Support for the Marginalized

As one of the six key values upon which it is committed to building a policy framework, the party believes that:
– every Albertan deserves the opportunity to succeed
– the provincial government should aspire to provide excellent and innovative public education, public health care, and infrastructure, as well as a compassionate helping hand in times of need
– this can be accomplished through responsible use of public funds

The party undertakes to:
– defend the rights of all Albertans regardless of race, religious belief, colour, sex, gender identity, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation

Students with Special Needs
The party advocates:
– increasing supports for students with special needs with additional appropriately trained staff and funding
– targeted funding for educational assistants to increase the human supports for students with special needs

Indigenous Peoples
The party advocates:
– implementing recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report that fall within Provincial scope
– encouraging the Federal Government to consider the specific and unique needs of Alberta’s Indigenous people when implementing all federal TRC recommendations
– support for municipal Governments in implementing TRC recommendations
– implementation of social programs to support healing and success for intergenerational residential school survivors, including those that have not yet been identified
– providing education to public servants on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the UNDRIP, Treaties and Indigenous rights, Indigenous law, and Indigenous-Crown relations
– seeking the guidance and participation of Indigenous Albertans in educating the public service, as a pillar of reconciliation and a precursor for action
–  working with the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Métis Settlements General Council to develop legislation that will protect the harvesting rights of the Métis as Indigenous peoples, in alignment with their rights under s. 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– rural communities
– immigration and newcomers

Rural Communities

The party advocates:
– balancing the needs of all Alberta communities and ecosystems
– discouraging urban sprawl, and working with municipalities and communities to protect and preserve prime agricultural land and natural landscapes
– promotion of local food systems, and support for local community processing facilities such as mills, bakeries, canneries, abattoirs, butcher shops, creameries, breweries, and distilleries, as well as natural fibre mills and artisan workshops

Indigenous Peoples
The party advocates:
– acknowledging the genocide of Indigenous peoples of Canada, inclusive of First Nations, Metis and Inuit
– recognizing the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples of Canada, which requires the duty to consult and obtain consent in regard to the consequences of genocide and the healing required
– ensuring that the commitment to the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples will permeate all policy development, lawmaking and day-to-day operations
– ensuring that the provincial government abides by both the letter and the spirit of the constitutional duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples when the Crown’s conduct impacts Indigenous or Treaty rights
– negotiation of revenue sharing agreements and co-management regimes with Indigenous communities affected by resource developments
– enforcing compliance with conditions attached to licenses and permits, issued by government, that allow projects to proceed
– making loans and advances against shared revenue available to Indigenous communities
– mandating that all government properties where provincial or national flags are flown also fly, not in an inferior position, the applicable Treaty flag and/or flag of the local First Nation(s) on whose traditional territory the property is found
– ensuring that local First Nations elders and leaders are properly engaged, with appropriate recognition and compensations (such as, but not limited to, ceremonial tobacco), prior to the first raising of such flags, for the purpose of having appropriate and inclusive ceremonies at the first raisings

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Whereas the Government of Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the party advocates:
– formally acknowledging a provincial obligation to uphold the Declaration
– commissioning a review of existing Alberta laws and policies to identify laws and policies which are non-compliant with the Declaration for the purpose of bringing forward amendments or replacements or revoking such legislation, and ensuring that such a commission is constituted of a majority of Indigenous members

Reconciliation
The party states that:
– whereas reconciliation between Indigenous and other Albertans will require that trust be built between the two groups, and
– whereas building trust with Indigenous people will require that other Albertans and Albertan institutions, including the government of Alberta, will have to show they are sincere about changing their behaviour towards Indigenous people, and
– Indigenous people are less likely than most other Albertans to come forward with evidence of wrong-doing against them, because historically they have not been believed or their evidence has been discounted when they have come forward,

The party advocates:
– formal acknowledgement and acceptance of each of the calls for action of the TRC
– take proactive steps to determine whether systemic abuses against Indigenous people, such as coerced sterilizations (e.g., against Indigenous women in Saskatchewan) or police abuse of power (e.g., against Indigenous women in Quebec), that are documented to have occurred in other provinces have also occurred in our province
– recognition of traditional Indigenous hunting rights, and ensuring that Provincial Laws and Regulations do not supersede those rights

Refugees and newcomers
The party advocates:
– establishing a commission to review the processes whereby foreign-trained and out-of-province professionals are certified to practice in Alberta

Immigration and Newcomers

The party states that it believes that:
– citizenship is a privilege, not a right
– the health, welfare, and happiness of Albertans are of greater importance than external humanitarian efforts
– immigrants should complement the culture, social fabric, and industries of Alberta, allowing immigration to strengthen our nation

The party advocates:
– during the transition period to provincial independence, recognizing no new Albertan residencies
– after separation, granting citizenship in the following cases:
i. All persons holding an Alberta residency and Canadian citizenship at the time of separation will receive their Albertan citizenship
ii. Children born to a parent with a current Alberta residency and Canadian Citizenship during the transition period will automatically receive their citizenship
iii. Children born to two parents with Alberta citizenships will be granted citizenship
iv. Former residents of Alberta holding Canadian citizenships will be granted citizenship after the successful completion of a qualifying examination
v. Canadians will be granted citizenship after the successful completion of a qualifying examination for the first five (5) years after separation
vi. Residents or citizens of regions which have held a successful, verified referendum to have their region amalgamated into Alberta will be granted citizenship, provided that such referenda are properly scrutinized and follow all established procedures; election officers from Alberta verify results; and every resident of the region is informed of the referendum and entitled to vote
– recognition of referenda that fit the following criteria:  Regions need not have a provincial or state status; Residents within the region may refuse Alberta citizenship until amalgamation proceeds; Residents or citizens of regions where an unsuccessful referendum to amalgamate with Alberta has taken place will be granted citizenship after completing a qualifying examination within three (3) years of said referendum;
– immigration applicants who have skills or expertise that is currently unavailable or limited in Alberta will be granted work permits after meeting approval criteria
– residents and non-citizens may only reside in Alberta if they have a valid work permit and shall be deported if it is revoked or allowed to expire
– residents and non-citizens will have their work permit revoked if they are convicted of a crime or misdemeanor
– residents and non-citizens must hold consecutive work permits for a five (5) year period before they are eligible to apply for their citizenship and participate in qualifying examinations
– applicants must reside in Alberta for the first four (4) years of their citizenship, or their citizenship shall be revoked
– Alberta citizens holding foreign citizenships must sign a document renouncing them
– ensuring that illegal aliens who trespass on Albertan soil are deported immediately, irrespective of circumstances. Upon the appeal of a deportation order, the individual will be arrested and held at a secure facility for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days while the appeal is processed. No further appeals will be entertained.
– securing Albertan borders diligently and neither honoring nor respecting “sanctuary city” motions. Individuals complicit in cross border trafficking, trafficking labour, or running fraudulent immigration rackets will be prosecuted criminally
– tourists and visitors will not be eligible to hold work permits under normal circumstances
– performers, athletes, and others with similar event-based careers may be eligible to receive a temporary work permit after prepaying applicable taxes and meeting established criteria
– taking measures to prevent “birth tourism”

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– supporting the marginalized
– Indigenous peoples
– rural communities

The party states that among its core values are commitments to:
– support vulnerable Albertans and encourage entrepreneurs
– prioritize sustainable and preventative healthcare to improve outcomes and drive down long-term costs
– create a tolerant, inclusive and free Alberta
– protect human rights at all costs

Persons with Disabilities
The party states that persons with disabilities must be given the same opportunities to fully participate in society that many of us take for granted

The party advocates:
– creating an Associate Minister of Disability, to be tasked with finding ways to make Alberta more inclusive and more accessible for Albertans with disabilities, and
– commiting more funding to help them accomplish this goal
– implementing policy directives including:
+ assisting persons with disabilities in finding gainful employment through partnership programs
+ hiring more persons with disabilities as Government of Alberta employees
+ expanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (“FASD”) public awareness education and supporting Albertans living with FASD
+ creating Post-Secondary Scholarships for persons with disabilities
– indexing Alberta Income for the Severely Handicapped (“AISH”) to inflation, and increasing the base AISH funding to compensate for inflationary losses Albertans on AISH have suffered since the last AISH increase in 2012
– putting and end to clawbacks on AISH, including exploring options for putting and end to this practice or, if necessary, increasing AISH payments to compensate

Indigenous Peoples
The party states that rconciliation with Indigenous peoples must be a sincere and conscious goal present in all aspects of government and society

To build a relationship of respect with Indigenous peoples, the party advocates:
– directing, in consultation with Indigenous people and organizations, revisions to the curriculum to accurately explain the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the injustices of the residential school system
– funding for Indigenous language school immersion programs so more Indigenous Albertans can retain their language heritage
– funding start-up of new regional Indigenous child protection offices, to be organized by, gifted to and run by First Nations in Alberta, and thereby to ensure Indigenous children are cared for by their own communities and organizations controlled by them, and stay connected to their communities and way of life
– ensuring that the Gladue Principle applies to Provincial offences and violations of the law, thereby requiring the court to take into account circumstances facing Aboriginal peoples, and where the crime is anything other than severe, considering Aboriginal-based sentencing principles such as restorative justice
– studying and implementing solutions to make our justice system fairer, including amending the Jury Act, RSA 2000, c J-3, to make juries more diverse and representative of the community
– adding six new seats to the Alberta Legislature for Indigenous Peoples representation: four for First Nations, and two for Métis Councils
– specifically committing to respect First Nations’ Treaty rights
– negotiating resource-sharing agreements with First Nations in advance of negotiated Treaty land entitlement agreements
– increasing supports for urban Indigenous youth
– implementing mandatory training for all civil/public servants—in consultation with First Nations and Indigenous authorities
– ending the practice of “carding”—police randomly stopping Indigenous people and people of colour and demanding their I.D., without lawful probable grounds to do so

Immigrants and Newcomers
The party states that:
– new Canadians are vital to Alberta, helping unlock the province’s economic potential
– the diversity immigrants create create enriches the multicultural fabric of our nation
– its plan will help new Canadians settle into their life as Albertans while unlocking their economic potential
– Alberta attracts some of the most talented and educated immigrants in the world, but too often these new Canadians are not working in their field of expertise. This wastes their potential and hurts our economy

The party advocates:
– working with professional organizations and immigrant communities to make it easier for new Canadians to upgrade their foreign credentials to Alberta standards
– increasing settlement funding to help new Canadians settle into the province as productive, tax-paying members of the community
– since language is often the most significant barrier for new Canadians, increasing funding for ESL education and establishing a telephone service that allows new Canadians to speak to government agents with the help of a translator

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– rural communities

Immigration and Newcomers
The party states that during its term in office it:
– updated and streamlined the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program to reduce wait times and make it more fair for applicants to apply for permanent residency
– introduced new grants to support immigrant business owners and increased supports for settlement services
– created Sikh Heritage Month, Pakistani Heritage Month, Philippine Heritage Month and Black History Month to honour these important communities
– developed a comprehensive anti-racism strategy and created an anti-racism advisory council to lead this important work
– started a foreign qualification recognition fund, and undertook to work with regulatory bodies to develop new tools that measure skills and experience and not credentials alone, and make sure newcomers know about these changes to help them better prepare for work in Alberta
– changed rules to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program to stop abuse of temporary foreign workers

The party advocates:
– implementation of new employment programs to make sure newer Albertans are able to fully share in our prosperity, including a Newcomer Advocate, expanded bridging programs and a provincial government internship program
– creation of a Ministry of Multiculturalism to educate and promote diversity, inclusion and mutual respect among all Albertans
– working with communities that have experienced hate crimes at their places of worship to increase security and to restore a sense of safety
– pushing the federal government to allow more family reunification entries in Alberta and to create more paths to permanent residency so more newcomers can make their homes here
– modernization of charitable gaming rules to remove unfair barriers for multicultural groups accessing casino and bingo revenue
– increasing the number of language programs in Alberta’s schools so more students can stay connected with their family’s culture and language

Indigenous Peoples
The party states that during its term in office it:
– worked to build bridges, move reconciliation forward, and to make life better for Indigenous peoples in Alberta
– strengthened partnerships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and people. For example, Minister of Indigenous Relations Richard Feehan became the first Minister to visit every First Nation in Alberta
– worked diligently to renew the province’s relationship with Indigenous peoples and to ensure that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is considered in all policy deliberations
– became the first government in Canada to adopt Jordan’s Principle to ensure children at risk on reserve receive the same care and protection as other Albertans
– signed a long-overdue treaty with the Lubicon Cree
– signed protocol agreements with Treaty 8 and the Blackfoot Confederacy, and continued work on a framework agreement with the Métis Nation of Alberta
– invested $120 million in affordable housing for Indigenous peoples
– invested $100 million to improve drinking water in First Nations communities
– apologized for Alberta’s role in residential schools and joined the call for a public inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women
– introduced training for all public service employees on the history and unique needs of Alberta’s Indigenous population
– launched a process to engage with survivors of the Sixties Scoop to develop and craft a meaningful apology, and delivered that apology in the Alberta Legislature with a promise to continue working to make amends to the victims and heal the wounds of the past
– funded a job training program for Indigenous women to build skills as heavy equipment operators
– signed an agreement with the four Maskwacîs Cree Nations to outline the role of the government in providing education to the community
– created the first Indigenous Languages in Education grant in Canada, funding programs that assist and promote Indigenous Language Education in schools
– acted to ensure that all students in Alberta are taught about the legacy of residential schools in a way that reflects and respects the voices of survivors
– mandated that Indigenous partners be a part of our renewable energy plan. 25% of new capacity being brought onstream have Indigenous equity

The party advocates:
– continuing o build a relationship of trust, respect and mutual benefit with Indigenous peoples, knowing that it takes time to do so
– entering into negotiations with First Nation and Métis peoples to explore a renewed fiscal relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Government of Alberta
– working with Indigenous groups that are seeking to purchase equity partnerships in pipeline projects by linking them with investors
– accelerating the schedule to extend drinking water infrastructure to reserves
– increasing financial support to Native Friendship Centres to support lndigenous Albertans living off-reserve
– continuing to prioritize building of Indigenous affordable housing to make sure more Indigenous Albertans have access to safe, quality housing

Rural Communities
The party states that:
– it knows that strong rural communities and a strong rural economy make for a strong province
– it is committed to ensuring that the province’s rural communities have the tools they need to keep contributing to the well-being and prosperity of Alberta

and that during its term in office it:
– put jobs and economic diversification first, while investing in the services and supports to help smaller communities remain strong and vibrnant
– provided historic investments in infrastructure to give communities across Alberta needed resources for growth and job creation
– built dozens of new schools in smaller communities across the province
– invested in key emergency and health facilities including continuing care in Fort McMurray, a new Emergency Services Centre in Kananaskis, urgent care for Sylvan Lake, expanded urgent care for Airdrie and Medicine Hat’s regional hospital
– invested $10 million in additional funding to combat rural crime by hiring 39 more police officers, 40 more civilian staff, and 10 additional Crown prosecutors, leading to an 11 per cent decrease in rural property crime
– stepped in to ensure continued bus services for communities affected by Greyhound’s closure
– updated the Municipal Government Act to ensure Albertans have access to safe and affordable housing by giving municipalities the option to reserve a portion of a new development for affordable housing
– empowered municipalities to charge off-site levies on developers to build firehalls, rec centres, police stations, and libraries
– provided dialysis services in Lac La Biche and High Prairie
– invested $22 million in local flood and drought resilience programs and equipment
– improved 911 standards to deliver consistent services in all communities across the province
– made Red Deer College and Grande Prairie College degree granting universities, so rural residents can get a degree close to home
– launched a new program within the Alberta Jobs Plan to promote long-term economic growth and prosperity in Alberta’s communities and regions
– continued building the new Fort Saskatchewan bridge and twinning Highway 15, and undertook to will twin Highway 60 in Acheson and build an overpass to ease traffic congestion at a rail crossing

The party advocates:
– negotiating a long-term stable funding agreement with Alberta’s small and medium-sized municipalities on par with those negotiated with the big cities
– implementing a 10-year strategy to get high speed internet to every Albertan, partnering with municipalities and industry to facilitate the construction or upgrading of broadband infrastructure across rural communities
– creating Hometown Alberta, a program to help smaller communities renovate their aging hockey arenas, swimming pools and recreation centres
– providing financial support for rural crime watch organizations so they can be more effective in keeping their communities safe and to create an advisory system to share information within communities
– enhancing coordination between the RCMP and provincial enforcement officers to make better use of their presence in communities to maximize rural household protection strategies

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– supporting the marginalized
– Indigenous peoples
– rural communities
– immigration and newcomers

The party states that:
– a full life includes work that provides not only a living, but dignity. Therefore its first priority is to boost the economy and bring quality jobs back to Alberta
– however, “the good life” includes much more than material well-being
– while government can’t guarantee a good life, it has a central role in establishing many of the conditions for it like health, safety, education, and support for the vulnerable

To make life better for Albertans, the party advocates:
– creating an Inclusive Disability Agenda to support Albertans with disabilities to live full lives with dignity and equal opportunities
– partnering with Alberta’s Indigenous Peoples to secure adequate supports and pursue opportunity

Protecting Vulnerable Albertans
The party states that a core government responsibility is to protect the vulnerable, including:
– victims of human trafficking: Statistics Canada reports that between 2009 and 2016, there were 1,099 police-reported incidents which involved a human trafficking offence, the rate of human trafficking incidents has risen steadily since 2010, and that 95% of human trafficking victims were women, with 70% of these women under the age of 25
– children:  in 2018, in one investigation alone, a sub-agency under the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) which investigates the sexual exploitation of children through the internet, laid charges in 56 child pornography cases against 16 men in Calgary, Red Deer, Airdrie, and Strathmore
– women: an ALERT sub-agency recently conducted 222 threat and risk assessments based on referrals from school boards, universities, police, and government agencies

Human Trafficking
The party advocates launching a nine-point Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, including:
– adoption by the Legislature of the 2002 Protocol to Prevent Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons (the Palermo Protocol) definition of human trafficking, followed by an effort to have other provinces and the federal government adopt the same standard definition to create a common understanding across Canada of what constitutes human trafficking
– creation of a provincial Human Trafficking Task Force that will bring together representatives of relevant ministries, agencies, police forces, and community groups to share information and coordinate action on an ongoing basis
– increasing efforts to educate the public, particularly vulnerable groups, about the reality of human trafficking, and to report tips to a new National Human Trafficking Hotline
– ensuring appropriate training for judges, prosecutors, and first responders including police officers, nurses, and doctors, to enhance detection of human trafficking and the prosecution of human traffickers, as well as improving support for victims
– ensuring that the Department of Labour provides information to Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta about their rights under Canadian law, assuring them that if they report an instance of human trafficking, they will not be subject to removal for the duration of their work permit
– working with community groups, other provinces, and the federalgovernment to collect and share better data on human trafficking, and to ensure coordinated action as part of the National Action Plan To Combat Human Trafficking
– beginning the naming and shaming of traffickers by publishing the names of businesses that have been found to have knowingly facilitated human trafficking
– lobbying the federal government to strengthen penalties against human traffickers by bringing into force Bill C-452, which amends the Criminal Code to impose consecutive sentences for trafficking in persons, and creates a presumption regarding the exploitation of one person by another (it also adds human trafficking to the list of offences to which the forfeiture of proceeds of crime applies)

Women and Children
– passing the Saving the Girl Next Door Act modelled on Ontario legislation introduced by Hon Laurie Scott, MPP, to: establish a process for victims (or potential victims) to obtain restraining orders against their traffickers; establish a tort of ‘human trafficking’ so that victims may bring a civil action against traffickers who are or have preyed on them, and sue for damages; proclaim February 22 annually to be Human Trafficking Awareness Day, as part of a broader effort to raise awareness about the scourge of modern day slavery
– passing an Alberta version of ‘Clare’s Law’ to ensure that in defined circumstances people at risk of domestic violence may have fuller awareness of an intimate partner’s previous history of domestic violence or violent acts
– investing $2 million in expanding the use of specialised electronic monitoring technology to more fully prevent those serving sentences in the community from having contact with those they were convicted of victimising
– commiting $5 million in new funding to combat sexual assault and provide services to survivors of sexual violence.  $3.5 million will be new funding directed to sexual assault service centres that  provide counseling, support, and advocacy.  $1.5 million will be directed to maintaining a 24 hour crisis line monitored by a sexual assault nurse examiner and to ensuring that all police stations have sexual assault evidence kits
– providing an overall funding increase of 69% ($50 million over four years) to the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), who deal with children’s exploitation, domestic violence, stalking, and gang issues, specifically to: double the funding for the Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit; double the funding over four years to the Integrated Threat and Risk Assessment (I-TRAC) unit that helps combat domestic violence and stalking; work with ALERT to create a charitable foundation (akin to the Calgary and Edmonton Police foundations) which can then attract additional funds from the public; ensure mandatory anti-harassment training for members of the Alberta public service, agencies, boards, commissions, and Legislature

Hate Crimes
The party advocates:
– establish a Security Infrastructure Program, which will be modelled after a similar program Jason Kenney helped establish at the federal level
– making religious and ethno-cultural groups at risk of being victimized by hate-motivated crime will be eligible for matching grants of up to $100,000 for the purchase of: alarm systems; fences; gates; lighting; security film for windows; closed-circuit television systems; exterior cameras; anti-graffiti sealant; motion detectors
– increased funding specialized law agencies that combat gang activity

Support for the Disabled
The party states that:
– roughly 400,000 Albertans report having a disability
– persons with disabilities tend to have much lower incomes, higher unemployment rates, and lower labour participation rates
– of the 11,000 Albertans available for employment supports through the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) Program, 84% are unemployed

The party advocates:
– updating the 2004 Standards for Special Education to reflect new technologies and practices, to ensure accountability for quality inclusive education, and to protect a vision of parental choice
– restoration of the Wellness Resiliency and Partnerships program (ended by a previous government) to support children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in schools with funding of $1 million/year
– expanding the successful Family Managed Supports (FMS) model by establishing four new family governed resource centres to serve St. Paul, Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, and Edmonton families at $1.5 million/year
– working with First Nations, other Indigenous communities, and the disability community to increase access to supports for Indigenous families who have children with disabilities, partnering with First Nations and the Government of Canada to extend Alberta’s PDD supports to adults with developmental disabilities on reserves using, federal dollars as has been done for children’s FSCD supports
– working with the disability community to develop an approach to personal and individualized disability-related supports by restoring the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program to its pre-2009 eligibility criteria or by eliminating the existing division of age and access by incorporating PDD, the Brain Injury Initiative, FASD Networks funding and Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) into comprehensive programming that is family and individual-centered
– making the Government of Alberta a leader in hiring Albertans with disabilities
– building on successful partnerships like Abilities at Work and the Rotary Employment Partnerships by providing $5 million/year for new partnerships to create job opportunities for persons with disabilities
– porviding $2 million for planned growth of the number of students with developmental disabilities supported to study in inclusive post-secondary education at Alberta universities, colleges, and technical institutes
– convening a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Action Group with members from the financial services industry, government, and the disability community, and allocating $500,000 annually to help Albertans open RDSPs and access the thousands of dollars in federal government grants and bonds available to them
– supporting Albertans with disabilities to stay in their homes by reducing wait times and expanding access for Self-Managed Care and increasing funds available under the Residential Access Modification Program

Immigration & newcomers
The party states that:
– Alberta has always been a magnet for immigration, and all Albertans benefit from the entrepreneurial drive and skills that newcomers bring
– however, too many immigrants arrive with the great hopes and skills that Canada needs, only to become trapped in survival jobs because it can take years for Canadian businesses and professional licensing bodies to recognize the credentials new Canadians have earned elsewhere
– new Albertans must often navigate these challenges while at the same time working to put food on table. This “doctors-driving-taxis” syndrome is an enormous waste of potential
– according to the Conference Board of Canada, some 524,000 new Canadians would earn as much as $12.7 billion more, and pay more taxes, if their learning credentials were fully recognized

The party advocates:
– imediately launching consultations to seek input from immigrants, employers, settlement organizations, municipalities, policy experts, and study best practices in other provinces, with the goal of ending large backlogs, speeding up processing times, proactively attracting talented newcomers from overseas, and welcoming job-creating entrepreneurs
– creating a Rural Entrepreneur Immigration Program to invite entrepreneurs to start new businesses in smaller Alberta communities
– creating a Rural Renewal Immigration Program to prioritize AINP applications from foreign nationals who are committed to living and working in smaller communities throughout Alberta
– creating an International Student Entrepreneur Program to encourage foreign student graduates of Alberta post-secondary institutions to start a business and stay in Alberta permanently. Data shows that young foreign student grads with Canadian degrees and strong English language skills become major contributors to the economy
– creating a Foreign Graduate Startup Visa Program to target brilliant foreign grads of top universities in the United States who want to launch a start-up enterprise in North America but cannot get immigration status in the USA.  There are hundreds of thousands of such graduates. The majority are experts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many have well developed start-up business concepts, plus venture capital lined up. This program would be modelled in part on Chile’s highly successful Startup Visa, providing qualified applicants with an immediate work permit, followed by permanent residency if they demonstrate a commitment to operating their business in Alberta

To remove unfair barriers to the full economic inclusion of new Albertans, while maintaining the province’s high professional, the party advocates:
– introducing a Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act to help ensure that regulated professions and individuals applying are governed by registration practices that are transparent, objective, impartial, and fair
– creating a Fairness for Newcomers Office with a $2.5 million budget, and oversight from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, work with trade and professional licensing bodies to streamline, simplify, and accelerate foreign credential recognition with a goal of giving applicants for licensure a clear answer within six months or less of their application, including to:
+ publicly identify and hold accountable those regulatory bodies that have unreasonable barriers to credential recognition
+ organize a Premier’s Summit on Fairness for Newcomers
+ put foreign credential recognition on the agenda of the First Ministers Meeting to push for faster action on the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which is an effort to get regulatory bodies across Canada to harmonize their credentialing procedures
+ create an Alberta Government Mentorship for Newcomers Program to match immigrant professionals with mentors in the public service who can help to guide them through the process of credential recognition and finding employment at their skill level
+ support and expand the work of the International Qualifications Assessment Service that assesses foreign degrees against the Canadian post-secondary standard
+ work with non-profit groups like Windmill Microlending (formerly the Alberta Immigrant Access Fund) to expand access to low-interest loans to immigrant professionals who need bridge financing to upgrade their skills and pay for certification exams
+ support the work of immigrant settlement agencies to offer skills upgrading to underemployed foreign professionals
+ work with the federal government to offer pre-arrival orientation to foreign nationals selected for permanent residency in Alberta to encourage them to apply for credential recognition and educational assessments before they arrive in Canada

Indigenous Relations
The party states that:
– Indigenous peoples in Alberta deserve a government that will be a true partner in helping them address economic and social issues
– A previous government actively opposed the Northern Gateway pipeline, although it was supported by 30 of 42 First Nations along the route, including Alberta First Nations
– Indigenous groups were ignored Indigenous on the creation of Bighorn park, rather than included as genuine partners

The party advocates:
– support for legal action for pro-resource groups in Indigenous communities with a $10 million fund
– including Alberta’s Indigenous communities in developing a strategy to help energy projects and Indigenous communities both succeed and prosper
– advocating for a federal Aboriginal consultation process that provides clear timelines and legal certainty for project proponents, consistent with the federal government’s constitutional obligations
– adding economic development rights to the preamble of the Alberta Aboriginal Consultation policy to explicitly consider support from Indigenous communities for projects that affect them
– working with the federal government to streamline how Indigenous people access key services such as education and health care, including ensuring Indigenous students have access to a provincial education system (paid for with federal dollars) that enables students to succeed
– replication of the successful education partnership in the agreement between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Saskatoon Public Schools signed in 2014, following which the percentage of Whitecap students in grades 1-4 reading at or above grade level rose to 76% from 40%
– facilitating First Nations financial participation in major resource projects
– partnering with Alberta’s Indigenous peoples in pursuit of reconciliation, inclusion, and opportunity