Denis’ legal issues more in a long line of conservative entitlement

Dear editor,

Re: legal troubles of Mr. Jonathan Denis- News reports April 12, 13 and 14, 2022.

Mr. Denis, Alberta’s justice minister for five years, was held in contempt of court by a Court of Queen’s Bench Justice for threatening, by letter to a witness giving evidence in a trial, to sue that witness. Also, he is facing allegations of hiring someone to illegally obtain for him a reporter’s telephone records.

The finding of contempt of court and the allegation above, have more importance than their face value. They are only the most recent examples of a decades-old sense of entitlement among some high-ranking conservatives in Alberta. If you doubt this, please consider the following.

In 1973 the new Lougheed government bought Pacific Western Airlines. The reason for buying it was so “the socialist government west of Alberta (B.C.’s NDP) would not buy it.” Government ownership is socialistic and bad, except when conservatives do it.

Former premier Getty believed his cabin on Buffalo Lake would benefit from a higher shoreline, and so in the 1980s earthwork was done to change the lake elevation. Environmental rules — what, me worry?

In the 1990s former premier Klein stormed into an Edmonton homeless shelter in the wee hours of the morning, screamed at sleeping homeless people that they should “get a job” and threw coins at them.

In the early 2000s, Mr. Klein wasted $30 million to send out $1 billion in oil revenues, in $400 cheques (“Ralphbucks”) while schools were overflowing with students.

In the 1990s cabinet minister Stockwell Day defamed a Red Deer school board trustee. Even though he was not acting in a ministerial capacity, the government (you and I) paid his legal defence costs.

For decades the Premier’s Golf Tournament functioned to funnel tax dollars from some school boards, municipalities, colleges and government entities to the Conservative Party. Kickbacks are OK if Tories receive them.

Former premier Redford just had to retrofit a building under construction so she could have a penthouse and conservatives would have their own elevator.

Mr. Kenney and the UCP

(in opposition) walked out of a legislature session when they did not get their way, and later (in government) wore earplugs while other members spoke in a legislature session.

The UCP fired the elections Commissioner in 2019, while he was investigating them.

There are many more examples of a large sense of entitlement than space in which to print them. On May 29, 2023, do you really want more of the same?

Yours truly,

Gregory R. Côté Irvine