Alberta
Notwithstanding that the Premier is trampling on trans kids
Danielle Smith, the same person who claimed Albertans deserve “to be free,” and recently amended the “Alberta Bill of Rights” to “ensure our province remains one of the freest societies,” also wants to make sure not everyone can access that freest-ness.
Of her three bills designed to punish trans kids — one to forbid 12 year old trans girls from playing on female teams, one to deny any transgender kid from accessing safe (and reversible if they so desired) puberty blockers and surgery (bottom, which is not performed on those under the age of 18 in Canada, per experts in medicine and mental health, not politicians, and top, which is very difficult even for a heavy-breasted young person to even get a health-related reduction while under the age of 18) as well as mandatory parental permission and notification if a student wishes to use different pronouns or go by a different name while under the age of 16 — an Alberta court did issue an injunction over access to puberty blockers, and other groups are still preparing challenges.
The Premier bows to parental rights and puts the government squarely in front of them, all in the same breath.
During her candidacy for UCP leader, Danielle Smith claimed that she had a transgender person in her family and because of that she believed their freedom to be who they were wasn’t something to be debated in public but a conversation to be had between transgender kids and their families in private.
That the Premier is now defending her government’s willingness to use the notwithstanding clause to ensure these students (and all of those now impacted by the same) face more difficulties in their teen years is unconscionable. Her decision to carry it out further underscores the point that no freedom is inalienable, no rights are “God-given” but are a creature of government alone; a privilege afforded only to those Danielle Smith’s government favours.
While I look at these laws from the perspective of a kid who is subjected to them, I’m also one of those people who the government withheld rights and freedoms from until very recently in human history: I’m a woman. If “protected classes” can be ignored on the government’s whim, then no protection actually exists; not for women, language, or religion.
The government just needs us to agree that one group doesn’t deserve it and we’ve weakened them all.
Are you prepared for a possible teacher’s strike?
The deadline is October 6 and the Premier is pointing fingers. Teachers took a zero per cent increase while the NDP was in power because we were in a recession caused by low oil prices. Teachers took a zero per cent increase during Kenney’s brief term because there was a pandemic, through which they also lost teacher’s aides. Now they’re being asked to accept a low ball offer because we’re heading for another recession precipitated by the idiot-in-chief, and the only thing the Premier seems committed to funding is inflated health contracts for her cronies.
Speaking of which…
When is a conflict of interest not a conflict of interest? When you take a short leave from AHS procurement to represent a company negotiating with AHS for a contract, then go back to AHS, and somehow become the best choice available to advise Alberta Health on those same contracts, apparently/allegedly/have not been tested in court/acknowledged by Danielle Smith’s government etc., etc..
Danielle Smith the opposition leader would be jumping up and down with joy over this. Danielle Smith the Premier claimed she didn’t know anything about it. She saw nothing; heard nothing. Meanwhile, her Cabinet Ministers were taking stock of their portfolios to ensure their departments weren’t compromised. And no one said anything to the Premier about it.
I kid, of course. Throughout the Globe and Mail’s reporting on Premier Danielle Smith and then-Health Minister Adriana LaGrange’s attempted cover up of alleged fraud in AHS procurement that somehow benefitted a dude who secured more than half a billion public dollars in contracts to act as the middle man for AHS’s middle man, the Premier has consistently walked back her supposed lack of knowledge. She went from “found out when the public did” to admitting she was aware of it for at least six months. But not like, totally aware, just sort of kind of might have heard something that she wasn’t too fussed about.
She was far more convincing when she played an opposition leader who cared about government corruption and fiscal stewardship. Truly an oversight of epic proportions that she was snubbed by the academy.
Speaking of awards…
A wild story hit the news cycle in B.C. last week. International students taking a Digital Media Marketing course at Pacific Link College, a private college in B.C., were told to participate on a Conservative Party of Canada candidate’s campaign over a period of six days, which they spent door-knocking and readying mail-outs. According to the CBC, students who questioned how that specific work was related to the course were told “ the volunteer activity is a mandatory component of the course because it offers hands-on experience relevant to your learning objectives.”
Students were also told by another school official that helping get someone elected may improve their chances of earning permanent residency.
This deserves some sort of prize for stupidity.
As someone who’s worked on campaigns, I can tell you that there’s a digital marketing component. I also know that it’s one of the cushier jobs. So, whoever had the brilliant idea to tap their contacts at the school and get these students into the campaign office could have gotten away with it if they’d just assigned the students to digital marketing.
Unfortunately, the incident raises uncomfortable questions around exploitation, political influence, private education institutions, and even foreign interference.
CPC MP Tamara Jansen, who won the seat, claims she had no knowledge of the students’ forced participation, but I can guarantee that people on her campaign team absolutely did. I didn’t start out knowing a bunch of people in political circles; if you show up out of nowhere, they ask questions.
Not deep questions, at first, just a simple “how did you hear about us?”
Because as nice as everyone on a campaign is, they’re also suspicious of people they don’t know. You could be working for the other team; sending information back to them about strategy or trying to steal volunteers. You could be a saboteur.
Ms. Jansen’s campaign knew, and if no one told the candidate, they knew not to.
While I can’t speak to the legality of the school’s decision, I can say that I expect more than a few people at the school to lose their jobs.
Pacific Link College claims to be a real academic institution aiming “to be recognized for our commitment to excellence, academic integrity, and social responsibility.” That’s not a place that one would expect to farm their students out to conservative political campaigns.
It’s not like PLC just got provincial accreditation two years ago to offer diplomas for future political staffers based on a program designed by a former Danielle Smith staffer who was also interim president of the UCP. Obviously, this is a program that will assign students to participate in conservative campaigns for course credit — but they’re not trying to pretend otherwise.
You will begin by learning the foundations of political theory in Canadian and Albertan governments, exploring their roles, responsibilities and how Canada shines on the global stage. From there, you will develop real-world skills in office management, communication, advocacy and engagement strategies that employers in politics and public affairs are looking for. Think elections, public relations, and the secrets of good governance. It’s all part of the curriculum designed to prepare you for a future in the dynamic world of politics and public affairs.
Weaved throughout the program are three practicum opportunities that will take you out of the classroom and into the real world. Get practical experience with placements in governments, alongside local elected officials, within community organizations, private businesses and agencies, where you will gain real experience while meeting key industry connections, helping you launch your career more quickly. (emphasis mine)
Makami College website, accessed September 24, 2025
It’s a distinction with a difference.
There’s nothing wrong with creating an access point for, say a youth wing of a political party to be filtered into a party-linked program where they can be trained to have skills you want them to learn, open your government-funded offices to let them intern, and be able to offer them $50,000 to $70,000 as a starting taxpayer-funded salary; but that’s not how Pacific Link College currently markets itself.
Conservatives have many pipelines. There was the Manning Centre to develop and train staffers, the Fraser Institute for policy fellowships, Canadian Taxpayer Federation, Federation of Independent Businesses… just to name a few. The difference is that everyone who sought to get involved with them knew what they were: conservative policy advocates.
What happened with the students at Pacific Link was exploitative and an abuse of the school’s authority; heads need to roll for their sake, and the reputation of the school.
Final thoughts
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'Weaved' through the program? Hopefully, Makami College will be offering grammar lessons as well. Okay, okay, the medium is not always the message (I stand chastised by the New Yorker)!
I did happen to attend student walkout in Edmonton on Monday, worried it would fall flat. I needn't have fretted. The students were organized, respectful, articulate and passionate, furious about the dismantling of public education and having human rights ripped away. I have confidence in the future of progressive politics (although perhaps not in Alberta, where wages are stagnant and youth unemployment is high.)
As a young person, I walked to the same spot in front of the Alberta Legislature, at roughly the same time of year and for the same reasons 32 years ago. It felt of great importance to do so at the time and still does. Glad to see a new generation of s**t-disturbers.
I've tried to take in "The Discourse" but I just can't get past Barootes hyper partisan takes.