Jeff Burgar
It’s said if you want to get something politically done in Canada, form a Royal Commission.
Five years later, if lucky, we might get a wishy-washy solution to a problem that, just by the nature of politics, is long forgotten.
A long awaited “solution,” when it finally arrives, usually satisfies only a few interest groups. Costs barrels of money. And pretty well guarantees some interested parties well-paying jobs for life in their future doings. Even “commissioners” are set for future earnings from all directions. This adds to the experiences and qualifications that got them on the “commission” to start with. Such is life in Canada.
There is more to this “commission” thing. There are also public inquiries. Tribunals. Fact-finding “missions.” And let’s not forget task forces. All of which are too numerous to have all listed anyplace. Our favourite is the Alberta Starke Report. This report was initiated by then premier Jim Prentice in 2015. The review, across Alberta, was never completely finished. That was because the first phases produced such overwhelming evidence of what Albertans wanted and needed, no further time or money needed to be spent.
In a nutshell, the major finding was Albertans wanted to bring back local input and decision making. No more “super board.” Bring back the local Health Units. So even though the Starke Report basically was “disappeared” by subsequent governments, much of that thinking is today coming into play as Danielle Smith and the UCP is well into dismantling Alberta Health Services and rebuilding the system.
Gosh. Only perhaps, 7 or 8 years later after the report. Only 7 or 8 years after our government of this day “discovered” Albertans were, not just upset with health issuses. Not just really upset. But really, really! Upset. As said above, the Starke investigation found out the overwhelming issue with Albertans was no local input. And now, 7 or 8 years later, effort is being made to bring that back.
So, do we need some such ‘investigation,’ inquiry or commission to find out what issue concerns most Albertans, and indeed, most Canadians, these days?
Ordinary polls run almost weekly already do not give us the answer. Cost of living. Donald Trump. Healtcare. Jobs. All add up to 80% of concerns. Climate and immigration not even on the list according to one researcher. In what has to be the most boon-doggled research in this poll, the topic of public safety came in at 3 per cent!
Our read here, in rural Alberta, the top of mind if not THE top issue, is crime and justice. Too many bad guys doing bad things. Sadly and often accidentally, too many decent people slipping and doing bad things. But way too many really bad deeds by really bad people not getting the punishment deserved. Way too much attention given to making sure ‘rights’ of criminals are taken care of. Far too little attention given to what victims of all colour and stripe suffer through, sometimes for a lifetime.
Just like health care was ‘back burnered’ for far too long – justice is a clicking time bomb.