Fascinating stuff from the Edmonton Journal:

 

 

“Premier Jason Kenney did not condemn weekend anti-mask rallies on Monday, saying the right to protest is constitutionally protected.

Saturday anti-mask protests in both Edmonton and Calgary drew crowds of hundreds after new provincial rules were introduced last week that ban private indoor social gatherings and limit “private social” outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In question period Monday, Kenney highlighted the legal right to demonstrate.

“We ask Albertans to be responsible in their actions … obviously when it comes to the constitutionally protected right to protest,” said Kenney.”

 

Let’s take a peek at where “ask[ing] Albertans to be responsible in their actions” has gotten us:

Personal responsibility (en masse) isn’t fucking working Mr.Premier.

 

Mr. Kenney did you perhaps wish to stop pouring gasoline on this particular fire?

 

“NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Kenney needs to call out the “irresponsible” behaviour of demonstrators.

“To those people who purposely and knowingly put themselves, their families, their communities at risk, this week you owe an apology for your extreme selfishness to every bleary-eyed exhausted nurse, doctor, and health-care worker in this province who is fighting day and night to fight this pandemic,” she told reporters before question period.

Instead of condemning those who attended, Kenney asked Albertans to be responsible.

“We would ask people not to engage in large-scale protests, and if they do so, please wear masks,” said Kenney, adding enforcement of any measures under the order Hinshaw signed is up to police, not the government.”

I am glad one of our political leaders understands the nature of public health and the ramifications of tacitly condoning behaviour that spreads the virus.  The NDP government of Alberta was far from perfect, but they at least understood that people are the basis of our society and public orders to protect their health are necessary actions during times of crisis.

 

“Kenney has resisted calls to issue a province-wide masking mandate, last Wednesday saying in a Facebook live event that a province-wide mask mandate could be counterproductive.

Kenney cited a rural MLA who told him more people are wearing masks in the local grocery store, but that “a lot of these folks who are doing that now, they’d take it off the moment the government tells them to wear it.”

Yes, because catering to the ‘muh-freedoms’ crowd during a pandemic is going so amazingly well.  I’m not going to let this one go folks – Jason Kenney is catering to his base over the well being of Albertans during a pandemic that is spiralling out of control.  When will we act?  When the hospitals are all bottled-necked?  When the field hospitals are full? When there are dead in the streets?

 

This UCP government is acting irresponsibly and sentencing Albertans to death by COVID-19.  There is no place from them in office, I hope the people of Alberta (especially the rural areas that keep voting conservative) see this.