Alberta Election Thread - Election Day April 16 2019

[monkeyman]

If someone is paying 35k in childcare, they don't need a subsidy.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Yup..it amazes me how people are so easily and readily bought off with their own money.

How does it amaze you?

People still tells tales of “the Ralph bucks!”

People are salivating over getting rid of the carbon tax.

There are two things that excite people about government money: when they take less of it, or give you more of it. Those feelings exceed any partisan limitations.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

How does it amaze you?

People still tells tales of “the Ralph bucks!”

People are salivating over getting rid of the carbon tax.

There are two things that excite people about government money: when they take less of it, or give you more of it. Those feelings exceed any partisan limitations.

Ralph Bucks were given out at a time with surplus budgets when they literally taxed us too much and it wasn't part of an election campaign.

Free money now when we're in debt (and deficit) makes zero sense.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Ralph Bucks were given out at a time with surplus budgets when they literally taxed us too much and it wasn't part of an election campaign.

Free money now when we're in debt (and deficit) makes zero sense.

So if they taxed too much when we had a surplus, that means they're not taxing enough when we have a deficit, right?

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

So if they taxed too much when we had a surplus, that means they're not taxing enough when we have a deficit, right?

Technically speaking for this arguments sake - sure.

[Hockeyguy15]

Any tax break would be your own money, it’s a silly point.

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Notley sounds like she doesn’t have a plan. Her platform compared to Kenney’s is sparse and safe. Don’t say too much or you’ll turn voters away. Agree with Kenney’s platform or not, at least he’s clear on his party’s objectives. The expierience shows.

Universal $25/daycare is safe??

I'd call it ambitious.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Notley sounds like she doesn’t have a plan. Her platform compared to Kenney’s is sparse and safe. Don’t say too much or you’ll turn voters away. Agree with Kenney’s platform or not, at least he’s clear on his party’s objectives. The expierience shows.

Whenever Notley does come out with a promise it all requires massive spending. Got anything else Rachel?

Her negative ad campaign is turning voters away.

She thinks she can buy Albertans votes.

[Ozy_Flame]

So Kenney announced today that if elected he would roll back the NDP's amended School Act and reinstate the old PC's Education Act of 2014. This basically rolls back protections for LGBTQ youth, particularly with regards to GSA's. There is literally no benefit to doing this outside of ideological purposes.

Greg Clark's response is on point for me:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1110383731343134720

I'm going to guess that Kenney has all but vaporized any support from the LGBTQ community by doing this. Perusing social media would seem to indicate that this is a fairly big deal for them and see this as a huge step back as well.

That said, I'm sure this will be overshadowed by pipelines and job talk. This might come back to bite him later though.

[GGG]

This proposal doesn’t appear to eliminate GSAs. It does role back the requirement to schools not to out children in GSAs in Bill 24

I think the return to 50% diploma exams which hurts Alberta’s students ability to get into universities outside Alberta and the return of phonics and old Math becuase they are “tried and true” is pretty ridiculous. Just add some Math homework to cover the wrote learning. The concepts they teach in new Math are great.

[OMG!WTF!]

Lost my vote for sure. I really hope he loses now.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Lost my vote for sure. I really hope he loses now.

I guess if this election is about pipelines and jobs and getting that economy back to what it was 15 years ago, it makes sense to pull the education curriculum back to that era too!

UCP would roll back school protections for LGBTQ students, add new provincial exams

A United Conservative Party government would proclaim a seven-year-old piece of education legislation, turfing some legal protections for Alberta LGBTQ students and school staff introduced by the NDP government.

UCP Leader Jason Kenney said Monday if elected to government, his party would replace Alberta’s School Act with the former Progressive Conservative government’s Education Act. It would eliminate changes the NDP introduced with Bill 24, which requires school principals to immediately grant student requests to form a gay-straight alliance and requires private schools to have publicly available policies to protect LGBTQ students.

“We want safe schools, we want peer support for kids who need it, and I think we can do it while respecting the basic religious freedom of faith-based independent schools,” Kenney said in Calgary Monday.

The move would return the law to how it read in 2015 after the former PC government passed its Bill 10. Those changes compelled all school principals — public and private — to establish a gay-straight alliance or similar extracurricular club when a student requested one, and said students could choose a respectful club name.

----

Why is this even a thing.

[Looch City]

Haha seriously, the anti-UCP negative campaign is writing itself.

[monkeyman]

Does anyone really believe the UCP is secretly working with teachers to out LGBTQ students? Or is it possible they feel the NDP legislation handcuffs teachers, social workers, nurses... and place them at risk of prosecution or job loss if they think it beneficial to have discussions with a concerned parent regarding their child?
To be clear, they have said they do not want notification of GSA involvement made mandatory.

I honestly feel bad for anyone who's LGBTQ. Life is hard enough without the government telling you there's a booggie man out there waiting to get you and expose you and you can't trust your teachers or your parents because they won't understand it'll put you in harms way if you do.

[Travis Munroe]

Agree or disagree, I am glad we are getting to see the UCP platform.
I am not sure we have seen anything from the NDP. Some discussion about "we are going to create jobs, increase teachers, increase doctors, increase spending" isn't really campaigning and I assumed we would see more in terms of concrete ideas to try and win over some voters.

Perhaps they are taking the less said is better approach while hoping the UCP can shoot itself in the foot a few more times.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

I honestly feel bad for anyone who's LGBTQ. Life is hard enough without the government telling you there's a booggie man out there waiting to get you and expose you and you can't trust your teachers or your parents because they won't understand it'll put you in harms way if you do.

Yeah, the understanding schools that want to restrict GSAs are totally looking out for the well being of the LBGTQ student under the oppressive fear mongering of the government listening to their concerns.

But this election isn’t about social issues...

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

The most common reason I see among friends and family to have a parent stay home is because it's cheaper than the alternative of child care.

Having subsidized child care which allows more people to go back to work creates all kinds of benefits, including higher household incomes and better mental health for parents who want to balance a career with home life.

That said, I know it's not a program for everyone and a balance needs to be found, which I believe the Alberta Party finds a good cross-section of (half a Billion less in their program than the NDP). They will also provide a caregiver tax credit and make it easier to create licensed child-care spaces.

Well it is a good thing we can get all of these stay at home moms or dads back into the workforce filling all of those vacant employment positions.

If it is more cost effective for a family to have a stay at home parent than daycare then perhaps it isn't the worst thing in this economy not to mention a good thing for their children.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Travis Munroe

Well it is a good thing we can get all of these stay at home moms or dads back into the workforce filling all of those vacant employment positions.

If it is more cost effective for a family to have a stay at home parent than daycare then perhaps it isn't the worst thing in this economy not to mention a good thing for their children.

Well with this logic we should have a daycare tax to discourage more parents from entering the workforce to reduce the labour pool.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

Does anyone really believe the UCP is secretly working with teachers to out LGBTQ students? Or is it possible they feel the NDP legislation handcuffs teachers, social workers, nurses... and place them at risk of prosecution or job loss if they think it beneficial to have discussions with a concerned parent regarding their child?
To be clear, they have said they do not want notification of GSA involvement made mandatory.

I honestly feel bad for anyone who's LGBTQ. Life is hard enough without the government telling you there's a booggie man out there waiting to get you and expose you and you can't trust your teachers or your parents because they won't understand it'll put you in harms way if you do.

Yes. The government invented the boogieman. We’re all so stupid.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by Travis Munroe

Well it is a good thing we can get all of these stay at home moms or dads back into the workforce filling all of those vacant employment positions.

If it is more cost effective for a family to have a stay at home parent than daycare then perhaps it isn't the worst thing in this economy not to mention a good thing for their children.

Speaking as someone with a single income with kids and a wife that has been stuck at home with the kids for 6 years I would have a much different opinion on this matter, especially the bolded.

I respect your opinion but I think it's short sighted.