Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley says she will ensure all children, teachers and school staff have access to properly ventilated classrooms.
“Like most kids, my daughter tends to catch whatever is going around in her school,” Ganley said. “She needs to be in school, so do her peers and so do the teachers and staff.
“With the pandemic and the devastating wildfires we’ve seen in recent years, we know that so many factors can impact children's health and wellbeing. Protecting and enhancing ventilation in schools is a step the provincial government can take to ensure they are able to focus on learning and growing. This is important for their individual futures and the collective future of our economy.”
The first official Alberta NDP leadership debate exposed a major difference between frontrunners Kathleen Ganley and Naheed Nenshi, with the former continuing to lay out clear policy positions and initiatives she supports and would implement.
“I know right now that most people can’t afford their rent or their mortgage. I know that kids don’t think they’re going to be able to afford a home when they grow up — and I know that right now. I can take a policy (stance) on it right now,” Ganley said in an interview following the debate.
Naheed Nenshi disagreed with releasing detailed policies.
"With me as your leader, we will fight for every inch, every single day. Because our children are counting on us, and there is nothing more tenacious than a mother fighting for her kid.”
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is committing to restoring Legal Aid funding as part of her plan to support people.
Ganley said she would uphold the conditions of the governance agreement she signed with Legal Aid Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta while serving as the Minister of Justice in Rachel Notley’s government. The agreement provided $70 million over four years to ensure that every Albertan has meaningful access to justice, fair representation and protection of law. The deal would have ensured that this critical service remains viable and strong for years to come.
“The deal we signed reversed decades of Conservative under-funding and made the system fairer and more efficient,” Ganley said. “Legal AId serves tens of thousands of Albertans every year."
“We know people are struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on the table and that makes Legal Aid even more important.”
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley announced she will restore the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) to give Alberta students entering the workforce a leg up.
“We need to build an economy that works for everyone,” said Ganley. “That starts with ensuring that students have every opportunity to get ahead with real work experience and a chance to develop critical skills for our economic future. Restoring the STEP Program after the UCP senselessly cut it is one step we can take.”
In 2019, the UCP government suddenly eliminated the Summer Temporary Employment Program, describing it as “free money” for employers. Prior to its termination, it employed 3,000 students with a budget of $10 million.