EDMONTON—A veteran Alberta MLA says it is essential that the province creates its own written constitution to send a clear message to Ottawa about the need to preserve the province’s freedom and prosperity.
Drew Barnes, the MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, has served as an Independent member of Alberta’s Legislature for nearly two years, after being kicked out of the United Conservative Party in May 2021 for criticizing former Premier Jason Kenney’s COVID-19 lockdowns and pandemic management.
Barnes was first elected in 2012, under the banner of the Wildrose Party, and has been reelected twice, in 2015 and 2019.
In his view, Alberta’s constitution should serve four primary purposes.
First priority, he said, is to limit the size of “constantly growing progressive governments,” which he says at both provincial and federal levels have significantly increased spending.
“Look at how inflationary all this extra government fiscal stimulus is. Look at the higher taxes,” he said in an interview.
Barnes said the proposed constitution would force the province to increase spending only based on population growth and inflation, and in an emergency, a two-thirds majority free vote in the legislature would give elected representatives true democratic power to decide if a different measure is needed.
“Just think of the transparency for Albertans,” he said.
He said the second reason for a written constitution is to have “meaningful citizen initiatives” and democratic reform. He used the example of Switzerland, where he said 50,000 people can sign a petition to have a law written or repealed, keeping government small and accountable.
As part of that, he said the province should also look at term-limits and recall of elected politicians.
Barnes said the third reason for a constitution is to establish the province’s cultural values.
“Albertans believe in family values, community values, in taking risks, hard work, our oil and gas industry, agriculture, forestry, and a smaller government,” he said. “So people can come to this province and be rewarded.”
Lastly, Barnes believes a constitution will improve and define the province’s relationship with Ottawa. He said the vast majority of Albertans he has talked to “want to push for a fairer deal. Whether that’s equity representation in the Supreme Court, the House of Commons, or the Senate, or whether that’s the end of equalization. It might be the 20 percent who just want independence,” he said.
Either way, Barnes believes a provincial constitution “would put Ottawa on notice” that Alberta is expecting “to be the freest, most prosperous place, that we are happy to be a willing partner in Confederation as long as we are treated fairly.”
Barnes added he is sure that Albertans have other ideas besides those four main points that could be added for a roadmap to bring more prosperity for the province.
“I would envision a constitution as an exercise to engage all Albertans,” he said.
He proposed that with 87 constituencies in Alberta, each one could vote and appoint one or two representatives to be on a constitution-writing committee over a six or nine-month period.
“Albertans are looking for less government, they’re looking for lower inflation and less government spending,” he said.
“There’s a conservative hunger in Alberta,” he said.
