Bodily autonomy, gun ownership: Smith says legislation to amend Alberta Bill of Rights incoming

In a pre-taped, three minute and 28-second video posted to her personal YouTube page Tuesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said legislation to amend the province’s Bill of Rights is coming in “a few weeks time.”

Among the amendments will be the ability of every Albertan to make their own medical decisions, including the right to refuse a vaccination or any other medical procedure, Smith said.

“In recent years, we’ve seen the challenges and hardship that can arise when that right to bodily autonomy is not adequately protected,” she added, as footage from a protest march played.

“It is my firm conviction that no Albertan should ever be subjected or pressured into accepting a medical treatment without their full consent,” Smith continued. “For me, this addition to the Bill of Rights is about recognizing that, in Alberta, we believe that individuals have the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies, without fear of undue pressure or interference by government.”

The government says another change it plans to make will strengthen property rights.

Smith says the amended Bill of Rights will ensure no Albertan can be deprived of their property without legal due process and just compensation.

“This is a reaffirmation of your right to own and enjoy the property that you’ve worked so hard for,” the premier added.

Lastly, Smith says the province with strengthen firearms laws.

“There will also be an amendment to make clear that, in Alberta, we respect the right of individuals to legally acquire, keep, and safely use firearms,” she explained. “For many Albertans, firearms are critical to their livelihood and way of life.”

Laws surrounding the purchase and use of guns are regulated by the federal government.

“I personally feel that law-abiding firearms owners have been unfairly targeted by our federal government for decades and it is my hope that these amendments will better protect the rights of our farmers, ranchers, hunters, and sport enthusiasts going forward,” Smith added.

She called the changes “exciting news” and an “important step forward for our province in protecting the rights and freedoms that are central to our identity as Albertans.”

The amendments aren’t just legal changes, the premier said, but a reaffirmation of the values that “make Alberta one of the freest jurisdictions on Earth.”

The current bill has served its purpose over the years, according to Smith, but it needs to evolve to properly protect rights and freedoms as the world changes.

“We are sending a clear message that in Alberta, the rights of individuals are paramount and that government must respect those rights at every turn,” she said.

Proposed changes ‘purely symbolic’: experts

Last week, ahead of Smith’s announcement, experts decried the speculated changes, saying they are “purely symbolic” and a means to butter up provincial United Conservative Party (UCP) activists ahead of the premier’s leadership review.

MRU political science professor Lori Williams said proposed changes to the bill reflect many issues that are popular south of the border that cater to powerful UCP activists like Take Back Alberta and the Black Hat Gang from Medicine Hat.

“She’s clearly playing to that base in the hopes that they will not call her leadership into question in the leadership review at the beginning of November,” Williams said.

The fall legislature sitting is scheduled to return on Oct. 28.

A UCP annual general meeting on Nov. 1 and 2 will see members vote on the competency of Smith’s leadership.

-With files from Dione Wearmouth