Thousands attended a protest of the United Conservative government’s policies in downtown Edmonton on Friday. At 11:30 a.m., the group marched from Centennial Plaza east down Jasper Avenue, many holding signs criticizing Premier Danielle Smith or her government’s policies. “I want our leaders to tell the truth. Stop gaslighting Albertans. Give us what we deserve. We want health care, we want livable wages, we want affordability. We don’t want separation,” said one participant, Laine Unterieser. It was her first time participating in a demonstration. “The feeling of community, it’s overwhelming for me, and it feels good.” “I (came) out because I feel strongly about keeping our province in Canada. That is really my biggest motivation,” another demonstrator, Mable Chan-Simons, added. Organizer Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) estimated between six and seven thousand people attended the Edmonton event, one of 20 that had been planned in 15 communities for what the AFL called a Day of Protest. “Our government is continually responding to the issues on the minds of Albertans. Health care, education, affordability, creating jobs, and growing the economy are all priorities for us, and we have demonstrated that with tangible action,” Hunter Baril, press secretary for Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister Joseph Schow, told CTV News Edmonton. AFL president Gil McGowan called the sentiment laughable. “Albertans didn’t ask for separatism. Now, I will point out that the UCP didn’t run on separatism, they didn’t run on two-tier health care, they didn’t run on pulling Alberta out of the RCMP and (Canadian Pension Plan). They have an agenda that no one voted for and so for them to say that they’re focused on the issues that Albertans are really concerned about, it’s an oxymoron. It’s the opposite of the truth,” McGowan said. The AFL will be planning other events throughout the summer, with the goal of engaging more Albertans. “What we’re seeing today is what we hoped for, which is Albertans who are sick and tired of the separatists sucking up all the oxygen and having people who don’t share our values and priorities pretending to speak for all of us. But what we’re doing today, it was not just a moment, it was not just a demonstration – it’s the beginning of a movement,” McGowan said. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg
