of a sudden take a run or a shot at that supply chain, it's not just foolhardy, it's reckless," Getson said.

As for the swastikas and defacing of statues in Ottawa, Getson said nothing like that happened in the Edmonton convoy.

More information about Alberta's COVID-19 response is available online.