Opposition leader Rachel Notley is still refusing to apologize for remarks that got her kicked out of the Alberta legislature Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday after addressing a rally of nurses on the legislature’s steps, Notley said she and her NDP colleagues are busy working on “other strategies” to stop the contentious Bill 22.
“Obviously I want to get back fairly soon — I’m the leader of the Official Opposition and I need to be in there,” Notley said.
“But we are really at this point looking at extra-legislative strategies right now to try and stop this bill from passing, which [the UCP government wants] to do on Thursday.
“And as I say, it’s a historic abuse of power and a direct attack on the principles of our democracy, and a direct attack on anybody who would stand up and speak against this government, so we are going to work very hard to see what other things we can do.”
Notley was ordered to leave the legislative assembly Tuesday after she refused to apologize for saying United Conservative Party House leader Jason Nixon was “lying” about a bill to fire election commissioner Lorne Gibson.
Gibson is investigating the 2017 race for the UCP, won by Premier Jason Kenney.
Bill 22 says the person holding the position of election commissioner will be terminated when the bill becomes law, though the chief electoral officer could hire them back.
She said no prime minister or premier has ever interfered with “a quasi-judicial investigation about matters that impact their interests” the way Kenney has with Bill 22.
Notley sent a letter on Tuesday to Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell urging her to take action on the bill Notley called a “misuse of the authority of the legislature” and “a threat to our democratic institutions” — particularly since the government has moved to limit time for debate.
The NDP is also looking at what legal steps can be taken to stop the government from firing Gibson.
Hundreds of nurses rallied at the legislature, voicing opposition to a range of government policies on bargaining rights, wage rollbacks and other issues.