The Smith government has gone rogue. They’re implementing an agenda that Albertans didn’t vote for... and which the majority of us don’t support. It’s time to fight back!
Not what Albertans voted for
Consider the long list of things the Smith government is planning to impose on Albertans in the coming year without our consent:
- Two-tier health care, compounded by chronic under-funding and under-staffing of the public system
- Increased public funding for private schools while public schools suffer with the lowest funding in Canada
- Pulling Alberta out of CPP and the RCMP, against the wishes of Albertans
- New coal mines at the headwaters of rivers that supply water to half of our province
- Increased use of the Notwithstanding Clause to deny Albertans access to the courts to protect their constitutional rights
- Deeper economic and political integration with Donald Trump’s America
All while blocking investigations into their scandals and paving the way for a separatist referendum that is clearly aimed at turning Alberta into the 51st State.
Yes, the UCP won a narrow majority in the last election. But they did NOT win a mandate for any of this. In fact, they explicitly told voters they would NOT do most of these things.
Ignoring what really matters
Not only is the Smith government doing many dangerous and disturbing things that Albertans never asked for, they’re also failing to do anything about the things that Albertans are really worried about, like:
- Out-of-control grocery prices
- The highest auto insurance premiums in the country
- Record-high utility rates
- Wage growth that falls far behind the rising cost-of-living
- Huge monopolistic companies that use their market power to gouge customers and crush workers
- Growing anxiety about the impact of AI on jobs
We need a government that’s willing to stand up for its citizens instead of ignoring things which are battering Alberta’s working and middle classes.
Take action
In order to ram through their radical agenda, the Smith government is dismantling the guardrails of our democracy. Like Trump, they ignore and mock Opposition politicians. They sideline the courts. And they demonize and ignore the media.
That leaves ordinary citizens as the last line of defense. As the saying goes: “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” No one else is coming to the rescue. It’s up to us.
With that in mind, we’re going to start organizing escalating protests leading to a provincewide Day of Action in the Spring.
The goal is to make it as difficult as possible for the Smith government to implement its radical agenda – and to make it crystal clear that the Trump cheerleaders and separatists in the government’s orbit do NOT speak for the majority of Albertans.
Be heard
It’s time for Alberta’s civil society to stand up and be heard. We need our government, our politicians and our business community to focus on the things that really matter to ordinary citizens – things like affordability, health care and the economy – not made-up controversies designed to divide and distract us.
Join us if you agree with the following statements:
“Danielle Smith’s UCP government does not have the consent of Albertans to proceed with her increasingly radical and undemocratic agenda. I join my fellow Albertans in demanding accountability.”
“Big corporations need to be put on notice. Stop suppressing wages and price gouging consumers! Enough is enough!”
Once you sign on to the “Fight Back Now” list, we’ll keep in contact with you about peaceful protest actions in your community and how you can personally be part of the movement to stop the Smith government’s MAGA North agenda.
Who’s behind this campaign
This campaign is a project of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), Alberta’s largest worker advocacy organization, representing unionized Albertans working in every sector and every community in our province.
We decided to organize this campaign because it is our view that the current government is taking all of us down a very dangerous path.
We don’t pretend to speak for all Albertans on all issues – but we’re convinced that the vast majority of Albertans agree that the UCP is exceeding the mandate they were given in the last election.
As members of Alberta civil society, we are simply creating a platform for our fellow Albertans to say publicly what many are saying privately: “This is not what we voted for. It’s time for us to put citizens back in charge.”