Alberta government cites 19 bills as spring sitting ends in shadow of talk on tariffs, separation vote
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Alberta MLAs rose in the wee hours of Thursday morning to mark the end of the legislature's spring sitting, which saw the government pass 19 pieces of legislation but was also overshadowed by allegations of corruption related to health-care procurement that prompted the resignation of a cabinet member, a response to American tariffs, and the potential of an independence referendum.
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Speaking with reporters at the legislature on Thursday, government house leader Joseph Schow pointed to the bills that had been put into law over the past weeks and said the government would take stock of its priorities over the summer.
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'Our government has always been and will continue to be unapologetic in our fight to protect and promote a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, because we are relentless in our work to create a brighter future for Albertans,' he said.
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'We're going to take the summer to go back to our constituents and the people that hired us to do this job, and listen to them, hear what they have to say.'
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Among the bills passed since the sitting began on Feb. 25 was legislation formalizing the overhaul of auto insurance rules, taking a further step towards a provincial police force, eliminating municipal codes of conduct, and changing how justice system non-profits are funded.
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Major pieces of legislation were left for closer to the end of the sitting. Those include the Compassionate Intervention Act, which would allow for adults and youth to be placed into involuntary addiction treatment if they are deemed to likely cause significant harm to themselves or others.
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It also includes Bill 55, which moves public health roles from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to Primary Care Alberta, and Bill 54, which drew attention for lowering the bar for a potential citizen-led separation vote while also reintroducing union and corporate campaign contributions.
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Bill 54 prompted a backlash from First Nations and led the government to introduce some last-minute amendments late Wednesday.
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In February, the government faced questions raised in the statement of claim by former AHS head Athana Mentzelopoulos about health-care procurement, with those allegations being the main subject of many question periods throughout the sitting.
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And the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and the potential impact on Alberta's economy was also at the forefront of legislative debates, most notably around the provincial budget tabled in February that delivered the government's long-promised tax cut but also forecast a $5.2-billion deficit.
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