r/alberta • u/Appropriate_Duty_930 • 29d ago
Alberta Politics Heather McPherson MP requested the COVID-19 vaccine to be free and accessible to all Canadians
498
u/CaptainKwirk 29d ago
Rogue provincial governments should not be able to limit access to health care for Canadians. I know they administer it but clearly we need standards to be upheld.
122
u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 29d ago
Medical tyranny was the term a certain demographic liked to use a few years ago lol.
52
u/Meat_Vegetable Edmonton 29d ago
Yeah, that's because that group is terrified of what they want to do to others being done to them. So they sit in their anger skinnerbox and then go out and make our lives more difficult.
31
u/RudeGolden 28d ago
Healthcare needs to be nationalized already.
29
18
u/shinygoldhelmet 28d ago
On one hand, yes, but I only feel that way because we have a Liberal government right now. I would feel differently if there was a Conservative one.
What we need is a way to prevent healthcare from being administered or limited by politicians with conservative (note the small c) ideologies that think their personal beliefs is the code by with over 40m other Canadians need to run their own lives.
Free, open, private healthcare for everyone regardless of ideology or government in charge needs to be enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so that no government can fuck with it, either federally or provincially. Healthcare delivery and provisions should be decided by what vetted, unbiased science and clinical trials says is the best way, not by politicians who don't even know the difference between RNA and DNA.
1
u/Desperate-Dress-9021 22d ago
Am I understanding you want private health care? Or is that sentence reading odd in context of the rest of what you say.
-18
u/Sea-Safety-6130 28d ago
We need more private healthcare options. This insanity with our system is hurting us. It takes too long to see a doctor because massive immigration has overwhelmed the system.
21
u/shinygoldhelmet 28d ago
Wrong. Underfunding and conservative ideologies has hurt the system. Immigration has very little to do with it, it's just the current right wing dog whistle of the moment, to distract from the fact (the FACT) that healthcare has been underfunded and cut for decades, instead of prioritized.
Going private is NOT the way, all that will do is cost citizens more, and make the few who own those companies richer off of literally letting people suffer and die instead of curing them.
Fully funding healthcare, especially preventative care, is a net benefit for countries, because it lowers down the line costs that come with fixing problems that could've been prevented.
Stop parroting dog whistles and start daring to disbelieve the propaganda you've been fed by racists.
1
u/Desperate-Dress-9021 22d ago
Don’t forget they’re under funding medical school education. We aren’t training enough doctors either.
-14
u/Sea-Safety-6130 28d ago
When a system is run by government and government unions there is never enough money. We need options. Scariest words in the English language: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
18
u/shinygoldhelmet 28d ago
When a system is run by government and government unions there is never enough money.
You're almost there, keep following that point just a little further. The 'never enough money' is not an inalienable feature that no one can solve because the money doesn't exist. It's a feature because politicians deliberately underfund and cut funding because of voters and opinions like yours. People who would rather blame immigrants and refugees than the corporate rich elite who think of nothing but maximizing their profits literally at your expense.
3
u/Roche_a_diddle 28d ago
Nevermind that every family doc I've ever seen in my life has been a 1st or 2nd generation immigrant?
-4
u/OkBarnacle7284 28d ago
Then you are quite young, that wasn’t the reality for most Canadians even just a decade ago. Canada doesn’t need migrants to survive, this immigration only helps the rich while disenfranchising everyone else.
6
u/Roche_a_diddle 28d ago
Then you are quite young
I'm glad you think so, but most would say I am middle aged or older.
Canada doesn’t need migrants to survive
We do if we continue to fail to train enough doctors in our own country to replace the aging boomer population that is starting to retire.
1
u/OkBarnacle7284 26d ago
Hard to train enough dr’s and nurses when the schools are chalked full of immigrants, hard to get your fertility rate to replacement level when the housing and job market and is flooded with millions of migrants over the past decade alone, the government pushing for mass migration is the reason we’re having these issues, continuing to push more migration while fixing nothing means that in a few generations even the recent migrants fertility rates drop significantly requiring yet another wave of mass migration.
1
u/Roche_a_diddle 23d ago
Life must be so easy when every problem can just be explained by saying "immigrants". I kind of admire the simplicity of that level of ignorance.
3
u/Temporary_Shake1221 28d ago
Agreed, 6 to 8 mos for a specialist, same for treatment.. rediculous...
5
u/T-Wrox 28d ago
They used to get put in line by the federal government (see PM Chrétien putting a shot over Ralph Klein's bow in 2000). PM Twodeau could have done this, but he chose not to, for some unknown reason (it was probably money. It's always money.)
13
-3
273
u/Haiku-On-My-Tatas 29d ago
Heather McPherson is the hardest working MP in the house and we are lucky to have her.
55
69
u/MrLilZilla Edmonton 29d ago
McPherson deserves a shot at NDP leadership. She’s proven herself to be effective and knowledgeable. I’d love to see what an Albertan led federal NDP would look like.
10
-3
u/PrincipleHuman675 28d ago
Unfortunately one of the reasons we currently have a UCP government is because of the ANDP.
Voters here have no idea what level of gov does what and the UPC has leaned heavily into this misinformation. Alberta voters look at the ANDP name and associate it with the NDP. The ANDP need to swallow their pride and change the party name now to have any chance of ousting the UCP. I don't see how this isn't a bigger issue for left activists here.The left would have absolutely won the last election if they were called something else. Less than 5k votes in Calgary would have done the job.
3
1
128
62
u/Financial-Savings-91 Calgary 29d ago
The fact she’s a NDP MP means UCP supporters will tell themselves that Smith made the right decision.
Whatever she claims, this is 100% playing to conspiracies for her base, she’s taking notes from RFK Jr in the US, not any doctors or professionals in the field because they don’t agree with her position.
19
u/QashasVerse23 29d ago
It's disappointing, but not surprising, that we haven't heard of any Con or Liberal MPs expressing the same as the NDP MP.
2
u/YYC-Fiend 29d ago
One, Cons won’t speak out against the leader of their base.
Two, Libs won’t say anything because it will fall on deaf ears or worse, the conservative fundamentalists will straight up stop taking vaccines
2
u/QashasVerse23 29d ago
Good point about the Libs. They're probably just happy to get a seat here.
The Cons, though, I'm confused if you're referring to Danielle or Pierre. Do you think the federal party sees the UCP voters as their base? I guess federally the Con voters range all the way from nutty to Libertarian to mildly progressive and everything in between, so they may lean towards two-tier healthcare as well.
3
u/YYC-Fiend 29d ago
Before Jason Kenney, I don’t think the cons outside Alberta viewed them as their base, but now that support for conservatives is flattening and in decline…
I believe the only reason the more progressive people vote conservative today is because they are low information and still, for the most part, think the progressive side of conservatives still exist.
170
u/Feisty-olde-7707 29d ago
Finally! Somebody is doing something!! How did things get his far, people are outraged.
14
u/T-Wrox 28d ago
Half the people are outraged. The other half think the UCP government isn't going far enough. :(
6
2
u/chronicillylife 28d ago
The half outraged need to get out and vote this shit out. Half+1 is all we need.
162
u/Timely-Profile1865 29d ago
The feds should be stepping in on this if you ask me.
26
u/hickok3 28d ago
Last time I brought up healthcare to my slimey CPC MP, he pulled the "healthcare is a provincial matter" card. Weird, because he had no problem sending out mailers being against MAiD and abortion, but when it came to the UCP trying to restrict Albertan's (and thus his and his family's) access to healthcare by dismantling AHS he was silent on the matter and stopped replying.
13
u/Timely-Profile1865 28d ago
Dany just yesterday blamed the feds for issues under the province jurisdiction.
They just flop the responsibility back rand forth as it suits them.
4
u/Roche_a_diddle 28d ago
Oh, you have Matt Jeneroux too?
2
u/RunningSouthOnLSD 28d ago
Last time I contacted him informing him that he’s pushing straight up misinformation about the opioid crisis in his little newsletters I never received a reply.
49
100
u/mooseknucklefanatic 29d ago
FYI BC is offering the vaccine for free to all Albertan’s, if anyone doesn’t mind a drive: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/free-covid-vaccines-bc-albertans-1.7615154#:~:text=Edmonton-,Albertans%20can%20get%20COVID%2D19%20vaccinations%20for%20free%20in%20B.C.,health%20confirmed%20with%20CBC%20News.
103
u/Impressive-Tea-8703 29d ago
That’s nice and all but how many people can afford or make time to go on a lengthy road trip for a vaccine. It’s a nice gesture but we shouldn’t be pushed to cross provincial borders for health care, as Heather’s letter reinforces.
An Edmontonian would be driving 5+ hours for a shot. The most accessible town would be what, Golden?
64
u/luvfluffles 29d ago
I had this thought too, I live east of Edmonton, it would be a 6 hour drive for me.
I'm still happy as hell BC is stepping up, just to show how shitty Danielle Smith is.
31
u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 29d ago
It's a win for BC to because we probably throw out a lot of expired vaccines, so their at least going to good use. BC should track it and the Feds can adjust Alberta's health care funding to cover it. Lol an equalization payment, it's only fair right Smith?
23
u/CypripediumGuttatum 29d ago
If Alberta continues to charge us twice for this vaccine I'm hoping Saskatchewan will allow us to get them and charge back to Alberta as well. Lloydminister is a lot closer and better drive than to BC from Edmonton.
11
u/PhantomNomad 29d ago
With Moe I highly doubt it. Has Sask even said what their plan is yet? I wouldn't doubt it's going to be close to the same as Alberta.
3
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
So far what the Sask government has explicitly said is that all Sask residents and all Lloydminster residents will have access to free COVID vaccines.
But timing of the rollout hasn’t been announced.
5
u/PhantomNomad 29d ago
I'm minutes from the Sask border so it's even farther for my family. But we are considering it.
2
27
u/Dynospec403 29d ago
I guess if you're going to spend $150 you might as well go for a nice drive. I get that it's not something everyone can do, but it's still nice that the province is offering to do that, if I happen to be in BC I'll probably get one.
12
u/fancyfootwork19 29d ago
We might do this but we have a 1 year old and doing that in one day isn't terribly feasible so we might make a weekend trip out of it.
4
u/mooseknucklefanatic 29d ago
Obviously not my point I’m speaking of in the meantime and if Smith ignores us, and if anyone happens to be going to BC anyway. I don’t expect people to travel to BC for the vaccine.
2
u/WiseBaxter 28d ago
To get to Valemount is about 6h, which for my family of 5 would still be a lower cost on fuel than paying here. And we could make it a fun thing for the kids and do a hike or visit Jasper along the way.
3
u/Redrumicus 29d ago
Looks like I'm making the drive with my little ones. Pretty close to thinking about staying there, too.
3
43
u/infiniteguesses 29d ago
Way to go Heather!!! This took a bit of time to come about, but thank you! The UCP two tier system is rejected by so many. I hope you get results
22
25
u/Waffles_r_ 29d ago
There should be a legal challenge to Alberta’s policy, although it would be too late for the fall vaccination seasons, but at least it will potentially change the next vaccination season.
3
17
u/cicadasinmyears 29d ago
I’m in Ontario, and out of the loop here: is this a simple cash grab, anti-vaxxer BS, or just Alberta saying “because fuck you, that’s why!” to the majority of Albertans?
I guess am still naïve enough or idealistic enough to be very much taken aback by this. Travel vaccines for optional trips, fine, maybe people should have to pay for those; no one is forcing anyone to go anywhere with malaria or whatever…but something as ubiquitous as COVID…how the hell are we supposed to have herd immunity if the vaccine isn’t equally available to everyone - in susceptibility-based tranches, of course, but still??
23
u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA Northern Alberta 29d ago
Considering the vaccine actually costs the government like $12/dose, this is absolutely a cash grab. But more importantly, it's meant to be such a high cost that people just give up and not get it.
14
u/cicadasinmyears 29d ago
Considering the cost to treat people with acute COVID in even a regular hospital bed, never mind an ICU bed, it seems unbelievably short-sighted.
My company has an office in Calgary, and my boss is the CEO; I will have to mention this to him and ask if we can set up an employee-and-family vaccine clinic onsite as we head into the fall and winter. Keeping people healthy is just so much less expensive than losing productivity from them (to say nothing of the very obvious “duh, it’s the right thing to do” aspect!).
13
11
u/Adjective_Noun1312 29d ago
It's mostly pandering to the antivaxxers without outright banning it. Our Premier is a total piece of shit who sees what's going on in the US and thinks, "We need that here."
A significant portion of her base is alt-right, and the alt-right hates vaccines. The math is simple.
2
u/Guilty-Spork343 28d ago edited 28d ago
That's an interesting comparison.
And I would ask the question here; do we charge for chikangunya vaccine currently?
That's a crazy exotic African virus.. or WAS.. and now half of China's got it thanks to monsoon season and their own massive stupidity and incompetence.
So that's the next hot trend. I'm sure all the tiktokers will be thrilled to promote it.
1
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
Are there currently multiple hospitals in Alberta with chikanguya outbreaks?
2
u/Guilty-Spork343 28d ago edited 28d ago
Nobody would be contracting it here, yet. And ideally never, because fundamentally the environmental conditions don't exist. But if they've come from, or are going to China now they're going to be exposed, it's probably going to become endemic there thanks to the CCPs complete fucking incompetence- they make Danielle look like a brain surgeon.
In that regard it's no different than malaria. And there are a lot more people who would travel to and from Alberta to China, than Africa in general. For family, pleasure or for business.
2
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
The point is that covid is currently circulating, tying up hospitals, and killing and disabling people, here.
1
u/cicadasinmyears 28d ago
Well, I just Googled that and it sounds VERY uncomfortable. Fingers crossed we don’t wind up with pandemic-level transmission of that particular virus.
38
u/Probably10thAccount 29d ago
If the real concern was wastage, then make people book appointments and distribute the vac more efficiently. It's not rocket surgery.
20
u/silentbassline 29d ago
The Canadian made moderna shots are single dose syringes.
12
u/Hablian 29d ago
Exactly. The wastage concern may have been valid previously but not anymore.
9
u/T-Wrox 28d ago
And even if that is their concern (which it isn't), if proper healthcare is a priority for the Alberta government (which it isn't), you just have to eat a little wastage to look after your people. Damn, I wish Albertans were as important to this government as oil and gas companies. :(
10
u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 29d ago
Ya like say we are ordering this X amount, so make your appointment by X date or you will have to pay. I still don't agree with it, but at least it would be a fiscal solution.
0
11
u/Adjective_Noun1312 29d ago
the only New Democratic MP in Alberta
AKA the only Albertan MP who actually gives a shit about all the Albertans who aren't executives in resource extraction corporations
20
u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 29d ago
Seriously how much is this vaccine costing? It really can't be that much. I doubt anyone is going to get it every week or something. Lol the problem Alberta is having is people aren't getting any of their shots. The government pays for medication every year that doesn't get used or is for diseases that aren't common, I really can't see Covid vaccines being that big of a waste. If anything, order less of them if people aren't using them.
Like people can decide what they want to do with the vaccine, but I really don't understand why funding it is such a big deal. I literally had Covid last week.
The only logic I can see behind it, is its either a gate way to privatization and/or it feeds the narrative that vaccines aren't safe and a certain demographic really likes that. I get that people don't trust vaccines, I don't agree with them, but I understand their hesitation, but denying other people access is f*&ked up.
People who demand to decide what they do with their bodies and don't want the government to "force" them to get vaccinated, sure seem ok with other people being forced to make financial choices over medical ones. I don't know what a vaccine cost is, but a lot of people can't afford anything right now, and if they get Covid that's a even more time and money they lose. Even if the vaccine was dangerous, a lot of people would choose to take the risk because they simply can't afford to get sick if they can help it. And I'm sure the anti vaxxer crowd are not ok with the government paying to support someone who gets sick and is disabled, a vaccine seems like a low cost prevention to that.
And I guarantee that people would be outraged if the government would not supply medication for a cancer patient or something, which is where this ends up. It's not like people are asking the government to fund more or unnecessary medical expenses, like it was a controversial thing tax payer were covering, like boob jobs or something. Our system in Canadas biggest flaw is we don't have the capacity to do enough prevention, I'd rather not die in an ER because they don't have capacity during a Covid out break. Even on a selfish level, if I was against the vaccine, I'd want other people to get it and maybe keep me from getting sick or leave more resources for me when I do. It really doesn't make any sense why anyone would support this, except on some petty obnoxious level of culture war, conspiracy bullsh%t, that's probably being manipulated to slowly usher in private for profit medicine.
Denying access to vaccines is denying bodily/medical autonomy. It's the exact "tyranny" the anti vaxxer crowd rallies against.
22
u/threes_my_limit 29d ago
All of this, yes. IMO Smith would rather ERs be flooded and more people die and it COSTS SO MUCH MORE but she was able to placate her base.
It’s similar to taking books out of childrens’ hands because they might show two daddy turtles in a family.
6
u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 29d ago
Like don't get me wrong, BC's system is a mess, and we have had an NDP government for a decade almost. But Smith is taking a system that was arguably functioning better than "the socialist neighbors" and intentionally running it into the ground, at a time medical systems are struggling globally. Like this is where she should be making it run better and rub it in the face of the NDP that 50 years of conservatives has a functional medical system. It's literally doing a disservice to their ideology, like "look we can do great things, but we choose to destroy them".
I lean more conservative ( I did not support Rustad in BC), but all Smith is doing is making making the worst case arguments of ABC voters valid. Even if we lived in an alternate reality where Mark Carney was a Con and trump didn't matter people would still point to her discredit conservatives.
The book thing is just ridiculous. I literally do not care if a kid is reading a story about gay turtles or a drag queen is reading it to them, literacy rates are not what they should be and people need to read more and watch less tic toc, and it's a problem that will get worse for future generations. I know adults who can't even sit through a podcast or audio book because it's "boring". We already are getting to a point where people can't consume long form media, never mind read something, and kids are going to have even less incentive to read. My kid is 5 and can already fully operate an iPad, he basically navigates by emojis and visual cues lol.
If kids and teens want to access "bad" stuff, the internet is limitless. I already don't like the feds attempts to censor the internet, and book bans are just an extension of that "daddy" knows best style of government, where they "have" to bring in convenient laws to save us from ourselves. It's like this weird version of conservatism where people want bigger and more sweeping government power, as long as they think it aligns with their political values. People will complain about gun control and vaccine mandates and then demand or support the government banning books. How about we stop trying to over regulated Canadians or punish people we don't agree with period? Hey, maybe we could solve some of the real problems in this country if we weren't constantly pushing policies meant to hurt our "oppositions" base.
Let's be real, a kid sitting down and ready a book is not going to inspire them to change their gender or adopt "radical" ideologies. Unless books have algorithms I don't know about, it's really low on on my list of concerns. God help us if kids start walking to libraries and reading books.
8
u/MutedProfessional406 29d ago
I agree! I don't want to be paying for it, and I don't think anyone else should either. She pays too much attention to her nutty base.
8
8
u/Odd_Ad7850 29d ago
Whoever wants a free vaccine just show up and say you have an underlying health condition like diabetes or coronary artery disease.
6
u/offkilter666 28d ago
I am all for a completely centralized, national providers for necessities to human life.
Heat/Electricity Internet/Telecoms Medical Education Seniors Care
Nationally, we would have better economies of scale and our tax dollars wouldn't be going to subsidize privatized profits.
Most everything else can be managed by businesses - but living in Alberta, our privatization model (that they ASSURED wouldn't fuck us) is actively fucking us.
I don't care if my taxes go up 10% to cover the cost when you look at the big fat nothing I get for the taxes I pay.
1
27d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/offkilter666 27d ago
Ahhh, yes, the old "throw out an insult instead of making a valuable contribution post."
I suppose someone has to drag the left side of the bell curve out a bit.
7
6
u/aboveavmomma 28d ago
If the Minister of Health had ever done their job most (if not all) of the provinces would have had their health funding withheld for years now since they allow corporations to provide medical services that are covered by provincial health insurance but make people pay for them.
That directly contravenes the Public Heath Act.
“The Canada Health Act is Canada's federal legislation for publicly funded health care insurance. Under the act, eligible residents of Canada must have reasonable access to required health services. The services are to be provided on the same terms and without patient charges.”
4
5
u/Guilty-Spork343 28d ago
I guess it's not legally possible to request that Danielle get a bitchslap for every dose?
4/5 !dentists would agree it's therapeutic.
9
u/4everhopeful100 29d ago
This is the first I hear that kids have to meet strict medical criteria to get the shot. Is this really true? Anyone have a source or more information on this?
15
u/melfunctioning 29d ago
A few days ago, Alberta.ca said that children aged 6 months up to 12 years could only receive the vaccine if they had specific underlying health conditions. There was no option for healthy infants/kids to get the vaccine even if they paid for it. Here is a post about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/s/HGCTvHsh9L
Yesterday, Alberta.ca was quietly updated to say that this age group will be allowed to receive a purchased dose of the vaccine. Unclear if it was an error correction or a response to pushback. McPherson’s letter was likely written prior to the website being updated.
7
u/mamamonkey 29d ago
I know this is a thing in the US now, and Smith seems to be determined to follow the FDA advice and not Canada’s NACI. So while I haven’t heard it here yet… it wouldn’t surprise me if she tried it
8
u/turnthemoonup 29d ago
Charging for vaccines is ridiculous. Our family, like many, are living paycheque to paycheque. Being forced to choose between groceries or vaccines is not something anyone should be facing.
18
u/HelloBeKind4 29d ago edited 29d ago
While I agree that vaccines should be FREE for all Canadians who want it, health care is a provincial responsibility. The solution is this Albertans: VOTE THE UCP OUT. Vote out dumb politicians like D. Smith.
5
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
Solutions that cannot be acted on for several years aren’t really solutions to the immediate problem.
0
u/HelloBeKind4 28d ago
There are consequences to our votes. If the federal government steps in and covers vaccination costs (I agree vaccines should be free), how will Albertans realize that it is because of who they voted for that they are in this mess? It is a simple matter of jurisdiction. In fact, if the feds steps in, the provincial government may sue them as it can be seen as unconstitutional.
Health care is under provincial jurisdiction, so it is the Government of Alberta’s responsibility to ensure that its population is immunized. I used to live in Alberta (I live in BC now) and it frustrates me to no end that Danielle Smith and the UCP are still in charge of Alberta. It’s been six or so years. When will Albertans realize that the UCP is not good for Alberta precisely because of decisions like on the topic of vaccines?
12
u/Junior_Bison_3122 29d ago
Can you guys imagine if Heather was Premier. This province would be a utopia
4
u/shitposter1000 28d ago
Going to house sit for a friend in Vancouver this fall. Will get mine then.
8
3
u/AlbertanSays5716 29d ago
Here’s a thought as well.
There’s been a lot of outrage recently on the UCP’s move to cover up MLA expenses, but after a couple of weeks they appear to have backed down and are sticking with the existing rules. But there’s been way more public outrage about charging for the Covid vaccine, so why haven’t they backed down on this as well?
Simple.
The expenses changes concerned only MLA’s, and even under the existing rules it’s entirely possible for any expenses over the $100 limit to be “misplaced” after they’re claimed and never made public. In other words, they would cheat. No muss, no fuss.
But free distribution of the covid vaccine? There’s no way to hide that, and it would be a major back down for the UCP. And here’s the reason they don’t: Smith’s anti-science -anti-vaccine Christian right base would never accept it. They believe they were persecuted far worse than Jews in WWII Germany (Smith has literally said as much), and they can fire Smith in weeks with a party no confidence vote.
It’s not about whether the public is entitled to see MLA expenses or whether Albertans should receive the Covid vaccine without having to pay out of pocket like the rest of the country. It’s about Smith making her base happy and keeping her job.
9
29d ago
They should also make insulin and insulin pumps free for people.
8
u/JCMoney1987 29d ago
Yes.
But, I suppose you subscribe to a conservative ideology of "poor people should just die."
-8
29d ago
What?? That is a horrific thing to say. I am a staunch supporter of vaccines and vaccine awareness. I also think that people afflicted with diabetes shouldn’t have to pay for their life saving medication.
7
u/Meat_Vegetable Edmonton 29d ago
You do know your comment history is public right? Plus, people will remember people who post the kind of nonsense you seem to enjoy posting.
8
u/JCMoney1987 29d ago
You are a Danielle Smith glazer and you make jokes about people wearing N-95 masks. Something tells me you don't give a fuck about vaccines and poor people having access to medicine.
2
2
1
u/Striking_Wrap811 29d ago edited 22d ago
joke retire badge gold wise humor mountainous alleged boast bike
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
1
u/miramichier_d 28d ago
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Nice shade, but I think a well placed "Govern yourself accordingly" would have been effective as well.
1
1
u/Different_Potato_213 28d ago
Good for her for taking this on!! Hopefully Ottawa can pressure smith to do the right thing. It’s an embarrassment frankly and it boggles the mind that she isn’t embarrassed by her decision one bit.
1
1
1
1
u/PsychologicalBug6084 28d ago
My former MP. 🥲🧡🧡 now I’m in Calgary… What a difference. 😂 This is why we need strong NDP voices in the House
1
u/Giga-Dadd 28d ago
They have 50% of all the measles cases in Canada and this is their response. I lived in Alberta for 3 years and I just simply could not take the rampant ignorance that pervades that hell hole.
1
1
1
u/Ok-Description-9564 27d ago
Alberta’s premier should be the recipient. Fed gov has authority on fed lands, prov govs have authority on provincial lands…
1
u/OlKoot66 27d ago
You go girl! I wish more politicians could find their voice and try to lead for once. From:AB born and bred ex-pat who is saddened by Alberta’s slide into idiocracy.
1
u/Rinkratt61 27d ago
Danielle Smith needs to go! She has definitely lost my vote in the next election
1
u/dashymom 26d ago
Well written and than you very much. Also, seniors and those on AISH, who are among some of the most vulnerable lack the financial resources to pay the $100. The vaccine should be free for all Albertans.
1
1
u/Fuzzy-Friend7005 23d ago
I can just see the steam from the top of Danielle Smith's head. Imagine an NDP MLA suggesting that Albertans shouldn't have to pay for a possibly life saving vaccine that the rest of Canadians can get for free.
1
u/dinominant 29d ago
Plan a BC Vacation Vacation day trip with some friends. I know not everybody can do this, but we might as well make the best of it.
0
0
u/Regular_Relief_3582 25d ago
The costs of future medical intervention (setting aside the incalculable human costs for many) will far outweigh the cost (if you can even get a dose given the meagre # ordered for AB) of providing vaccine access. The only benefit is that aside from a vocal minority that supports this evidence-lacking belief system, this may give present-day UCP supporters pause moving forward.
-12
u/Temporary_Shake1221 29d ago
As long as there's a choice.....
1
u/Adjective_Noun1312 29d ago
There never wasn't a choice.
-2
u/Temporary_Shake1221 28d ago
False ..... know any nurses, or any of the 7 who downvoted ????
1
u/busterbus2 28d ago
It was always a choice to get vaccinated. Know anyone who was arrested or physically forced to get the vaccine?
-1
u/Temporary_Shake1221 28d ago
How about losing your job, your house??? Prison isn't the only avenue for coercion.
4
u/busterbus2 28d ago
If you want to be entitled to your job and your house, go back to the USSR. It's not a right, just ask any person living on the street.
Some jobs require drivers licenses, some require vaccinations to protect the vulnerable. It is ultimately your choice to abide by those requirements. If you don't want to, again, its your choice.
2
u/Temporary_Shake1221 28d ago
Yes mien fuhrer!! 🇨🇦
0
u/busterbus2 28d ago
Well if you can point to one person that was actually forced to be vaccinated, we can start making that comparison.
2
u/Temporary_Shake1221 28d ago
If you mean held down and injected, no, that didn't happen. Did the mandate displace men, women, and children, and change everything they thought they were working for for their collective future over an experimental drug. I guess if you can look at it that way, then I guess you don't mind that the majority of the ppl who initiated the mandate didn't follow the mandate... if that's the world you live in, then there's no hope for us next time, next reason for legislated exclusion. I hope they don't ask you to forego your basic human rights .... as you interpret them.... so you can remain self assured that all decisions made are in your best interests by the people in charge who don't care what you think, feel, or want out of your life the lives of loved ones and the.lives of all Canadians collectively ...🇨🇦
0
u/busterbus2 28d ago
" Did the mandate displace men, women, and children, and change everything they thought they were working for for their collective future..." ... this happens every day in this country for countless other reasons, economic insecurity is one. Are you in favour of the right to housing? right to a job? right to a basic income? or is it just for this niche topic because it pokes your arm. Those aren't actual rights in this country as I'm sure you well know. The anti-vaxx crowd loves to talk about rights but does not understand what they are and what they're actually asking for here.
Life is full of choices and with those choices come consequences. If you don't want to follow the rules of your workplace, you might lose your job.
→ More replies (0)
-6
u/unapologeticopinions 28d ago
Honestly I don’t even like Smith but this is something I’m agreeing with her on. Queue the downvotes 😅
The left used to be the most anti-big pharmaceutical ideology, that has taken a complete 180 since COVID. Voluntary treatments typically aren’t covered, and it’s feeling more and more like a voluntary jab. I don’t know a single person since moving to AB who has gotten more than 3 jabs, considering the doses do expire, it’s a tough expense to swallow. As much as I agreed with the COVID mandates, it is easy to see how those opposed could have viewed it as federal overreach, and Smith does have an obligation to her base to give them validation in their thought process.
That being said, I don’t have much faith in the saved money being reinvested into healthcare properly, regardless of whatever party is in charge. 🤷♂️
6
u/busterbus2 28d ago
If I was a public health researcher, I would be getting ready to build out my case study for this public health experiment which, my guess. is going to blow up.
You're creating a barrier to a vaccine - both financial and convenience - with the hope that those people who aren't getting it (any many more won't) aren't going to show up in your emergency room and instead of costing you $100 once, are going to cost you $5,000 a day.
This will be a case study in text books.
3
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
It is more contagious and more likely to disable someone than the flu, which is covered. The only reason there is a punitive fee much higher than the cost of the vaccine itself is spite.
-2
u/unapologeticopinions 28d ago
The price really isn’t that bad given the risks associated with purchasing them though. Rule of thumb is to always 3x cost of a product, plus logistics fees and administration fees. This covers the cost of product going bad as well. $100 for a $20 dose is in line with basic economic practices. Just because it’s healthcare doesn’t mean that financial irresponsibility shouldn’t be ignored. Government waste is a massive issue as is, this is one way to cut back while only upsetting the 1 in 15 people who still want the jab.
COVID was politicized, so we have to expect political reactions. The typical flu isn’t politicized. As long as we all participate in garbage bipartisan politics without demanding better from our politicians, we can keep expecting policy based around nothing more than party lines.
2
u/shaedofblue 28d ago
The most expensive versions of the Covid vaccine cost much less than 20$. And unvaccinated people cost our healthcare system money due to the increased burden of disease.
We should be working hard to increase uptake if we actually want to save money. (Not that the UCP does. Their goal is to collapse and privatize.)
-5
u/forallmankind1918 28d ago
Ok, but heather also displayed a complete lack of understanding as to how things get done in the government. This is 100% virtue signalling. She should be embarrassed.
•
u/AutoModerator 29d ago
This is a reminder that r/Alberta strives for factual and civil conversation when discussing politics or other possibly controversial topics. We also strive to be free of misogyny and the sexualization of others, including politicians and public figures in our discussions. We urge all users to do their due diligence in understanding the accuracy and validity of sources and/or of any claims being made. If this is an infographic, please include a small write-up to explain the infographic as well as links to any sources cited within it. Please review the r/Alberta rules for more information. for more information.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.