While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Lisa Johnson.
Alberta's governing United Conservatives stayed up until the early hours of this morning to pass a bill making it the fourth time they have used the Charter's notwithstanding clause. Members of Premier Danielle Smith's caucus used their majority to pass on third and final reading a bill affecting transgender citizens. The UCP members pounded their desks and shouted "Hear, hear!"...
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA -- Alberta's governing United Conservatives stayed up into the early pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning to pass a bill that marks the fourth time in under two months they have used the Charter's notwithstanding clause.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government moved to the final stage of debate early Wednesday on legislation that, if passed, would see the Charter's notwithstanding clause invoked four times in less than two months.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government moved one step closer late Tuesday night to passing legislation invoking the Charter's notwithstanding clause for a fourth time in this sitting.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government was poised Tuesday to pass legislation invoking the Charter's notwithstanding clause for a fourth time in this sitting.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says those seeking an independence referendum should not have "gatekeepers," like the courts, standing in their way.
EDMONTON -- Two Alberta cabinet ministers say money was a key factor in the United Conservative government's decision to use the Charter's notwithstanding clause to override teachers' rights and shut down a provincewide strike.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is urging Crown prosecutors to think twice about charging someone who acts to defend themselves or others in their own homes.
Alberta's watershed pipeline deal with Ottawa wasn't front and centre Friday when Premier Danielle Smith spoke with United Conservative Party faithful at their annual convention. Smith took the stage in Edmonton for the first of many addresses planned for the weekend. It wasn't until after she spoke on issues including rural policing, new federal legislation and even separatism that someone...
EDMONTON -- Falling oil prices and trade troubles continue to threaten Alberta's finances, but the province's deficit is expected to shrink only slightly.
EDMONTON -- Falling oil prices and trade troubles continue to threaten Alberta's finances, but the province's deficit is expected to shrink only slightly.
EDMONTON -- Alberta is moving to insulate its Crown investment corporation from potential legal liabilities and protect companies in the province from lawsuits accusing them of greenwashing.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government has tabled a bill that would open the door for surgeons to charge patients for privately-delivered procedures while keeping a foot in the public system and billing taxpayers.
EDMONTON -- The head of the Alberta Teachers' Association says a report on classroom aggression and complexity largely vindicates its longstanding calls for more support and money to fix the problem.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is limiting what behaviour professional regulators can police in the name of strengthening freedom of expression.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is limiting what behaviour professional regulators can police in the name of strengthening freedom of expression.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith revealed her government's plan to introduce legislation to let doctors choose to work in the public and private health systems simultaneously.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government is on the hunt for a new auditor general, but the Opposition NDP says they're forcing him out before he finishes investigating a health-care contracting scandal.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government is starting to roll out compensation for the families of children who were kept out of classrooms during a three-week teachers strike.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says absent a deal to end a provincewide teachers strike, her government will introduce back-to-work legislation Monday. Smith says with the strike deep into its third week, the hardship facing students and families is intolerable, forcing her government to step in. The two sides do not have formal talks scheduled but Smith says there is still...
EDMONTON -- Alberta doctors say the province's effort to save money on COVID-19 vaccines could end up costing taxpayers far more in public health-care costs.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government is providing more details about a bill it says will prevent long ballot protests during provincial elections.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is planning to introduce legislation this fall to limit who can run in provincial elections. Government house leader Joseph Schow says the changes will ensure only those who, in his words, "truly care and are serious about representing a community" will be put on the ballot. Schow, speaking to reporters, declined to provide details on...
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is planning to introduce legislation this fall to limit who can run in provincial elections.
A final report into allegations of corruption in Alberta government health contracts says it was widely known two staffers were in conflicts of interest but no steps were taken by senior officials. Former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant makes 18 recommendations for the Alberta government, including improving conflict and procurement policies.
EDMONTON -- The head of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce says a provincewide teachers strike is putting a strain on businesses.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government says it expected to receive a final report Wednesday from the investigation into allegations of corruption over health contracts, but it won't be immediately released.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government says it expects to receive a final report today from the investigation into allegations of corruption over health contracts.
EDMONTON -- Football decals plaster the walls of his bedroom. A San Francisco 49ers bedspread and a binder full of trading cards make it clear the seven-year-old loves sports.
Alberta's government says Ottawa is dodging responsibility by not standing behind a proposed pipeline project to the B.C. coast. Premier Danielle Smith's office says the decision to build a pipeline lies solely with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government. Her spokesperson Sam Blackett says anything short of decisive support would be a betrayal of the constitutional rights of...
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government says Ottawa is dodging responsibility by not standing behind the province's planned proposal for a pipeline that would bring oil to the B.C. coast.
EDMONTON -- The former Alberta politician trying to keep the province from splitting up with Canada says his campaign is zeroing in on its goal, but he's not slowing down.
EDMONTON -- A newborn in Alberta has died of measles marking the province's first death from the disease this year, the government said Thursday.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says those who question her rationale for the government's law restricting health care for transgender youth need to read up on puberty.
EDMONTON -- Doctors and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups challenging Alberta laws affecting transgender people say they aren't backing down, after learning the province plans to invoke the Charter's notwithstanding clause.
EDMONTON -- Premier Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel, aimed at wrenching more political control from Ottawa, was spurred to take action in Grande Prairie Wednesday.
EDMONTON -- Premier Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel is in Grande Prairie tonight to brainstorm potential referendum questions aimed at wrenching more political control from Ottawa.
EDMONTON -- Critics are questioning what problem the Alberta government's move to add mandatory citizenship markers to provincial identification aims to solve, and say it opens the door to potential privacy breaches and discrimination.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her latest meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney has inspired optimism and he is demonstrating a "real shift" from the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberals. Speaking in Edmonton on Thursday, she said she understands why Albertans might feel the rug has been pulled out from them several times before, but she's committed to diplomacy. "I found...
EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her latest meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney has inspired optimism and he is demonstrating a "real shift" from the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberals.
EDMONTON -- With a provincewide teachers strike looming, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says their union has a stark choice between heftier pay hikes and more teachers.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her latest meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney has inspired optimism and he is demonstrating a "real shift" from the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberals.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to reiterate her policy demands face-to-face with Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday while he's in Edmonton to meet with his Liberal caucus. Smith, on her weekend call-in radio show, says she's looking for "real movement" on nine federal policies she says have "pummeled" Alberta's economy and wellspring oil and gas industry. Her wish list...
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to reiterate her policy demands face-to-face with Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday while he's in Edmonton to meet with his Liberal caucus.
EDMONTON -- While the Alberta government is urging teachers to get back to the bargaining table to get out of an ongoing stalemate, their union says the province needs to move beyond reiterating a deal that teachers have already rejected.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government says it will fight hard to defend a court challenge to its school pronoun law.
EDMONTON -- Alberta parents are bracing for a potential teacher strike or lockout as shifting provincial policies on books and sports also add confusion and chaos to the school year.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is rewriting an order directing school divisions to ban books with sexually explicit content to ensure classic books stay on library shelves.
Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel in Fort McMurray Tuesday night drew more approval than pushback, and the premier insisted Ottawa is the rightful target of much of the criticism coming her way. The panel is gathering feedback for potential referendum questions. Smith has said it also aims to address grievances with the federal government that are inspiring separatist sentiment. Unlike...
EDMONTON -- Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel in Fort McMurray Tuesday night drew more approval than pushback, and the premier insisted Ottawa is the rightful target of much of the criticism coming her way.
Former Alberta politician Thomas Lukaszuk is a man on a not-so-lonely mission to keep Canada from splitting. "This has become a full-time job. I'm very passionate about this," the former Progressive Conservative deputy premier said in Edmonton last week. As people trickled in and out of a local legion, a table full of volunteers helped them officially put their name...
EDMONTON -- Former Alberta politician Thomas Lukaszuk is a man on a not-so-lonely mission to keep Canada from splitting.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she was unaware of her government's changes that resulted in the removal of publicly disclosed expense receipts earlier this month.
EDMONTON -- An Alberta taxpayers advocate is applauding the provincial government's latest expense disclosure policy.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is again shifting its expense disclosure policy after critics from across the political spectrum accused her of dodging responsibility. In early August, the province quietly published new rules axing a requirement for Smith, her ministers, senior staff and deputy ministers to publicly post receipts for expenses over $100. Marisa Breeze, press secretary to Finance Minister...
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is again shifting its expense disclosure policy after critics from across the political spectrum accused her of dodging responsibility.
EDMONTON -- In a partial policy reversal, Alberta's government said Tuesday it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government says it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers in a partial policy reversal.
EDMONTON -- Health experts, advocates and unions are sounding the alarm over Alberta's plan for paid COVID-19 shots, calling it concerning and confusing.
A travelling panel collecting public feedback on Alberta's grievances with Ottawa struggled to keep an emotionally-charged crowd on topic at its third summer town hall on Thursday night. Premier Danielle Smith and members of her Alberta Next panel drew its biggest crowd yet -- nearly 750 people -- in Edmonton to brainstorm about possible future referendum questions. Division and outrage...