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LETTER: The UCP continues to mislead the public

Editor: The one thing that has been consistent with the United Conservative Party is lies, lies, lies. It started with Premier Jason Kenney's campaign promises. Perhaps we should have been forewarned.
vox-populi

Editor: 

Sadly the list of broken promises continues to grow.

It started with Premier Jason Kenney's campaign promises. Perhaps we should have been forewarned. You can tick off all the boxes with deep cuts to everything he pledged not to cut: education, health care, benefits for seniors, social services, assistance for the disabled and our parks.

They've released a new curriculum for elementary students that a growing number of teachers and school boards across the province say they refuse to teach. How enriching is it for these students to learn about Kenney's grandfather's contribution to jazz?

They have effectively wiped out just about all the bills created by the former NDP government and made changes to existing bills that will result in damaging policies – the latest being their policies on coal.

Sonya Savage, our energy minister, promised consultation with Albertans after a huge outcry over their new coal policy for a massive increase in coal mining along the summits and foothills of the Rockies. However, the scope of the review the newly "fiercely independent" created panel will hear doesn't address any of Albertans grave concerns. Another deeply worrisome broken promise.

And now the Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo), which legally manages public pensions such as the Alberta Teachers Pension Fund, has been mismanaged and as of last May lost more than two billion dollars. A review done last year recommended a "culture change" and a new CEO, Evan Siddall, takes over the helm July 1st.

Siddall made a forecast this year that massive gains in Canadian housing values would be reversed due to, in part, the COVID-19 pandemic. He was wrong and in true UCP colours, he blamed this error on colleagues rather that on himself.

AIMCo is where Kenney wants to plop our Canadian Pension Plan into. One of his promises is to lower contributions due to our large youth population. However, more than 60,000 Albertans left our province last year and my guess is that that included a large majority of these young people, leaving to look for opportunities that have been rapidly dwindling away here.

I think it would be very unwise to allow Kenney to create an Alberta Pension Plan.

When Kenney talks about the Alberta Advantage, I don't have a clue what he is talking about.

Marilyn Foxford,

Canmore

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