By Curtis Galbraith

Alberta Politics

Spring session of the Alberta legislature wraps up

May 27, 2022 | 6:00 AM

The spring session of the Alberta legislature has wrapped up.

The government highlighted a rebate on electricity bills, eliminating the 13-cent-a-litre gas tax, and the first balanced budget in over 10 years as some accomplishments during the session.

Government House Leader Jason Nixon says the sitting did not end early because of the ongoing UCP party leadership discussions.

“This definitely is not a caretaking government. The premier has been clear that his government, Alberta’s government, will focus over the coming months on completing the mandate we were given by Albertans and the remaining platform commitments that we committed to Albertans to completing.”

“As for leaving the session early, we have passed (an) unprecedented amount of legislation; 137 bills in three years.”

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Nixon says the government actually did more this spring than anticipated.

“It’s time to get MLAs back to their constituents, particularly as we move out of the COVID era, to spend some time with Albertans to understand what they would like to see from the upcoming fall legislative session, the next direction of government.”

A release from Independent MLAs Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes says the session ended early because of a disastrous leadership review for Jason Kenney.

“For more than a year now, I have been warning the public about the dangers of Kenney’s, “my way or the highway,” tendencies. Now that Humpty Dumpty has fallen, the government has no idea what to do. The people’s business has ground to a halt,” says Barnes in that same release.

The opposition NDP charge that the government failed to address the high bills businesses and individuals have to pay, something they call the “single most important issue” for Albertans.

“Many of these bills have grown by hundreds of dollars a month because of decisions made by the UCP,” says NDP House Leader Christina Gray in a news release.

Nixon was asked when those electrical rebates might be in place.

“My understanding is that you are going to hear more from Minister (Sonya) Savage and Minister (Dave) Nally in the coming days on when that will finally take place. I anticipate, and what I’ve been briefed on is that Albertans will see this reflected on their bill very shortly.”

Savage is Alberta’s Energy Minister. Nally is the Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity.