The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
www.TheNewsyNeighbour.com
May Issue 115
Article Provided By: Leela Sharon Aheer
Hello Newsy Neighbour readers! I wanted to take a bit of
time and update the readers on some of the issues provincially, as well as take
a stab at some of the issues that women are facing. We are seeing more women
than ever running for various positions and it is wonderful to see people so
engaged. I hope to see a lot more women running!
At the provincial level, we have seen a couple of
troublesome bills come up this session. First, the budget. The Government has
been hoping to ride the oil and gas rollercoaster right into prosperity even
though, previous to being elected, they advocated hard against oil and gas
production, have brought in caps on our oilsands production, and hired
environmental activists to chair the oilsands advisory panel, which has
produced absolutely nothing so far. The government is going to run into a few
other problems as well as far as oil and gas production in this province.
B.C is going to be having its provincial election in short
order. Remember, there is only one NDP Party and the NDP leader in BC is
against pipelines such as Trans Mountain and wants us to keep our resources in
the ground. What will our Premier’s stance be on that, when she goes to help
aid her B.C NDP friends who intend to cause harm to our province and indeed the
country by attacking the prosperity that creates thousands of jobs, and
billions of dollars for Alberta and Canada? The Government plan: take your
money with a Carbon Tax and give some of it back by sending a government paid
person into your home to install “free” light bulbs and power bars, and upsell
you on other energy products with “rebates” of your own money. Meanwhile, our
debt keeps going up, 32 billion after this year and over 70 billion by the next
election.
On the agricultural front, if you are a producer involved
with a marketing board or commission, ask them how they feel about Bill 9,
which could change the rules on service charges. Please get in touch with my
office and let us know how you feel.
We passed a Private Members bill that will allow victims to
pursue damages from someone who distributes non-consensual intimate images and
creates a process for schools to follow in punishing the perpetrators. Wildrose
MLA Scott Cyr: “This bill will be the tool victims can use to seek damages when
harm has been done.”
We also passed the Government’s Bill 2, which proposes
unlimited time for Alberta sexual, and domestic assault victims to sue for
damages. Right now, a survivor only has two years from the date of the incident
to put forward any civil action and many are still too traumatized to do so. This
will give victims more time to be able to come forward and actually be
compensated for damages. Money cannot heal the trauma but it can assist in
getting help.
As Shadow Minister for Status of Women, I would love your
feedback on a few issues. One of these is gender wage gaps. Part of the problem,
in my opinion, is the lack of discussion about what the real issues are. Some
say it is lack of representation at the various elected levels of government. The
question I have been asked, and I continue to ask is why are more women not
running? We are strong, confident, competent, and think outside the box, and
though I strongly feel these are character strengths, not pervasively gender
strengths, I look to your comments to see why there is a gap. Many politicians
will say that we need more child care, and low-cost day care. Some say we need
to build more shelters, and strategies to end violence against women. Does
political discourse cater to men? I see us as a force, and as brilliant
debaters. If we shine a bright, unrelenting light on sexual violence, and speak
out against sexual violence and predatory behaviour, we take away the power of
the perpetrators because we will not be afraid or ashamed to tell the truth of
what has happened to us. Is that our path to equality?
I have always believed that one should be judged on one’s
competence. I am fortunate to live in a time where competency and collaboration
are seen as useful tools, but I ride on the coat tails of many men and women
before me who have fought long and hard for me to be able to vote, and pursue
my dreams. There are many countries and ideologies that would still like to see
inequality persist whether through status, gender, or race. In Canada, more women
are now graduating from university than men! We have to take more chances. We
need to wear our confidence like a second skin, and know that we can be successful.
We need to encourage each other. The world seeks and demands competitiveness,
kindness, compassion, and competence. Take all the career advice you can, but
truly it is in you; it always has been. Just look at your fearless Newsy
Neighbour owners. They stepped up, they took a chance, they found a niche, and
they went for it.
As always, we love to hear from you! Please write us at
Chestermere.Rockyview@ assembly.ab.ca
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