What’s the point of Westlock County councillors meeting with agriculture minister Oneil Carlier?
Last week, the ag minister met with Westlock County council to discuss a range of issues. But if councillors think they have any chance at all of influencing government policy, then they are kidding themselves way beyond anything any of us could have imagined.
Almost half a decade of Progressive Conservative rule should have taught everyone that we have a whole system of provincial government designed to keep regular people from having input into what goes on.
Westlock County councillors aren’t big business, royalty-paying industries or a powerful special interest or lobby group.
They are just a bunch of guys elected to make sure our roads get graded and the trash is hauled away.
Local, semi-powerful men they may be, but none of them are agricultural scientists, or experts in the fields.
Since the start of 2015, county councillors have met with the transport minister, the former MLA and the current MLA.
And what’s been the net result?
Still no action at the industrial park, budget suggestions roundly ignored and some handy photo opportunities.
When you put some of the issues discussed last Tuesday under the microscope the whole process seems even more pointless, if it were possible.
An increase to ag board funding?
There’s zero chance of that happening with $30 a barrel oil.
Weeds along railways? Don’t railways fall under federal purview?
Information on the current drought? We’re pretty sure there are masses of bureaucrats stacked many times higher than a white elephant’s eye in places like Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa that can give the minister all the data he needs.
No, a meeting like the one that occurred last Tuesday between the agriculture minister and our local politicians was for one reason and one reason only: public relations.
