David Swann demands public inquiry on doctor intimidation

In this Question Period video from April 14, Official Opposition Leader David Swann continues to hammer the government on its refusal to hold an independent, judicial public inquiry into allegations of government intimidation of health care professionals.

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Meet David Swann

As part of his ongoing effort to offer a new politics of hope and transparency to Alberta, Official Opposition Leader David Swann has created a four-minute video that will help Albertans understand who he is and where he’s coming from.

 

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Happy Holidays from David Swann and the Official Opposition

Laurie Blakeman on Oil Sands Development and the Importance of Conservation

Here’s your chance to tell the Alberta Government how you want the land in the Athabasca oil and gas region to be developed.

Right now they’re proposing a vague figure of 20 percent conservation. That really means 80 percent development! Is that what you want? Whether your answer is yes, or no, this is your chance to tell them!

 

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Provincial Affairs: Laurie Blakeman on Official Opposition Environment Policy

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Alberta Liberal environment critic Laurie Blakeman discusses the Official Opposition’s new environment policy. Clip courtesy CBC’s Provincial Affairs.

Click here to listen.

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Grizzlies should be listed as endangered in Alberta

Alberta Liberal MLA Kent Hehr asks Alberta’s Minister of Sustainable Resource Development to list grizzly bears as an endangered species.

 

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David Swann urges Premier to stop closing urban core schools

Official Opposition Leader David Swann asks the Premier to stop the imminent closure of urban core schools in Edmonton and Calgary, at least until a review can be completed to reconcile contradictory education and municipal policies. For more info, see http://bit.ly/aCuTNu

 

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David Swann wants MLA pay committee to have binding power

Official Opposition Leader David Swann asks Premier Ed Stelmach if the MLA pay review committee will have the power to make binding recommendations, and if the scope of the review will include extra pay for backbenchers sitting on cabinet policy committees.

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Darshan Kang’s Response to the Throne Speech, Part I

Darshan Kang, Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-McCall, delivers his Response to the Throne Speech in English and Punjabi.

 

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Darshan Kang’s Response to the Throne Speech, Part II

Darshan Kang, Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-McCall, concludes his Response to the Throne Speech, delivered in Punjabi and English.

 

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Laurie Blakeman challenges Tories to act on climate change

Alberta Liberal MLA and Environment critic Laurie Blakeman holds Environment Minister Rob Renner accountable for the Stelmach administration’s poor environmental record.

 

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Albertans Still Waiting for Hip and Knee Surgeries

Official Opposition Leader David Swann asks Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky why Albertans are still facing long wait times for hip and knee surgery, and if the Minister has a plan for fixing health care other than throwing more money at the problem.

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Darshan Kang on the Calgary Airport Tunnel

Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-McCall and Official Opposition Infrastructure/Transportation critic Darshan Kang questions the Stelmach Conservatives’ decision not to fund the Calgary Airport Tunnel, a vital piece of infrastructure for the province.

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What does a “Political Minister” do?

Alberta Liberal MLA Kent Hehr tries to find out what exactly the Stelmach administration’s new “Political Ministers” do.

 

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Where’s the competitiveness review?

Official Opposition Energy critic Dave Taylor tries to get the new Energy Minister to reveal why the Competitiveness Review, much-needed by the oil and gas sector, has been delayed and delayed.

 

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Bill 50, Brought to You By…

Ever wonder what $14 billion could buy? That’s how much Alberta’s new electricity grid will cost, and the Stelmach administration wants taxpayers to foot the entire bill - even though power companies will reap the profits. Those power companies, by the way, sponsored the recent Progressive Conservative Annual General Meeting…

 

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Are power companies buying off the Stelmach administration?

Official Opposition Energy critic Dave Taylor asks the government why AltaLink has already been given the go-ahead to plan new power lines before Bill 50 has even been debated in the Legislature. 

 

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Rehabilitation Care for Spinal Cord Injuries - The Waits Get Longer

Kent Hehr, Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-Buffalo, asks Health Minister Ron Liepert why Albertans who suffer spinal cord injuries must wait longer and longer for rehabilitative care.

 

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David Swann Hammers Stelmach Administration over H1N1 Immunization Chaos

David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition, demands the firing of Health Minister Ron Liepert over his botched H1N1 vaccine rollout.

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Question Period Video: Advertising Bill 50

Dave Taylor, Alberta Liberal critic for Energy, asks why the Stelmach administration is spending taxpayer dollars to promote the massive transmission construction the government wants to impose on Albertans.

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Question Period Video: Why was Ron Liepert’s campaign manager hired to select AHS board members?

Alberta Liberal Health critic Kevin Taft asks Health minister Ron Liepert why the Department of Health paid $135,000 to a company owned by Liepert’s former campaign manager.

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Question Period Video: David Swann on H1N1 and public health care in Alberta

“Fiscal Conservatives”

When you look at the record of self-described fiscal conservatives, what you see is a long legacy of wild overspending and debt, typically corrected only when more moderate administrations take power. This video raises an important question: why should anyone believe that any politician who calls himself or herself a fiscal conservative will manage taxpayer dollars responsibly? History shows that the opposite is true.

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David Swann at the Capital Ex Parade

On July 16th, David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition, chatted with Edmontonians celebrating Capital Ex and even rode down Jasper and past City Hall for the Capital Ex Parade.

 

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The $25 Million Question

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett takes a full eight seconds before he can recite Alberta’s new $25 million rebranding slogan. Fortunately, other PC MLAs came to his rescue.

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Official Opposition Forces Government to Blink on Bill 44

Under direct questioning from Alberta Liberal Leader Dr. David Swann, Culture and Community Spirit Minister Lindsay Blackett admitted that the Stelmach administration will amend the controversial Bill 44, which has a parental opt-out clause that could chill free speech in Alberta’s public schools.

 

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Hospital Overcrowding in Edmonton Leads to Children Treated in Tents

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Kevin Taft asks Health Minister Ron Liepert, “Since when did it become acceptable in Alberta to treat sick and injured children in a tent?”

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Why is a serious swine flu case in Edmonton shrouded in secrecy?

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Dr. David Swann, MD, Leader of the Official Opposition, asks Health Minister Ron Liepert why the case of a young Edmonton girl suffering from a serious case of swine flu has been hidden under a veil of secrecy.

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David Swann Stands Up for Science in Alberta’s Classrooms

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann criticizes the Alberta government’s Bill 44, which if passed will enshrine a parent’s right to pull children from class for religious reasons - a right already covered in the School Act, but which if added to Alberta’s human rights code could lead to widespread abuse, logistical nightmares for teachers, and exposure of teachers to human rights tribunals.

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Ticketmaster gouging: Laurie Blakeman calls for more consumer protection

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal Deputy Leader Laurie Blakeman calls on the Stelmach administration to protect consumers gouged by Ticketmaster.

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Harry Chase blasts government for endangering public education with flawed human rights legislation

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Harry Chase points out that the government’s plan to enshrine parental powers to remove children from classes on religious grounds puts our public school system in peril.

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Dr. David Swann on Swine Flu and Hospital Overcrowding in Alberta

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Dr. David Swann raises the issue of incredible hospital overcrowding in Alberta and how it hampers Alberta’s ability to deal with pandemics. Premier Ed Stelmach responds with some nostalgia about Alberta’s health care in the 1950s.

 

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A Year After Grand Opening, Mazankowski Heart Institute Stands Empty

In this video from Question Period at the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Kevin Taft asks the Alberta government why the highly-touted Mazankowski Heart Institute remains unable to treat patients months after the government declared the facility open for business. Health Minister Ron Liepert attempts to dodge the questions.

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Laurie Blakeman’s Bill 204 will provide a new funding deal for Alberta’s cities

Alberta Liberal Deputy Leader Laurie Blakeman explains the purpose of her Private Member’s Bill, Bill 204, which will provide Alberta’s cities with a steady stream of revenue for operations.

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Tories Hand Out Huge Bonuses While Albertans Struggle to Get By

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Official Opposition Leader David Swann and Alberta Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald grill the government on outrageously high bonuses - tens of millions of dollars - for senior government officials.

 

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Trimming the Trans-Fats Not on Government Agenda

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition and a medical doctor, asks why the government hasn’t implemented the Calgary health region’s innovative ban on trans-fats provincewide instead of letting the idea fade away with the dissolution of Alberta’s separate health regions.

 

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Government Knew Athabasca River was Contaminated with Human Waste, Failed to Properly Inform Public

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition, demands that the government monitor industry compliance with environmental protection laws, and asks why the government failed to properly notify the public that the Athabasca River had been contaminated with human waste.

 

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Hugh MacDonald Stands Up for Landowners Concerned About Bill 19

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald asks the government to refer Bill 19 to committee so that the concerns of affected landowners can be properly addressed. Some landowners fear that Bill 19 will prevent them from developing properties they own without compensation.

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Kevin Taft Helps Albertans Fight for Worker Safety on Farms

Supporting Albertans whose lives have been severely impacted by on-the-job farm accidents, Kevin Taft, Alberta Liberal Shadow Agriculture Minister, calls for implementation of Justice Peter Barley’s recommendations to improve farm worker safety in Alberta, including changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to cover paid employees on farms.

 

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A Victory for Cancer Patients in Alberta

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Dave Taylor asks the government to cover the cost of the cancer drug Avastin for Albertans needing such treatment. Taylor and the Alberta Liberals have been asking for these costs to be covered for several months, and today the Alberta government has indicated that they will cover Avastin starting April 1, 2009.

 

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David Swann: Why is the Government Giving Away Billions to Big Oil?

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition, asks the government to explain why the government feels it is necessary to give away billions in additional royalties to Syncrude and Suncor - revenues that belong to Albertans.

 

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Laurie Blakeman Stands Up for Consumer Protection Against Ticketmaster

In this video from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman asks the government to take action to protect Albertans - ticket buyers, artists and stagehands - from Ticketmaster’s secondary ticket sales scheme, which causes huge price ripoffs on concert tickets and robs arts and culture workers of revenue.

 

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Why Did the Alberta Government Give Away $18 billion to Syncrude?

In this Question Period clip from the Alberta Legislature, Alberta Liberal Shadow Energy Minister Kevin Taft asks the government to justify its transfer of $18 billion in oil and gas royalties from the people of Alberta to Syncrude.

 

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Question Period Video: Dave Taylor Grills Government on Secondary Suites

Concerned by recent incidents in which tenants were trapped (and sometimes killed) in secondary suites during fires, Alberta Liberal MLA Dave Taylor asks the government to review their legislation to see if secondary suites can be made safer. Video from the Alberta Legislature.

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Question Period Video: David Swann Wants a Long-Term Plan for Alberta’s Economic Future

In this video from the Alberta Legislature’s Question Period, Dr. David Swann, Leader of the Official Opposition, calls upon the Alberta government to present a long-term plan to protect Albertans from the boom-and-bust cycle that has caused so much economic strife for Albertans.

 

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Alberta Government Dodges Questions on Mishandled 2008 Provincial Election

Alberta Liberal MLAs Kevin Taft, Kent Hehr and Hugh MacDonald ask tough questions on last year’s mishandled provincial election - questions the government clearly doesn’t want to answer.

Source: Alberta Legislature video feed

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Alberta Seniors Visit Legislature to Stand Up for Health Care

Dr. David Swann Holds Government Accountable on Economy, Health Care

Asking his first questions in the Legislature as Leader of the Official Opposition, Dr. Swann holds the government to account on the economy and health care.

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David Swann Unveils His Shadow Cabinet

Harry Chase Speaks at the Families Who Care Rally

On October, 28, Harry Chase, Alberta Liberal MLA for Calgary-Varsity, spoke out passionately on behalf of Albertans with special needs and the caregivers who work so hard on their behalf, for so little monetary reward.

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