Within 24 hours of it becoming public that the Alberta government was planning to use drones to spy on people camping to ensure that they complied with pandemic restrictions, the government-backed down. People were immediately and understandably mortified at the thought that even when retreating to isolated regions to take a break from society (or lockdown in their homes), they would not be able to escape the watchful eye of the government. The plan sounded like something out of George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, where the state’s “Big Brother” was always watching..It is not surprising that there are many a senior bureaucrat who would think little of invading the privacy of private citizens to pursue their vision of the ‘greater good’. The the civil service is the natural habitat of authoritarians. What has to be asked though, is who the hell signed off on this short-lived plan? Is there any oversight in the ministries, or does the government simply give bureaucrats free rein to impose intrusive policies as they see fit?.It’s a positive that the government swiftly understood how odious this plan was once it was brought to their attention, but it raises some questions. Did the government really not know that this plan was in the works? If so, we have to ask, who really is running things up there in Edmonton?.If indeed the government did know that there was a plan to spy on Albertans with drones, we have to ask, just what they were thinking? Neither scenario paints a picture of a competent government maintaining control during a period of crisis..Last week, we saw a similar scenario where the government overreached, burned, and retreated from bureaucratic encroachment on citizens with the attempted shut-down of drive-in movie theatres. With mere hours of notice, AHS swooped in and shut down a planned drive-in theatres openings in southern Alberta, including a non-profit one in High River, and one on the Tsuutʼina Nation. Meanwhile, a drive-in movie event was held in Grande Prairie for the benefit of local nurses..The inconsistency and hypocrisy were galling, which prompted the Tsuutʼina Nation drive-in organizers to vow to hold their movie events in defiance of AHS orders. Caught flat-footed, looking the fools and likely in panic mode yet again, the government suddenly retreated and announced that the ban on drive-in movies would be lifted. Fencing in and locking rural cafes is infinitely easier than trying to shut down an operation on First Nations’ land, and the government was wise to extricate themselves from that situation. Again though, we saw a snapshot of a government in complete disarray..Who is really running the show in government? Is there no oversight on bureaucratic plans and measures? Did not one senior staffer or MLA raise their hands and point out that it may be a bad idea to spy on citizens with drones? Was there not a single senior health official able to point out that having people sit within their personal vehicles in order to watch a movie was not putting anybody at any more risk of COVID-19 infection than driving to work does?.I had the chance to interview MLAs Drew Barnes and Todd Loewen shortly after they had been ejected from the UCP caucus. One thing they both remarked upon was that the UCP caucus is often kept in the dark from government decisions. Information and authority are tightly controlled by the premier’s inner circle. So while there may indeed be many competent UCP MLAs who could lend some wisdom to the government’s actions, they never get the chance to do so. Perhaps if the premier opened up these things to caucus scrutiny, some of these fiascos could be avoided..Trust in the UCP government is at an all-time low, and it continues to sink further still. Albertans want to see confident, competent leadership as we navigate these challenging times. Inconsistent, unreasonable policies from the government erodes our trust. While it is good to see government correct itself when it errs, the flip-flops look terrible, and the errors are becoming all too common..From the attempted coal mining policy debacle, to the trailing snowbird MLA scandal, to the drone policy reversal, we are seeing a government that is constantly in retreat. While we still have nearly two years left until the next general election comes to Alberta, many are fearful that we will be facing another term of the Notley NDP as the UCP continues its plummet in the polls..The government is going to have to change course quickly and learn to be proactive, rather than reactive if it is to have any hope of regaining the confidence of Albertans. Many are starting to wonder if that pivot is possible without replacing Jason Kenney as the leader of the UCP. I am among them..Cory Morgan is the Alberta Political Columnist for the Western Standard and Host of the Cory Morgan Show
Within 24 hours of it becoming public that the Alberta government was planning to use drones to spy on people camping to ensure that they complied with pandemic restrictions, the government-backed down. People were immediately and understandably mortified at the thought that even when retreating to isolated regions to take a break from society (or lockdown in their homes), they would not be able to escape the watchful eye of the government. The plan sounded like something out of George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, where the state’s “Big Brother” was always watching..It is not surprising that there are many a senior bureaucrat who would think little of invading the privacy of private citizens to pursue their vision of the ‘greater good’. The the civil service is the natural habitat of authoritarians. What has to be asked though, is who the hell signed off on this short-lived plan? Is there any oversight in the ministries, or does the government simply give bureaucrats free rein to impose intrusive policies as they see fit?.It’s a positive that the government swiftly understood how odious this plan was once it was brought to their attention, but it raises some questions. Did the government really not know that this plan was in the works? If so, we have to ask, who really is running things up there in Edmonton?.If indeed the government did know that there was a plan to spy on Albertans with drones, we have to ask, just what they were thinking? Neither scenario paints a picture of a competent government maintaining control during a period of crisis..Last week, we saw a similar scenario where the government overreached, burned, and retreated from bureaucratic encroachment on citizens with the attempted shut-down of drive-in movie theatres. With mere hours of notice, AHS swooped in and shut down a planned drive-in theatres openings in southern Alberta, including a non-profit one in High River, and one on the Tsuutʼina Nation. Meanwhile, a drive-in movie event was held in Grande Prairie for the benefit of local nurses..The inconsistency and hypocrisy were galling, which prompted the Tsuutʼina Nation drive-in organizers to vow to hold their movie events in defiance of AHS orders. Caught flat-footed, looking the fools and likely in panic mode yet again, the government suddenly retreated and announced that the ban on drive-in movies would be lifted. Fencing in and locking rural cafes is infinitely easier than trying to shut down an operation on First Nations’ land, and the government was wise to extricate themselves from that situation. Again though, we saw a snapshot of a government in complete disarray..Who is really running the show in government? Is there no oversight on bureaucratic plans and measures? Did not one senior staffer or MLA raise their hands and point out that it may be a bad idea to spy on citizens with drones? Was there not a single senior health official able to point out that having people sit within their personal vehicles in order to watch a movie was not putting anybody at any more risk of COVID-19 infection than driving to work does?.I had the chance to interview MLAs Drew Barnes and Todd Loewen shortly after they had been ejected from the UCP caucus. One thing they both remarked upon was that the UCP caucus is often kept in the dark from government decisions. Information and authority are tightly controlled by the premier’s inner circle. So while there may indeed be many competent UCP MLAs who could lend some wisdom to the government’s actions, they never get the chance to do so. Perhaps if the premier opened up these things to caucus scrutiny, some of these fiascos could be avoided..Trust in the UCP government is at an all-time low, and it continues to sink further still. Albertans want to see confident, competent leadership as we navigate these challenging times. Inconsistent, unreasonable policies from the government erodes our trust. While it is good to see government correct itself when it errs, the flip-flops look terrible, and the errors are becoming all too common..From the attempted coal mining policy debacle, to the trailing snowbird MLA scandal, to the drone policy reversal, we are seeing a government that is constantly in retreat. While we still have nearly two years left until the next general election comes to Alberta, many are fearful that we will be facing another term of the Notley NDP as the UCP continues its plummet in the polls..The government is going to have to change course quickly and learn to be proactive, rather than reactive if it is to have any hope of regaining the confidence of Albertans. Many are starting to wonder if that pivot is possible without replacing Jason Kenney as the leader of the UCP. I am among them..Cory Morgan is the Alberta Political Columnist for the Western Standard and Host of the Cory Morgan Show
