O O Ø O O O O

Dear Ralph

Hon. Ralph Klein
Premier of Alberta

307, 10800 – 97 Ave
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B7

Dear Ralph;

First, I hope you don't mind the informal tone of this letter. As a long-time Calgarian, you've always been just Ralph to me. This is good, because I tend to get muddled up with all the Right Honorables traditionally associated with our government leaders. I find this informal relationship refreshing, and, I sincerely hope you will continue to be just Ralph for as long as you stay in politics.

First, Ralph, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kjell Wooding, and I have lived in Alberta for most of my life. Oh sure, I left for a bit to earn an Engineering degree, but you can hardly blame me for that. British Columbia's beaches are much nicer than the shores of the Glenmore reservoir.

I came back shortly thereafter, however. In fact, I was lured back by something you frequently term the Alberta Advantage. Until recently, I was a contributing member of our business community (read: entrepreneur). I have just recently put that on hold for a bit for something that pays only slightly less well, a Master's Degree in cryptography.

Until recently, Ralph, I had near-unwavering faith in the doctrine of the Alberta Advantage. Recent events, such as the recent Bill 12, however, have led me to question that faith.

In fact, recent events have me quite worried about our fine province, and the government that leads it.

Please allow me to elaborate. And if I seem to take a while to get to my points, please bear with me. I've spent the last two days reading Government of Alberta Hansard, and some of it may have rubbed off.

The Alberta Advantage

I spent six years living in British Columbia, Ralph. It's a nice looking place, but what eventually drove me out of there was the government. In British Columbia, the government intrudes on almost every aspect of your life. They interfere. They meddle. They tax, and they get involved where they shouldn't.

This is one of the areas where Alberta shines. Despite having a long history of overwhelming majorities, our government generally tries to stay out of the lives of its citizens. Our government is fair. It does not abuse its majority. It is small. It does not waste our money. Our government listens to its citizens. When it makes a mistake, and the citizenry speaks, the mistake gets corrected. Most importantly, our government is unobtrusive. It doesn't get involved where it doesn't need to. Business is for business. Personal lives are for people.

Albertans love this philosophy. Alberta businesses love this philosophy. It makes us all want to be here.

But last week's passage of Bill 12 made me feel like I was back in Victoria; and not because the beaches suddenly got prettier.

On Debate

Ralph, before I even read the legislation, I had a bad feeling about Bill 12. Any legislation that is rushed through the legislature makes me feel nervous.

But legislation put through so quickly, there was not even enough time for the bill to be properly printed and distributed to the members? They were working from photocopies, Ralph. That's awfully fast.

The fact that your government has an overwhelming majority should not preclude debate on an issue. And debate is not just something that occurs between political Parties. An important component of debate is the opinion of the citizenry. Members of the Legislature must listen to their constituents, and present these concerns at the appropriate time.

With Bill 12, there was no appropriate time. There was no opportunity to hear from the constituents at all, in fact. The bill was Law before most of us even knew it had been introduced. Now, I may not read the Hansard every day, Ralph, but I do follow issues that concern me, and this one concerns be greatly. This bill was rammed through the Legislature. No discussion. The government has decided.

The rushed passage of the bill was bad enough. Unfortunately, it gets worse from there.

On Fairness

On February 22, the Alberta government declared a state of emergency, and ordered the teachers back to work.

Ralph, I don't think I'm alone when I say this was ludicrous. 2001 taught us all what a state of emergency is really all about, and this was not it. Honestly, the Calgary Public Board was into its third day of strike when this declaration was made. Three days is not an emergency. It is a long weekend.

Thankfully, the courts agreed with this assessment. The order was overturned, and for a brief moment, it looked like fairness would prevail.

Unfortunately, it did not. Your government pressed the issue, and used its overwhelming majority to force through new legislation. Legislation that, for instance:

• Removes a teacher's right to strike.
• Removes the ability of the teachers to collectively bargain.
• Forces the teachers into a binding arbitration with most of their issues taken off the table.

These are serious matters. Today, as I write this letter, the Calgary Police Service begins its work to rule campaign. Will the province enter into that labour dispute as well?

Ralph, Are the teachers being unfairly singled out?

On Compromise

With the passage of Bill 12, your government has waded into the midst of a labour dispute, picked a side, and legislated their newfound opponents into submission.

First, why has the government chosen a side in this issue? By removing most of the key issues from the arbitration table, and limiting the decisions to what the boards can pay “without incurring a deficit,” it is clear that an arbitrated settlement cannot begin to satisfy the teachers' concerns.

Ralph, I don't understand how your government can, in all fairness, impose an arbitration settlement that so narrowly defines the terms of arbitration, that the conclusion is nearly foregone?

An arbitrator's role is to referee a disagreement between two parties. To decide on a reasonable compromise.

It is simply not possible to reach a reasonable compromise with most of the issues swept off the table. Why bother with arbitration at all if the only issue remaining on the table (salary) is limited by one side's ability to pay?

How can a compromise occur when one party has nothing to lose?

Bully in the Schoolyard

Ralph, I'm deeply worried about your government's handling of the teachers' issue. I am greatly disturbed about Bill 12. I am worried that you have used your majority to pass legislation without reasonable debate. I am worried that your government has set a precedent of choosing sides in a labour dispute. I am concerned you have taken away someone's right to strike seemingly without justification.

And Ralph, I'm worried that education in our province is going to suffer as a result. We are going to lose teachers. Some will leave the profession. Some promising candidates will never enter it. The teachers that are left will be angry. Their hearts will not be in their work. Their teaching will suffer.

And at the end of the day, that's no good for anybody.

Ralph, I urge you to reexamine your government's actions regarding Bill 12. The Alberta Advantage is not about governments that pick sides. It's not about using an overwhelming majority to force legislation. It is about fairness. It is about impartiality. It is about listening to, and representing its citizenry, regardless of their occupation.

Because, without our Advantage, we're no better than British Columbia.

And they have better beaches.

Sincerely,

Kjell Wooding

Tuesday, March 19, 2002
PD DXXXIX

cc: Hon. Ron Stevens, pintday.org

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