THIS is how a dictatorship begins.  Increasingly limit public protest, quietly take away more and more individual power and independance.  Build fear through lies and conspiracies, give voice to a violent and angry minority.

Here is my story.

I have been, and continually am, extremely affected by the UCP’s Actions. 
I moved to Canada seven years ago, to build a better life after trying to survive the crash in Ireland and across Europe. 

In Europe, we looked to Canada as the Gold Star Country for: social welfare, medical care, environmental awareness,  Alberta's leadership in renewables, for friendliness and hospitality. For EQUALITY and Human Rights. For its diversity in culture and global reputation.

In the ensuing years I have become increasingly worried. Since Danielle Smith and David Parker took over, there have been more mornings when I wake up and ask: “How long can I live here?” than not. 

I have lived and worked in 10 different countries. I lived under dictatorship: caught between the military and Shining Path in Peru, the military and Sandinistas in Guatemala, authoritarianism in Africa and rigid, corrupt control in Colombia and Bolivia. I worked in outreach in these crisis and war torn countries, with children who were nonverbal from the trauma of violence and hatred that they had witnessed and experienced. I myself was diagnosed with PTSD after years of working in these environments full of fear, violence, hatred, racism  and destruction. 

I was in therapy for a long time to help me cope with that PTSD, learning  how to recognize the signs in myself and others, and how to deal with the symptoms. It’s been years since I had any issues. 

Now, living in Cochrane, Alberta I see the same steps towards total control taking place almost weekly with each new UCP announcement.  The people I speak with are not so worried. But my neighbours and friends and partner have not lived under regimes that pitted neighbour against neighbour.  They have not seen families break through political conflict, and they have not lived under fear….. which is coming to Alberta rapidly. 

Every quiet legislation that is introduced, every new proposal pushes us towards disaster.

I am watching the UCP working to allow provincial parties into municipal politics.
I am watching the UCP trying to get rid of the RCMP and put in  provincial police.
I am watching the UCP trying to get rid of the CPP for an Alberta Pension Plan.
I am watching  the UCP's new curriculum that does not prepare our children for living in a rich and diverse global community.
I have seen the UCP's moratorium on Renewable Energy (where Alberta was once a respected leader.)
I have seen  the UCP's new regulation on wildlife, which profits trophy hunters and discourages responsible ecology. 

I have seen the UCP’s utter lack of concern for the environment and their deliberate refusal to acknowledge or cooperate and work with the global community who are moving forward acknowledging that Climate Change is the single most important issue for this planet. 

I have heard the UCP's incredible lies about renewable energy industries and the blind propaganda and untruths put out about about oil and gas. Over and over and over again.  Say it enough and the masses who don’t fact check this might just believe it.

I have observed the UCP's numerous appointees (who should acknowledge direct conflict of interest) placed into positions of power.
I have observed the UCP's completely abandon any of their campaign promises and instead,  continue with tunnel vision, cronyism and profit.
I have seen the UCP implement hate-fuelled legislation against transgender Albertans.
I have seen the UCP systematically tear down our EMS and healthcare programs, treating healthcare workers like disposables. 

THIS is how a dictatorship begins. Increasingly limit public protest, quietly take away more and more individual power and independence. Build fear through lies and conspiracies, give voice to a violent and angry minority. 

I have met my MLA’S multiple times. I met RJ Sigurdson multiple times, and I met with Adriana LaGrange about the EMS Crisis. I shared dozens of stories from medics and told the UCP about their inhuman working  conditions. I told my MLAs that healthcare workers were dropping like flies from PTSD, working 12-20 hr shifts without more than an 8 min break to go to the loo, scarf done a sandwich and a coffee.

I handed over reams of up to date FOIP to these elected officials, proving that their public statements were untruthful.  After these Minister and MLA’S  got this information, what did they do?  They promised to meet again, they begged us not to go public ( before the election). Then they disappeared. 

What did these MLA’S and the highest authority on Health in our Province do?    

They lied in public. They lied to ALL of us. 

When Craig Chandler and David Parker came to Cochrane to start a petition to remove the mayor and the Town Council - and get “The Right People on to Council and School Boards.” I attended that meeting and I recorded it. I could not believe the stories they were telling: teachers teaching pornography to children, teachers showing man-on-man sex to children, teachers grooming children by pushing them to use the pronouns contrary to their sex at birth. Parker telling the crowd that Trudeau is secretly following Lenin’s tactics to turn Canada into a Communist Regime. 

Craig Chandler told the group that they would be trained and funded to run in the next elections and that one needn’t have children to be elected onto the School Board. I posted about this meeting, that Chandler and Parker didn’t live in Cochrane, they didn’t pay taxes here or support our community in any way. They should not be mixing in our town politics because Cochranites should be able to solve our own problems. 

I got attacked on social media, and to this day, anything I post brings out adults attacking me personally and calling me names.  The same attackers left hate mail on my front porch, they said “we know where you live”.  A dead rodent was left on my doorstep one morning.  Another morning a big man in a big truck came up to my house at 7:45 am pounded on my door, and when I opened the door in my housecoat with a cup of tea in hand - he yelled at my face and thrust a sheaf of papers in my hand, yelling “you need to read this, bitch!” 

I never thought once that I would experience anything like this in Canada. 

Another person stole the NDP sign from my yard. This group only attacks women, publicly and on social media, they attack personally, not on the debate points. They are vicious and brutal: “You must be a lonely old fat hag that no man would touch - for you to write these things.”

Craig Chandler said to me ”You must be so ugly with your purple hair - what are you, a teenager? you will always be alone because you are so nasty no one would want to be around you.”  Craig told another woman "You must hate men- do you like women on women?” And to another woman who supported my stance Craig Chandler wrote, ”Get back to Jesus, you Fallen Daughter of Christ”. 

It was just so extreme and bizarre. I contacted the local papers, but no one would write anything. I then went to other journalists I knew at CTV, CBC, the Globe and I contacted independent journalists. Finally Jeremy Appel said he wanted to write the story.  He did a very long article in Tyee, and he included portions of the recording of the Parker meeting that I sent him.

Now, because of the attacks, I have real unease when out and chatting with strangers. I am very cautious about what I say.  

The UCP government creates lies, circulates conspiracies and puts out information that is incendiary in intent. They breed dissent and encourage violence.  By dividing communities and instilling hatred - quietly putting into place rules that limit free discussion and liberty, they are following a playbook that I learned well, many decades ago under fascist regimes. 

I see it clearly, and have recently found a therapist because the very old PTSD is rearing it’s head again. Old fears, memories are resurfacing. I can’t understand why people are not rising up as this gov takes away more and more civil liberties and is gradually cementing down their ruling powers. 

I took a group of paramedics up to the Legislative Assembly a few months ago. We were guests of Dr. Luanne Metz. the official opposition's health critic. She gave us hours of her time on the healthcare crisis in Alberta, and was speaking at this Legislative Assembly. 

I could not believe my eyes when the Speakers stood to speak. Almost every single UCP MLA and Minister turned their backs to the Speakers. There were two high school classes in attendance, there to learn about democracy, politics, debate and so on. And those elected officials in the UCP ignored the speakers and deliberately turned their backs to them when they stood to speak. 

This was an all time low and I was so ashamed of this display. What are our children learning?  

This is my long winded story, but we should ALL be afraid. Truly.  

Ali Morrison