REALITY CHECK: Wildrose "Dragons Den" Budget Proposal Plays Games with Alberta's future

Reality Check: Wildrose "Dragons Den" Budget Proposal Plays Games with Alberta's future

EDMONTON – Today the Wildrose proposed what their Finance Critic calls a “fiscal Dragon’s Den” – a commission that would conduct hearings on which services should be cut.

“They paint a grim picture – teachers testifying against nurses, homeless shelters versus women’s shelters – reckless cuts, decided by an unelected panel that wouldn’t be accountable to anyone,” said NDP MLA Graham Sucha (Calgary-Shaw). “They say this will take the politics out of government. Sounds to me like they want to take the democracy out of government.”

The Wildrose plan is to outsource difficult decisions to unelected, unaccountable individuals, leaving voters with little representation and giving them a convenient scapegoat on which to blame unpopular decisions.

“Ultimately, the Wildrose knows that massive cuts to healthcare and education are unpopular – which is why they want to outsource this work to a Reality TV show-inspired ‘commission of cuts’,” said Sucha. “They want desperately to cut services and fire teachers and nurses, but they don’t want to stand behind those decisions.”

-30-

Media Inquires

Kimberly Van Nieuvenhuyse

Communications Officer, Alberta’s New Democrat Caucus

780-644-1378