Oraaaaal question period.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley is up first.
She asks, why is it everyone else has to live with less, while the UCP gets a taxpayer-funded bailout from Ottawa?

Premier Jason Kenney responds, where do we even begin with those falsehoods? We just offered a full day of questions on our COVID-19 response. NDP twist the facts and make things up.

Notley accuses the UCP of exploiting a loohole to get federal cash. Will you give the money back and make sure struggling businesses get help?
Kenney is reading a motion that strikes other members of the executive council (I think he's answering a different question?)

Kenney holds up a letter from the NDP he says is trying to fundraise off the pandemic.
Notley quotes the premier describing Trudeau as having the depth of a fingerbowl. Notley says Trudeau's now the biggest funder to the UCP

Kenney's now talking again about the COVID-19 questioning.
"We're not trying to squeeze money out of supporters," Kenney says.

Notley says yesterday the premier let it slip that he intends to lift the public health emergency on June 15. CMOH says she hasn't had the opportunity to hear that. Why make that decision without her knowledge?

Kenney says that the declaration was made weeks ago to manage the pandemic at the height of the emergency. No longer require those extraordinary powers.
Notley said B.C. just extended their provincial state of emergency, saying there's no end in sight.

Notley asks why the premier believes he can make that decision without the CMOH?
Kenney says if current trends continue, none of the conditions today apply today that applied in March. Accuses her of taking orders from task masters at the AFL.

Next question, Notley asks about Cargil/meatpacking plant response.
Kenney says every jurisdiction has seen the coronavirus infect congregate living facilities. (I think I missed part of the question?)

Shannon Phillips up now. She says they proposed direct grants to small businesses, cutting insurance costs. Yesterday, Finance Minister says no. Will you give same support to small business that the UCP is giving to themselves?

Finance Minister Travis Toews says they rolled out a series of deferrals and a premium abatement of WCB premiums for small and medium businesses and they're participating in commercial rent relief programs.

Shannon Phillips says the UPC is making Justin Trudeau their sugar daddy.

Travis Toews they have appointed a panel to look into the high costs of auto insurance premiums and will deal with it rather than put a bandaid on it like the NDP did.

Phillips says it's generally frowned upon to leave an eight-year-old at home all day. Will the minister of finance take childcare seriously as part of economic recovery?
House Leader Jason Nixon stands up and says acting leader sent out a fundraising letter to pay the NDP's bills

Lots of yelling

Speaker calls for order.

A point of order has been called.

"Give grandma a hug."
Lori Sigurdson quotes Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid.
She says the premier thinks we're out of the woods because the average age of death from COVID-19 is 83. Will you apologize? Sigurdson asks.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro says he feels for those who have lost loved ones, but our continuing care facilities have been doing a good job. Compares Alberta's numbers to Ontario, Quebec

Sigurdson says the government promised a wage top up for continuing care workers weeks ago. It took seven weeks to announce the funding. Money still hasn't gone out. Can you take leadership?

Shandro said he announced wage top ups on April 20, as well as more funding to seniors lodges and housing.
Wage top up will be retroactive to March 15.
In advance of 1,000 new positions, Shandro said.

Sigurdson asks the premier to admit mistakes were made. Asks for PPE, a national investigation into continuing care in the pandemic.
Shandro says in the beginning some care homes did procure PPE

Tracy Allard asks about small boutique gyms. Will you advocate for these to reopen?
Shandro says they're following direction of CMOH. Have heard concerns.

Shandro says no decisions have been made yet.
Allard says boutique gyms are different than big box gyms.

Kathleen Ganley asks who was consulted with on the upcoming victims of crime fund bill.
Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer says they met with thousands and thousands of victims of crime.

Ganley asks what the minister of justice has to say after cutting training for volunteers who serve victims of crime.
Schweitzer says nothing shocks him anymore.
"It's about more pie. More pie is a good thing."

Joe Ceci says hours before Phase 1 of the relaunch, Calgary and Brooks businesses found out they were left behind. Says on average, restaurant owners spent $10,000, only to have food spoiled. Will you help those business owners?

Travis Toews says they're in constant communication with those businesses

Toews says it's rich coming from the members of the opposition who didn't care.
"We are listening to job creators."

Nathan Neudorf says many parents have questions to program unit funding.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says contrary to rhetoric from the other side, they continue to support students.

Nichole Goehring says three days before final applications were due, the govt issued a news release saying they were cutting project-based grants. How will arts be included in economic recovery if you're cutting funding?

Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Leela Aheer says it's shameful the NDP are destroying and debilitating while the government is concerned about the health and safety of artists and performers.

Aheer says she doesn't know how to answer these questions. The changes to project-based funding is temporary. Goehring has had meetings with chief of staff directly. They're actually hurting these orgs, Aheer says.

Goehring says they haven't provided answeres for the actresses and actors hurt by this cut. Do you share the views that artists, of whom she is one, don't have anything to contribute to the economy?
Aheer says she finds the line of questioning rich given attacks on Paul Brandt.

$26.9 million will continue to fund the arts, Aheer says.

Rakhi Pancholi says childcare operators have called the $66 per space funding is an insult. Can you explain why you haven't offered substantive support?
Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz says they provided $18 million through the pandemic, exactly what they asked for

Schulz says they continue to work with the federal government.

Pancholi says many childcare centres have closed or are operating at reduced capacity. What are you doing with the savings?
Schulz quotes from KidsU thanking the government for support.

Pancholi asks if they will develop a long-term strategy, not a bandaid.
Schulz says absolutely. They're committed to accessibility, affordability and high-quality child care.

UCP MLA Miranda Rosin says cattle producers have been devastated by the backups at JBS and Cargill. Ranchers had to pay more to hold onto their cattle. What have you done to help the agricultural industry.
Ag Min says Alberta beef is the best. Created a program.

Rosin asks about family ranchers since large feedlots and processors got the money.
Dreeshen says they're monitoring cow/calf prices. Looking at whether conditions warrant a set-aside program for them.

Jasvir Deol says he's heard multicultural communities have not been represented on the task force. Why no representation?
Justice Minister says if the member has suggestions, they'll facilitate those introductions.

Deol says those communities have been impacted by human trafficking. Will you release the criteria for making the appointments to the task force? Why were these communities excluded?
Schwitzer said if he has suggestions as to who should be engaged, they welcome it.

Deol says no one should be excluded. East, South Asian and Filipino communities feel excluded. Who could you fail to include a single member from those communities on the task force?
Schweitzer says he gives an olive branch and asks the oppostion to condemn attacks on Paul Brandt

Chris Nielsen says an online survey on commercial rent should be needed. Will you commit to a commercial rent ban?
Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Minister Tanya Fir says they signed onto the federal commercial rent assistance program.

Nielsen says the UCP failed to listen to business. Pulled the rug out from Calgary businesses. Tying them up in red tape with a survey. They should have it if they bothered to listen. Why are you allowing red tape?

Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction Grant Hunter says he finds it rich the member opposite has a sudden interest in red tape reduction.

Jason Stephan accuses the NDP of being obsessed with harm reduction, which allows human loss and tearing the social fabric apart. Tell us about that addiction panel.
Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jason Luan says the panel's findings were very strong.