Disclaimer: This was originally posted, in a cleaner format no less, on Jason Kenney's actual Facebook page. The post I responded to can be found here. Since he has a legion of loyal, sometimes rabid supporters, some of whom would be deranged enough to respond to me with idiocy, vitriol and perhaps even bodily harm, and lastly could probably just silence myself and my post, I thought of sharing it here. If people were so driven to call for harm to my person or even for my death, then all I would say is, "Wow! I actually had an impact on someone's life!" Without further ado, the following body, without emphasis, makes up the entirety of said post.
Hey,
whomever runs Jason Kenney's FB page (because I highly doubt that
Kenney has the gumption to actually interface with others on this
platform), here's a thought:
Jason
Kenney claimed, from before the beginning of his tenure, to be the guy
who'd bring back jobs. He claimed that he'd restore Alberta's former
glory. That he wouldn't cut education, healthcare, and jobs. What a nice
catch-all; it's no wonder people tend to vote for those who make such
empty promises that they truly don't have any intent to keep. I don't
trust politicians who reel people in with promises that they, based on
track records and character traits that are easy to perceive, fail or
don't intend to deliver on.
Here's
a long, partially-comprehensive list that based on recollection and
easily-conducted research, I have compiled of the transgressions of the
Kenney government. It's not fair that someone had to do this, and it's
not exactly an exercise in brevity, but someone had to do it and that's
me:
- Lowered the corporate tax rate at the expense of raising your personal income tax.
-
Made sure that AISH, a lifeline for people struggling to even find or
keep work because of disability and illness, would be de-indexed. His
government also changed the payment date that has since caused a lot of
headaches for renters, and has "changed the criterion" in a way that, as
my sleep therapist who has patients on AISH, told me is rejecting cases
all over the place. In short: Kenney doesn't like disabled people like
me, like those who have far worse disabilities than myself.
-
Not only killed the oil-by-rail expansion project that Notley kinda
threw together at the last minute, but cost US the taxpayers $1.5
billion ON TOP of the cost to initiate the whole project. A complete and
total loss of not just what was paid, not just of the labour that would
have went into the expansion, and not just of revenue from increased
transportation of crude, but a loss of money to cover the contract terms
itself. I'd grant that Harper himself wouldn't be so foolish to do
this.
-
The parks fiasco. Everyone knows about it now. I don't need to mention
it again. The idea of private organizations running them worries me (a
scant few parks would be run well I imagine, but I can guarantee that
most of them will be run with minimum effort).
-
In re-negotiating terms with the AUPE (Alberta Union of Provincial
Employees), they've ordered DURING A PANDEMIC NO LESS that approximately
11,000 healthcare workers be laid off. They also messed with clinic
scheduling rules, among other problems.
-
Expanding from the above, in late October they ordered that a number of
departments be "abolished" as per the language in the UCP's Public
Service Commission letter to AUPE dated October 19th this year, which
immediately impacted 930 jobs based on that date. A few departments
impacted: Alberta Job Corps, Direct Operations, Justice & Solicitor
General, and many others. You can read more on from the following link
as I shouldn't publicly share the contents of the aforementioned letter:
https://www.aupe.org/.../goa-pushes-ahead-job-cuts...
-
Privatized disability support services and homes, which would and has
caused such impacts including forcing registrants and their caretakers
to vacate premises, and to accept service from private "service
providers."
-
Established a $30 million a year "energy war room" that, immediately
into its operations, disseminated nothing but propaganda and fear
mongering. Among some of the egregious offenses this office carried out:
lying about how much money environmentalist protestors received from
foreign sources (not to mention even, without a lick of public
self-awareness, vilifying foreign support).
-
Made protests against their fossil-fuel overlords for said-same
industry's transgressions against sovereign, indigenous peoples of
western Canada, against the law and punishable by arrest. Our PM isn't
any better, given his track record.
-
Got rid of a discretionary measure in the education department
regarding extra-curricular group affiliations. In other words, if a
student tries to affiliate themselves with a group that accepts and
provides supports for closeted individuals, then because of the removal
of Notley's discretionary measure to protect such youth, should an
educator/administrative staff contact their guardians/parents with
regards to their extra-curricular affiliation, it could lead to the
previously-protected student facing repercussions from their own
families and even close-knit communities. See the fiasco regarding Bill
24, which rolled back protections for Gay/Straight alliances in schools.
- Gutted workers' compensation and job safety protections.
- Made cuts to iOAT, a program meant to help people going through opioid addictions and crises. (https://calgaryherald.com/.../it-is-a-death-sentence-ioat...)
-
Cut some 20,000 jobs of support staff dedicated to students with
special needs, and they did this at a time that forced many parents of
such students to make last-minute decisions. Single-mom with a child in
the autistic spectrum? TOO BAD! See a pattern regarding disabled
Albertans, yet? Autism isn't necessarily a disability, but I digress.
-
Introduced a bill that would repeal a ban on the sale of donated blood
to the Canadian Blood Services to private, profit-driven buyers
worldwide. See here:
“If
passed, this bill will divert donations away from Canadian Blood
Services to private buyers, who can then sell them to the highest bidder
on world markets,” said NDP Health Critic David Shepherd.
“This is very bad for Albertans. It flies directly in the face of the Krever Inquiry.”
The Krever Inquiry investigated Canada’s tainted blood scandal, in
which tens of thousands of people were infected with hepatitis C or HIV
through tainted blood products.
The inquiry’s report led to the creation of a single national agency, Canadian Blood Services.
And I can go on and on.
Notley
may have failed to allow for long-term, consistent recovery but at
least she didn't betray so many Albertans, many of whom are vulnerable
and hurting. ESPECIALLY DURING A PANDEMIC!
