We are extremely pleased for just our second episode of The Forgotten Corner to welcome Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips to the show. Phillips joins us for a great discussion that takes listeners through her early life growing up in a conservative Albertan home to her eventual election as part of an NDP majority government in 2015.
She talks about her time as the province’s minister of environment, and what it was like to face a specific, often vitriolic, opposition. We dive into the Alberta NDP’s record on the environment, and Phillips talks extensively about the myriad issues a government faces from all sides when trying to diversify an economy that has long relied on its energy industry.
The Alberta NDP has faced questions for years about its stance on oil and gas, but those inquiries have mostly come from a staunch conservative point of view. The Forgotten Corner takes a different approach, and Phillips is kind enough to enter into a healthy debate about when and how fast we should be shifting away from oil sands development.
You can follow Phillips on Twitter @SPhillipsAB and on Instagram under the same handle.
Read more about Castle parks:
In 2018, the NDP signs a deal to protect Indigenous rights:
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/4625600/indigenous-rights-castle-parks/amp/
In 2019, the UCP quietly pauses that plan:
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5234811