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House Leader Jason Nixon. (Government of Alberta)

Alberta government outlines fall session plans

Oct 19, 2020 | 1:55 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The Government of Alberta said Monday that it will continue to focus on job creation and economic growth.

As the province gears up for its fall sitting of the legislature on Tuesday, October 20, House Leader Jason Nixon stated that “Albertans have come together to save lives by flattening the curve, and now we must do the same for livelihoods. We must focus on growing and helping our economy recover.”

“The fall sitting will focus on legislation that does just that.”

Some of the policies the UCP will push for in this sitting include:

  • Reducing labour mobility barriers in certain industries
  • Reducing red tape for forestry industries
  • “Setting the stage” for geothermal energy production
  • Establishing payment deadlines for contractors, subcontractors, and labourers
  • Improving transparency for parents in childcare settings, encouraging digital record-keeping
  • Quicker access to justice services, quicker asset forfeiture for victim restitution and compensation

Nixon says nearly 75 per cent of the party’s platform commitments were fulfilled in 18 months.

“We’ve often said that government needs to move at the speed of business and Alberta’s government is doing just that, but there’s more work to be done.”

He acknowledged the struggles Alberta’s economy has faced this year including the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated global recession, as well as the crash in oil prices.

The minister was asked about this weekend’s resolution that passed at the UCP AGM that called for privately-funded healthcare options.

READ MORE: UCP members pass resolution at AGM calling for privately-funded health care option

Nixon responded by saying that “access to universally-funded public healthcare is a priority of this government and will remain a priority of this government.”

He adds that Premier Jason Kenney is committed to maintaining a strong public health system, but admits that it could be better.

“We will continue to focus on the fact that access to a waiting list is not access to healthcare.”

According to Nixon, the province will continue to focus on “innovative” ways of reducing waiting times in healthcare, which includes the use of both publicly and privately-funded chartered surgeries.