Welcome to AB Resistance! Here's our first update for volunteers & subscribers. 

On the topic of public healthcare...

1. More boards, more committees, more advisers. The one thing missing? No mention of more doctors
   or health care workers. This, as there were only 37 acute care beds open province wide this past week.
2. Our doctors have had to suffer many setbacks under the UCP.
3. Unilateral tearing up of contracts.
4. Telus Babylon contracted by the UCP for virtual appointments who received double per appointment
   compared to what the UCP paid Alberta doctors.
5. The UCP refused to consult with the doctors during Covid even as the healthcare system was, and is
   on the brink of collapse.
6. The UCP have, and are continuing to underfund public healthcare. At the end of the 2020 fiscal year, the
   auditor could not find $4 billion in healthcare transfers from the federal government. No one from the
   UCP has ever explained this.
7. According to federal stats, $70 billion in healthcare transfers was handed to Alberta. Only 2/3 was ever spent
   on public health care. The Red Deer Advocate reported that Alberta was sitting on the highest amount
   of unallocated healthcare funding.
8. There was no consultation with Alberta doctors regarding the UCP decision to set up nurse
   practitioners in independent clinics. Nurse practitioners are wonderful in a multidisciplinary, setting,
   working as an adjunct to doctors. They are not doctors. We have to ask if this is at all related to the fact
   that a nurse practitioner who was lobbying the UCP government for independent clinics, was also on
   Danielle Smith’s campaign team?

Make no mistake. This is all related to Danielle Smith’s plan to step by step privatize our public health care. As she stated in her video, “A small health spending account will get people used to paying for healthcare. Then they can ask family for donations, ask employers to kick in, or fundraise for their healthcare needs.” Her words, on video.

Telus Babylon went bankrupt, and we were forced to cancel our privatization contract with DynaLIFE. The UCP haven’t got the first clue how to manage healthcare. These cancelled contracts will cost Alberta innumerable millions.

Our doctors are fleeing, Alberta, and since the announcement regarding nurse practitioners, many more will go.

On the topic of Sole Source Contracts...

Last week it was reported that the UCP handed out over $700,000 in sole source contracts to people such as Danielle Smith’s campaign manager, and her biggest donor. Sole-source contracts are contract given without asking for bids, and are only expected to be given in emergencies. I don’t think analyzing social media data is an emergency.

That Little EXTRA!
The Smith government has done away with any limits on gifts that she and the caucus may accept. And this segues perfectly with Smith firing the ethics commissioner. Who needs ethics?

A big thank you goes out to Tracey, our researcher, who is doing a deep dive on our targeted ridings, as well as Harvey and Deborah, who have taken on our initial tech needs. We’ve had a great response to our new webpage registration site. Please continue to re-post the address as well as the hashtag on all your social media sites. Name recognition is important! Please direct friends and family to our registration page. 

You may have noticed that we got a mention from the Breakthrough on X this week! They have asked that we do a podcast with them as soon as we officially launch! 

And finally, I want to emphasize that even though you don’t live in one of the six targeted ridings, your contribution will be invaluable, and necessary to our success. There are hundreds of supportive tasks to be fulfilled and every one of you has something to contribute!

Thanks again to each and every one of you for saying ENOUGH and standing up! WE WILL DO THIS!

Sincerely,

Marg