Critics say Smith is bullying businesses over COVID-19 policies
Premier Danielle Smith says she is glad to see many employers and businesses changing their protocols on vaccination, but critics suggest these changes are being made because of "harassment and threats."
Following her speech ahead of the resumption of the Alberta legislature, Smith said she's seen a lot of businesses rescind their vaccine mandates as the situation involving COVID-19 has changed.
She called those individuals and organizations "who are not discriminating" against Albertans "responsible."
"My sense of where we're at right now in Alberta is that most employers have made the responsible decision to not discriminate against their workers," she said Monday.
Smith added that if any business is still maintaining a strict vaccination policy, she wants to know.
One such organization Smith mentioned was the Arctic Winter Games, an athletic competition that's scheduled in Fort McMurray next year.
She says representatives came to the government, hat in hand, but were still "discriminating against the athletes."
"(They were) telling them they had to be vaccinated. So we asked them if they would reconsider their vaccination policy in light of new evidence and they did.
"And I was pleased to see that."
Officials with The Arctic Winter Games International Committee (AWGIC) amended their vaccination policy on Nov. 18, allowing all participating athletes, coaches, managers, mission staff and others to attend without being vaccinated.
"The AWGIC recognizes that public health circumstances have evolved and that COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses are still impacting the public and that all persons need to remain vigilant to limit possible spread," the organization wrote in a statement.
"The AWGIC is working closely with the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games Host Society to encourage the adoption of the recommended health measures at the time of these Games including masking, hand sanitization and other actions."
Pediatric doses of Moderna's Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine are seen a clinic in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
'SERIOUS DAMAGE'
News of Smith taking steps against Alberta businesses who maintain vaccination policies came as a shock to Alberta's Official Opposition.
The Alberta NDP's justice critic Irfan Sabir called the comments "deeply troubling."
"In other words, Alberta is calling – to intimidate you," he said in a statement.
"Smith's behaviour will do serious damage to our reputation. It will drive away investment, destroy jobs and stifle opportunities for Albertans."
Sabir said the premier should instead do more to encourage businesses to choose Alberta instead of bullying them.
SMITH WILL DIRECT MINISTERS TO GET INVOLVED
On top of the example of the Arctic Winter Games, Smith said she'd "heard" of discrimination against hairdressers employed at an Alberta film set.
"I've asked my minister to give them a phone call," she said. "Those are the kinds of things that we'll do to remind people in this province that we do not discriminate against people, for any reason, and that now that we know a lot more about this virus that we would like them to address their policies and bring them us to speed."
When CTV News reached out to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a representative said they had no comment on Smith's statements at this time.
However, IATSE did say a delegation will be in Edmonton for the throne speech on Tuesday. It hopes to speak with Smith and Labour Minister Brian Jean about the issue at their earliest convenience.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.