Orraaaaaaal question Period.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley asks if the goal is to bring the numbers down. If so, why hasn't he taken action to do that yet?

Government House Leader Jason Nixon says the government has balanced lives and livelihoods. The government will hold a news conference this afternoon, he says.

Notley says instead of decisive action, we saw the premier ignore public health advice, blame ethnic minorities, and fail to support small-to-medium businesses.
Why did you waste all of November? Why are you wasting time now?

Nixon said only the NDP would call those actions nothing. They had significant impacts. More steps will be announced this afternoon. Shame on them, Nixon said. We're going to focus on lives and livelihoods.

Notley says the focus on livelihoods has lost lives.

Notley asks the government to provide at least $25,000 to each struggling business.
Toews says here's the truth — we announced a series of initiatives. Small businesses have been challenged.

Toews said they deferred corporate income tax, expanded small business grants. More measures coming this afternoon.

Notley says according to CBC the government is calling in hundreds of reservists. Our health care system overwhelmed because of your bad Decisions. How could you let it come to this?

Nixon says that's not true. Alberta hasn't called in the military.

Notley says, he's right, she misspoke. The Health Minister is totally out of the loop and the Canadian military is actually planning around Shandro.

What is going on over there? She asks.
Nixon says it's disappointing to see the leader of the official opposition stating things that are not factual.
The military is not being deployed, Nixon said.

Notley quotes from the military presentation that includes warning about "moral injury"
PTSD may arise from the response. Why does the military think PTSD is a likely outcome, when you'd steal PTSD coverage from them?

Nixon says they're focused on lives and livelihoods, not playing politics. More to say this afternoon.

Notley says there's a public record outside of this building. Records are the facts.
Yesterday premier said people who test positive, not sick. You're not their doctor. Who do you trust, world-leading researchers or you?

Nixon said the premier is in no way saying it's not serious. He's taking serious steps.
[He said "damned" not sure if that's parliamentary]

Notley quotes Hansard.
She also quotes from a Covid long hauler.
She's saying "you" a lot, so Speaker says put the question through him

Nixon said the premier said the majority of positive cases don't have symptoms, doesn't mean it's not a serious disease.
He says they're going to focus on protecting lives and livelihoods, NDP plays politics.

Notley said the premier reveals his own personal prejudice and encourages people break the rules. Will you withdraw and apologize for not taking the evidence seriously? e

Nixon said many people don't have symptoms, or have cold-like symptoms. He's not downplaying. Says the NDP are the ones who should apologize for fear mongering.

Joe Ceci quotes Mayor Naheed Nenshi who said he wouldn't hesitate to take further action if the province won't.
"When will you grow a backbone and get control of this pandemic?" Ceci asks

Nixon said health minister, premier have taken significant steps to try to balance lives and livelihoods. More measures to be announced this afternoon.

Ceci said the premier is plagued by indecision and half measures.
We see a total abdication of leadership and complete failure to plan for the second wave. "How did you get it so wrong?"

Nixon says this is an unprecedented problem. It should not be political. Tune in to the press conference to learn more.

The doctors are leading, the mayors are leading, the military is leading while the premier pretends to be the next incarnation of Winston Churchill, Ceci says.

Nixon says the worst finance minister in the history of the province now moved to the opposition benches, the worst opposition in history.
Point of order noted.

Jeremy Nixon asks how much Alberta's government allocated to small and medium business grants.
Toews says $200M

Christina Gray says the government has introduced time allocations on four pieces of legislation, including a bill that attacks workers during a pandemic.
If you are so proud of Bill 47, why do you have to jam it through the house and run away?

Government House Leader Jason Nixon says the motion hasn't been introduced, it's just on the order paper.
We encouraged the NDP to move amendments for weeks. "The house will complete its business," he says

Gray talks about the amendments they would have brought forward.
Why, in the middle of a pandemic, are you reducing safety, making access to WCB benefits harder, and reducing the amount of those benefits?

Transporation Minister Ric McIver says they're so angry they weren't able to focus on what they thought was most important. Trying to blame somebody else.

Gray says, gee, really sorry the member opposite wants to start his Christmas break December 8.
The govt bragged this will "save" millions. Will you commit to supporting our amendment?

Nixon says the NDP refused to get to work for weeks at committee of the whole. They refused to share amendments with the government. Let's get to work on that legislation, he says.

David Shepherd said they've been pushing for months for a provincial staffing strategy. Now those same operators are paying rich dividends to shareholders.
How many lives have been lost in seniors facilities? Why are you just starting to act?

https://financialpost.com/investing/fp-investigation-as-cews-flowed-in-dividends-flowed-out Check out the Financial Post investigation here. Quite rage-inducing

Shepherd said you forced Alberta seniors to wait for months while you catered to corporations.
Speaker says don't you use a preamble again or we'll move to the next question

Nixon says the NDP are fear-mongering and they're going to focus on lives and livelihoods.

Health care aides are worked to exhaustion and can be paid as little as $16 per hour. How quickly do you expect to hire 2,000 of them?

Nixon says they've spent $170 million on seniors care in the pandemic. Fear and smear and politics with people's lives.

Roger Reid said we passed a bill that would prohibit sex offenders from changing their names. Last weekend a D.O. plans to apply for a legal name change. Will this law protect Albertans?

Announcement: Glubish says they will take action to stop dangerous offenders from changing their names in the Spring.

Rakhi Pancholi said schools reopened unsafely. Thousands of children and families have been rotating in isolation and doing their own contact tracing. Why did you downplay the risk of COVID-19 to our children?

Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz says she hopes the member opposite will respect public servants, including the CMOH. They've been making decisions based on her guidance, Schulz said.

Pancholi says adults are being treated in children's hospitals, while children's services are being delayed. How many pediatric surgeries and appointments have been delayed?

Nixon says the health minister and premier will have more to say this afternoon. Says stop fear-mongering and playing politics with the pandemic.

Pancholi says 19 children under five have been hospital, three in ICU. Families are going through hell as kids gasp for air and beg for their mom and dad who can't be there.
A child died in Winnipeg last week. Is that what it will take for you to take it seriously?

Schulz says they take any death seriously, but unlike the members opposite, they will balance the excellent advice. We want to balance lives and livelihoods, she says.

Sarah Hoffman says more than 1,000 schools have sent home notices, now they've changed the rules around who is a close contact of teachers.
Why does the minister not make schools safer instead of dropping standards?

Schulz says as former health minister you should know how these things work. We take advice from officials.
Schulz says the changes make sure teachers don't have to isolate unecessarily

Here's @jantafrench's story https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/isolation-ahs-classroom-1.5832150

Schulz says the increase in Covid cases has put a strain on contact tracing. They're doubling the contact tracing teams, 1,600 by the end of the year, she says.

Hoffman says parents and principals are being forced to do contact tracing.
As she says they chose the corporate handout over capping class sizes, UCP apparently laugh, as Hoffman says its not a laughing matter.

Schulz says four of five schools have had no case. Only one of eight schools have had in-school transmission she says

Ron Orr asks about yesterday's announcement about licence plates. He's excited to get rid of stickers.
What is a reflective plate? What will they look like?

Thomas Dang says the Chinese community is reeling. the outbreak at the Edmonton Chinatown Care Centre is out of control. Family members called in to help due to lack of staff. What's being done to control the outbreak?

Nixon says more than $260 million invested in long term care.

Dang says Chinese community also seeing impact in its restaurants. Do you realize the outbreak at the care centre has had a staggering impact on Chinatown business as well?

Nixon outlines the steps they're taking at the care centre.

Dang says Asian Albertans are facing xenophobia, racist graffiti, attacks. Anti-mask protestors were known racist groups like the Proud Boys spreading false information.

Nixon says the government condemns any and all racism.
Nixon says the NDP has remained quiet about the sexual misconduct allegations

Marlin Schmidt said last week Albertans learned the government is offering coal leases on about 2,000 hectares of land. We all see where this is headed, why can't you just admit to your grand plan to proliferate coal mining?

Nixon says the Grassy project was taking place under the previous government.
These Category 2 lands are where coal mining is proposed. Will continue to follow strict environmental rules.

Schmidt said Category 2 lands used to protect from open-pit mining. Now we're seeing coal projects proposed for the Oldman River watershed. How can Albertans trust you to protect our drinking water?

Nixon says the conspiracy theories are completely and utterly ridiculous. He says they're proud to sign orders to protect Category 1 lands.

Schmidt says steel producing is predicted to level out by 2025. We saw a loss of 50,000 jobs before the pandemic. Why table in 19th-century industries like coal mining?

Nixon says you can't even ask a question without notes and adjust questions. He also wished Margaret Thatcher dead, Nixon says.

R.J. Sigurdson (trying to make it look like he's not reading off his notes) asks about skilled trades.

Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk says the new P3 frameworks are quite technical. What does it mean?