Dave Yadallee's personal blog

February 26, 2008



Alberta Liberals to Restore Accountability to Legislature



Calgary - Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft spoke to more than 300

Calgarians from many walks of life at his leader's dinner this evening about

the opportunity for change on March 3rd.



As the lack of leadership and direction of the Tories becomes more apparent

each day, Taft said Albertans are recognizing that after 37 years of

one-party rule, it's time for a change.



"Albertans have an opportunity to make history in this election. People are

going to be hearing that it's all about risk. But it's really about

opportunity," Taft said.



"A change of government would bring some fresh perspectives on the problems

the Tories have shown they just aren't up to solving.



"The Alberta Liberals will work with Albertans to the fix the health care

labour shortage. We'll increase capacity in our post-secondary institutions.

We'll create a new fiscal and royalty regime that looks at the big picture,

including the environment, jobs and the economy."



But Taft said the most pressing need for change is to stop the Tories from

continuing to squander Alberta's vast potential.



"Since 1971, the Tories have plowed through nearly $200 billion in

non-renewable resource revenue. Almost all of it is gone. Alaska and Norway

have piled up their savings, but our Heritage Fund would barely finance this

government for six months."



The Alberta Liberals, with a real plan for the future, will save 30% of all

non-renewable resource revenue and position Alberta as a leader in Canada

and around the world.



"We will help make Alberta the new centre of the country for business and

the economy, for education, for arts and culture, for science and

innovation.



"We have a great team. We are ready to govern. It's time for a change to get

the job done right," Taft said.



Jack Kenny, an Alberta senior who attended the dinner, said Taft was right

on.



"Kevin Taft has shown himself to be the leader Alberta needs. As a senior, I

find the Alberta Liberals are the only party that seniors in this province

can trust," Kenny said.



Calgary-based lawyer Chima Nkemdirim agreed: "Kevin Taft is the one leader

who recognizes the unmatched potential of this province and has an action

plan for reaching that potential. I'm convinced that Kevin Taft and the

Alberta Liberals are ready to govern."



Carole Oliver, a former public school trustee and Alberta Liberal candidate

in Calgary Fort, also lauded Taft.



"As a former school trustee, I can tell you that Kevin Taft is the only

leader with a comprehensive plan for education that provides our children

with the resources they need to succeed in life," Oliver said.



The dinner, scheduled months ago, became an important election event when it

happened to fall within the campaign period.

February 26, 2008



You can't trust Ed Stelmach on auto insurance



PC government willing to go to great lengths to serve the needs of the

insurance industry in discriminating against victims



Edmonton - Today it was revealed that the PC government had a secret plan to

discriminate against accident victims all the way to the Supreme Court of

Canada.



And if the $4,000 soft-tissue injury cap was struck down there, the tired PC

government was just going to continue discriminating, according to court


e80a86a-a6b0-4fc3-b8dd-324556dfd8a6> documents reported in the Edmonton

Journal today.



"This government seems prepared to put themselves above the law and the

constitution," Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said. "It is actually

frightening to think that any government would ram through legislation

knowing that it is probably unconstitutional, and if the court finds it is,

they will simply find ways to work around people's Charter rights."



In 2006, Alberta's superintendent of insurance, Dennis Gartner, told the

Alberta Insurance Rate Board: "If the court, at whatever level, or even the

ultimate level, considers the [soft-tissue cap] to be unconstitutional, that

won't be the final answer."



Gartner said the government intended to readjust the cap after being struck

down in order to "protect the benefits," The Edmonton Journal reported.



Yesterday, the PC government made an application, side-by-side with the

Insurance Bureau of Canada, to reinstate the compensation cap to protect the

industry's massive profit margin. The Court of Queen's Bench ruled the cap

violated the constitutional rights of Albertans two weeks earlier.



"Is this what Ed Stelmach means when he says he represents 'change from

within?' They aren't even making a half-hearted attempt to protect the legal

rights of victims. They are moving aggressively to deny justice," said

Edmonton-Rutherford Alberta Liberal candidate Rick Miller, and shadow

minister of finance in the last Legislature. "This government was told

firmly by the courts that they had an obligation to treat all victims fairly

and uphold the public interest, and the first thing they do is go back into

court with the insurance industry by their side to try to reimpose the cap."



PC Leader Ed Stelmach warned the court decision would result in big

increases in premiums for Alberta drivers, after the insurance industry

initially made the threat.



The Alberta Liberals have an immediate action plan in place that would

reform the Automobile Insurance Rate Board to include more consumer

representatives, disallow politically connected appointees, and force it to

hold more public forums. Out of nine current board members, only one

represents consumers. The board's current chairman, Alf Savage, is a former

president of the Alberta PC Party.



The Alberta Liberals will force the insurance industry to freeze premiums

for a year while it sorts out the PC mess left by its illegal move to cap

soft-tissue injury claims.



It's time for a change to get the job done right.