No Edmonton Taxpayer Money For Quebec
Earlier this week, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, announced that he intends to hold meetings to figure out how Edmonton Council can help fight Quebec's Bill 21.
This comes as Calgary Council received enormous criticism for voting to spend Calgarians' hard-earned taxes on helping to fight a provincial court case against the Bill in Quebec.
Seeing Mayor Sohi's comments, we reached out and asked whether he would rule out using taxpayer money or resources in this fight, as is happening in Calgary.
We received no reply.
To be clear, we agree that Quebec’s Bill 21 is a bad bill.
Bill 21 bans public servants such as teachers, judges, and police officers from wearing any religious symbols from any religion while at work.
It's ill-advised, discriminatory and likely even unconstitutional.
But none of that means that it is Edmonton taxpayers' job to fund the court case to find out whether Canada's federal courts agree that the bill is unconstitutional.
Perhaps Mayor Sohi has decided that now he is Mayor, all of Edmonton's problems have been automatically fixed?
Perhaps in his world, snow clearing is perfect, crime is non-existent, transit is operating smoothly, taxes have been slashed to record low levels, and there's literally nothing else that needs to be done with Edmonton taxpayer's money?
In the real world, we know it's the exact opposite.
Edmonton taxpayers are already at breaking point, and the idea that the City would even consider sending even more money to Quebec is unbelievable.
Our new Council was elected to solve problems in Edmonton, like the struggles of businesses ravaged by taxes and COVID restrictions.
If Mayor Sohi and Council want to help fund a court challenge in Quebec, how about they do so with their own money?
Mayor Sohi and his allies on Council earn enough.
If they all chipped in, it would barely cost them a month's salary each.
But no, that's not how they operate.
Why would they ever spend their own money on their political causes when they can spend ours instead?
Please sign our petition to Council making it clear that Council must not use any Edmonton taxpayer money to fund court cases in Quebec and instead focus on getting their own house in order.
Then share the petition with your friends, family, co-workers, and every Edmontonian, so they can make their voices heard too.
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Dan Martin