By Jayson Taylor

UCP and NDP put forward plans to protect women, victims of crime

May 10, 2023 | 2:27 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta’s United Conservative Party says that it will expand its funding of women’s shelters and sexual assault counselling centres in the province.

“The number one job of the government is to protect citizens and ensure the safety of families and communities,” said UCP candidate Jeremy Nixon in a news release. “By increasing provincial support to these essential frontline services, our party will help ensure the victims of crime have the supports they need to heal.”

Having passed legislation in the past that prevented sexual and dangerous offenders from changing their name, the UCP aims to introduce more legislation that will take a hardline stance on crime. The current government also introduced Clare’s Law which enabled those at risk of domestic abuse to ask and receive criminal records of their partners.

If re-elected, the party says it will consider having offenders wear electronic ankle bracelets to track movement while on bail. Funding for ALERT’s Internet and Child Exploitation will be increased and lastly, a $20-million investment over four years to increase funding for women’s shelters and sexual assault centres.

Meanwhile, the opposition NDP also brought forward their plans to fund sexual assault centres and women’s shelters. The party says that if elected they will immediately provide adequate funding to centres and shelters in the province, and work to establish long-term solutions for funding.

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In a statement, the NDP also criticized the UCP’s approach to providing support for victims.

“Danielle Smith and the UCP failed to support these centres, failed to give them resources they needed to support survivors, and then falsely claimed that they turned down extra funding. This is unacceptable,” said Janis Irwin, the NDP’s Critic for Women’s Issues.

The plans that the NDP proposed in its $9 million funding included:

• Implementing a new service to support waitlists and reducing wait times
• Expand available counselling
• Provide prevention and education
• Specialized police and court services
• Ensure service providers can provide appropriate wages

The NDP also plans to provide $8 million in new funding to domestic violence shelters to help them recover financially from inflation and address shortfalls in operations.