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At a city corridor occasion for UCP occasion members final month, Premier Danielle Smith described plans to switch a lot of Alberta’s hospital operations away from the province’s well being authority — Alberta Well being Providers — to organizations reminiscent of Covenant Well being. At first look, this may not appear to be a giant deal. However it’s.
Covenant is a faith-based Catholic health-care supplier that doesn’t present sure companies, citing non secular grounds. Abortions, MAID, gender-affirming care and emergency contraception are all off limits. Smith appeared to specific a specific give attention to shifting hospital operations in rural communities. This dangers the creation of huge deserts throughout the province missing entry to those companies.
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Sure, this is authorized in provinces throughout Canada, however the story doesn’t finish right here.
Let’s rewind. In late 2023, Preston Manning led a overview of Alberta’s COVID response. Miffed by vaccine mandates, Manning and his panel really useful reforms to the provincial constitution, the Alberta Invoice of Rights. Final week, a draft of the revised invoice of rights was leaked — apparently.
A web site for anti-abortion activists — LifeSiteNews — says it acquired a leaked draft of the doc from an nameless UCP-connected supply. The draft consists of the next: “All dwelling individuals inside Alberta have the God-given proper to life. A dwelling particular person consists of all individuals in any respect levels of life from conception, gestation within the womb, to delivery and all through their life up till pure demise.”
So what’s on the road right here? Abortion (from conception, gestation within the womb) and assisted dying (up till pure demise) are straight within the crosshairs. So is emergency contraception. If these phrases turn into legislation, Albertans’ freedom to endure IVF would even be threatened.
Because the draft has garnered important consideration, political distancing is in full swing.
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An unnamed UCP MLA instructed LifeSiteNews that they hoped the draft passes into legislation with minimal, if any, modifications. Additionally they expressed fears that the draft will probably be “watered down.”
If we’re to take LifeSite at its phrase, is that this an implicit verification of the doc’s authenticity?
In the meantime, Nationwide Submit correspondent Tyler Dawson obtained this remark from the provincial Justice minister’s workplace: “This doc shouldn’t be a draft of the Alberta Invoice of Rights or an official doc associated to it in any manner.”
Sure, it might sound absurd to suppose Alberta’s authorities would go a invoice like this understanding the implications. Is it any extra absurd than pulling the province out of the Canada Pension Plan? To those that would assert that the Smith authorities would have a authorized battle on its fingers, I’ll direct your consideration to each premier’s greatest buddy, the However Clause.
The draft is on its method to changing into a narrative of nationwide significance, circulating far past what I consider was its supposed viewers. I anticipate we’ll see additional backing away from Smith’s workplace and the UCP within the coming days.
However what concerning the plan to switch hospital operations to a Catholic group? I anticipate they’ll be leaning into that one.
Nick Tsergas is the well being information editor at Canada Healthwatch.
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