Notley returns to Legislature to blast Premier

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) — After being removed from the Legislative Assembly last week, NDP leader Rachel Notley returned and immediately took aim at Premier Jason Kenney.

Notley was booted from the Assembly on Tuesday during question period about Bill 22, which involved removing the office of the Election Commissioner and merging it with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

READ MORE: ‘I will not apologize’: Notley booted from Legislature amid questions on Bill 22

Speaker Nathan Cooper removed her because she accused Government House Leader Jason Nixon of being “misleading” about the purpose of the bill and his assertions that this does not constitute a cover-up during investigations into the UCP leadership scandal.

Notley was allowed back on Monday after agreeing to withdraw her comment, but then the attacks on Bill 22 — which received royal assent on Friday after only three days of debate — continued.

The NDP leader said there has been a large outcry to she deemed an “attack on democracy.”

“Let’s keep going in terms of what other folks think. Graham Thompson calls is dangerous, Ryan Jesperson calls it disgraceful, Rick Bell says it stinks, Jason Markusoff asks how the expletive does he think he can get away with this, and Charles Adler says, ‘we’ve just witnessed goons laying a beating on democracy and then denying they did it.’ Premier, are all of these people wrong too?”

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Former commissioner Lorne Gibson was part of the investigation into fundraising violations in the 2017 UCP leadership race, and had levied over $200,000 in fines before his position was removed.

Kenney said Notley is the one attacking democracy as she asked Lieutenant Governor Lois Mitchell to step in and not give royal assent to the bill.

The provincial government said this is merely an administrative change that cuts red tape and will save about $200,000 every year.

Elections Alberta released a statement as the bill received royal assent, indicating that any investigations started by the commissioner will continue and a transition period will take place, including hiring a new commissioner.