November 5th, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To all Albertans,

“Why have MP’s allowed their power to be siphoned away as they have? Why don’t they shrug off the
shackles of the leadership? … They’re scared. They’re scared of the leader, scared of caucus officers.
They are scared, they are just bullied.” – Conservative MP Inky Mark, in “Tragedy in the Commons”

Beginning last week Monday Oct 29th, and continuing until a resolution has been presented, I will be
refusing to sit in the legislature in protest of a culture of fear and intimidation that leads to MLA’s being
unable to properly represent their constituents in the legislature. I have felt bullied by the NDP
leadership for over 3 and a half years and it must stop.

Under Rachel Notley’s leadership, every power that MLA’s are supposed to have to be able to represent
their constituents in the legislature has been taken away or denied from the start. MLA’s must vote at
the direction of the leader at all times. Questions from private members are written by ministries and
given to them to ask. If a member’s statement is deemed to be “inappropriate” then that MLA will lose
the privilege to make a statement. Decisions about who speaks in the house and to what bill are all
made ahead of time by party leadership. Statements and questions at committee are all highly scripted
and agreed upon ahead of time. If MLA’s should choose to go against any of these directives, there is a
fear that they will lose privileges, such as their seat on a committee or opportunity to speak in the
house. There is also a fear that they will be isolated, and that their political career will be finished, that
their nomination papers will not be signed and opportunities never given.

This has the effect that there are only ever two voices heard in the legislature- that of the approved
official NDP message, and that of the official approved UCP message. It leads to hyper partisan rhetoric,
and to no actual debate on bills. Everything that happens in the house is predetermined, rendering
everything that happens there to nothing more than a vehicle for scoring partisan points. It makes a
mockery of the proceedings. This is a mockery of representation and a tragedy of democracy. Regularly
when Ministers and MLA’s come into the house to vote they will say “what are we voting for? Are we
for or against this?” They have no idea what we’ve been talking about in the house- all they need to
know is what they are being told to do.

Too often I hear from constituents that all politicians are the same, that they don’t listen, and that
they’re all corrupt- that voting won’t make any difference. I believe that an MLA’s role is to refute this
opinion, to be the voice for their constituents, to represent the people of Alberta to the best of their
ability. However, because of the toxic culture that exists, I don’t believe that the citizens of Alberta are
being represented properly. When I have attempted to bring this up with caucus officers, with the
Premier’s Chiefs of Staff, and with the Premier herself, these concerns have been dismissed as not being
a priority. I have had member’s statements taken away, and private members bills edited till they
weren’t what I intended. I have had to fight for months for the ability to ask my own question in QP,
and have been questionably removed from a committee. I have been told by a Cabinet Minister that my
career was sidelined for not jumping when a chief of staff told me to and that the interaction was used
as an example of what not to do as an MLA.
I have several suggestions that I hope the Premier will consider in the legislature and start the
conversation as an important public discussion and until she does I will be protesting. I cannot for my
own health continue to be intimidated. I am passionate about having the people of Alberta be properly
represented, and empowering those meant to represent them to their utmost capabilities.

I also know that this is a conversation that needs to be had publicly, with all Albertans.

Sincerely,

Robyn Luff,
MLA- Calgary East