Bill passed to give Alberta's cabinet ministers permanent 'honourable' designation
The Alberta government has passed a new bill that will add a permanent "honourable" title to all former, current and future cabinet ministers' names.
In February, Premier Jason Kenney introduced Bill 1, also known as the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Recognition Act. That bill, which received royal assent in the legislature this week, was put in place to recognize the Queen's 70 years on the throne.
According to the premier, it seeks to recognize the contributions of Alberta's young people through special awards, scholarships and a special Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
It also adds in a new title and initials to anyone who has served or who will serve on the Executive Council of Alberta, commonly known as the provincial cabinet.
All cabinet ministers, the bill says, "may use the honorific 'The Honourable' before the member’s name and the initials 'E.C.A.' after the member’s name," even after they're done their term.
Provincial cabinet ministers previously lost their "honourable" title after leaving office.
The bill says it "is but a small gesture of recognition for the role they have played in shaping Alberta, no matter which party they have served under. It comes with no financial benefit or authority; it is simply an honour of recognition. However, it does align with the spirit of celebrating public service."
One NDP MLA took exception to the bill during a debate in the legislature last week.
"It really sounds like the government caucus is more interested in sort of pumping their own tires and giving themselves pats on the back, which is not really the mood of a lot of Albertans right now," Edmonton-Whitemud NDP MLA Rakhi Pancholi said.
"I certainly don’t hear my constituents saying, 'I really hope that the current members of this cabinet get to call themselves honorary for forever going forward.' That’s certainly not something that anybody has raised to me as their top priority."
UCPer Jason Nixon denies the move was motivated by vanity.
"This is a recognition of those who have served not just currently, but throughout the 100-and-some-year history of our legislature," he told CTV News. "We wanted to use that legislation to recognize lots of Albertans from all walks of life, and one of them was to recognize Albertans who have taken the time and dedicated certain portions of their lives to serve."
NDP MLA Christina Gray argues there are better ways to spend legislative time.
"It's a vanity title project that Albertans didn't ask for," she said Thursday. "And I can only assume that was motivated by current UCP cabinet ministers wanting to hang on to a fancy title."
Nixon points out the bill "did not take up a significant amount of legislative time."
Nova Scotia passed similar legislation in 2009 and Saskatchewan followed suit a decade later.
Previously, the permanent "honourable" title had been reserved for the premier, some judges, senators and members of the House of Commons who also belonged to the Canadian Privy Council.
Federally, the title "the Right Honourable" applies for life to the governor general, prime minister and chief justice of Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.