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COVID The Focus For The Interim

MLA Stephan: Leadership review needed sooner rather than later

Sep 24, 2021 | 9:36 AM

Dear Friends,

Only a few weeks ago, our Red Deer South Constituency Association sponsored a community pancake breakfast on Labor Day. It was a beautiful morning at Rotary Park. Joining community leaders and volunteers, it was great serving families and individuals in our community, providing a delicious breakfast, and receiving donations for our local food bank. There was even a magician for the children. It was fun!

At that time, I did not know that, in mere weeks, restrictions were going to be reimposed in our community, in our province. On July 1^st, the Premier said that we were open for good. I took him at his word.

Some businesses and other organizations find themselves now subject to restrictions that threaten their ability to survive unless they participate in a “Restriction Exemption Program”. This is a vaccine passport program – in general, to participate, these organizations can only allow vaccinated individuals into their premises. This divides Albertans. The Premier said there would be no COVID vaccine passports.

I chose to receive the COVID vaccine. I have friends who chose otherwise. This is supposed to be a personal decision. Vaccination is not mandatory in Alberta. The Government passed a law making that so.

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Vaccine passports use coercion to indirectly do what is illegal to do directly – to compel vaccination. Seeking to compel others against their wills produce resentment. Albertans should choose to take COVID vaccines on their merits, believing they are safe and effective, not because of lotteries or cash payments or intense coercion with vaccine passports or under threats of losing livelihoods or educations.

Individuals and families are losing trust. Coercion destroys, not builds, trust. Complete and transparent information, without bias, is the best way to allow Albertans to make the best decisions for themselves and their families on the merits of COVID vaccines.

Circumstances are evolving and none of us possesses monopolies on truth. Alberta Health Services (“AHS”) should not be dismissive of perspectives and experiences of others that may challenge prevailing orthodoxies, or hostile to those raising them. We can trust that truth prevails.

Many constituents are dismayed with increased division and contention in our families and communities. In this contentious environment, raising concerns with some restrictions should not be framed as opposition to all restrictions. Misrepresenting individuals or twisting their words to condemn or cancel them is wrong.

Some label or condemn entire groups for the actions of a few. Others make sweeping judgements and assumptions about others who do not agree with their opinions, framing them at ends of a continuum, seeking to condemn them. This is not how things really are. Our friends, family members or neighbors who do not share our opinions are not evil or selfish. The truth about those friends, family members or neighbors is more complex, more nuanced, each of them possessing unique contexts and circumstances, all of which can be valued and respected.

Adults who disagree do not need to choose to be disagreeable.

Throughout the past 18 months I have raised concerns with some restrictions, especially for children, youth, and young adults who have suffered more from the damage of restrictions than from COVID itself. As a parent of three children, I am disappointed. Young Albertans, vaccinated or unvaccinated, are not “overwhelming our health care system”.

Many constituents are upset. Many are asking for the Premier to resign. The Constitution of the United Conservative Party (“UCP”) does not include a procedure for caucus MLAs to remove the leader of the party. The Constitution provides that the process for evaluating, and sustaining or replacing, the leader of the party is a leadership review, where members of the party make these decisions. Leadership reviews recognize that our paramount loyalties are to principles and not office holders. The privilege to serve as an elected representative is temporary; principles are permanent. The UCP has great principles: www.unitedconservative.ca/about/

Prior to yesterday’s caucus meeting (Sept. 22), the Premier’s leadership review was tentatively scheduled to occur in the fall of 2022. After the meeting, the timing of this review was changed and announced for the spring of 2022. Independent of this announcement, some UCP constituency associations are approving a resolution for this review to occur prior to March 1, 2022.

The leadership review process supports principles of accountability and good governance and should occur sooner than later.

In the interim period, the focus of Government needs to be on COVID.

The Premier said a “fresh set of eyes is needed”.

Alberta is budgeted to spend $23 billion on health, among the highest per capita in Canada, and over 40% of the Province’s operating budget. Why, with this massive amount of money, has AHS only produced between 300 and 400 (currently, the numbers are everchanging), working ICU beds for a population of over 4.4 million, on a per capita basis less than half the worst of the lowest of the any of the US states?

There are more than 4.4 million Albertans. COVID has an overall survival rate of more than 99%. In this context, some Albertans are lower risk; some are higher. Albertans have differing risk tolerances for themselves. For all of us, our quantity and quality of life are important, interrelated considerations. Albertans value these aspects differently. Sometimes the relative values of these two considerations change over our lifetimes.

Albertans have more 4.4 million unique circumstances. Acknowledging our individual differences, and respecting our position to make better judgments for ourselves and our families, how can government control and restriction change to allow individuals and families to govern themselves more, while seeking to be respectful of their neighbors’ differences?

Given the widespread, profound impact of COVID restrictions on Albertans, I have asked, and continue to ask, for a comprehensive public inquiry, including a full cost analysis of COVID restrictions. The more truth, the better.

We may have different perspectives, but we set good examples for our children as we seek to be respectful and kind to each other even in our differences.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve!

Yours truly,

Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer South

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of rdnewsNOW or Pattison Media. Column suggestions and letters to the editor can be sent to news@rdnewsNOW.com.