Gov’t needs to return to the legislature to support Albertans

By Lethbridge Herald on August 27, 2022.

AT THE LEGISLATURE
Shannon Phillips – NDP MLA for Lethbridge West

A subtle shift in the air tells us that autumn is approaching. Days are growing shorter, nights are cooling, and the dwindling number of squares on this month’s calendar alerts us that the end of summer is nigh. For many Albertans, this spells back-to-school. But it also spells uncertainty: financial, food, housing, employment. The list goes on. Far too many Albertans are facing insecurity of all kinds. All of this was avoidable, but the UCP have put the wants of private companies ahead of the needs of honest and hard-working citizens.

While back-to-school traditionally meant freshly sharpened pencils and new school clothes, it has lately meant significant hikes in school fees and tuition costs, with many parents and post-secondary students left wondering whether they can afford these education costs at all. With the UCP in government, school fees and school-property fees are being driven up, though in 2021, the UCP chose to underspend $600 million from their education budget. With 1,000 fewer teachers in Alberta’s classrooms than when Rachel Notley was premier, current teachers are being forced to teach in over-crowded classrooms with less educational resources and no support from the UCP, who are attempting to force a discredited and backwards curriculum on K-12 students. Our kids are learning less and suffering more under a government that would rather push outdated views on them rather than prepare them for success. 

It doesn’t get much better for post-secondary students. Canadian undergraduates at Alberta’s universities have seen an average increase of seven percent — or $456 — in tuition fees between 2021 and 2022, driving many students deeper into debt. Though student debt is nothing new, as many students require loans to pay for tuition, books, and rent, the UCP have increased the prime rate interest rate plus one percent on student debt, meaning that by 2025, students all across Alberta will owe a whopping $5.3 billion. 

This doesn’t just affect students fresh out of high school looking to train for future careers or mature learners looking to upgrade their skills or change careers. It impacts families trying to improve their situations, it reduces innovation in communities, and it harms local economies. But rather than helping post-secondary students complete their educations, the UCP are profiting off student debt as they force students and families into financial instability. 

What makes this more concerning is that it’s happening during a time of unprecedented food insecurity. According to a recent study released from the University of Toronto, over 20 percent of Albertans are struggling to put food on their tables, the highest percentage all the provinces in Canada. That’s 853,000 Albertans going hungry. This same study goes on to report that 6.3 percent of Albertans are facing severe food insecurity, which is defined as going without food for numerous periods of time over the span of one year due to financial constraints. 

The report notes that those most susceptible to severe food insecurity are single mothers, Indigenous peoples, and renters, many of whom have limited resources to afford food for themselves or their families on a consistent basis. In one of the country’s wealthiest provinces, this should not be happening, but that it is happening is beyond alarming: it is unacceptable. Yet the UCP have made evident their lack of concern.

 Jason Luan, UCP Minister of Community and Social Services, thinks that a $6 million boost in funding to food banks and community organizations is enough to resolve the issue of poverty gripping the province. But 107 food banks across the province are reporting worrying upticks in service usage, and while food banks and added funding are certainly vital during this time of food insecurity, much more is needed to support Albertans on the verge of financial insolvency. 

The NDP are calling on the government to return to the Legislature immediately to increase support to low-income citizens across the province and make life more affordable for all Albertans. In the wealthiest province in the country, no one should be going hungry or deciding between keeping the lights on or gas in their tanks. But we have seen at every turn the UCP gouging Albertans, raising everything from utility bills to insurance premiums, from income taxes to tuition and school fees, pushing folks into precarious financial situations, while at the same time giving their friends at private companies tax breaks and handouts. The UCP’s barefaced attacks on Albertans are putting families and students into poverty. They can’t be trusted with anything from education to food security. 

If you want to contribute to this conversation, please contact my office by calling 403-329-4644 or by emailing us at lethbridge.west@assembly.ab.ca. We would love to hear what you have to say on these issues.