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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.