Getson: When You’re Walking Through Hell, Keep Going, don’t stop to fight with each other

There is no way that I would have imagined that our temporary health restrictions would have been in effect past October, let alone, going into month 13. In essence Alberta’s plan was about doing what we could collectively to protect the people who would be most negatively impacted by COVID, and to ensure we didn’t swamp the healthcare system.

There is no reason why we should be in this current situation, where our path to reaching the tipping point and our population’s susceptibility to being impacted by covid would still be so high. If it were not for the federal government’s failure on delivering the vaccine to the provinces, doing their job, we would not be in this current situation. It has been an utter disappointment when we need to lean on the feds, they just keep letting us down. We rank below 40 other countries when it comes to vaccinations, the Liberals bragged that they had secured the greatest amount of vaccines per capita, so where are

they?

If the Federal government hadn’t failed to get us vaccines we wouldn’t have higher cases per capita higher than the US, we wouldn’t be having to take steps back, and we wouldn’t be fighting with each other over the next steps, or the best way to getting to the end.

Conservative minded people are strong willed, make it happen, and get it done people.

When we encounter problems, we want to solve them, we have strong opinions and if there are things in our way we adapt and overcome. When things go backwards or sideways, we will jump in, and if we think things are being messed up, we will not be afraid to be vocal about it, or drop the proverbial gloves to bring it to an end. No matter what party you align with, but if you are a conservative, you will be harder on a fellow conservative, because you should know better, you should be better than that, and

it’s because it is “family” you expect more.

As conservatives are bound by our mutual values of small government, lower taxes, and personal freedoms. So why are we letting the federal liberal government vaccine failure tear us apart? Now is not the time to turn on each other, but it’s time to hold the federal government accountable for their failures that have facilitated the COVID-19 pandemic to continue much longer that it should have.

I’m tired of all of this, I have my personal opinions, and one day after my time is up as the MLA for Lac Ste Anne-Parkland is up I’d share it with those that cared to ask, but for now it is not an option. The job description, and the vows I’ve taken for this position don’t really allow for a ton of personal opinions, I have to represent my constituents, all of them, not just the ones who voted for me, I need to represent those that didn’t vote for me, or at all in the election.

In the last year did we get everything 100 percent right as a provincial government dealing with covid? Not a chance. Hindsight will always be 20-20, and even at the end of the most successful projects there will be a post mortem review to find ways to do better, when we get to the other side of this mess, there will be one heck of lessons learned from a review provincially, and there had better be one federally.

I have never seen so many “Armchair Quarterbacks” come out of the woodwork over the last year, in the press, let alone the number of “Experts” and “Key Board Warriors” on social media platforms all professing that they know better, or would do better, on how to deal with a financial crisis, and a global pandemic. But, I believe that our chief medical officer, her staff, the cabinet members at the table, and the Premier are doing the absolute best that they can, weighing the balance between “Lives and Livelihoods” to see us through to the other side, and get us back to normal.

I’ve been asked when am I going to stand up to the “tyranny and dictatorship” of the Premier and his cabinet. I’ll offer some insight as to how I’ve been treated, and I can assure you, if I in any way felt like the leadership style was tyrannical, not open to input, withholding information, or knowingly acting without the best interest of the province in mind, I’d be extremely vocal, and good luck trying to contain this Pipeliner turned Politician.

The Premier encourages us to follow a Westminster system. This allows for differing opinions in the house, at the caucus table, and in the media. This quite literally is the most free thinking and free speaking political organization in the country. I like the group I belong too, high performing people, who are not afraid to challenge each other to do better, and to find a better way for the people of the province.

In short, I trust the system, I have provided my input, and until it reaches a point that I can’t agree with in conscience, or is contrary to the best interest of my constituents I will not oppose the process or those who currently are making the tough decisions, I’ll support them, knowing that my voice has been heard loud and clear, and that the position I take is respected even though it may not be in alignment with a decision at the time that they have made.

I’m hoping the Feds keep up their end of the vaccine plan, that I can keep doing what I can, and that common sense prevails, we get worst part behind us near the end of spring, and that the summer of 2021 is a close to what 2019 was, and that we don’t have to look back from there.

“When you are walking through hell, keep going”, let’s not languish here, so close to the end of this messed up journey we have all been going through over the last year. Not far now, we are almost there, just keep moving forward.

Shane Getson, MLA Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland