Alberta’s ‘Her vision inspires’ sparks controversy as UCP refuses to name MLAs
Posted Aug 10, 2022 7:56 pm.
Last Updated Aug 11, 2022 10:13 am.
The Alberta government is still refusing to give the names of the other UCP MLAs who were involved in picking the essay that sparked controversy in the province.
Throughout most of Tuesday, Alberta Associate Minister of Status of Women Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk refused to accept responsibility after an essay supporting discriminatory views on gender and race won third place in a government-sponsored contest.
However, later in the afternoon, she said it was clear the process failed and she wants to apologize for her role in it.
“As the Minister for the Status of Women, I want to emphasize that I do not support rhetoric that in any way diminishes the importance and contributions of more than half of Alberta’s population. It’s clear that the process failed, and I apologize for my role in that,” Armstrong-Homeniuk said.
“The selection of this particular essay and awarding it with third prize was a failure on my part as the head of the judging panel. Alberta’s government values the contributions of women and newcomers, and we will continue working towards removing barriers to equality so that all Albertans can enjoy opportunities and success in our province.”
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Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, says the minister needs to step down and the UCP should name the other judges.
“If you really want the government to distance itself from these views, it’s not enough for the minister to simply say a mistake was made, responsibility has to be taken, and the principle of ministerial responsibility says they ought to resign,” Williams said.
With the impact the essay has had in the province, “This, I think, has distorted the image or the brand of Alberta,” Williams said.
“It’s particularly problematic for the [UCP] and for the United Conservative government in Alberta because there is such a gap between this kind of language, this kind of perspective, and where most Albertans are sitting.”
In total, there are 13 female UCP MLA members, and four responded to a request for comment.
Rebecca Schulz, Leela Aheer, Angela Pitt, and Michaela Frey are the only four who responded, saying they were not involved with judging this essay contest.
In a statement prepared by Aheer’s campaign manager Sarah Biggs, she said, “Leela would have never supported anything remotely close to this essay that is filled with misogyny, racism, and homophobia.”
“The MLAs who were supposed to pick the winners should be asked if they have read the third essay before awarding it the 3rd place.”
