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That said, the NDP is only just starting to come to terms with how badly it’s managed this file. There are serious and legitimate concerns about Bill 6. The government has not communicated why the bill is necessary. It has not conducted enough consultations — which should have occurred before the regulations hit the legislature floor, not after. Agriculture minister Oneil Carlier and jobs minister Lori Sigurdson have faced the protests head on and publicly, but too often their answers have been vague. No one seems able to answer whether a farm kid will be able to help a parent calve at midnight, for example, or how much WCB will cost for a small operation. Even the government’s information sheets are ragged contradictory messes.

This is the real third rail of Alberta politics.

The problems don’t end there. Bill 6 fails to distinguish between corporate enterprises and smaller-scale family ones, unlike similar legislation elsewhere. Farmers are worried about how occupational health and safety rules will apply to an industry that doesn’t run on regular hours. Some want the flexibility to choose their own insurance providers, if at all.

These are all valid concerns. The government should slow down, reconsider this bill and its approach, and do the consulting it should have before moving forward in the first place. Alberta’s NDP seems to have fixed its attention on big-ticket items like a carbon tax and a royalty review, treating Bill 6 like a throwaway item. They are starting to understand why the Progressive Conservatives avoided safety legislation on farms for 43 years. This is the real third rail of Alberta politics.