Rage As Liberals Abandon ALR

From Lana Popham. Yesterday as the ALR legislation was tabled I felt immediate rage. I became someone I rarely am inside that chamber. I yelled at Minister Bennett, I yelled at every Government MLA that had ever stood in that chamber proclaiming their love for agriculture.

I challenged them to stand up against this legislation. I don’t think my own colleagues had ever seen me so agitated and angry.

I continued to feel this rage as I walked down the corridors and heard the media say things like “it doesn’t seem as bad as the NDP said it would be”. Words like “benign” were thrown around.

I got home last night and a deep sadness took hold. I felt utterly defeated and hopeless. The enormity of this legislation is a weight I can hardly grapple with.

This morning I woke and I felt my fight coming back but it’s muted by the paralyzing feeling that it’s too late.

I want to feel rage. I want everybody to feel it. What hurts my soul the most is that I fear we won’t see the rage we need to stop the changes. If you believe in the Agricultural Land Reserve, the time for rage is now.