Reboot Alberta

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Stelmach's Caucus Passes Province Wide Smoking Ban!

The Alberta Progressive Conservative Caucus under Premier Stelmach has approved a province wide smoking ban in public and workplaces today. Indications are the new legislation for this ban is ready to go through the final procedural steps and could be tabled for First Reading by Dave Hancock Alberta Minister of Health and Wellness next week.

Premier Stelmach has been waiting for the "will of his Caucus" and now he has it. Now the Premier has to get firmly behind this initiative and help fast track this legislation. Let's get it passed into law this session. There is no good reason for more delays or dithering with the legislation until the fall session. It won't be easy pass this into law this session given how close we are to the end - but it is not impossible.

This idea for legislated province wide smoking ban is an initiative that has 84% public support. It can be law this session if the government has the will to keep the momentum going and if the opposition parties co-operate with some flexibility on scheduling issues.

Premier Stelmach has declared quality of life to be one of his fundamental governance principles. The government news release ties this policy decision to that principle. There is no reason to delay or defer this decision Mr. Premier.

Get ‘er done! And get 'er done NOW!

13 comments:

  1. Bravo!

    A wise decision, and long overdue. Let's hope the politicos in Edmonton have the gumption to push ahead with this decision, and enshrine it in legislation sooner rather than later.

    - ES

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  2. Anonymous4:03 pm

    Obviously Hancock will want to get this in sooner rather than later, as this has been his baby from the start. But it is going to be tight to get it in, if they intend to end session in mid-June.

    Hopefully it will not get bogged down in technicalities, but there are some. For example, when is a vehicle private and when is it public? If you drive yourself to work, it is private. If you pick up someone, does it remain so? Nitpicking I know, but that is what lawyers do (no offence intended Ken :-). And some "Libertarians-by-opportunity" may put up a challenge.

    But not to detract from what was a good day for policy-making. Majority of public supported, caucus was allowed to debate, and they made a decision accordingly. A good day.

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  3. Congratulations.

    This is an important development for the province.

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  4. Anonymous9:45 pm

    Thanks for the good wishes. Lots have been coming in all afternoon.

    This is how a real democracy can and shold be...open discussions, honest differences of opinion and exploring alternatives. In the end a decisions get made and we get to judge the outocomes, the process and the players as a right of our citizenship.

    Kudos to Dave Hancock for his effective stewardship of this policy process. It now need a final push to get it done and pssed Third Reading this session. Hard but not impossible.

    The Proclamation to make it enforceable law could be delayed so businesses and others can have some reaonable adjusment time.

    But the law needs to be passed NOW.

    We could do this kind of open public policy process from now on in Alberta. Imagine politicians, and not necessarily just Cabinet Ministers, taking on serious publc policy issues and championing them aggressively and encouraging the public to engage in a real debate.

    How about sing this aproach on some other policy issues like mental health, affordable housing, disability services, land use policy, young offenders, labour policy, the environment and water to name a few.

    Why can't we use this real democratice approach to policy and decision making for just about anything else we want to put our minds to as a society.

    I am really pleased with the results so far and I am very proud to have been asked by the Campaign for a Smoke Free Alberta to help them get this policy through this time.

    This coalition and its leadership are the real secret weapon in this successful effort.

    Don't wait for the fall Ed and Dave. Get 'er done now!!!

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  5. Anonymous10:54 pm

    The debate took place behind the closed doors of caucus. Causcus held a secret ballot. (Bizarre!)The Legislature is yet to debate it.

    I like the legislation but this is not how democracy should be. It was neither open nor much of a public debate. Only an entrenched Tory thinks that way.

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  6. Anonymous11:55 pm

    Anon @ 10:54
    The policy debate was very open - including most caucus members telling the media where they stood on the issue and why...and over an extended period of time so citizens could get a grasp of where their representatives were coming from and why on the issues.

    Caucus is always private because it is al about party strategy and about policy only. It does not make law.

    You will see the legislature debate happen next weeek once they have a Bill proposing a law in front of them to debate. That is where the Legislature comes into play...and the opposition gets a crack at this as a government Bill before it has a vote to test if it has sufficient support to pass into law.

    The vote on the Bill will give you a sense of if government members vote against it. Cabinet members better not to that because it will be a government Bill...

    I see no reason why government backbenchers could not vote against the Bill if they wanted to.

    Anon - you need to study a bit more about the party system of our government and how it has usually works in practice...not just the theory.

    You would then see how open the disussion was between MLAs and whow much more informed citizens were on what government MLAs were thinking.

    They were saying where they were on the issues and where their support was gong to be and the range of the differences of opinon were all pretty much known going into Caucus.

    Secret discussions and votes in a Caucus is not bizarre at all. That is a good thing.

    We can see the consequences of the caucus discussion as a Bill emerges or not on a point of policy.

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  7. Anonymous11:06 am

    I wouldn't suggest that your enthusiasm for this paid activism is lead to your tunnel vision.

    Although I do find it funny that" Government approves province-wide smoking ban in public places" according to the headline, in the own gov't department, Yet if we read the first line of the press release it says"Proposed legislation will ban smoking in all public places in Alberta, as well as prohibit tobacco product displays in retail outlets and tobacco sales in pharmacies."

    Now we all know that not all the suggested legislation has passed yet. Why is the government department and activists saying that its a done deal?

    OH I get it make the politicians believe that there's no reason to protest the jig is up, and gee golly resistance is futile Captain Kirk. Although I always thought that Gov't departments had to actually say facts, and not just their hopes on what the activists and political pressurized groups want them to say.

    Funny that is... Now let me guess how many activists/lobbyists have been calling politicians to "ensure their continued support and find in the media they no longer support tobacco interests". Which is what usually happens when you let the peoples feet (support businesses) do the talking instead of legislation all the stupid people of the world (those that can't read smoking allowed signs).

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  8. Anonymous12:56 pm

    May be just me, but I have no idea what that last guy just said.

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  9. Anonymous2:10 pm

    Regardless of what you think of smoking, why don't you rabid non-smokers think this one through.

    A ban on public smoking is not just a ban on smoking. It is about control. It's about the limitation of pleasure, which is a strong feature of the current trend toward global totalitarianism. Fascism demands unity, conformity and purity. These are the cornerstones of this aberrant ideology. Bans on the wearing of fragrance, already enforced in some workplaces are on the rise. What's next? Will we no longer be permitted to enjoy a drink in public. Will we be limited in our consumption (as they were in the old Soviet Union). Will be told that public kissing is offensive? What about farting?

    You're aiding and abetting and it won't be forgotten. This is formal collaboration in the fascist of the private individual. Before you all start stomping your Mary Janes about second hand smoke, why don't you make yourselves useful and think about the carbon emissions your big Albertan trucks spew into MY AIR.

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  10. Anonymous10:22 pm

    "I see no reason why government backbenchers could not vote against the Bill if they wanted to."

    I think you don't get Parliamentary practice if you think this is correct.


    We live in a one party state. Cuba, North Korea and Alberta all decide policy behind closed doors and announce to its citizens what its new laws will be.

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  11. Anonymous9:38 am

    Anon @ 10:22 pm...of course a Backbencher should be able to vote against any Bill they choose...even if they are on the govermment side and it is a government Bill.

    They represent constituencies and their own conscience before they represent any particular government "position" as far as I am concerned.

    Political Parties debate their official positions on issues behind closed doors and I understand the debates are often "heated but healthy." The majority position is then made public if they party wishes to proceed.

    All political parties generally use the same process as far as I can see but a policy position or proposal emerging from a Caucus is far from becoming law.

    Laws are made in the legislature in open public debates. Partisan policy positions are forged in private and then made public. I can't see anything really wrong with that if we want to maintain a party based system of government.

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  12. Anonymous7:46 pm

    There is no way this bill will pass this session, Hancock already said he doesn't see any reason to push it through. They want to wait until after the election to hit rural Alberta where it hurts.

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  13. Anonymous7:58 am

    What election? They aren't going to call one for the fall. If not passed in next two weeks, smoking legislation will pass in the fall session. General election is likely not until spring 2008.

    As for "hitting rural Alberta where it hurts"? Hardly. I grew up rural. Having to go outside the coffee shop for a smoke - horrors!

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