PC  ALBERTA LEADERSHIP  2006


RESPONSES: Mark Norris
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Family Life Committee – Leadership Questions – Mark Norris Interview
Interviewed by the Family Life Committee of Alberta on Tuesday, October 17^th, 2006


1. Marriage definition:
Preamble: In order to amend the Federal Constitution, seven provinces representing at least 50% of the population of Canada must support the amendment;
Question: Will you as premier propose a motion to hold a vote within the Legislative Assembly to amend the constitution to redefine marriage as being between a man and a woman?
Norris is personally in favour of the traditional definition of marriage but he would want a private member to bring a bill forward instead of the Premier, as he feels it’s not for the Premier to dictate the direction of government. He would like to have the whole caucus involved in this type of decision, seeking their advice and consent.


2. Protection of freedoms legislation:
Preamble:  A Calgary pharmacist lost her job because she felt it was wrong for her to fill prescriptions for drugs that cause abortion. Nurses have been threatened with loss of their jobs, and indeed some have, because they refused to assist with abortions. Educators face the same predicaments if they refuse to teach sex education courses. A teacher in B.C. was fired because he wrote a letter to the editor regarding same-sex marriage. And the list goes on. Given that, in these cases, courts and/or Human Rights tribunals have repeatedly denied or struck down these fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Canadian Charter;
Question 1: Will you as Premier introduce or support legislation that protects all Albertans when they exercise their Charter section 2 rights and freedoms of speech, conscience, religion and assembly?
Norris would not introduce, but would rather support a private member’s bill dealing with this issue. He would have supported Bill 208 in its final form.

Question 2: Will a government under your leadership be willing to disband or curtail the power of the Provincial Human Rights commission?
Norris would never disband the HRC. It has a role to play. He stated he would be happy to review the Human Rights Commission’s original mandate and make sure it does not overstep its bounds.


3. Notwithstanding clause:
Preamble:  Premiers Lougheed, Blakeney and Lyon successfully negotiated for the inclusion of the Nothwithstanding Clause in Canada’s constitution in 1981. Said Premier Lougheed: "The reason we took that decision is we believed that when it comes down to it, there must be supremacy of the elected people over the supremacy of nine appointed judges." (Quoted by Licia Corbella, Calgary Sun, Wed. Jan. 11, 2006, “Martin Shocks Drafter of Charter of Rights.”)
Question:  Under what circumstances would a government under your leadership be willing to invoke the Notwithstanding clause?
Norris believes in judging the mood of the people when courts overstep bounds. To date, he feels that no issues of that magnitude have arisen. He would invoke the Notwithstanding Clause if the Federal government steps into Alberta’s jurisdiction regarding resources and the environment.


4. Citizen’s initiative legislation:
Preamble:  In many political jurisdictions, citizens are empowered to initiate legislation through means such as a petition that, if successful, would result in a binding vote on specific issues such as tax increases or gun control.
Question:  Will a government under your leadership sponsor or endorse legislation that allows for citizen-generated initiatives?
Norris has no problem with the idea of citizen’s initiative, stating that he is in favor of anything that can be done to facilitate people’s involvement. He has not seen a call for citizen’s initiatives in this leadership campaign; however, he felt citizens have been shut out by the present government.


5. Education:
Preamble:  Nations from around the world have come to observe and desire to emulate Alberta’s education system for a number of reasons, including the concept of respecting parental input in the process of developing programs of choice within the system as evidenced in the large variety of school programs such as the public, separate, independent, charter and home-school options available here;
Question: Will a government under your leadership continue to support parents in their educational choices for their children?
Yes. Absolutely. Norris stated there is nothing more important than education. Parents need to be given even more choices. He appreciates any and all options in education available to students. He considers the cost of education as being an investment in Alberta’s future.


6. Health funding:
Preamble:  In 2005, a national poll showed that 80% of Albertans surveyed do not support taxpayer funding of all abortions. The Canada Health Act does not specify the medical services for which provinces must pay. Albertans paid for over 10,000 abortions in 2004.
Question: Do you support removing all abortion services from Alberta Health Care’s list of insured services?
Norris says there is no clear yes or no answer here. In certain cases, he feels abortion is a requirement. He does support more education and believes that there are other options that should be presented.


7. Gambling:
Preamble:  On July 1, 2000, Video Lottery Terminals were declared illegal and removed in South Carolina after state legislators reviewed multiple studies relating to the costs and complications involved with problem gambling. Other jurisdictions around the world have curtailed various types of gambling activity as a result of serious efforts to determine the social costs related to gambling;
Question:  Will a government under your leadership be willing to undertake a meaningful review of the latest studies related to problem gambling and take appropriate measures to restrict or eliminate harmful gambling activities as other jurisdictions have done?
Yes. Norris is willing to do a review in order to better understand the social costs, but believes that eliminating VLTs or gambling is not a reality. If there is a gambling economy that can be grown here without harming our citizens then it should be considered a legitimate source of government revenue.


8. Euthanasia:
Preamble:  As a result of laws passed in specific European nations, there has been an increased call for “right-to-die” legislation by some in this country;
Question:  What will a government under your leadership do if the Federal Government adopts “right-to-die” legislation and suggests it has to be implemented nation-wide?
Norris does not think that this is going to happen but if it does, he would endorse a general referendum and invoke the notwithstanding clause if necessary.


9. Provincial incentives for families:
Preamble:  Governments in various jurisdictions have implemented policies designed to foster a family-friendly culture that ultimately benefits society and can help to increase the dangerously-low birth rate we are experiencing in this province and nation. Government initiatives have included financial bonuses for having more than one child, increased funding available for child-care or education to be used at the parents' discretion, the elimination of health-care premiums, and the implementation of a more favourable tax status for families;
Question:  Will a government under your leadership implement policies designed to reduce the financial burden for a stay-at-home parent household and to promote a family-friendly culture in this province?
Yes. Absolutely. Norris' whole policy platform has to do with supporting the family, which is the fundamental unit of society. He is willing to eliminate health premiums for families at certain income levels and consider tax-cuts for stay-at-home parents. He stated that whatever can be done to strengthen the family has his support. He feels this is the fundamental question of the campaign.


| for more information, see Mr. Norris' web site |
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updated October 22, 2006