Blaming Albertans isn’t helping

UCP MLA Shane Getson comments about recipients of CERB only eating Cheezies and watching cartoons, spending CERB on drugs and implying disaster when the “funny money” runs out, is among the worst statements made by an elected official in this province. Just as bad as when

Jason Kenney stated the value of someone’s life ends at age 83,

My family is a recipient of the CERB as my husband permanently lost his job during this pandemic. If it wasn’t for the federal government stepping in and protecting Canadian Families with CERB when they did, more of us would be in far worse shape.

The comments made by Shane Getson is an example of the UCP manipulating the public by taking a complex issue, such as the difficulty for businesses to hire during a pandemic, and simplify it by blaming the unemployed population of Alberta and calling them lazy drug addicts; it’s beyond comprehension. It’s downright horrible and elitist. And placing blame is ineffective and is not helping anyone, especially business owners. What’s their plan?

Business owners should be just as upset by this as I am and need to speak out and put away their cheque books. Employment in Alberta is a circus of complex problems and this elected MLA obviously does not have a plan to address any of those complex employment issues, so instead he simplified it to people being lazy drug addicts. “Sure, John, you can’t hire anyone cuz they all get funny money right now and there’s nothing I can do about cuz I’m just the elected MLA who doesn’t know what I’m doing, so I’m going to gaslight the issue and hope you don’t notice.”

I think that the UCP have forgotten what a government’s purpose is. The purpose of a government is to maintain the well-being of society. How is insulting and blaming unemployed Albertans taking care of the society that you were elected to take care of? The conservatives of Alberta used to be fiscally conservative but socially responsible, but what are they now? Divisive and despicable! I think that conservatives need to take a hard look at the values the UCP are displaying with their actions and really try to understand what their end game is and does it still fit with your conservative values, when they are no longer taking care of you. Shame on them!

Marlaina Ditrich

Lethbridge