Two
women Communist candidates are on the ballot for Alberta’s
March 3 election.
In Edmonton Mill Creek, Naomi
Rankin is on the ballot. A computer programmer who has lived
in Edmonton for many years, Naomi has been a political activist
in peace, women’s and social justice groups since the age
of 15.
Bonnie Collins is the Communist
candidate in Calgary East, where she has lived for nine years
with her spouse and their four children. Bonnie is a telecommunications
worker and is Vice President of her union local as well as an
anti‑racist activist.
Alberta workers
are under attack, warns the Communist campaign message, which
goes on to say:
“Alberta’s economy
is distorted by rapid and uncontrolled growth with record profits
for financial speculators, oil profiteers and resource monopolies.
We are told there’s an abundance of jobs and a shortage
of labour. We are told that our quality of life depends on the
success of oil companies. We are told that Alberta is a land
of plenty.
“What is the situation
for workers? Longer hours, worsening working conditions, larger
debts, higher rents, under‑funded health care, increasing
tuition, over‑crowded classrooms, not enough schools and
lack of affordable childcare. Low paid workers working two, three
and four jobs. Students who should be studying are working more
hours to pay for education. Children are entering the workforce
in greater numbers to help with family living costs. All this
while big oil companies continue to post record profits!
“And what is Premier
Stelmach’s response? More of the same `lease, dig and dump’.
“Don’t touch the
brake,” has been dressed up in a new suit ‑ `sustainable
growth’ for the big engineering, construction and oil companies.
While the most vulnerable workers labour without
union protection, oil executives
and speculators sell our resources to the highest bidder. Instead
of talking with workers, Stelmach is sent by Harper to Washington
DC to assure Big Oil that their profits are safe with the Conservatives.”
The Communist campaign calls
for alternative policies to replace the corporate agenda with
a people’s agenda, using the tremendous wealth created
by Alberta workers for the workers’ own needs.
Policies in the Communist
platform include:
- Reduce the cost of shelter.
Fund CMHC insurance costs for first time home buyers; impose
rent controls; build 25,000 provincially subsidized houses;
halt condominium speculation; review all condominium
fees; reduce utility costs.
- Provide quality healthcare.
End health care premiums; end all user fees; fund dental care,
prescriptions, eye care and home care; increase staffing, reduce
wait times.
- Create free childcare
programs. Fully funded childcare and before ‑ and after-school,
care programs, a nurse in every school.
- Fund all public education.
No parent fees for school trips, school supplies, sports, cultural
programs or text books; more teachers
and special needs professionals; reduced hours for teachers;
more apprenticeship training; no post secondary school fees;
free public transportation to and from schools; free lunch
programs in all public schools.
- Repeal barriers to unionization.
- Raise minimum wage to $15
an hour.
- Implement a 32 hour work
week with no loss in take home pay.
- Provide full rights for
foreign workers to unite, not divide workers.
- Enforce strict environmental
controls.
- Enact a major program
of publicly funded research into alternate energy and non‑polluting
oil sands extraction, with public ownership of patents.
- Acquire public ownership
in energy corporations.
- Increase energy royalties
immediate to at least average world rates.
- Diversify sales of energy
resources to domestic and foreign customers pledged to peaceful
use.
- Use a portion of oil revenues
to diversify the economy, end dependence on energy extraction.
- Research and development
in post‑carbon technologies.
- Labour rights are human
rights!
- Human rights protection
on sexual orientation written (not read) into Code.
- First Nations community
rights to self-government, environmental protection, and economic
development.
- Proportional representation:
make every vote count.
- Public funding of all parties.
For more information on the
Communist Party-Alberta campaign, visit the website www.communistparty-alberta.ca.
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