UCP policies do not align with mainstream Alberta, premier says
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the province's official Opposition proved at last weekend's convention that their policies are out of step with mainstream Alberta.
On Sunday, 57 per cent of United Conservative Party members who voted were in favour of R-30, which reinstates parental consent for when their children are exposed to "subjects of religious or sexual nature including enrolment in extracurricular activities/clubs."
Members also passed resolutions in favour of returning to a flat income tax rate, allowing private health care and prohibiting invasive medical procedures on minors without parental consent, a measure favoured by anti-abortion activists.
"I think what we saw on the weekend, the UCP pulled the curtain and we saw what's behind the curtain," Notley said.
"That's the product of some extreme special interest groups and it does not align with the values of the majority of Albertans."
Notley talked to reporters before Tuesday's question period, something she rarely does. She and members of her cabinet made frequent mention of the resolutions during the answers to UCP questions in the legislature.
The resolution to reinstate parental notification is a response to Bill 24, which was passed by the government last fall.
The law, which came into effect April 1, prohibits schools from notifying parents if a student joins a gay-straight alliance. That protects teenagers who may not be comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation to their parents.
The law has angered parental rights activists who believe they have the right to know everything their children are doing at school.
When the resolution came up for debate Sunday morning, three UCP MLAs urged members to vote against it.
"This is about outing gay kids," said Calgary-Hays MLA Ric McIver, who was jeered by the crowd. "Don't be called the Lake of Fire party, I'm begging you."
No contentious social issues
Lake of fire refers to a blog post written in 2011 by a Wildrose candidate who warned homosexuals they faced eternity in the "lake of fire," or hell, if they didn't change their ways.
Many people believe that comment was one of the reasons the Wildrose didn't win the 2012 election, despite leading in the polls.
Notley said McIver had it right in his comments. "This is the Lake of Fire 2.0."
Kenney has made it clear that while members voted for policies on the weekend, it will be his job as leader to craft a platform that would work for four million Albertans should the United Conservatives win power.
"It's not my intention to get into any contentious social issues in our platform," Kenney said at the legislature Tuesday.
The UCP leader also said his party will not legislate on abortion.
"I've been clear that we won't be bringing forward any legislative measures on abortion," Kenney said.
At the UCP founding convention on the weekend, members voted 74 per cent in favour of a resolution that would require parents to be notified before any invasive medical procedure was performed on a minor.
Kenney said the resolution was put forward by a delegate whose child was vaccinated without his knowledge.
"The resolution spoke to a general concern about parents wanting to be involved in their children's health, particularly for young children," he said. "Obviously, we support the idea that children should receive vaccines that are necessary to protect their health. But parents should not be surprised when they learn their child has been given a shot."
The basic principle that parents should be aware of the health-care treatment of their young children is one Albertans would broadly support, he said.
Kenney touted a grassroots policy guarantee when he was running for party leader.
That policy disappeared from the web over the weekend, but Kenney said that was because he is changing service providers for his website.
