A protest last weekend outside Morinville-St. Albert MLA Dale Nally's office gave some constituents an opportunity to vocalize their concerns with decisions the UCP government has made.
Mirroring similar protests in other cities, the ‘broken hearts’ protest was held in the afternoon on Feb. 13. People attending were encouraged to make broken heart valentines that described their particular issue and stick them on the windows of the building.
Organizers Kathleen Mpulubusi and Janet Bertsch said the COVID-safe protest didn’t cover just one particular issue, but a variety.
“(This protest) really harnessed a core feeling that I think a lot of people have right now regardless of where they are on the political spectrum,” said Bertsch. “That feeling of just being devastated with the direction this government is going in and the real personal harms it's doing from our pocketbooks to the recreation we love.’
Among some of the most passionate opinions being voiced were opposition to the UCP government’s recent decision to rescind its coal policy to allow open-pit mining in the Rockies. The government recently announced it was reversing course on that decision after heavy blowback from Albertans.
During the protest, Nally made an appearance and engaged in discussion with protesters. Bertsch and Mpulubusi said they gained some respect for the MLA for engaging in discourse.
"(Nally) offered to meet with anyone who was there at the protest in order to sit down and hear about our concerns and worries that we are having with the UCP," Bertsch said. "I do appreciate that he showed up and I am looking forward to meeting him."
Nally told the Gazette he values the thoughts of his constituents and saw it as part of his job in attending the protest.
“My experience is that most people attend protests because they want to be heard by the government and I went there to listen,” said Nally.
“I represent everyone in the riding and not just the people who voted for me so I am always willing to listen and to dialogue, I think it’s important.”
AFL project
The idea behind the protest didn’t come from local attendees, but was instead part of a project started by the Alberta Federation of Labour. The concept came about after the wildcat strike by Alberta health care workers in late October.
“When the wildcat strike happened at the Royal Alex Hospital in Edmonton, I became interested in what was going on because there was a strong feeling of anger with the government,” said Bertsch, “I think that those workers really inspired a lot of the rest of us to get involved.”
The day of the protest was fairly cold, with temperatures hitting -30 C, but that didn’t deter people from coming out and having their voices heard. Mpulubusi and Bertsch’s expectations were exceeded by the turnout.
“Janet and I were absolutely thrilled with what we got,” said Mpulubusi, who ran in the 2019 federal election as the NDP candidate for the St. Albert-Edmonton riding.
“I would say we had a good 25 to 30 people come by and what was nice to see was that some were families who brought their kids to give them a lesson about your right to protest.”
Other "broken heart" protests occurred in Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Red Deer the same weekend.
Similar protests have happened in the province in recent months. During the holiday season, protesters left coal on the doorsteps of Vegreville UCP MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk’s office in response to climate issues.
As for future protests, both Bertsch and Mpulubusi can’t definitively say when they will be held but expect more action after the province’s budget is released on Feb 25. Mpulubusi also hopes the weather is a little bit nicer next time.
“We will see where things go and maybe wait for slightly better weather.”
