Letter to the Editor
In a recent article in the St. Albert Gazette, outgoing MLA for St. Albert Ken Allred offered some frank comments about the lack of real debate within the Legislature. The comments were quite candid, especially coming from a member of the PC Party who has seen the inner workings of government. In the article, Mr. Allred states that, “That is one of my big disappointments is we don’t want to debate the tough issues. There is no debate that goes on in that legislature. It is just a bunch of silliness, half of it.” I encourage you to read the entire article for some additional comments.
In response to the article, I submitted the following Letter to the Editor:
The recent comments from outgoing MLA Ken Allred (Dec. 14: “Legislature stifles serious debate, Allred”) do not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed politics in Alberta over the past number of years. Meaningful debate and engagement with citizens is something that has been lacking in this province for far too long.
It seems that the current approach to politics is to outright reject any idea that comes from a party other than one’s own. Can you imagine trying to run a business where you refused to consider any information from outside sources? I think it’s safe to say that you would be out of business in fairly short order.
Simply put, it’s time for a new way of doing things. One of the main reasons that I chose to run for the Alberta Party was its commitment to allow free votes for its MLAs. Without this sort of freedom, we are left with a system where MLAs represent their Party rather than the constituents who elected them. Surely this is not the democracy that we all believe in?
Thank you Mr. Allred for raising this issue. You’re right, Albertans deserve better.
Tim Osborne
Alberta Party Candidate, St. Albert
I truly believe that Albertans are ready for a new way of doing things. We need MLAs who are free to represent their constituents in the legislature rather than representing their party. As mentioned in my letter, one of the main reasons that I joined the Alberta Party was due its commitment to free votes and genuine dialogue with Albertans. Isn’t that what democracy is supposed to be about?
Great letter Tim. I found your comment about Alberta Party MLA’s being free to represent their constituents particularly moving given Mr Allred’s statement that when he tabled his private member’s bill to create fixed election dates he was pressured by his own caucus to withdraw it. He said private member’s bills should be free votes, but “they are whipped like everything else”. It’s a sorry state of affairs. Definitely time for a change. I’m glad you’re going to help Alberta get there.
Thanks for the comment Susan!