By DEIRDRE MITCHELL-MacLEAN.The government’s fifth panel since being elected, the Fair Deal Panel, started hearing from the public Tuesday night in Edmonton..Some agreed Alberta was not being treated fairly in Confederation and others saw an opportunity for the province to take the lead on building that relationship..“I consider myself an Albertan,” said a man who relocated from Quebec in the 1980’s..“When I look at the last couple of decades, yeah, I think we are not really getting a fair deal.”.Another speaker said the “fair deal” doesn’t look like what the panel has presented. .“In order to get anything done in the 21st century, we need to collaborate more,” said another speaker at the microphone..“We need to negotiate better and work with the rest of the provinces.”.MLAs Drew Barnes (Cypress-Medicine Hat), Tany Yao (Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo), Miranda Rosin (Banff-Kananaskis), former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, former Progressive Conservative MLA Donna Kennedy-Glans, former Alberta Innovates CEO Stephen Lougheed, former Alberta Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Jason Goodstriker, University of Alberta Associate Law professor Dr. Moin Yahya, and former Deputy Minister of Western Economic Diversification Canada Oryssia Lennie were appointed to lead the panel that has a $650,000 budget..Some topics the panel will be addressing are: an Alberta Pension Plan, provincial policing, opting out of federal plans like the proposed pharmacare program, independent tax collection, creating a formalized provincial constitution, and appointing a Chief Firearms Office..The Alberta government previously completed a similar project through a committee Ralph Klein created in 2003 called the “Committee on Strengthening Alberta’s Role in Confederation.”.The panel will hold additional town halls across the province over the next two months for Albertans to have their say in person. .Dec. 9: Red DeerDec. 10: CalgaryDec. 11: LethbridgeDec. 18: Grande PrairieJan. 8: Fort McMurrayJan. 9: Fort SaskatchewanJan. 13: LloydminsterJan. 16: AirdrieJan 17: Medicine Hat
By DEIRDRE MITCHELL-MacLEAN.The government’s fifth panel since being elected, the Fair Deal Panel, started hearing from the public Tuesday night in Edmonton..Some agreed Alberta was not being treated fairly in Confederation and others saw an opportunity for the province to take the lead on building that relationship..“I consider myself an Albertan,” said a man who relocated from Quebec in the 1980’s..“When I look at the last couple of decades, yeah, I think we are not really getting a fair deal.”.Another speaker said the “fair deal” doesn’t look like what the panel has presented. .“In order to get anything done in the 21st century, we need to collaborate more,” said another speaker at the microphone..“We need to negotiate better and work with the rest of the provinces.”.MLAs Drew Barnes (Cypress-Medicine Hat), Tany Yao (Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo), Miranda Rosin (Banff-Kananaskis), former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, former Progressive Conservative MLA Donna Kennedy-Glans, former Alberta Innovates CEO Stephen Lougheed, former Alberta Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Jason Goodstriker, University of Alberta Associate Law professor Dr. Moin Yahya, and former Deputy Minister of Western Economic Diversification Canada Oryssia Lennie were appointed to lead the panel that has a $650,000 budget..Some topics the panel will be addressing are: an Alberta Pension Plan, provincial policing, opting out of federal plans like the proposed pharmacare program, independent tax collection, creating a formalized provincial constitution, and appointing a Chief Firearms Office..The Alberta government previously completed a similar project through a committee Ralph Klein created in 2003 called the “Committee on Strengthening Alberta’s Role in Confederation.”.The panel will hold additional town halls across the province over the next two months for Albertans to have their say in person. .Dec. 9: Red DeerDec. 10: CalgaryDec. 11: LethbridgeDec. 18: Grande PrairieJan. 8: Fort McMurrayJan. 9: Fort SaskatchewanJan. 13: LloydminsterJan. 16: AirdrieJan 17: Medicine Hat
