I really want to write positive things about Jason Kenney’s UCP government. I really do. They just seem determined not to give me anything to work with..The UCP government wisely stepped on the brakes with their planned implementation of a policy that would take away a citizen’s right to a day in court with traffic offences. I don’t want to dump on the government when they do the right thing. I am happy that they have swallowed some pride and halted this ridiculous plan for the time being..I still have to ask what the hell they were thinking in trying to implement this policy in the first place?.Principles of due process and individual rights make up the bedrock of conservative ideology. The right for a citizen to defend themselves against any form of state sanction whether for a crime as serious as murder or as minor as jaywalking should be considered inviolate. How could a government packed with lawyers among their legislators think for a second there wouldn’t be a serious backlash against any effort to remove citizens’ rights?.While opposition to the plan to end traffic courts has been strong and steady for months, the government seemed indifferent to it. That changed when former Justice Minister Kacee Madu found himself embroiled in a scandal over his direct communication with Edmonton’s police chief over a traffic ticket he had received. The irony and hypocrisy of a government member using his position of privilege to talk directly with law enforcement officials about a personal traffic ticket while the government was working to take away the rights of citizens to defend themselves in court over traffic offences were just too much..The UCP government will never admit it, but the Madu scandal was very likely the tipping point leading to their retreat on their planned policy. It is a shame because I really have liked Madu as a cabinet minister but even a first-year law student understands why justice ministers should never appear to be using their office to interfere in legal matters that personally impact them..We should remember the government hasn’t scrapped its ridiculous notion to end traffic courts yet. They have just kicked the can down the road on the issue for a few months. That puts the issue beyond the point of Premier Jason Kenney’s pending leadership review and we can’t pretend that this is a coincidence..The UCP government has been in power for nearly three years now and they still can’t seem to find their stride. With a little over a year before the next general election is scheduled, they don’t have much time left to regain the confidence of Albertans. If they continue with this constant pattern of scandals and policy retreats, we can rest assured that Rachel Notley will be waltzing right back into the premier’s chair..Why is this government so bereft of common sense? From picking fights with doctors while a pandemic looms to having MLAs jetting around the world while citizens are locked down, the government just seems determined to break trust with the electorate at every opportunity. This traffic court fiasco is just the latest debacle..Whether Kenney survives the April leadership review or not, the UCP is going to have to take a radical shift in direction if they hope to crawl back into majority government support levels before the next election..The UCP needs to learn how to be proactive rather than reactive. If they would just take smart policy stances, they wouldn’t have to constantly go on the defense and ultimately surrender when the pressure against them overwhelms them. Perhaps if they weren’t constantly embroiled in internal battles, they could start working on those policies..For now, the UCP just appears inept as they stumble from one disaster of their own making to another..I just don’t see how this ship can manage to turn itself around in the next 14 months but I sure hope that they manage to find a way..We can’t afford another four years of NDP rule. The best that can be said of the UCP is that they are less bad than the NDP. That is not a strong enough case to save their electoral hides..They need to be better..Cory Morgan is Assistant Opinion & Broadcast Editor for the Western Standard.cmorgan@westernstandardonline.com
