No Calgary Taxpayer Money For Quebec

No Calgary Taxpayer Money For Quebec

Earlier this week, Mayor Gondek announced that she wants to spend $100,000 of Calgarian's hard-earned taxes on a provincial court case in Quebec.

The court case would challenge Quebec's Bill 21, which bans public servants such as teachers, judges, and police officers from wearing any religious symbols from any religion while at work.

There is no doubt that Quebec’s Bill 21 is a bad bill.

It's ill-advised, discriminatory and likely even unconstitutional.

But none of that means that it is Calgary taxpayers' job to fund the court case to find out whether Canada's federal courts agree that the bill is unconstitutional.

Perhaps Mayor Gondek has decided that now she is Mayor, all of Calgary's problems have been automatically fixed?

Perhaps in her world, snow clearing is perfect, crime is non-existent, transit is operating smoothly, taxes have been slashed to record low levels, and there's literally nothing else that needs to be done with Calgary taxpayer's money?

In the real world, we know it's the exact opposite.

Calgary taxpayers are already at breaking point, and to hear that the City plans to send even more money to Quebec is unbelievable.

Our new Council was elected to solve problems in Calgary, like the downtown vacancy rate, the ever-increasing cost of the ever-decreasing Green Line, and businesses ravaged by taxes and COVID restrictions.

If Mayor Gondek and Council want to help fund a court challenge in Quebec, how about they do so with their own money?

Mayor Gondek and her allies on Council earn enough.

If they all chipped in, it would barely cost them a month's salary each.

But no, that's not how they operate.

Why would they ever spend their own money on their political causes when they can spend ours instead?

Council is set to vote on Mayor Gondek's proposal next week.

Please sign our petition to Council making it clear that Council must not use any Calgary taxpayer money to fund court cases in Quebec and instead focus on getting their own house in order.

Then share the petition with your friends, family, co-workers, and every Calgarian, so they can make their voices heard too.