Eleven new bills are on the table to be debated in Alberta's fall legislative session.
Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson says it's a very aggressive schedule.
"The premier is up for it and wants to see some of these going through," said Johnson. "The Protection of Privacy Act is going to be the most aggressive in all of Canada, giving us the highest FOIP and privacy laws in the entire nation and that's exciting. One of them has not been updated since even before the Internet. This is really important and delivering some really good protections that Canadians need. "
Another bill that was highlighted by Johnson was the All-Seasons Resorts Act.
"We wanted to get our share of the tourism industry. We have everything we need in Alberta to accommodate that and they're expanding upon that so that we can get more resorts, like the Kicking Horse in B.C., which is bringing in billions. Let's get a little bit of that in Alberta. We've got so much to offer and we have one of the most beautiful places in the entire world."
Johnson says the Meat Inspection Act may seem like a minor bill, but it is surprisingly very necessary.
"There is a bit of an underground meat market in Alberta, that very few people know about, that is bringing in multiple millions. It's a really important one. We need to protect the quality of our meat. We all know that Alberta beef is the best around and we've got to protect that and protect people's health and the quality of our food in Alberta."
Alberta’s government is introducing amendments to the Bill of Rights that would add new rights for Albertans such as protections for personal autonomy, including the right not to be given medical care or treatment or a vaccine without consent; the right to acquire, keep and use firearms in accordance with the law – affirming government’s intent that provincial laws should not interfere with the right to own legally acquired firearms; and strengthened property rights.
"It's been a little bit contentious with some," noted Johnson. "There's some that want more rights put in there and there's some that are saying it should be slightly different. I think what Alberta is wanting to do again is to just update this. Make sure that our rights as landowners are protected and as firearm owners are protected and that's a really important part of the culture in Alberta with hunting and with feeding families."
Another bill that's been in the news lately is Bill 29, the proposed Fairness and Safety in Sport Act which the Alberta government says would establish a balanced approach to protect the integrity of female athletic competitions by ensuring women and girls have the opportunity to compete in biological female-only divisions, while also ensuring transgender athletes are able to meaningfully participate in the sports of their choice.
If passed, Bill 29, Fairness and Safety in Sport Act will require organizations subject to the Act to create athlete eligibility policies.
"We've seen this worldwide and we're watching some of those countries, specifically in Europe," said Johnson. "Of course, it's been happening abundantly in the U.S. and even here in Canada, in our own backyard...We know that 900 medals alone have been lost to women because of this issue. It's happened in over 29 different sports now. We want to make sure that these rights that have been fought for, for so many centuries for women are protected and that women have that safe place and that fair place so that their scholarships are protected, that their opportunities are protected and that there's space for everybody. It's also going to include a spot for those transgender people that are pursuing sports and we want to protect that for every single individual. It is protecting women but it's protecting everyone including our transgender friends."
The fall session is scheduled to wrap up by Dec. 5, 2024.
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