(EDMONTON, AB) May 15, 2025: While United Conservatives work to improve public safety and give every community the tools they need to fight crime, Calgary-Elbow NDP MLA Samir Kayande is attacking rural Albertans and opposing Bill 49, the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act.
After referring to his own constituency as “one of the most privilegey (sic) urban privilege seats in Alberta” during debate on Bill 49, Kayande dismissed efforts to improve law enforcement and reduce response times in rural Alberta, accusing those concerned with crime of being “pro-sovereignty, firewall, free Alberta, wing nuts that have been a part of this province ever since Social Credit was in power”.
“This is exactly the kind of sneering, out-of-touch attitude Albertans have come to expect from the NDP,” said Chief Government Whip Shane Getson “Instead of acknowledging the real concerns of rural Albertans who feel unsafe in their communities and instead of supporting their request for more effective policing, NDP MLAs mock them and the real challenges they face.”
Bill 49 lays the groundwork for an independent provincial agency police service to support existing law enforcement and give municipalities more options for addressing local crime. The legislation is part of Alberta’s broader effort to strengthen law enforcement capacity, better serve rural and remote communities, and keep Alberta families safe.
Not only do the NDP oppose the bill, the NDP fails to offer practical solutions to improve safety in communities across the province.
“Bill 49 empowers local leaders and improves public safety across Alberta,” said Getson. “The NDP, meanwhile, prefer ridiculing the very real concerns of rural Albertans and would leave rural communities to fend for themselves.”
United Conservatives remain committed to ensuring all communities have access to timely, effective, and accountable policing. While the NDP defends the status quo, United Conservatives are taking action to keep Albertans safe.
