By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

“The cart has been put before the horse”; Little Bow MLA concerned by legislations coming in 2017

Dec 31, 2016 | 5:09 AM

LITTLE BOW – “The biggest piece of news in Alberta in 2016 is the carbon tax.” That’s according to Little Bow MLA David Schneider.
 
Schneider says the past year was chock full of new bills and policies, but certainly wishes they could have been on a more positive note. He was among many Wildrose party members that stood unified against parts of the NDP government’s movements this session.
 
Those included the carbon tax, oilsands emissions limit act, renewable electricity act and the fair elections financing act. In addition, the opposition focused on working toward better care for children living as wards of the Alberta government and protecting property rights throughout the move to clean energy.
 
A slew of amendments meant to lessen the blow of some legislations were proposed by the Wildrose, plenty of which Schneider feels were ignored by the NDP.
 
He stressed that there needs to be a province-wide discussion on a lot more of these issues. “The cart has been put before the horse… We have rushed through to get all the legislation in place. We haven’t done our homework to tell people this isn’t going to affect you as much as everybody says it is… It’s affecting Albertans and it’s affecting their lives! It just seems like that is secondary to getting legislation through.”
 
Schneider added that most new legislations won’t be implemented until the new year. However, he plans to keep an eye on the effects to the agriculture and small business sectors, as well as small towns in general. He maintains that one of his biggest concern is with the lack of planning to address job loss among other issues in areas that thrive from large coal and oil operations.
 
He also fears for farmers and producers in his primarily agricultural riding who’s bottom lines are expected to be hit hard by the new carbon tax come January 1.
 
As the calendar turns to another eventful year in the legislature, Schneider had this message he hopes his Little Bow constituents will take comfort with.
 
“As far as the opposition, we do everything we can to make sure everybody knows what’s going on in the house and the legislation that’s coming. Our toolbox is very small… When there’s good news we make sure we pass it on, and when there’s bad news we do the same.”