Calgarians, young and old, gathered in the hundreds Saturday at city hall in a province-wide protest against Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP).
On May 25, 2024 at 2 p.m., the municipal plaza was filled with protesters who had gathered to vent their frustrations with the UCP provincial government. The event happened province-wide with similar events in Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Sylvan Lake and Vermilion. The movement being called “Enough is Enough UCP!” by the organizers.
The group’s mission was to address the policies and actions of the UCP in Alberta. Fourteen speakers gave presentations at the protest along with musical and poetry acts on the same topic.
Planning started on April 18, 2024 when an organizer under the name Glenda Rtf sent out social media posts on multiple platforms calling for a date to protest for people dissatisfied with the current provincial government. Rebecca Brown joined soon after and was one of the main organizers and emcee for the Calgary protest.
“It’s just to start raising awareness, start to build connections, start to get people to see what was going on. It’s a first step because enough is enough,” said Brown.
The protest served more as a gathering of people who held similar political views. There was no clear consensus on the demands of the group or specific goals to interact with the government.
The UCP government has been criticized for recent legislation that has been passed or tabled. Recent amendments to Bill 20 came after concerns over the provincial government’s ability to remove city councillors and bylaws if in the public interest.
“I just don’t appreciate the consolidation of power that I think is happening right now. I think that everyone should be concerned when the government is taking steps like this. So, we’re just out here to support it and meet like-minded people,” said Zoe Crandall, one of the protesters.
Despite the current controversy over legislation and the protests, Danielle Smith still holds a 47 per cent approval rating as of March of 2024 according to the Angus Reid Institute.
A survey conducted by Leger from March 8 to March 11, 2024, saw that voter intent currently sits at 49 per cent for the UCP and 41 per cent for the NDP. The survey had a sample of 1,001 Albertans.
Brown said that she hopes that there will be future events to follow the protest today. Communication between the government and the organizers has been letters sent by the core members to their MLAs. Organizers have not yet posted about plans for future events.
